Filipina Cosplayer Jia Gold Bustamante Wins Asia Cosplay Meet Championship

The first weekend of July 2010 was phenomenal for Filipina cosplayers. On Saturday, Filipina cosplay sisters Alodia and Ashley Gosiengfiao judged the cosplay competition at the Singapore Mascot Parade. On Sunday, Filipina cosplayer Jia Gold Bustamante won the cosplay competition at the Asia Cosplay Meet.

Jia, an avid anime and gaming fan, portrayed the armored gynoid KOS-MOS from the PlayStation 2 science-fiction role-playing game Xenosaga III. From the pretty lights on her costume to the stoic expression on her face, Jia cosplayed her character with stunning accuracy and flair. She’s one of those rare cosplayers who pays attention to every single detail of her portrayals.

Disciplined Hotshot

Whereas Alodia and Ashley are seven-year veterans of the cosplay industry who’ve performed in Singapore before, Jia only started cosplaying in November 2009. Her sudden and meteoritic rise to international fame is made even more remarkable by her young age: Jia is only thirteen. That makes her the youngest Filipina cosplayer to ever win an international competition. Jia’s previous cosplays include C.C. from the anime Code Geass, Rider from the anime Fate/stay night, and Kanu Unchou from the anime Ikki Tousen.

One of the reasons for Jia’s rapid rise to fame is her precociously clear understanding of cosplay as an artform. This teenage prodigy got into cosplay with all the rigorous discipline of a true performance artist. She watches what she eats, she keeps her skin pimple-free, and she focuses on her performance as much as she does on her costume. Perhaps some of that discipline comes from Jia’s training as a martial artist: she counts taekwondo as one of her passions. Jia’s passion as an artist also extends to photography and playing the piano.

Coincidentally, the youngest professional cosplayer in the Philippines, Chienna Filomeno, is also thirteen. Jia and Chienna represent a new generation of disciplined and determined young Filipina cosplayers. With her victory at the Asia Cosplay Meet, Jia proves that this new generation can bring Philippine cosplay to new heights of international acclaim.

(Photos by Jen Paredes.)

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Comments

14 Comments (with 2 Conversations) on “Filipina Cosplayer Jia Gold Bustamante Wins Asia Cosplay Meet Championship”
  1. Ultima-Weapon says:

    Impressive, she proves that, no matter what age you may be, cosplaying is a great passion, you can even get something off of it.

  2. Mica says:

    I can’t believe that my best friend is the youngest Filipina to win an international cosplay competition. She has a great passion for cosplaying and is determined to reach the top of things. I still can’t believe that this girl, whom I became friends with,always ate lunch with and always laughed with is now rising to fame. I hope she’ll stay grounded, and I know she will because Jia is a great and beautiful person. Inside and Out 🙂 Love ya! –Mica.

  3. awesomeness says:

    Chienna is NOTHING compared to Jia. Chienna is a wannabee cosplayer (she isn’t an anime fan for one) and she’s just cosplaying for the attention. Chienna Filomeno’s title is inexistent because there is no such thing as a PROFESSIONAL COSPLAYER.

    • Mike Abundo says:

      Arisa Mizuhara is a professsional cosplayer. Yaya Han is a professional cosplayer. Francesca Dani is a professional cosplayer. The girls in the following video are professional cosplayers.

      According to Channel News Asia, Alodia Gosiengfiao is a professional cosplayer.

      Professional cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao interviewed on Channel News Asia.

      As you can see from these examples, professional cosplayers practice their trade all over the world. 🙂

      • peacerloverock says:

        Cosplaying is a HOBBY. But wait! If someone is paid for her “so-called” cosplays, then she is called a professional cosplayer? Or is she called professional when she has made a lot of costumes and actually managed to act like the character? I’m confused. -_-“

Reply to Mike Abundo