Event     Layer's Paradise
Location  Tokyo Dome Super Hero Show Stage
Date      2005.05.21
Time      19:00 - 21:00
Cost      1600 yen (advance ticket)
          500 yen (camera registration)
Guests    Cosplay Unit SAI
          FICE
          Yanagi Mao
          Polka Dot

Layer's Paradise was a cosplay event held at Tokyo Dome (formerly Kourakuen).
During the day many cosplayers just took pictures all around the park,
and rode the rides (in costume).
At night there was a song stage by idol cosplayers on the large
outdoor super hero show stage.
There was also a large dance party in the indoor Geopolis stage.

I only went to see the idol cosplayer stage.
The emcees for the stage were Sakura Fumi and Yuuki Makoto from
Cosplay Unit SAI.
The song stage itself was around 90 minutes, and flowed as follows.

 - FICE (few songs and fighting action)
 - Yanagi Mao (medley)
 - janken for presents
 - Polka Dot (many Under17 songs)
 - Cosplay Unit SAI (4 songs)

Photos (with flash) allowed, but video wasn't this time.

The SAI girls who participated were Sakura Fumi, Yuuki Makoto,
Emiri, Una, Mizuki Sora, and Kohara Yui.

They all wore maid outfits, and sang (and danced),
[one song I don't know the title to], Danzen Futari ha Pre Cure,
Believe (One Piece), and Party Night (Di Gi Charat).
Sakura Fumi and Yuuki Makoto did most of the singing, and the other girls
danced.  But for Party Night, Emiri and Una also sang.

After the song stage, there was a photo session for all of the girls
in a small (but pretty well lit) photo booth.
The cameramen went in groups of two and had two minutes to take photos.
I only took photos of SAI.

I brought my 20D and 70-200mm F2.8L lens and one 550EX.
I took 821 photos with 252 of them worth keeping.

The photo counts per girl was as follows.

 Emiri            217
 Sakura Fumi        1
 all SAI           14
 Yuuki Haurka       8
 Yanagi Mao         7

Although there was spotlights and decent lighting for the stage,
since it was night it was pretty dark.  It would have been better
if I had two flashes, but synchronizing them would have been a
problem because the STE2 probably wouldn't have worked outdoors.
--
Hitoshi Doi
                         " this space for rent "
http://www.usagi.org/~doi/                                    doi@usagi.org