Comic corner
published : 30 Jun 2018 at 10:26
writer: Suwitcha Chaiyong
Pop culture convention comes to Paragon
For a long time, people thought that comics were just for kids. But that’s not the case any more. Nowadays, comic book conventions, or comic cons, are major pop culture events.
People of all ages can go to see their favourite characters from comics, movies and popular TV shows. This year, from June 8 to 10, Asia Comic Con was in Bangkok, showcasing many popular characters from the US and Japan, along with plenty of activities to entertain everybody from the biggest nerd to the most casual visitor at Paragon Hall.
Here are some highlights from the event.
MUAY THAI MOVIE
Earlier this year, the film The Legend of Muay Thai: 9 Satra came out to widespread acclaim. The public was impressed with its well-designed characters and spectacular settings. It is considered the best Thai animation made so far. And this year, it became the first Thai animation to be represented at a comic con. Visitors enjoyed taking photos with life-sized sculptures of the main characters, such as Ott and Dehayaksa, as well as major props from the film.
STAR STRUCK
On the second day of the event, visitors got to meet Hollywood star Jessica Henwick, best known for playing Nymeria Sand in the hit series Game of Thrones and Jessika Pava in the blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The talented actress was happy to answer questions from excited fans.
LARGER THAN LIFE
Many life-sized sculptures could be seen around the hall, adding drama and colour to the event. These included Thanos from Avengers: Infinity War, Iron Man, the Predator and the Batmobile from the Dark Knight trilogy.
BEST IN SHOW
Among the exhibitions were One Piece and Dragon Quest. Fans of the hugely popular Japanese manga One Piece were delighted to be given the opportunity to get on board the Thousand Sunny with Luffy. Meanwhile, the Dragon Quest exhibition was full of detail with paintings, models of characters, armour and shields and even a castle.
GAME ZONE
A large area was dedicated to gaming. The e-racing included video, online and mobile games. Fans of the PlayStation 4 competed with each other on Street Fighter 5, Dragon Ball Fighter Z and Gran Turismo. The hit online and mobile game ROV was so popular that it held a competition on every day of the event.
ANISONG ACT
Many amine fans love the theme songs to their favourite Japanese animations, known as anisongs, as much as they do the stories themselves. Three leading Japanese anisong singers - Maon Kurosaki, Konomi Suzuki and Megumi Nakajima - performed their songs on June 9 at Paragon Hall.
Learn from listening
Vocabulary
- acclaim (noun): praise and approval for somebody/something, especially an artistic achievement - การยกย่อง
- armour: special clothing that soldiers wear to protect their bodies while fighting - เสื้อเกราะ,เกราะป้องกัน
- casual: relaxed and informal - ตามอารมณ์,ไม่เป็นทางการ,ธรรมดา
- convention: a large formal meeting of people who do a particular job or have a similar interest, or a large meeting for a political party - การประชุมใหญ่
- dedicated: used only for one specific thing - ที่กำหนดใช้ในทางใดทางหนึ่งโดยเฉพาะ
- nerd (noun): a person who is very interested in computers or technical things and who is not very fashionable - เป็นคำเรียกบุคคลที่มีระดับสติปัญญาสูงซึ่งมีความสนใจในการเรียนหรือ การศึกษาเรื่องบางเรื่องที่เขาสนใจ คนภายนอกจะมองว่าพวกนี้เป็นพวกที่ไม่เข้าสังคม แต่จริงๆแล้วเป็นเพราะว่าพวกนี้ไม่สนใจและไม่เห็นความจำเป็นที่จะต้องเข้าต่างหาก
- prop (noun): a small object used by actors during the performance of a play or in a film/movie; a small object used to make a photo look more interesting -
- sculpture: a solid object that someone makes as a work of art by shaping a substance such as stone, metal, wood or sand - รูปปั้น
