Why are there so many Anime conventions here!?
I am surprisingly well-informed that there are lots of several local Anime and Cosplay Conventions and Events that are popping out left and right in the country that I am currently residing. In this blog post, I am going to discuss about these local Anime conventions and expos that are suddenly appearing without me being notified.
Why are there so lot of them appearing?
Well, surprisingly, they are appearing left and right. And they can be seen on our usual SNS (social networking service) feeds that we are using. If we are Anime fans, we could definitely be engaged with these kinds of posts without any notification.
The reason why there are so lot of them that are appearing is because:
One is that in order to “prevent the overcrowding” of the local venue that the event is being held. Look at what happened to the Conquest 2023 Event that was recently overwhelmed by so many people around. Not only it is overcrowded due to the fact that there are so lot of guest performers and artists who visited, but the overselling of their event tickets have caused this chaotic trauma of endless long queue lines outside.
Two is that the event is “easy to access for people who are living in far, distant places”. Most of the Anime fans, who some are my own friends, are living in Metro Manila. So accessing those major venues, like SMX Convention Center in Mall of Asia, are so easy for them. But how about those people who lived outside Metro Manila? Of course, there are some local Anime conventions and expos that are willingly trying to get more people, so that they won’t need to go out further, like travelling to Metro Manila just in order to attend an Anime convention that would only stress out your feet and legs for the whole day, taking pictures with Cosplay guys and babes.
And finally, they are appearing a lot because they wanted to “compensate for their loss when the global pandemic has shut them down for at least two years”. Basically, they wanted to make every single Anime and Cosplay fans happy. Of what has happened during the early years, when the deadly pandemic has cancelled a lot of pending events and concerts, then it is considered to be their “payback”. It is because, nobody wants to be sad, and these events will continue to make them happy even more. And to make them forget and to move on from that deadly global pandemic that has left several deaths and tragedies.
What are those many local Anime conventions and expos?
Basically, these kinds of events would showcase Anime, video games, cosplay, and even other genre like music, J-Pop, Idols, and other variety. So as long as it is dropping on the “Anime” and “Japan” category.
One example is the series of Anime conventions that are named and labelled under one organization or group. Take Cosplay PH as an example (i.e. Cosplay Mania and Cosplay Carnival).
There are several of them, in which they were categorized by ratings, tiers, or whatsoever tastes by people who rates, reviews, or visits them.
There are also several Anime conventions and expos that can be accessed by either “paid” or “free” admissions. One example is the past recent event that I had visited, and it is the Ozine Fest Halloween Special, in which it did occur last October 2022, at San Juan City, Manila, and the venue admission there is free.
Why are such Anime conventions and expos happening every week or month!?
That is unpredictable and questionable to answer.
Almost every weekend, and almost every months, there are at least two (2) or three (3) local Anime conventions that are happening every month. While some of them are not mostly happening in Metro Manila, some of them are really reaching other parts of the Philippines, like Baguio, Laguna, Davao, and even at other far regions, like Bataan and Cebu.
Yep, almost all weekends, there are some local Anime and cosplay events that are happening around.
Same theme, different title
Of course, there are several local Anime conventions and expos that are having the same theme and setup, according to its organizations. Of course, there would be some merchandise and figures galore, artists corner, and even some other booths that would showcase some popular online games.
But the difference between with these events is the theme of their setup, such as it is designed for something “idol” event, or even it is designed for the “Tokusatsu” fanbase audience (i.e. Toku Spirits).
Ending and Remarks
There are so lots of Anime conventions and expos for the people to enjoy or to access. And so, the reason why there are so lot of them is because they wanted to get up for something that they had lost during the global dreadful pandemic since year 2020 up to the present.
Also, it gives the opportunity, to add up the reason, for people who wanted to meet these Cosplayers in real life. It is because they wanted to meet them again, or even they wanted to meet them in person, if they had followed each other for the first time in social media. Those factors, indeed, would help these lonely people to socialize themselves even more, after the years that they had been stuck inside their houses talking to no one, other than their own selves.
So then, how’s your experience in being informed that there are lots of Anime convention events that are appearing left and right in the Philippines? Have you ever attended one of them even for once? If so, what was your first local Anime convention that you had previously attended?
