8Bit/Digi

The Old School Cosplay Gathering, a long-running tradition at FanimeCon that allows fans to honor the classics along with the rich history of anime and manga, will be returning. Details about the event have been announced, including the lineup. 

Mokkori Cosplay will once again host the FanimeCon 2023 Old School (Pre-2001) Cosplay Gathering. This will be one of the first cosplay gatherings during the weekend. It’s open to anyone cosplaying as a character from any anime, manga, or video game that debuted before 2001. 

The Lineup

The gathering will take place on Friday, May 26th but a time or location has not been set. They do hope for a 6pm to 7pm time slot. During the gathering, the photo shoots will be organized in the following order:

• By era – 1960’s or earlier
• By era – 1970’s
• By era – 1980’s
• By era – 1990’s to 2000
• Characters who use swords / knives / blades
• Characters known to get physical / fighters / brawlers
• Military / rank and file / soldiers
• Characters with psychic powers / spiritual powers / espers / magic 
• Pilots / drivers / craft operators / mech jockeys
• Teachers / students / faculty / school attendants
• Characters who use firearms / laser guns / projectile weapons 
• Magical girls
• Animals / pets
• Spacefaring characters / those who live off-world
• Robots / androids / synthetic people / mecha
• Characters who are mysterious / shadowy
• Public servants / government organizations / secret organizations
• Characters with secret identities
• Characters in uniform of any type
• Battle teams
• Video game characters
• Characters who are on the run / fugitives / scoundrels / bounty hunters
• Monsters / demons / youma / zombies 
• Characters who are technically minded / deductive / intelligent / geniuses
• Great warriors / legendary masters
• Civilians
• Aliens
• Heroes
• Villains
• Heroes vs Villains
• Cosplayers representing the manga version of their character
• Age vs Youth / old characters vs young characters
• Live Action only characters
• Pairings / couples
• Group shot for late attendees (regular / humorous)
• Series groups
• Studio / production team
• Solo shots (cosplayer request)
• Additional requests (cosplayer request)

What to Expect

Cosplayers who plan to attend the gatherings should be aware that FanimeCon staff will be present to take photos. Those who do not wish to have their photo taken are asked not to participate. If someone remains with a group during the photoshoot, they will be considered to have given consent to being photographed.

FanimeCon 2023 will take place during the Memorial Day Weekend at the San Jose Convention Center along with the surrounding locations. More information about the event will be available in the coming months. Registration for FanimeCon 2023 has opened with all the details available online. 

Mokkori Cosplay are a duo who specialize in styles based on old school anime and video games. They are based in the Silicon Valley and are well known for hosting events at fan conventions that shine a spot light on classical works. 

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides an insight into the gamer community of the San Francisco Bay Area.