A Celebration of Belonging: Cosplay, Anime, and Diversity at MSU Mankato
On Tuesday night the Centennial Student Union Ballroom transformed from a venue to a portal.
For an hour, students and community members crossed into fictional worlds, cultural expressions, and shared experiences. The Cosplay Runway: Anime Event, hosted by Mavs in Action, wasn’t just about fandom — it was about belonging.
At the heart of the evening was Monika Antonelli, Dragon Ball Z voice actor and longtime MSU Mankato librarian, who is retiring after years of serving both in anime and in academia. Her farewell became a celebration not only of her legacy but of everything anime has meant to generations of students — imagination, identity, and connection.
From the moment the ballroom doors opened, the energy was electric. Cosplayers dressed as Nezuko, She-Ra and characters from both indie games and blockbuster series, walking the runway with pride. But more than their costumes, what stood out was the joy of being seen — of being in a space where difference was not just accepted but celebrated.
“We don’t tend to have these kinds of opportunities on campus,” said Talley Prekker, an undergraduate student in psychology and sociology. “Events like this are important. They show the diversity that exists here, even when it’s not always visible.”
Antonelli, who voiced Puar and the narrator in the English dub of Dragon Ball Z, shared stories of her journey as a voice actor — from being “one of 10 or 11 chosen out of hundreds” to using her platform now to fund scholarships for students needing support with textbooks. “I want to use this to help people,” she said during her panel, encouraging aspiring creatives to “take a chance — get involved in student productions, voice work, anything that lets your voice be heard.”
Supporting Scholarships Through Diversity
This event was also about meeting urgent needs. Crystal Watts, Assistant Director of Community Engagement, explained that profits would go to scholarships and food access for students.
“With recent meal swipe cuts, we’re working with Sodexo and the MSU Foundation to provide more food support. This is the first time we’ve done something like this,” she said, adding that these swipes have been reduced from 10 to three per student.
For organizer Ben Geer, the message was simple: “The importance of attending is to meet people and have fun while feeling safe of not being judged.” That message echoed in every moment of the night — on the runway, in the crowd’s cheers, and in the conversations that sparked between strangers who shared the same fandoms; the sense of belonging.
The cosplay contest crowned Amina as first-place winner for her Nezuko cosplay. Sophia followed with “Bird,” an original character, and Lee Cummings took third as She-Ra. More than competition, the runway was a moment of empowerment, especially for students often pushed to the margins.
Fritz Rieke, sales associate at Pulp Comics, added cultural context to the night.
“Engaging with fictional worlds teaches empathy,” he said, referencing a Dragon Ball storyline where Goku loses a tournament to his own mentor. “In America, the kid always wins. But in Japan, stories show that even the hero needs to lose sometimes. That’s growth.”
Pulp Comics and Dork Den, two local hubs of geek culture, provided prizes including manga, merch, and gift cards—strengthening the bridge between MSU and the Mankato creative community.
Autographs with Monika were $20, but photos were free — a gesture that reflected her connection to fans. “The voices stay with me,” she said, slipping back into character as the Lollipop Kids from The Wizard of Oz. For her, and for so many others in the room, these characters aren’t just fiction—they’re memory, identity, and home.
As the night came to an end, laughter, applause, and a deep sense of community filled the room. This wasn’t just an anime event. It was a reminder that diversity can be celebrated joyfully, that safe spaces matter, and that storytelling—whether through cosplay, voice acting, or simple human connection—has the power to bring people together.
Photo caption: Longtime Librarian and Dragon Ball Z voice actor Monika Antonelli, left, was honored with a sendoff with a Cosplay Runway event. (Matt Miller/The Reporter)
Write to simon.issac@mnsu.edu
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