Florida Supercon 2025 brings together cosplayers, comic book fans and more
A person in a costume made to resemble a tank with a slogan reading 'Katyusha is the best girl' from the 'Girls und...
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South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Discreet charm of Sanrio's Hello Kitty unleashes the power of cute
The Don Don Donki store in Causeway Bay is buzzing as always, and the Kuromi shelf is already picked clean. Joyce C stares at the empty space and sighs. Around her, shoppers scoop up other Sanrio items: Hello Kitty erasers, My Melody hair clips, Cinnamoroll stickers. Advertisement 'Whenever I go to Donki to buy Kuromi merch, it's always sold out,' she says, half-exasperated, half-amused. The 22-year-old has been steadily building her Kuromi collection since she started working, but her attachment to the mischievous bunny in a black jester hat goes back to her childhood. As someone who grew up in early noughties Hong Kong, I understand the appeal. It was near impossible to ignore the many mascots stamped onto stationery and lunchboxes. As an adult, I still plaster Kuromi and Cinnamoroll stickers on everything I own. I'm far from alone. At Sanrio Fes 2025, in Yokohama, Japan, the company announced this year's Character Ranking, where Pompompurin claimed first place. Photo: Sanrio Before Labubu, Sonny Angel and Crybaby ignited the collectible figurine frenzy, there was Sanrio, a Japanese company whose mascots brought kawaii culture into the global mainstream. For many, Hello Kitty was the first character they collected or passed on to the next generation. In June, at Sanrio Fes, in Yokohama, Japan, the company announced this year's Character Ranking that drew a record 63 million ballots, with Pompompurin edging out Cinnamoroll, and Pochacco, Kuromi and Hello Kitty rounding out the global top five. The ranking isn't only a leaderboard; it shows Sanrio fandom is still strong even as competitors such as Pop Mart churn out blind boxes at speed. Joyce first saw Kuromi on television in kindergarten. 'You feel an affinity for one character and it just sticks with you for a very long time,' she says. She felt drawn to Kuromi for its edgy, punk feel – at least, as edgy as Sanrio gets. 'It's a dark aesthetic and I used to be into that. I thought that was cool.' Kuromi is the playful foil to the sweet and innocent My Melody. Photo: Jocelyn Tam On her debut in 2005, Kuromi was positioned as the playful foil to the sweet and innocent My Melody, who has evolved to symbolise an alternative, online subculture.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Thousands of comic book fans brave summer heat to attend Hong Kong Ani-Com 2025
Cosplayers dressed as characters such as Dr. Mario, Pikachu and Hokusai were among the thousands undeterred by the summer heat who joined an outdoor queue before streaming into Hong Kong's annual comics and games fair on Saturday. Advertisement The 26th edition of Ani-Com & Games Hong Kong began on Friday and will run until Tuesday at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, featuring a record-high number of 160 exhibitors and more than 788 booths. A snaking queue formed beyond the convention centre across the street on a footbridge into Central Plaza on Saturday, and was constantly moving without any signs of ending as of 2.30pm. Jonathan Nguyen, who came as Dr. Mario – the main character of the eponymous Nintendo video game – has attended all five days of every edition of the show in the last two decades after moving to Hong Kong from the US. 'I tell myself the budget is HK$2,000 [US$255] every year, but I go over budget all the time; it was double last year,' the kindergarten teacher in his 40s said. Advertisement He observed certain products were cheaper this year – such as figurines that used to be in the region of HK$600 and now priced at HK$400 – thanks to the low Japanese yen, adding that the economic downturn had not impacted his desire to spend. 'I would say that nerds spend no matter what the economy is like because we do it for the love of the game,' said Nguyen, who also dressed as Steven from Steven Universe and Russell from the film Up on other days of the event.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Godzilla's 70th anniversary celebrated in huge new book with over 900 photos
American author Steve Ryfle remembers scouring his TV guide every week to find the monster movies and horror films he loved. Advertisement 'The Japanese films always appealed to me the most,' says the co-writer of the Emmy-winning 2017 documentary Miracle on 42nd Street. 'They were intriguing because they took place in a world that was unfamiliar, a culture that was unfamiliar.' Godzilla, he says, was especially captivating to a dinosaur-loving kid. 'Of course, when you're younger, you're into dinosaurs,' he says. 'Godzilla seemed like the greatest dinosaur I'd ever seen, and it did all these crazy things, and I just loved it.' Along with Ed Godziszewski, Ryfle is the co-author of the massive new book Godzilla: The First 70 Years, a 432-page, nearly 6lb (2.7kg) book filled with stories, interviews, breakout boxes and more than 900 photos of one of cinema's most enduring figures. Pages from Godzilla: The First 70 Years. Photo: Harry N. Abrams The book, which features introductions by Halloween and The Thing directing legend John Carpenter and recurring Godzilla actress Megumi Odaka, is the culmination of an effort by publisher Harry N. Abrams and Godzilla film producer Toho Studios to mark the anniversary with the ultimate English-language book examining the narrative and visual history of the films, Ryfle says.
