BAC House -2 aka Chittagong Cosplayers is one of those communities that continues to astonish the fans with their activities through the amazing Cosplayers and makes sure fans get to know the fantastic Cosplay artists of this house.

Recently, Chittagong Cosplayers arranged a cosplay at-home contest which they have done previously with this time the competition being the second edition. The first one was during covid lockdown. Since the fans were overjoyed with that contest, the admins of Chittagong Cosplayers decided to launch the contest again this year on a larger scale compared to the last home contest.

Chittagong Cosplayers Home Contest 2.0

This year, the organizers of the contest surprised the fans with the announcement of the judges. One of them was from India, a well-known cosplayer Vijay Sinha who agreed to judge the contest and his appearance as a judge inspired the young cosplayers of the port city!

The other judge, Fariha Chowdhury (Bangladesh) is a famous cosplayer in the country who won several prizes at recognized pop culture events throughout the years and recently took the position of the honorable judge in quite a few pop culture events in both Dhaka and Chittagong.

We contacted Fariha Chowdhury for her thoughts about the home contest and she replied, “All the submissions were so amazing. It was hard as a judge to differentiate between all these cosplays. Some of the cosplayers were so well deserving but for the 50% fan reactions, they got behind. So many of the contestants will surely take the grand stage in future conventions. Overall, the contest was a success and I look forward to more home contests like this in the future which will inspire young generations to cosplay”.

A Controversy?!!

From the beginning of the competition, fans were discussing a very controversial decision about the contest as the organizers declared in the rules that only the registered members of Chittagong Cosplayers would be eligible to participate in the contest.

Deshi Geek asked one of the admins of Chittagong Cosplayers Mahir Hasan Chowdhury about the decision and he said, “The home contest is arranged to motivate and boost up the cosplayers of Chittagong only. As the number of Cosplay conventions is less in Chittagong compared to Dhaka, we are arranging this contest so that the cosplayers of Chittagong can shine their cosplays and get inspired to do better in future through hard work”.

Deshi Geek team contacted another admin of Chittagong Cosplayers, Hossain Tariq to get his statement about the contest. Hossain Tariq said, “We are so proud of our cosplayers and we want the fans to also appreciate the cosplayers of Chittagong. The home contest will help us to promote our cosplayers at the national level and with the inclusion of the honorable judge Mr Vijay Sinha, the amazing cosplays of our cosplayers will be highlighted on an international level as well.”   

Tasnim Ibrahim, the moderator and one of the youngest prodigies of Chittagong Cosplayers said to Deshi Geek, “Our cosplayers are really hard working and they deserve the spotlight. The fan reactions we got in this event was beyond our expectation and we plan to organize such contests on a bigger platform in future as well.”

The Talents Representing Chittagong Cosplayers

Deshi Geek tried to get the opinion of some of the cosplayers of Chittagong about the contest as well. Muhtasim Aranya, one of the finalists of Animecon Chattogram told us, “It was a brand-new experience for me, really helped me know the ways of cosplaying in a smart & innovative way. This competition also made me realize the vastness of cosplaying and other cosplayer’s creations.”

Ahmed Zawad Hassan, an international cosplayer from Bangladesh and from BAC House 2: Chittagong Cosplayers explained, “It was an amazing experience with lots of fun things to do! I was able to meet up with friends and connect with the growing pop community. I would suggest inviting comic artists in Bangladesh to the cons, that way enthusiasts can interact with them in panels.”

Ruhama Gilbert, one of the old-generation cosplayers of Chittagong, stated, “It has been such an exciting ride participating in this competition, expressing our cosplay skills and fandom while having the convenience of doing it at home, it was a really unique and fun experience. Watching our amazing cosplayers from the community give their best truly filled me with determination to put more effort and dedication in future. I’d be super thrilled to participate again!”

Deshi Geek approached Ayxia Choity, the winner of Anime Festival 2022 and she replied, “Firstly it was quite an experience. The online photo contest was to boost up the cosplayers of Chittagong and it did! I got to witness other cosplayers’ cosplay and stuff. Making a costume takes so much skill and creativity. Basically, it’s a community of art and should stay free of toxicity.”

“Sometimes we feel really uncomfortable and discouraged because of our body type as it isn’t the same as the character so people tend to bully us. But some members are really helpful and friendly. I found some interesting friends and senpais who support me and have similar interests as mine. I think this is a great opportunity for everyone to boost their social communication and confidence. At last, I would encourage everyone to cosplay at least once in their lifetime. Thank you”, Ayxia remarked.

The Climax

After lots of speculation, Ayxia Choity won the Championship of the home contest with her Sora Kasugano cosplay. Alan Harder won the 1st runner-up as he cosplayed the famous Levi Ackerman and the fan favorite Tasnuba Haque won the position of 2nd Runner-up as she cosplayed Tenten in the home contest.

Two of the most promising cosplayers of Chittagong, Ruhama Gilbert and Monishi Chakma won the “Honorable Mention” for their cosplay, Mirai Kuriyama and Toph Beifong.

Overall, the contest was a huge success and Deshi Geek is happy to be a part of this amazing contest. This is an event which has motivated not only the cosplayers of Chittagong, it had a good impact on the whole cosplay community of Bangladesh. Deshi Geek was the Magazine partner of this fantastic competition. The contest was sponsored by Qrio the Curious Shop. The event partners were the Bangladesh Association of Cosplayers (BAC) and Chittagong Anime Bhokto.