Tag: Going Places

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Kurocon / Anime Expo Lite / Aniplex Online Fest 2021

Anime Cons 2021 - Kurocon vol 3, Aniplex Online Fest, Anime Expo Lite

The 4th of July is a tradition among all Americans, but for anime fans stuck at home like me, there’s another tradition for such.

It’s already a year since, and nothing has changed so far: I’m still watching online conventions, just like then. Well, there are things that have changed: For one, I don’t stay awake just because I want to see an anime con online. This time, I’m also doing it to sniff out what news is going to pop – or in my case, what feature story can my colleagues write about.

Anime Cons 2021 - Kurocon vol 3, Aniplex Online Fest, Anime Expo Lite

But since this is keepsakes., and this is where I share my thoughts on things on a personal level, I’m going to share more about my experiences with this year’s set of events.

Anime Expo Lite 2021

This year’s AX Lite is held inside Tixr, a new online event platform. The design is sleek, and I’m ok with it since I already signed up to see VODs from Anime Next, most of which I have yet to finish watching.

As with Anime Next, AX Lite is for charity. This time, proceeds go to the Hate is a Virus Campaign. Having been immersed into events which share part of its proceeds to charity, this is a good move, no-brainer. As I pay my ticket for the online event, I have good faith that it will reach out to anyone affected by the stigma that this pandemic has brought.

I will not elaborate about that further, because I will focus on sharing my two cents in the platform as well as the activities. I love that AX Live has chock-full of video-on-demand content, but getting to it on time got difficult. The good thing so far is that the videos on demand won’t expire fast – they’re there up to two weeks. If in case I need to get back on something, I can still get to it by that time. The delay still left a bitter aftertaste for me.

Backtracking from the actual live dates, I don’t know with Anime Expo, but why use Twitch chat in a custom platform that also uses a competing service. I just can’t figure that out. There’s also a report that one attendee got his access revoked, but that’s for another story.

Aniplex Online Fest 2021

Now this event favors our time, so just like AX Lite, they have the full event on demand for a limited time, let’s say, July 11 at 7:59 am PDT (11:59 pm JST). The program puts three major titles in a deeper perspective: Madoka Magica, Sword Art Online and Demon Slayer.

Having watched the SAO panel in part, and Madoka Magica panel in full, I am satisfied to know the series behind the scenes, as described by the people who have worked on it. Most especially, the voices behind the characters themselves.

I have yet to watch the SAO panel in full, but it’s already full of promise.

Kurocon 2021

Just like in the last two iterations, Kurocon volume 3 is held live on Twitch and Discord.

The reason for my attendance there is still the same: It’s relevant for me. Panels which talk about VTubers, panels which talk about alcoholic drinks, panels which talk about experiences in Japan, tips, et cetera. Not to mention, the DJs who play banger tracks one after another.

By the next volume, I expect to hold another panel again. Who knows, I may actually talk about VTubers there.

Conclusion

Monitoring three events over the weekend is no joke at all. In my timezone, I am monitoring these in such an ungodly time. Nevertheless, if they still provide videos on demand, there should be no problems.

…Wait, what do you mean there’s another online con happening next week? Ah, okay.

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DigiKomi is a different beast

You’ve seen me visit virtual Japan, virtual USA and virtual Indonesia – now I’m going to share my experiences in virtual Germany, where DigiKomi, the online edition of the annual Dokomi convention is.

Aside from Discord and Twitch, DigiKomi has its own virtual platform provided by MixUp. Imagine this: You are a rounded square. All of you inside the virtual convention floor are rounded squares. If the camera’s on, we can see you. This is a perfect opportunity for VTubers to introduce themselves.

Heck, this con, I believe, is made for VTubers.

Difference between DigiKomi and other virtual events

At DigiKomi’s MixUp, you have the option to open your camera and mic to join discussion floors in select booths. For example, I spent the most of the con sitting at one of the roundtables in the Hololive and VShojo booths. I get to meet KFP slaves volunteers employees who joined in for their boss Kiara Takanashi, who is one of the guests.

The employees are so wild upon Kiara’s invitation to join her at the virtual space, it crashed the server.

At DigiKomi, I was able to listen to VTubers based in Germany, including a goblin, and a programmer who serves small businesses. The conversations I had are interesting. Aside from this, I virtually met Denchi from DenchiSoft (VTube Studio) and Iron Vertex. Denchi is among the personalities I recommend to you if you want to know more about VTubers.

Unlike in Discord where you are in a voice chat, the virtual space MixUp made for DigiKomi is a much more awesome feat. While there are technical issues, either browser crashes or server limits, I’d still believe that we are getting closer to a physical-like virtual atmosphere. I get to talk to VTubers, people!

Conclusion

To conclude, visiting DigiKomi and meeting fellow fans hits close to home. I miss going outside to visit events, meeting people and taking photos. Provided that MixUp will address the issues they had with their platform, I’m pretty sure that this will help merge virtual and physical words – at least, in a browser.

Congratulations to the Dokomi Team for a successful DigiKomi. Looking forward to more of these soon.

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Comic VKet 1 – August 15, 2020

On this edition of Going Places where I attend online anime/cosplay events, I went to virtual Japan to enter the first Comic VKet.

Japan’s pop culture events industry

The year 2020 was supposed to be a big one for Japan. Olympics are scheduled to be held in Tokyo. Even pop culture events have set aside themselves for this big event.

The thing is, a pandemic broke out. Everything Japan has prepared for this big moment has to be postponed.

Japan has already announced a State of Emergency last April, which lasted around a month. Kyodo News has an interactive chart detailing the number of confirmed cases for each prefecture as of this moment:

This is a problem for Japan’s pop culture events and live stages – events are restricted to a maximum of 5,000 spectators only, as cases increase especially in the Tokyo prefecture which has already passed the 19,000 mark.

There’s one report where a fan “falsely claimed recovery from coronavirus” prior to going to a concert last March 17, which affirms my idea that events and similar forms of recreation are of importance to most Japanese people, if not every person worldwide who can afford to visit such events.

Moving forward, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), in its July 2020 report stated that “various new endeavors have begun in response to COVID-19, such as online classes, development of systems to reduce food loss caused by cancellation of events and self-restraint of restaurants.”

Patrick St. Michel wrote these words on his column “Sound Off” for The Japan Times last April:

Due to disruption in the way the industry has operated for years, major Japanese music companies and artists have been forced to think of new ways to connect with fans at a time when physical distance is preferred.

“Ensuring live music survives the pandemic,” The Japan Times

By now, some voice actresses have been approved to open their own YouTube accounts by their agencies or on their own, and independent idol groups have their ways of meet and greets. (Don’t get me started on Virtual YouTubers, it’ll take a whole day before we finish discussing it.)

Then there’s more merch available online through sites like Pixiv’s BOOTH and other online platforms. I’ve seen more of them during these times, especially with the vtuber stuff on board.

If you want a more immersive experience, try visiting a virtual reality event such as Comic VKet.

Virtual Independent Comic/Music Market

Comic VKet has been opened to the public from August 13 to 16, although it did had a test event called Comic VKet Zero sometime in April, with over 25,000 visitors (as per Josh Tolentino’s report on SiliconEra).

Comic VKet has gathered 377 exhibitors and 60 corporate partners, scattered in two virtual environments – the Comic VKet held at virtual Akihabara, and Music VKet at a gallery-type indoor venue.

Ease of Access

There were three ways to access Comic VKet and Music VKet:

  • VRChat – I believe most will prefer this platform given that there’s already a sizable audience who are using the program. I do have to install Steam in order to use it, which is kind of a bummer given that I want to use less resources.
  • Styly – Styly has a web player, but with the internet connection conking up, downloading the environment is a hassle. I also tried the mobile app but it’s only available for select device models.
  • Cluster – This is the one I used, and while it doesn’t allow you to buy stuff unlike the other two platforms, if you are there to just browse the whole environment, this is the safest bet.

Comic VKet Gallery

Music VKet Gallery

Recommended for…

Overall, Comic VKet is recommended for those who want to visit a comic market without going there physically.

Especially with this pandemic around, there’s a lot of restrictions and mandatory quarantine procedures that travelers need to observe, which is a hassle.

It might take long for me to visit an actual comic market in Japan, but with these virtual gatherings fulfilling our want to be there, I can say that we can be contented with this for now.

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Online Anime Con Weekend: KuroCon / FunimationCon / Anime Expo Lite / Aniplex Online Fest – July 3-5, 2020

For our second part of the Going Places series where I visit online conventions, I had a heck of a ride visiting not one but four events: Funimation Con 2020, Anime Expo Lite, Kurotsuki Convention Online and Aniplex Online Fest.

Altogether, they form what I will refer to as the Online Anime Con Weekend, coinciding with the Independence Day in the United States of Dragon America.

Kurotsuki Convention Online (KuroCon) 2020

Let’s start with the one I frequented the most during this weekend: KuroCon.

What got me excited with KuroCon is the fact that it’s a “for fans, by fans” event. If you closely follow the anikura (anime + music club/concert) scene on Twitter, you could be familiar with a few names who cross countries just to watch their favorites sing or dance on stage.

The way I see it, KuroCon has a big flex when they got artists such as marble, Asaka, Stephanie, ZAQ, and fripSide angela on board as guests of honor.

The second flex KuroCon has are the relevant panel discussions – ranging from idols to virtual youtubers to even anime-related satire. There’s also a panel discussing the ways to go around in Japan. KuroCon has a variety of topics.

Best of all, since this is an event for fans by fans, they have anikura sessions, and one of which even has a tiger cam so wild tigers can yeet the hell out of themselves.

Here are some of the panels that you have missed but can be reviewed again in text or video:

Anime Expo Lite

There are only a few fans who ever dreamt of going to the western hemisphere to see what the anime/cosplay community is there, and I too also dreamt of going to Anime Expo, the largest of its kind in the States.

Of course it’s just a dream – until Anime Expo Lite has been announced. They even have a matching “print your own badge” feature where you show off your badge wherever you are, and that’s fantastic.

One thing I remember the most is the RightStuf panel. Perhaps that’s the only one I observed the most? RightStuf is a staple when it comes to anime distribution in the US.

When RightStuf showed the samples of HD remastered Gundam SEED which is already shown before, I am in awe. Imagine, a non-Gundam fan sticking to the video of the samples until the end. What I cared about is that the way anime is edited and dubbed has improved over time, and you can see it in comparison. This gives me a sense of how the west sees it.

FunimationCon 2020

Through FunimationCon 2020, the worldwide distribution network of Funimation (US, Canada, Latin America), Manga Entertainment (UK & Ireland), Madman Entertainment (Australia) and Wakanim (France) under the Sony umbrella showed its wide reach and went on to cover industry-specific topics such as localization and the dubbing scene.

Like Anime Expo Lite, they even allow visitors to print their own badges. The downside is that you need to use VPN to watch the event due to geographical restrictions.

Aniplex Online Fest

Speaking of the Sony umbrella, Aniplex has its own online fest catering to audiences outside Japan and in China, streamed live on YouTube and Bilibili.

Some of the best segments include anikura by DJ和 (DJ Kazu) as well as Sphere’s live online talk coming from various locations – including England where member Minako Kotobuki is currently staying.

Don’t get me started with the Mahouka panel, it’s hilarious. Actually, the event is indeed a powerhouse with all the voice actors sharing their stuff to the audience. An ultimate fan fest for the seiota (seiyuu otaku), I must say.

That’s the weekend that was – four events spanning three different days. If I had not been so busy during that time, I could’ve spent more time coming and going through these events. Such is the life of someone in the events industry trying to survive through this pandemic.

Also, if they just didn’t mash up everything in one single weekend, that would have been much more wonderful.

Nevertheless, I am looking forward to more of these events – KuroCon will have its second run this September, and I have yet to write my brief record of two separate online cons.

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Creators Super Stream Volume 2 – June 26, 2020

As I rekindle my blogging roots, I get back to writing about events. Now that we’re all technically locked up at our homes and aren’t allowed to gather en masse, virtual events have become the norm.

I’ll call this segment “Going Places,” as my mission is to be Mr. Worldwide and go attend all the online events I can visit throughout this quarantine.

First stop: Indonesia

I haven’t stopped talking about Indonesia in terms of Japanese pop culture – we’re basically parallel to them. While majority of the Philippines is Catholic, Indonesia is a Muslim country.

Here’s a quick rundown of all the parallels we have: Eat Bulaga!, It’s Showtime, Rappler (first through an Indonesian bureau, then through a partnership), local CNN branches, as well as Tokusatsu (their BIMA Satria Garuda to our Zaido: Pulis Pangkalawakan).

We’re not that different when it comes to fan reactions, including the cringe ones. My introduction of the country’s cosplay community is that cosplayers with the same costume will avoid each other. Little did I know that an issue similar to this nature will blow up again in my neck of the woods this year.

Another great thing about Indonesia’s J-culture community is the number of related online media that exceeds ours: KAORI Nusantara, Jurnal Otaku Indonesia, Japanese Station, RisaMedia, Nawala Karsa, Duniaku, they even have WibuNews.

Creators Super Stream by AFA Volume 2

Creators Super Stream Volume 2 - June 26, 2020

The first event on the list is Indonesia’s Creators Super Stream by AFA Volume 2, held in the weekend of June 26 to 28. I have to put emphasis on the “by AFA” branding as it’s under Southeast Asia’s biggest event network related to the anime culture.

CSS held their physical events at Surabaya and Jakarta last year, and among their notable guests is 22/7’s Sally Amaki. The first Creator Super Stream was broadcast online for free last May 20 on Facebook Live.

How am I able to watch?

Unlike the first CSS, this three-night encore with exclusive content and guest stars is a paid event. A single-day ticket will cost you IDR 20,000 plus card processing fees, for a total of around IDR 25,600 – that’s Php90 for you. It took me 90 pesos to get into exclusive content.

Exclusive Content

The main reason why I got a ticket on the opening night as that’s dedicated to Virtual YouTubers in Indonesia: The Indonesian branch of Cover Corp’s hololive Production and Ichikara Inc’s Nijisanji, plus local group MAHA5 (say Maha panc[h]a).

If you want a deeper reason, sure, I’ll say it: Risu Ayunda.

Those who have been following me on Twitter would know that I’m hooked on Risu (which I fondly refer to as Indonesia’s answer to cute doggo Inugami Korone), who is very active on Twitter as well.

Risu is cute, period.

While there’s no subtitles to understand what they are saying, watching Risu along with her hololive ID colleagues Airani Iofifteen and Moona Hoshinova chat with Nijisanji ID’s Hana Macchia and ZEA Cornelia is a rare opportunity.

The versus matches are exciting, and the 100 seconds challenge gave us a glimpse of VTubers in Indonesia, which I really appreciate knowing that I am listing two VTubers to subscribe to.

There are also major announcements coming form event partners, and some of them do pack quite a punch.

Assessment

By my standards, shedding around a 90 pesos is a good deal for me to see content for more than 2 hours. The first night garnered hundreds of viewers, which is great!

One of the requirements in enjoying an online event is a stable internet connection, so I was wondering why I’m dropping out even with a stable connection? Perhaps I happen to chance upon a downtime on my end. I thought the stream got broken, but it was just my internet connection dropping out.

That said, I’m happy to watch the Creators Super Stream even for just one night. I’m sure the Art and Cosplay nights are as exciting as the VTuber night, and it’s a good choice for the event team to organize the activities based on niches.

Should there be more Creators Super Streams (or any AFA Online event), I’m confident that I’ll attend it. Congratulations to the team, and see you there in person soon.

Since I mentioned that recording the stream is not allowed, I settled with taking photos of my screen, and only two photos will be appearing here.

I am very well aware of the consequences but at the least I’d love to save a keepsake.

This event is also featured in my latest video now on YouTube: