Maui Matsuri Festival Announces Winners

Cosplay Showcase contest winners (left to right) Makai Mossman as Ultra Marine from “Warhammer 40K,” Shelby Sales as Lala Lulu from “Love Stage!!” and Xinyun Cao as Miyazano Kaori from “Your Lie in April.” Maui Matsuri photo.

The many contests held at the 16th annual Maui Matsuri festival held on May 8 yielded dozens of winners.

The Maui Matsuri festival is held each year to honor Japanese culture and traditions with its theme of “Kodomo No Tame Ni” (for the sake of the children).

Festival attendees enjoyed a wide range of entertainment, crafts, art and food.

The wide range of contests provided a hands-on experience of the expansive culture of Japan.

Contests included traditional art, manga art, video gaming, cosplay and the always popular eating contests featuring Sam Sato Saimin and Iwamotto Natto.

New to Maui Matsuri’s contests this year were the tabletop trading card games, which included Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokemon card tournaments.

The 2016 Maui Matsuri was made possible by the support of the Japanese Cultural Society of Maui, County of Maui, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, Island Honda, IBEW Local 1186, Maui Taiko and UH Maui College. A full list of event sponsors can be found at www.mauimatsuri.com.

MAUI MATSURI WINNERS

Sam Sato Saimin Eating Contest

Adult Winners
1st place: Tyler Orikasa
2nd place: Victor Navarro
3rd place: Barry Kurasaki

Keiki Winners
1st place: Isabella Omura
2nd place: Victoria Navarro
3rd place: Prism Reiner

Iwamoto Natto Eating Contest

Adult Winners
1st place: Tan Altinbay
2nd place: Wilson Leong
3rd place: Dayna Lee

Keiki Winners
1st place: Derynn Kochi
2nd place: Ryunosuke Hattori
3rd place: Isabella Omura

Art Contests
Judges: Michael Takemoto & Kirk Kurokawa

Traditional Art

Grades 3-5
1st place: Sora Takasaki – Kahului School
2nd place: Angelina Gerard – Lihikai School
3rd place: Mark Vincent Estudillo – Lihikai School

Grades 6-8
1st place: Joshua Krueger – Homeschool
2nd place: Holly Christine Ramos – Maui Waena School
3rd place: Desiree Elvena – Maui Waena School

Grades 9-12
1st place: Sophia Dahlen – Homeshool
2nd place: Aubrey Unemori – Baldwin High School
3rd place: Tabitha Fernandez – Molokai High School

Manga Art

Grades 3-5
1st place: Paulina Rivera – Pomaikai School
2nd place: Sora Takasaki – Kahului School
3rd place: John Rick Bumanglag – Kahului School

Grades 6-8
1st place: Jocelyn Corpuz – St. Anthony School
2nd place: Victoria Teoh – Emmanuel Lutheran School
3rd place: Maria Patrocinio – Maui Waena School

Grade 9-12
1st place: Eunice Gaper – Lahainaluna School
2nd place: Samantha Le – Baldwin High School
3rd place: Sophia Dahlen – Homeschool

Video Gaming Contest: Super Smash Bros. 4 Tournament

1st place: Logan Sinclair
2nd place: Kurt Chichioco
3rd place: Mario Navarro

Cosplay Contests

Hallway Cosplay (Adult Division)
1st place: Anna Maiwa (as Mononoke Hime from “Princess Mononoke”)
2nd place: Brian Patague (as Koro Sensei from “Assassination Classroom”)
3rd place: Xinyun Cao (as Miyazano, Kaori from “Your Lie in April”)

Hallway Cosplay (Student Division)
1st place: Makai Mossman (as Ultra Marine from “Warhammer 40K”)
2nd place: Shelby Sales (as Lala Lulu from “Love Stage!!”)
3rd place: Hana Pierner (as Link from “Legend of Zelda”)

Cosplay Showcase
1st place: Makai Mossman (as Ultra Marine from “Warhammer 40K”)
2nd place: Shelby Sales (as Lala Lulu from “Love Stage!!”)
3rd place: Xinyun Cao (as Miyazano, Kaori from “Your Lie in April”)

Trading Card Game Contests

Yu-Gi-Oh Tournament
1st place: Nico Pedro
2nd place: Chris Anderson
3rd place: Tahj Kruck

Pokemon Tournament
1st place: Dexter Saldua
2nd place: Keoni Sablan
3rd place: Kevin Sanidad
4th place: Josh Krueger