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TAKII 3 ~Video Game Ecstacy~




On January 13th, 2007, TAKII 3 ~Video Game Ecstacy~ was held in our brand new venue (The Rotunda) with very modest expectations. We weren't sure if people would adjust well to the venue change, or if TAKII popularity would increase or decrease. However, we had people arriving already by 10:30am EST that day & it was only the beginning for something that ended up being summed up by 2 words: beautifully extreme! Attendance presumptions were shattered by a couple-hundred people, the TAKII 3 Show had some ferocious competition (as well as judges ^-^), each of our multiple events (some of which aren't listed here) were hot, the live performances were wonderful (& memorable ^_*), & our larger-than-life DDR tournaments on a huge projection screen as a part of the "TAKII Wild Card" event of the night went off without a hitch!



HI-LyTES & LO-DOWNz
The Asian Karaoke Idol Invitational 3 ~VGE~ Show
The main event for every season of TAKII, the TAKII 3 Show did not disappoint anyone in attendance & fun was had by all. Competition this season was particularly fierce, with everyone having signed up just minuted before the competition began. This, along with thoughts of "OMG I can't do it", "I know I have this thing in the bag", & "I'll only do it if YOU do it" (among others), made for some must-see entertainment. Our guest judges were Amanda W./Lina Inverse (of Otaku Idol 2004 fame & con chair for Shikkaricon), Carmen L./Luna (our TAKII 2 ~Rebirth~ Show Champion), & yours truly. While Carmen was mostly very constructive with her criticism & I was very calculated with my answers, Amanda was just 1 nasty lady, lashing out at every turn & taking no time in letting TAKII 3 attendees know that she should be declared the champ by default (LOL). In response, everyone demanded that she back up her claims with a series of impromptu song performances (in-between each contestant having sung), which she ended up getting long applauses for. AAAANYWHO (lol), when it was all said & done, our new Karaoke Idol Champions for TAKII 3, the trio of Vanessa, Oria, & Dara! Their song choices were: "Ready Steady Go!" (Fullmetal Alchemist), "Change The World" (InuYasha), & "Fukai Mori (Deep Forest)" (InuYasha). SUGOOOOI, minna-san!



Without a yin there cannot be a yang. Without Sonny there would not have been Cher. And without video games, there would not be TAKII (lol). TAKII 3's Video Game Tournaments were off the chain; it would not have been true gaming ecstacy without our Gaming Coordinator, Dan R., & his assistant (a former gaming champion in WWE SmackDown! VS Raw 2006 & my kid sister ^-^), Allison C. In case you missed it (or wish to re-live some great TAKII 3 gaming moments), here is a complete list of every tourney that we had (a TAKII record at that time):
  • XBox
    • Dead Or Live
  • PS2
    • Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
    • Naruto: Ultimate Ninja
    • WWE SmackDown! VS Raw 2007
    • InuYasha: Feudal Combat
    • Soul Calibur 3
    • Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament
    • Guilty Gear Isuka
    • DDR Extreme: Dance Dance Revolution 8th Mix
  • GameCube
    • Bomberman Generation
    • Mario Kart: Double Dash
    • Super Smash Bros. Melee
  • Dreamcast
    • Capcom VS SNK 2
With 4 consoles being represented in officially-sanctioned match-ups, emotions were highly-charged with Capcom VS SNK 2 & Soul Calibur 3 in particular. People came with their own versions of the above games, brought their own gaming controllers, a fearless attitude, & were serious about claiming a gaming title at this season of TAKII. 1 group of teenage men even went as far as to go back to their house in NE Philadelphia, grab a GameCube copy of Capcom VS SNK 2 (saying that they were the best in that version & could not be beat), only to come back & be beaten, in succession, by a fellow TAKII fan un-affiliated with them (lol)! Life is sweet ^_*.



TAKII 3 was full of so many variables, when compared to previous seasons. Among others, our "Cosplay Exhibitions" portion was highly experimental, as it was totally up to TAKII fans to come out & show how important it was for them to have cosplay play an important role in TAKII for the future. As was the trend for the day, our expectations were exceeded, with dozens of people coming out, adorning their Anime gear, Asian Music group t-shirts, & gaming accessories. With the assistance of Cosplay Forever's Alicia L./Dokudel, we held a cosplay fashion show & had a photobooth, along with a cosplay contest (with the winners listed below):
  • Best Female
    • Alicia/TillyKiddo, as Totoro (from "Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro)")
  • Best Male
    • Matt/PoloGuy, as Genma Saotome (from "Ranma Nibunnoichi (Ranma 1/2))
  • Audience Choice
    • Auriel/AuG, as Sexy Ninja (an original creation)
Now, we would be amiss if we did not honorably mention that there were some awesome cosplayers from Slayers, Soul Calibur 3, Fate (an original), GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka), & Pocket Monsters (Pokemon). The promise we made in making sure TAKII 3 took it to the extreme was kept after James C./James (from Pokemon) heard the theme song from WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment)'s degenerate group, D-Generation X, be played during the fusion festival. Afterwards, he gets on stage to pay homage to them as only a hardcore TAKII fan could (by doing their in-ring skit):

James: Are you ready!?
Crowd: What??
**Crowd is stunned; people can't believe what is happening**
James: I saaaaid, "ARRRRE YOOOOU RRRREADY!?"
**James screams this into the mic & the inevitable happens**
Crowd: NO!!!!
James: For the 1000s in attendance & those watching at home....
**Being a true WWE fan, I knew exactly what was going to happen**
**Everyone was laughing, with eyes wide open**
**I get up from the DJ booth & motion to cut the mic**
James: ....llllet's get ready to.... (inaudible)
**I cut the sound from the mic off, to standing applause LOL**

James would later come back in our fashion show & salute the crowd in classic D-X style (to some speculative cheering). After the smoke cleared, everyone realized 2 things: Pokemon & D-Generation X can co-exist together (LOL!!!!) & that cosplaying for TAKII is here to stay!



Our "Wild Card" event always happens at the end of TAKII, so when it came to close-up shop at 8pm that day, we unveiled to the TAKII public (DOMO @ The Rotunda) a huge projection screen (approx. 12ft. x 24ft.) to play bonus rounds of Soul Calibur 3 & DDR Extreme on! Usually when you get beyond peak hours for any given event, the crowd begins to thin; our Wild Card event made sure the crowd was hot & ready to ride TAKII 3 well into that winter evening (which was accomplished ^-^). After an hour and a half of watching people take the cheap way to win in Soul Calibur 3 with a ring-out (nothin' says lovin' like Voldo springing across the stage, missing his target, & falling to the pits below lol) & break a sweat by actually being near-accurate in their DDR stepping (cause no one wants to see a 6ft.-high "MISS" on the screen LOL), it was finally time to wish everyone safe travels home.





FUSION FESTIVAL REFLECTION

TAKII 3 was yet another blossoming blessing for everyone involved. Special "DOMO ARIGATO" goes out to the media & their assistance to spreading the good word of TAKII to distances once unheard-of (Philly Weekly, Philly Metro, Star Ledger Of NJ, & Spin Magazine, to name a few), to the countless forums & online groups that allowed me & my Co-Coordinators to post our press releases & continuous updates (cause it wasn't spamming, I swear it LOL), The Rotunda & allowing us to grow to new heights in a new venue, & most of all, my Co-Coordinators. This group of very close friends that I have made TAKII what it is today; without their love, imaginative spirit, & commitment, this fusion festival would be a distant memory. It would only end up being 4 weeks later that TAKII 4 would be announced!

TAKII 3 ~VGE~ STATS & DISCUSSION
(more info)


TAKII 3 IMAGE ARCHIVE








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