Today: Mar 28, 2024

Anime Club hosts Cosplay Cafe for students to eat and dress up

J’Mari Hughes — Copy Editor

 

The Anime Society transformed Farnham Programming Space from a hangout and study area for students into a costume convention and complimentary cafe on Oct. 28.

Anime and videogame characters, animals and superheroes were some of the many costumes students donned while they served as waiters and waitresses giving away treats and dinner to visiting students.

The event, entitled Cosplay Cafe, has been going on for at least five years and occurs around Halloween, in the spirit of dressing up, according to Anime Society President and

studio art major, TJ Thomas, a junior.

“It’s this like, yearly thing that Anime Society does to simulate the themed cafes that are popular in Japan,” Thomas said. “We
always order food and it’s just like really to make everyone feel comfortable and cozy. It brings everyone together for a nice fun time.”

Club members gave visitors menus that offered foods such as vegetables and rice, as well as Asian foods like lo mein, Pocky and Hello Panda cookies. There was also the choice of soda, water or bubble tea, which was available in multiple flavors. The student “customers” would order from the menu and have their food brought to them

by members of the club, who were all dressed in costumes.

“We’re serving people, taking orders and bringing out food,” said undeclared major Deja Bynoe, a sophomore who came dressed as a maid. “Our menus — you check off how many things you want per table, we bring it back, if a table says ‘two plates of chicken,’ we bring out two plates of chicken.”

A popular item was the taro, honeydew and strawberry bubble teas which studio art major and vice president of Anime Society Lourdes Rivera, a senior, said is
a milk tea based drink made with tapioca pearls and flavored powder.

While students ate their free food, they were able to view anime, including one called “Polar Bear Cafe,” which Thomas called “absurdly cute” and said features a polar bear, penguin and panda in a zoo running their own cafe.

Computer science major Kalem Bettencourt, a freshman, came in a Call of Duty operator costume featuring American flags, camouflage and a face mask. He said he enjoys showing off his cosplay and getting to put together pieces from scratch to make

a costume. Another dressed up student was computer science major Shayla Hill, a freshman, who came dressed as a purple Tetris block, which she said she made out of cardboard and interior paint.

“It’s awesome to see so many people interested in the same thing, like, together,” Hill said. “We’re all into cosplay and just having fun.”

Around this time of year, Thomas, who came dressed as Dr. Satan from Dragon Ball Z, said most people go to the average Halloween party, whereas at this event, they are able to try Asian foods and experience Animet in a cozy place.

“It’s nice to see people dressed, like, a day earlier for Halloween,” said Lourdes, who dressed as a Charmander Pokemon. “If you have a costume that you really wanna try out, this is the place to go.”

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