Graphics by Carl Pedraja
The fourth Ozine Fest of the year has come and gone, and its success proves that there is no end to the passionate fans and cosplayers flocking to these conventions!
This Ozine Fest, held May 20–21, is only one of the numerous anime conventions held in the Philippines annually. Even with its multiple iterations, the convention has filled up its respective venues each year. This event, in particular, is labeled a mini-fest and is significantly smaller than other conventions. Held in one of the function halls of SMX Convention Center, the event was still able to boast cosplay and singing competitions, Nendoroid giveaways, four guest cosplayers for merchandise signing and meet and greet, and of course, the art and merchandise booths!
Ozine Fest is undeniably one of the more familiar convention names in the Philippines, still conjuring a jittery 45-minute wait at the ticket booth line, despite this particular installment being a mini-event. Anime and cosplay conventions in the Philippines have been popular for quite some time, starting in the early 2000s. Notably, the first Ozine Fest was held in late 2005. After years of organizing these conventions for the anime and cosplay community, it’s truly a feat to satisfy Filipino anime fans enough to keep them coming back every time!
I attended last May 20, Saturday, the opening day of the 2-day mini-convention. The doors to the convention opened at 11 AM sharp. I arrived at SMX at around 11:15 AM and joined the long line of fans and cosplayers. Tickets were priced at 220 PHP each, and each person entering Ozine got stamped with invisible ink for their potential re-entry. It was a mini-fest indeed, as one function hall was not enough to hold even the booths prepared by the Ozine team themselves. Outside the function halls was the Artist Alley, where artists who make fan-made merchandise for anime and games sell their products. Inside the function hall were the businesses that sell figurines, shirts, plushies, and other official merchandise, with some fan-made merchandise here and there. Perry in Disguise, the brand popularized for recreating jackets found in anime, also had a booth. Past those booths, a few food stalls around the audience area, and finally, the stage.
By the time I entered, most people were still walking around and looking at the booths, though some were already seated on the floor in front of the stage, waiting for the convention’s program to start. The program started with a posing contest at around 1:00 PM. The singing contest and the cosplay competition followed. Ozine had four guest cosplayers this time: Ely, Charess, Siutao, and Ming Miho. Attendees could get their autographs and pictures with them if they bought from the cosplayer’s merchandise.
I did not participate in any of the competitions or cosplay myself, but I was able to gather a cute little haul of anime merchandise from local businesses and artists and take pictures with some cosplayers as well!
Ozine Fest is considered a widely anticipated event, and this one was no exception, even if it was already the fourth one this year. The Philippines’ anime and cosplay community takes any opportunity to share their love for anime and to surround themselves with those similar to them, and it is always a riveting experience to join them and appreciate what this community has built through their never-ending support.
You can look forward to the same experience as the series of Ozine Fests for this year isn’t over yet! Start deciding who to cosplay, as more events in the upcoming months will be announced, including the Halloween Special in October!
#OBELISKx!
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