T5W#481-Top 5 Otakon 2024 Cosplays

Previously on Top 5 Wednesday:

We kicked off our annual Cosplay Shoutouts for Halloween with a look at my Top 5 Katsucon 2024 Cosplays (you can check it out here if you missed it: http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2024/10/t5w480-top-5-katsucon-2024-cosplays.html).
 
Today we’re taking a look back at this years big 30^th Anniversary for Otakon.  This was a tough year to draw candidates from.  Not like there wasn’t a lot of variety but everywhere you looked it seemed like Frieren and Hazbin Hotel were dominating the entire scene (not a bad thing by any means, a lot of them were good).  Still, everyone brought their A Game for this landmark year for Otakon and today we’re giving them proper attention with my picks for the Top 5 Otakon 2024 Cosplays.
 
#5-Emma Sheen

There have been a few cons I’ve attended where I spot a character I never expected to see and probably no one expects to be recognized as.  Gundam’s been a pretty popular cosplay category this year (Katsu 2024 had a surprisingly large turnout for an official photoshoot).  And that trend continues on this weeks list starting with a rare sighting of Emma Sheen from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam.  It’s nice to see one of Gundams most underrated female icons get some loving attention in cosplay and I knew exactly who she was first try, proud of myself for that.
 
This cosplay comes courtesy of Emmelinenguyen and you can check out more of her Emma Sheen and other cosplay pics here: https://www.instagram.com/emmelinenguyen/
 

#4-Dr. Clayton Forester and Evil Tom Servo

It’s always fun to see a series you wouldn’t expect to see at an Anime con.  This actually feels like another follow up to Katsucon when I spotted a cosplay of Torgo from the MST3K riff on Manos: The Hands of Fate.  Doctor Clayton here looks pretty sharp but his work on his Tom Servo is definitely top notch.  The colors and material kind of give off Green Ranger vibes with the Green chest and Power Ranger looking cog, plus the gold along the neck and the shoulder pads.  Guess I should call him Emperor Servo, he’d probably like that.
 

#3-Mandalorian Miku

You cant go to any convention and not spot at least…three Mandalorian’s of various designs.  Everyone loves taking a shot at their own rendition of Pedro Pascal’s masked gunslinger or Boba Fett but when you can take it one step further, it really stands out.  Case in point: Mandalorian Miku.  Honestly how has this not become one of Miku Hatsume’s surprise looks at one of her concerts or many online vids?  The color, the pigtails, there’s even a little Miku attached a la Grogu.  Is it a little silly, sure but come on, even Mando’s love their Miku and wanna show her some love.
 

#2-Black Tri Star Zaku

Being the massive Gundam fan I am, I’m always a sucker for human sized recreations of Mobile Suits (like the battle scarred RX-78-2 Gundam that popped up on last weeks Katsu list).  Apparently, this Black Zaku is a Mobile Suit Variant Gunpla and a variation meant for the Black Tri Stars from the original series.  That said, I never knew it existed til I saw it walking around on the ground level of the Walter E Washington and my jaw dropped.  Even if I didn’t know what unit it was attached to, this looks like a bad ass Black Ops style Zaku.  Plus look how shiny it is and that light up eye, no wonder I’ve been dying to build this Gunpla since I saw this.
 

#1-Sailor Moon Monsters of the Week Unite!!!

My top pick for this years list is a group project I’d been hearing about from my friends Rizuki and Relia Lakedaemon since Katsu.  The idea of seeing a group cosplay of various Monsters of the Week from Sailor Moon was exciting enough but to see it in person was even better.  Considering they were taking part in the Cosplay Masquerade, I knew theyd been busy all day but I happened to stumble across the group and learn they won Best Advanced.  Frak, how could they not?  You see Sailor Senshi everywhere and maybe a couple of big bads but Monsters of the Week?  I’ve been singing praises about these guys every chance I get to talk about con highlights and giving Monsters a chance to shine like the rest of the Senshi that populate the halls of a convention.
 
Naturally, IG Page shoutouts to all incredible participants, be sure to check out their pages and show them all lots of love and support:
 
Rizuki as Puuko
https://www.instagram.com/rizuki/
 
Reila Lakedaemon as Gari Gari
https://www.instagram.com/relialakedaemon/
 
Breathlessaire as Nekonneru
https://www.instagram.com/breathlessaire_designs/
 
WigsEverlasting as Dream Princess
https://www.instagram.com/wigseverlasting/
 
Mew Michi as Pierrot
https://www.instagram.com/mew21_cosplay/