Cosplay judges


On this page we will introduce our honoured judges who will offer their insight during the cosplay competition judging.

 

MANUEL D’ANDREA

Facebook / Instagram

Born and raised in a little town near Rome in 1993, Manuel develops a passion for creativity and art from the first years of life. He has a vocation for painting, drawing, graphic art and post-production, tailoring, decoration and sculpture.

In 2011 he discovers a particular skill for creating costumes, this is the year when he creates his first cosplay. In 2012 he wins some important prizes like the Italian Championship and in March 2013 he creates his personal costume brand: Midnight Costumes, a space dedicated to the creation of high quality costumes, from cosplay to themed wedding dresses.

Manuel continues his artistic career applying his art also in the designers’ world where he creates artwork for various merchandise (from T-shirts to interior design) and starting from 2016 he decides to create a space on his socials where he transforms his face with makeup into different types of characters from male to female, from human to fantasy. Nowadays Manuel works actively as a costume designer, graphic and traditional designer and makeup artist.

Encouraging words for those thinking about trying cosplay:
“I try everytime to make dreams and fantasy comes true, there is only one way to make this possible and this way is called art.”


Photo credits: Winifred Sanderson (top) taken by Andrea Aureli, Pitch Black and The Countess (bottom) taken by Manuel D’Andrea.
 


 

MERRY ALL-NIGHTER

Facebook / Instagram

Hello from Finland! I’m Merry All-Nighter, a passionate cosplayer since ten years ago. I cosplay from a lot of different sources like anime, manga, games and movies, and love learning about new materials and techniques. I truly believe that the devil is in the detail, I appreciate neat and clean finishes and absolutely love nice and fitting materials.
I’ve been fortunate enough to represent my country in the World Cosplay Summit in Japan and at EuroCosplay in London. Both have been incredible experiences and allowed me to befriend people outside our own borders. I’ve also judged several cosplay competitions over the years, latest one being the C4 finals in the Netherlands.
I’m excited to meet everyone at AniMatsuri and getting to share thoughts and ideas about cosplay!


Photo credits: Roxie Hart (top) taken by AG cosplay & photography, Asuka (bottom left) taken by Niew Photography, Demon Hunter (bottom center) taken by Maria Maunula, Lightning (bottom right) taken by Alexandriel Photography.


 

KAIRI IN COSPLAYLAND

Facebook / Instagram

Kairi, 29 years old, actively cosplaying since 2008. Attending most of the Polish cosplay events – either as a contestant or a judge. She’s doing workshops and panels about her hobby both in Poland and abroad. She’s travelling a lot – visited more than 15 countries thanks to cosplay itself! Kairi was the Polish representative in international cosplay contests five times – three times at EuroCosplay finals in London and twice at the European Cosplay Gathering in Paris. In London she placed second twice and in 2014 she won the championships! Together with Zel COShorse they placed 2nd at Clara Cow Cosplay Cup 2016.

Lately she has been producing cosplay musicals (Yuri on Ice in 2017 and Attack on Titan in 2018) and that’s where her focus goes in the future. There’s no specific type of costumes she prefers, she likes to experiment with new techniques and designs. She mostly cosplays characters that are close to her heart. She loves to perform on stage!


Photo credits: Katniss Everdeen (top) taken by WORLD by HOKA, Eren Jaeger (bottom left) taken by V.U. Noxcraft, Naruto Uzumaki (bottom right) taken by Studio Zahora.