Otaku Expo 2016

It's a new year for us anime fans and convention goers as Otaku Expo  marks as the first anime convention of the year. The event is held at SM Megatrade Hall in SM Megamall for two days. Day one was already over since yesterday, Jan. 23 2016, so if you're reading this right now...as in NOW, January 24, 2016, you better drag yourself there and have fun!

Showed up at the event with Kotori Minami from Love Live!

I arrived at the venue around 10:45 AM, and dashed to the Megatrade Hall and saw a long line of fellow convention goers. The event started taking us in shortly after falling in line.

Stage of the event...obviously

I was waiting for a few buddies to show up, but they told me that they would show up in the afternoon, so while I was waiting for them, I decided to walk around the venue to kill some time.


Last year, Love Live! dominated the ceilings of Megatrade Hall during the OzineFest 2015 AFS. This time, it's the IdolM@ster: Cinderella girls. I haven't watched this anime yet though. I hope I can watch it soon. 

Couldn't get a good shot of them :(

 The event officially started when they called in a guest band who called themselves the Scandal Babies" (if my memory serves me right, which is wrong most of the time) to perform for us.

Great band, but their instruments were overpowering the vocalist so I couldn't hear her singing.

I decided to go out a bit for some fresh air, and I saw this...

Confirmed: Supreme glorious leader likes Maki Nishikino from Love Live!

I went back in right after seeing that, and behold! I found my first Love Live! cosplayer.

Very kawaii Hanayo Koizumi spotted!

There were only few a figures displayed, so I paid little attention to them. I decided to buy something at the event. I will post what I bought at the end of this post.

Events like this is really a danger to my wallet

The anime singing contest finally started. I was planning to join, and sing Dancing Stars On Me by the girls in Love Live!, but I was only able to memorize half the song and I forgot to bring the off-vocals version of the song. Next time, I'll definitely join.

Kim Jong Un sang a song from the Gundam series

She sang Happy Crescent by Kanon Nakagawa, a character from The World God Only Knows.

Sang a song from Sword Art Online.

Orihaya Izaya cosplayers sang something from Durarara! His voices was kind of similar to the one he's cosplaying as.

Just enjoying what the contestants were doing

This guy right here sang the One Punch Man theme song. His voice may not be amazing, but at least he got the crowd go wild!

I decided to leave the stage area after that ear-damaging, yet very entertaining One Punch Man performance, and started to walk around more.

I found an undercover Nico Yazawa from Love Live!

I also found one of the most beautiful Kotori Minami cosplayers I have ever seen. I decided to lend her the plushie before taking a photo.

Ryoma Echizen from Prince of Tennis...with an actual cat

Card Captor Sakura on the hunt for some Clow Cards

Sonic from One Punch Man,, just escaped from prison

Kylo Ren from Star Wars, still searching for BB-8

Kylo also deployed a Storm Trooper to aid in his search

Characters from Payday. Never played it yet though.

International cosplayers Luffy and Tsubasa during their photo ops

After long hours of waiting, CAVALRY HAS ARRIVED...

They have joined the party

Bro, we talked about this, right? Kotori is mine!

She has fallen to the Dark Side

While the others were busy browsing stuff to buy and cosplayers to take a pic with, I decided to check out the artists' booth. I found someone who can draw a chibi version of me for 50 Php, so I decided to give it a shot. I always wanted someone to draw a chibi version of me.

Me and Kotori during the event. It still needs a few more details especially on Kotori's hair, but I'm happy with this.

Rey, Han Solo, and a sexy Chewbacca

Uhhhmmm...errr...I'll just back away slowly...

Crazy psychopath trying to kill with a spoon...

I would like to thank the guys for pushing my back, and then the Love Live! cosplayers noticed me and told me to take a picture with them. I've hit the jackpot! LOL!

I'm in heaven!!!

After taking photos of a few more cosplayers, we decided to eat dinner and call it a day. I finally arrived at my home and open my newest figure.

I don't have a Maki figure yet in my Love Live collection, so I decided to buy one.

Pretty little tsundere tomato!

It's my first time to attend Otaku Expo for a WHOLE day. I really did enjoy the activities. The event was disorganized a bit though. Cosplayers were loitering outside the venue. Should've made the 2nd hall open from the start.  I heard that the MC announced that the upcoming OzineFest will be held at SMX, SM Mall Of Asia. I'm so looking forward to attend! Well then, that's it for today. Until next con!!!

OzineFest Anime Figure Special 2015 (Day One Only)

OzineFest Official Announcement Poster

December 27, 2015 - Yesterday was the first day of OzineFest's last event for this year, and I was completely stoked because I was able to buy some sweet (but expensive...kh...nghhhh...tasukete!!! T_T ) stuff to satiate my hobby. I decided to leave early from home because I know that this event would have a lot of convention goers like me to come just like in their past December events. I arrived at their usual venue in SM Megamall around 10:15AM, and I was right (and a bit too late).

Guess which floor is this?

Line went longer and longer that they had to use another staircase.

The line was so long. It started from Megatrade Hall 1 entrance, going to the staircases and  ended in the underground floor of the mall. I waited for like an hour before the line started moving. It wasn't slow though. I was able to climb back at the top floor in just a few minutes.

I'm back to the top floor!

Just a little bit more.

Got my ticket! Last year, their ticket was a card. It would seem that they reverted back to a regular ticket.

I'm finally in!

My first order of business as usual was to buy some anime merchandise, so I headed straight to the booths and find the only booth I trust because they definitely sell genuine figures and lots of Love Live! items. I will post the stuff at the end of this blog post.

Onegai Onii-chan - I both love and hate this booth/online shop at the same time. They have the stuff that would make me spend a lot.

After that, I proceeded to the anime figure displays nearby courtesy of Team Onii-chan.

They have a collection of Strike Witches figures

Saanya is best girl in the anime!

They also have the girls of Kantai Collection

♬♬Uchuu Senkan Yamatooo...♬ Oh wait, wrong song!

The beautiful Musashi and her monstrous cannons

Kongou and her sexy, nosebleed-inducing damage pose

One of my favorite Abyssals, Wo!

Here's my favorite, the Love Live! collection.

Wait, stop dancing,girls! Rin is missing!

Here she is, wearing something different though.

I wasn't able to buy this figure. I'm sorry, Snow Queen Kotori. I have failed you!

Special service for the Maki fans out there.

They also got other characters from other anime shows as well.

The main team is here! Shohoku team from Slam Dunk!

Umaru overload!

Holo from Spice and Wolf. Someone give her some clothes!

Onodera's been captured by the Empire!

Gon Freecs and his freaky hair

There were tarps hanging above us. Love Live! dominated the ceilings.

From left to right: Rin, Umi, Nozomi, Hanayo, Nico

There's also Honoka

Eli too...

...and Maki.

Wait, no Kotori??? How dare they didn't include her. Anyways, moving on...

Saitama from One-punch man. Trivia: Every time this anime's song plays, most of us say "Hero" at the same time.

Umaru and Ebina. Clearly, Ebina is better!

The 961-year old Rory Mercury, apostle of Emroy, God of Death and Destruction from the anime, Gate!

There's also the ever awesome Yukihira Souma from Shokugeki No Soma

Now, it's the cosplayers turn to have the limelight.

Someone actually dared to pull of this version of Tanukichi Ouma from Shimoneta! I think the security guards were not to happy about him though.

He finally banded up with a few Ayame Kajou/ Blue Snow cosplayers. The sex terrorists invaded OzineFest!

Princess Kougyoku Ren from Magi. Very beautiful cosplay

Dangan Ronpa 2 characters. From left to right: Mikan Tsumiki the Ultimate Nurse, Chiaki Nanami the Ultimate Gamer, Enoshima Junko the Ultimate Fashionista or should I say the Ultimate Despair, and Sonia Nevermind the Ultimate Princess

Rize Kamishiro in her ghoul form from Tokyo Ghoul

A different cosplayer of Rize Kamishiro. This time in her human form.

Hiyori from Noragami

Not a cosplay but it's a remote-controlled Rensouhou-chan from Kantai Collection. Its turrets and arms are controllable too!

Eren (or maybe Levi) from Attack On Titan with Saber photobombing

Zoe Hange and Mikasa Ackerman from Atack On Titan

Nude (lol no) Eren in his titan form

Akane Tsunemori and a curvy Shion Karanomori from Psycho-Pass

Sub-zero from Mortal Kombat

Sento Isuzu from Amagi Brilliant Park

Haruhi Suzumiya from the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

The playable character with a not-so square-like body from Minecraft

Doflamingo from One Piece

Sonic from Sonic the Hedgehog...lol no...from One-punch man

I don't know which character she is but it's so creepy, I LOVE IT!

Two bald people fighting. LOL! A very tall Krillin from Dragon Ball Z and Saitama from One-punch man. Guess who's gonna die first.

The few heroes from One-punch man

Nozomi, Honoka, and Maki from Love Live!

Rin, Nozomi, and Maki from Love Live!

Nico Yazawa from Love Live!

Maki from Love Live!

A very cute Nico Yazawa from Love Live!

Eli and Nico from Love Live!

Kotori from Love Live! <3

Another Kotori from Love Live!

Pardon for the overload of Love Live!, guys. Anyways, normally I go to cons alone, but this time I had some comrades with me. It's my first time to go to cons with other people. Because of them, I was able to do a few things I couldn't do before like:


Taking their photos with other cosplayers:

Taking photos of me with other cosplayers

And trying out the Ozine Maid Cafe!

One of my comrades found his love among the girls, and gave her a Luffy figure. I guess he has a thing for maids.

Back of the photograph

I got home late thanks to the free ice skating. My legs really hurt a lot, but I was excited to bring home what I bought.

Nesoberi Jumbo Plushie of Kotori and a figure of her wearing a swimsuit. Yes, I bought it because of the swimsuit. Don't judge me.

Yeah, I love Kotori so much!

Thoughts about the event

It's a special event for anime figures, so I was hoping that there would be lots of figures displayed, but my expectations weren't met on this one aspect. The event was lively though, so I really enjoyed my time in there. I'm looking forward to next year's events!