Semi-officially the beginning of Manifest, the Amaranth Anime Ball has once again added glamour to an otherwise geeky affair such as anime conventions usually are. Held on the Thursday night before Manifest's 3 day long weekend, fans from everywhere dressed up, put on their dancing shoes, wore endless smiles and generally whisked the night away in excited glee. Pretty much everyone had fun and is no wonder that the ball has been successful for 3 years and is a one of its kind event in this country.

The events of the night included dance offs, raffles, band performances and the always anticipated King and Queen of Amaranth contest, the winners of which were certainly deserving of their titles this year. The three course meal was quite satisfactory though I must apologise for not elaborating further as after all, I'm an anime critic first before a food critic. The dancing and merry making on the floor was probably the highlight for most attendees and it was great to hear a selection of anime music mixed in with the fun stuff like the Macarena. There were however downsides and though it was a night to remember for many, Amaranth this year has not reached the potential it should have. The MCing was sub-par for the most part and could have definitely benefited with a more consistent approach. Attendee numbers could have also been better given how big the venue was.

When all was said and done and you had people leaving the venue beaming with delight, happy with the memories and new friends they have made, it becomes an easy task to dismiss mostly cosmetic faults with the event. Cap it off with a nice discounted sushi buffet breakfast courtesy of Tomodachi, the event's sponsor and you're left with only the magical recollections to tie you over until next year!

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