First Quarter Overview (2013)

There are tons of great happenings to start off the year for all of you Otaku fanatics. From the simple and phenomenal to the complex and controversial, the months from January to March were a definite standoff compared to last year. 

Official Logo for World Cosplay Summit Philippines

Let's start the year with events like "The Cosplay Market" from CNPH (Cosplay Network Philippines) allowing ordinary people to buy Otaku-related items and have their chance to try and step into the world of Otaku culture. CNPH was not being active for these past months because they are currently having preparations for this year's "Fantasy Quest 3" which will be held this coming August.

While they are brewing something big, the guys over at the University of the Philippines AME (Anime - Manga Enthusiasts) went around with their annual event titled "UPAME (1UP)" at the World Trade Center. The long lines didn't stop them from making their event a success despite improvements must be made for them to be better for their next convention.

Official Logo of PINOYKON. A convention
mostly emphasizes on Filipino Komiks and sculptures

We don't ever forget about the Philippine Komiks scene and their own "PinoyKon" did not disappoint us. It was interesting being able to be part in a convention for Filipino comic artists and lovers. Not only you can get in touch with the people behind the scene but they were a nice bunch of people working together to make sure that it lives on.

For the gamers out there, the recently concluded Cherry Convention was the place to be. The never ending supply of Slurpee and free games for everyone kept the crowd happy. Add the appearance of Addison Kang, GM Adriano, and gaming lovers Nathan (AikawaKazu) and Lizbeth and fans were delighted to see how Cherry Credits entertained the fans.

Alodia Gosiengfiao (Center) with Dragon Nest Game Master (GM)
Adriano and Producer Addison Kang. Photo Credit : AnimePH

Speaking of Cosplay, Alodia's birthday bash during the event was more of a game changer for her and for all of us. That was a perfect place to celebrate her as a person and not as a "semi-religion" figure that most of her fans usually perceive. Alodia also performed one of her singles from her j-pop group, the Super Dolls. One week after her performance, they released the official music video entitled "Asia no Henshin" (Asian Transformation) while announcing the released dates for both Japan and the Philippines.

Cosplay.PH's Cosplay Ranking System (CRS)

If you think her performance was the end of it well think again. A lot of Cosplay breakthroughs were established. Local Cosplay company, Cosplay.ph stared to implement the Cosplay Ranking System (CRS) in order to promote responsible Cosplay and to promote healthy competition into Cosplay competitions. It had mixed reviews and comments throughout the community after they trademarked the term "Cosplay" into the country without any formal announcement.

For the final surprise, local Cosplay event organizer Anime Alliance managed to get accreditation from the World Cosplay Summit (WCS) Council. For now the country is currently under "Observer" status meaning we are not currently competing but are in constant evaluation for a possible official spot in next year's WCS.

What could be the next big thing by the end of the second quarter? Well we could only hope for the best. Some of the biggest events are coming in to bring you the best Cosplay and Otaku conventions. Ozine Fest, Pinoy Otaku Festival, and ToyCon are some to name a few. Will the WCS preliminaries be held within these next months?

We hope for the best and let's make sure we send to them that we can be world class. It's about damn time! 

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When You Take A Stand (What Otaku Communities Must Do)

Cosplay organizations show their support for the community but do
they really help or they are creating more confusion rather than appreciation?

Back in the early years (the 2010-before years) when Cosplay was just a social hobby rather than a status symbol there are people that were making a point in the community. These guys make sure that everything runs in perfect harmony making sure that there was a balance between enjoyment of the public and the hobbyists to the crafts ethics and standards. Communities must understand that certain steps must be made and points have to be understood in order for them to become a respectable and dignified organization especially when it talks about the Cosplay and Otaku scene. Should we just care about spraying mists of glamour and brainwashing our supporters full of inconvenient half-truths in order for us to be accepted?

Well let's make a realization by looking ourselves and what we had contributed. People love to judge others by what they look on the outside rather than looking on their accomplishments. That is the case with these so-called "it groups".  A group must have its own goals and plans. What do you want to show your reader? Is it to convey a message or to show the truth? Do you want to spread your hate to others or do you want to instruct them to be better with their craft while inspiring them to be responsible people? Some of you might be asking right now the same question when it comes to these groups. I have to admit that you seldom to see Cosplay organizations that act responsibly or professionally for the sake of earning fame and fortune. They tend to hitchhike on the current status of the community and by doing so they slowly devalue themselves and at the same time the whole community as a whole. A key ingredient in any successful organization is having their own ideas, intentions, and philosophies when it comes to the topic that they want to focus on. You can't basically do everything and handle everyone as if they were robots.

Another thing that they lack most is ethics. People work better in any situation if you manage them right. What you can do? Be on time. Learn to appreciate your clients (or friends if it's a meeting) for giving their valuable time. Always be polite to the other party even though your opinions don't match. There's no such thing as groups having the same ideas. Better ideas are being created when people think differently. Keep your deadlines on time and keep your promises to your friends and clients.

As for the Otaku community I always notice groups that are so very proud of themselves although they haven't achieved anything substantial to begin with. It's pride without basis. Arrogance can easily be made but do they have the right to just boast it loud that they seemed to make a change in the world? I think the ones that have made change are the ones who stay on the sidelines. The ones that are simply happy for it and confidently explaining them to others while they simply smile as they see the fruits of their own labor.

I know for sure that at this time when Cosplay is starting to be world class in the Philippines we must appreciate the value of these people. With the WCS (World Cosplay Summit) Council given us the accreditation let's do our part and make sure that we deserve it. If we don't, observers that are watching around might stop us again from reaching the "world-class" spot that we are dying to earn. For those reading this article they do exist. Be ready for them. -Chard    

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Anime Alliance Gets WCS Go Signal

Official logo for this years World Cosplay Summit (WCS) 

After more than three years of negotiation, local anime organizational body Anime Alliance Philippines grants accreditation by  the World Cosplay Summit (WCS) Council to manage and organize the local and regional qualifiers here in the Philippines.

Ever since it's founding in 2006, WCS became the standard for cosplay competitions and the Philippines attempted a dozen more times to be a part of the said competition.After a couple of cosplay-related companies, otaku networks, and even private individuals failed to get accreditation from the prestigious council, Anime Alliance finally got the go signal to conduct the Philippine qualifiers within the next few months. 

 Anime Alliance's "Operation 23319" (W-C-S). Notice the
color scheme that was based from last years WCS logo

Started to a simple otaku fan page back in 2006, Anime Alliance now aids and organizes some of the biggest cosplay and otaku-related events in the country. Among those were the recently concluded, Cherry Convnetion as well as TOYCON and Visual Music Carnival. Initially kept under wraps with several pics and teasers from their fan page, it's a big step forward for Philippines cosplay especially when it's at the peak of pop culture right now.

Expect them releasing the final details regarding the regional and national qualifiers some time soon. The official press release will be released after we managed to the get their permission.

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Super Dolls Releases First Album Video, "Asia no Henshin"

Super Doll members:  Fujaara (Left), Alodia Gosiengfiao (Center), & RiE (Right)

The promising otaku j-pop group, Super Dolls posted the official video for one of their singles of their upcoming album this  May and June for the Philippines and Japan respectively.

The single named "Asia No Henshin" (Asian Transformation) promises their fans with their awesome singing and dancing skills. Not to mention their outfits and Alodia talking Japanese, fans should keep their eyes on these ladies.

The Super Dolls is lead by Alodia Gosiengfiao alongside voice actress Fujaara, and World Cosplay Summit (WCS) 2009 champion RiE. 
Furthermore, Alodia performed a teaser of the music video a month earlier at Cherry Convention. Video courtesy of AnimePH

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Cherry Convention 2013 Overview

What happens when you put an online game developer and a gaming e-currency company into an event full of games, surprises and lot's of otaku goodness? Well you have stepped in into one of the year's most audacious and exiting gaming events as Cherry Credits and Shanda Games gave us the opportunity to cover the recently concluded "Cherry Convention" last March 10 - 11 at Megatrade Halls 1 & 2 of SM Megamall.  

The sponsors roll for Cherry Convention. Very special mention to
ZEN Otaku Honbu,Tempest Films, Otakultura & GameHaunt

The two day event showcased the company's flagship game, Dragon Nest. Gamers and patrons to the game were given tons of freebies such as posters, ballers, game plushies and free refreshments. Seven Eleven provided free Slurpee during the event that kept people coming back for more. Also, one of the main attractions was the Cherry Credits "Speed Match" in which players had the opportunity to win free items such as gaming keyboards, mice, mouse pads, and Apple gadgets.

For the geeks and anime lovers, there was the cosplay concerto and cosplay competition for both days that featured different characters of Dragon Nest as well as an open category for interested cosplayers. With over 75,000 at stake there is no reason not to join. But nothing became more spectacular when the Philippines cosplay goddess, Alodia Gosiengfiao celebrated her birthday on-stage with her fans and supporters. Her cosplay of the games NPC quest planner, Irine suits her just well just like her sisters "Señora Santibañez" antics. She also performed one of their upcoming singles from her group, the Super Dolls as well as having her own version of the Harlem Shake craze that made her fans smile and giggle for her cuteness.

Irine (Alodia Gosiengfiao) gets frustrated with Señora Santibanez (Ashley Gosiengfiao).
Photo Credit : Allan Mendoza

It went crazy as the Philippine Qualifiers for the Dragon Nest World Championship happened alongside her birthday bash. Crowds gather up as the country's best team’s battle head-to-head in a KOF (King of Fighters) match. The crowd went nuts as one of the players managed to singlehandedly defeat an entire team. Now that's what you call a "one man army".

Teams battle out in one of their KOF (King Of Fighters) matches.

Gamers and Dragon Nest addicts were given an opportunity to play for free inside one of 200 gaming stations inside the convention area. Not only you can try to play DN for free but you can also try out their newly released game, Avatar Star. DN Producer Addison Kang and Game Master (GM) Adriano went into a Meet - The - Player Session and discussed about the latest updates around the Dragon Nest SEA. One of the main additions for the update was the Kali class and its Dancer and Screamer sub-classes.

AikawaKazu (Nathan) with his gamer girlfriend, Lyzbeth takes a picture
with one of our partner blogs. What a sweet couple they are :D

Patrons of the event will never forget the Stick-On Card event supervised by one of most known Dragon Nest SEA players AikawaKazu or in real life, Nathan. It was a bingo-style event in which by winning you can spin a wheel and have a chance to win DN merchandise. Prizes can be anything from keychains, t-shirts, posters, to limited edition USB flash drives and an Ipod Nano (from what I heard) as the grand prize. He also held an auction in which people with gold points (in-game premium credits) can win rare in-game items and limited edition plushies. At one particular moment, two in-game guilds were making team buys for a specific item at around 80,000G (equivalent of 4000php) which lasted more than 15 minutes.  It's simply shows how dedicated and supportive these teams for their guilds and for the game publishers as well.

The LED monitor displays the game card for the Dragon Nest Stick-On Card game.
Notice the characters and random skills that were used on the card.

Speaking of dedicated, the event handled the attendees pretty well. The little delays within the opening hour of the event didn't stop people to come in and enjoy all the fun. To some the 250 peso ticket price was a bit discouraging but you can't disagree on the fact the customers did get what they deserved.  Cosplayer fan boys were also complaining about the price but this is not a cosplay convention. This was a gaming convention built for the fans and by the fans. They clearly stated it from the beginning and they had kept their standards. 

Lines for non-reserved patrons extends until the bottom floors as they start
preparations for Cherry Convention 2013. Notice the "Death Note" cosplayer at the  right.

Kudos also to the unique layout of the convention floor. Putting two stages at opposing ends of the convention hall nearly eliminated all the common long lines, and bottlenecks that happen on every "Megatrade Hall" event.

People start to line up as the first day comes to an end. Waiting for the free plushies? 

Overall, the event proved that the gamer cult following of online gaming still lives on the today in our country.  What will the guys from Cherry Credits and Shanda Games will offer next? We're not quite sure but expect something bigger within the next half of this year. We can't tell you the details as of now but make sure to stick with these guys. They had a good start.

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