Chowking Celebrates Geek Culture

When Chowking wanted to celebrate its 25th anniversary last week, the Chinese fastfood chain decided to try something a little different. Sure, they could have gone with a stuffy old coporate suit party or an unremarkable generic street party. They could have just invited a whole bunch of silver-screen celebrities and TV news networks. Having just completed a $5 million modernization program, this four-hundred-branch international fastfood chain could certainly afford all the accoutrements of old reliable mass media. Instead, Chowking chose to do something a little more… geeky.

Niche media and geek culture are currently ascendant in Chowking’s home country of the Philippines, so Chowking decided to contact one of the most influential geeks in the Philippines: cosplayer and blogger Alodia Gosiengfiao. The result was a night of pure awesomeness. Click here to continue reading “Chowking Celebrates Geek Culture”…

March 22, 2010 · 1 Comment

Filipina-German Cosplayer Jessica Ouano

Alodia Gosiengfiao isn’t the only Filipina cosplayer rising to international fame. The upcoming photobook Otacool 2: Worldwide Cosplayers features not one, but two Filipinas on the cover. Joining Alodia on the cover is Filipina-German cosplayer Jessica Ouano.

Cosplay is a portmanteau combining two words: costume and roleplay. Hailing from the island of Cebu, home of many a beautiful Filipina, fifteen-year-old Jessica shows great promise as a cosplayer with her amazing costumes and captivating portrayals.

As with many anime and game cosplayers, Jessica’s immersion in otaku culture adds to the enthusiasm of her portrayals. She counts Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection among her favorite games, and Gundam Seed’s Lacus Clyne among her anime idols.

Check out Jessica’s renditions of fictional characters both modern and classic: Sheryl Nome from the anime Macross Frontier, Gwendolyn from the role-playing game Odin Sphere, and Alice from the novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She even reprises Alodia’s portrayal of Haruhi from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Click here to continue reading “Filipina-German Cosplayer Jessica Ouano”…

February 10, 2010 · 17 Comments (with 5 Conversations)