(This story is shared and submitted by Jeremy Macalino, f you want to share your experience or Otaku Story just drop an e-mail at shenbrood16 at gmail dot com.)
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| Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre |
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| Crowd entering the halls. |
Last Otaku Expo Reload(2010), the organizers, Otakuzine, held a raffle, a chance to be part of the
Anime Festival Asia 10(AFAX). After I attend the said convention in SM Megamall, I have received a call from Mr. Dennis Uy, one of the organizers that I was the one who won the raffle. I was really happy back then. I really didn’t expected that I will be winning. In reality, back then at the convention, I was hesitant to fill up the raffle ticket, but ended up filling it up though.
Anime Festival Asia 10 was held last November 13-14, 2010 at
Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Halls 401 & 402. It was my first time to go to Singapore and it was also my first time to attend a big anime event outside our country. When I have arrived there, I didn’t know what to expect. Before going in to the convention, I met with one of the Otakuzine people to get my pass for the event. At first I was expecting to give me only a ticket for the event, but it turned out to be better, they gave me an exhibitor ID for the event.
AFAX had so many well-known guests like –aira-, one of Japan’s most renowned cosplayers, Kaname, Japan’s hottest male cosplayer(popular in cosplaying Cloud Strife very well), Scandal Band, quoted “the most powerful Japanese Girlie Pop Rockers” from Osaka, Ichirou Mizuki, Anisong master and JAM Project Founder, JAM Project, and of course, Mr. Danny Choo, one of the most renowned otaku personalities. Also, Philippines’ Ms. Alodia Gosiengfiao was also at the said event. Due to these guests, there were so many people that have attended the event; it felt like I was also attending a convention in the Philippines.
In the said event, I was really lucky to see Mr. Danny Choo in person. From all the guests, he was the only one I saw at the event. Back then he was wearing a ninja costume. He was there to promote his show, Culture Japan. An episode of Culture Japan was shown back then.
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| Danny Choo on Stage |
Also I was able to watch one my most anticipated movies, the “Gundam 00: Awakening of the Trailblazer.” As a gundam collector and fan, I was really glad to have the chance to watch a movie of a gundam series on the big screen. It was a long time since I have watched an anime movie on the big screen, the last was when I was in elementary, the movie of the anime, Bakuso Kyodai Let’s & Go, in the Philippines. The Gundam 00 movie was about the battle of the human race and the Celestial Being against a group of hostile being called ELS.
Also, I was able to watch the anime movie screening of Mardock Scramble. It was about Rune-Balot, who was taken in by a devious gambler named Shell, she became a slave to his cruel desires and would have been killed by his hand if not for the self-aware Universal Tool (and little yellow mouse) known as Oeufcoque. Now a cyborg, Balot is not only nigh-invulnerable, but has the ability to disrupt electrical systems of all sorts. But even these powers may not be enough for Balot to deal with Shell, who offloads his memories to remain above the law, the immense assassin Dimsdale-Boiled, or the neon-noir streets of Mardock City itself.
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| Mardock Scramble |
An anime convention would not be complete, if there are no cosplayers around. There are so many cosplayers also that have attended AFAX, most of them from Singapore. But I have also seen one of our fellow Filipino Cosplayers, Kristell Lim.
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| Emperor Kiva of Kamen Rider Kiva. |
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| Queen Amidala of Star Wars |
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| Char Aznable of Mobile Suit Gundam |
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| Kristell Lim, cosplaying as Miku Hatsune |
Besides the cosplayers, the well-known guests and movie screenings, like our conventions they have also booths for displays and merchants. Also there are displays of customized cars with the “otaku touch”.
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| Gundam 00 Inspired Car |
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| Mirai Inspired Car |
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| Gigantic Domo Kun Stuff Toy |
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| Souvenir Shop selling shirts |
Attending AFAX was so much fun and it was a very unique experience for me. I am really thankful that I had the chance to be part of it. Even though I have not seen the other guests, specially Scandal, I am really satisfied for being able to go to Singapore and AFAX, see Danny Choo, watch some movie screenings, take pictures of cosplayers from Singapore and other countries, and bought some souvenirs from the event. For other cosplayers and con-goers here in the Philippines, I really recommend, if you have the capability, attend Anime Festival Asia. I wish I can attend Anime Festival Asia this year; it would be a great experience again if I will have that chance to attend again.
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| Souvenirs that I have bought at AFAX |
- Jeremy Ray Lapena Macalino
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