So I've been to this event consecutive times already yet I honestly found this event to be the best. Although the price increased for tickets and the queuing layout has changed throughout the years, MCM is the best when you spend with your friends or other fellow cosplayers.
For queue times, I was surprised it was faster than usual, even with a general entry it didn't take us long to enter the convention. But who would have thought that within the first few minutes of joining the queue you would end up bumping into a group of friends you knew? Just me? Oh. Well it happened, and at least it was nice to see a few familiar faces which I hadn't seen for a long time.
If I am perfectly honest, I'm not exactly one of the typical buyers at MCM. I was totally there for the £2.99 offer of pocky provided by Art Box. The 4 flavours they offered was: chocolate, chocobanana, strawberry and milk - Yeah... Anyways enough about pocky, I was fortunate enough to even discover this one time deal at MCM. That life struggle when you wait awkwardly to receive your 1p change from the seller, and he stands their giving you looks (thankfully I was with my friend phew, or this would be have been much more awkward...) but we did receive our change eventually...
But other than pocky, we also purchased takoyaki. If you haven't tried it, I honestly recommend it. It's literally octopus balls, which doesn't sound that all appealing but trust me it tastes so good. It's known to be a typical Japanese street food. But it is also great for sharing with friends and family if you want small bites to eat. I honestly only spent money on food... Which I have no regrets for...
After the purchases of food, we went off to watch the the League of Legends tournament in the Esports section. I think we were fortunate to receive a free skin for the game. After inputting our details we retrieved the Riot Kayle skin (which apparently isn't available anymore to purchase?) but we made our way to our seats for UK Premiership finals. However, the finals went surprisingly quick, and already there was an obvious winner.
But what probably made my day with MCM was having the opportunity to have a meet up with all of my close friends. Although it was merely a game of trying to find everyone in a massive convention - meaning using the specials skills of being a short person and swerving through crowds (trust me it was eventful). But in the end, we found a good spot on the green to all chill and listen to tunes that were currently being played out in the open. The great thing about MCM is that everyone is really comfortable with each other, although dressing in cosplay tends to make the experience a lot more interesting. For my friend and I we decided to dress up in a kimono and a maid costume, whilst another one of my friends who I stumbled across dressed up as Asuna from Sword Art Online.
But it didn't mean the boys in our group didn't get involved too in becoming "kawaii" is what they say in Japanese. Otherwise known as "cute". One of my friends is wearing a butler cosplay on the left along with a bow headband (borrowed from his girlfriend - they had matching cosplays it was super cute), whilst my other friend on the right, has been customised with cat whiskers using eyeliner and hello kitty style cat ears. I would definitely rate them an 11/10 in cuteness (just joking... Or am I really?) What would you rate these guys out of cuteness aha?
For those who don't know what cosplay is? Cosplay is a form of costume dress up usually of a fictional character e.g. from League of Legends, One Piece etc. For cosplayers, they take their time to make their costumes out of scratch including props, whilst others may take the option to buy their cosplayers which can be much quicker but may be more expensive.
Although for me, I chose to meet up with friends, there are many cosplayers who choose to attend specific meetups for their types of cosplays. At the convention I saw a Bleach cosplay meetup being held by one of the entrances and an Attack on Titan cosplay meetup by the green. This is a great way of socialising with new people, also with such a large group it is considerably safe especially as it is in held in such a well-known public place.
Overall, I found the event to be enjoyable with various events being held such as stage performances of several familiar acts as well as recognising familiar face. You don't even have to buy a ticket to have fun. I know many people who had a good time without a ticket, but buying a ticket allows you to have many opportunities available inside especially with some awesome purchases. If you're one looking for a haul of goods particularly related to anime, games or comics, I would recommend you buying a ticket, otherwise being outside is fun as well (as long as it doesn't rain, knowing the unpredictable British weather...) you don't miss out on too much in my personal opinion. If you are looking to attend MCM expo in London, the events tend to be held every May and October - I suggest you buy your tickets online in advance as it may or may not be possible to buy it on the day.
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