After years of waiting, it’s an NCR Qualifier winner who will represent the country — they are then called “Team Saui” At this year’s World Cosplay Summit Philippines National Finals in Davao City held Sunday April 29, A deja vu has happened. Team Sekai(then Team Saui, pronounced “Sa’yu ih”), the pair of Sergio Sta. Ana from Metro Manila and Kai Raito from Bacolod, will represent the country in the 2018 World Cosplay Summit which will happen at Nagoya, from July 28 to August 5. ...

Photo of yours truly at Taal Vista Hotel, taken April 21, 2018. Y me so serious? Ang init eh. …as you read this post, expect me doing more stuff that I can handle. Or sleeping because these activities are exhausting. Here in this space, I try to write as much as I can. Before I proceed to give you my preparations for the upcoming weekend at #NICE2018 in Davao, I have to let this off my chest first. ...

Photo-op of the three teams from Zamboanga together with the hosts. [Photo: Ambox Events / Mary Joy Nakata] During the Matsuri Fever! event held at the KCC Mall de Zamboanga rooftop held Friday, April 6, three pairs are selected to join the list of competitors vying for the title of this year’s Philippine representative to the World Cosplay Summit this August in Nagoya, Japan. Photo-op of the three teams from Zamboanga together with the hosts. [Photo: Ambox Events / Mary Joy Nakata] ...

Team Anime Core will be competing for the WCS PH title for the third time Team Anime Core of Albay will once again take part in the National Qualifiers of the World Cosplay Summit Philippines as they have been selected as South Luzon’s competing pair. The team of John Albert Alejandrino and Jaypee Camu Azarcon cosplaying characters from Garo: The Animation has been selected among three competing teams during the South Luzon Qualifiers held at Pacific Mall Legazpi last Sunday, March 11. ...

Inside Meiwaku MNL**, Manila’s latest anikura** It was the afternoon of Sunday, the 25th of March. The sun has set. I sought for the Tiger’s Den. It somehow took me a while to get my way there — even if I am somehow familiar with the place, it took me a wrong time to drop off to face the jungle that is called the “Wrong Way.” Moments passed, I was able to enter the cave — Asian Social Institute. ...

Featuring the 2018 Nihongo Speech Contest Student Category Winner Sofia Abigail Sanches Let me tell you a story. One day, someone thought of a small dream. This dream was a result of her being inspired to Sailor Moon, Sugar Sugar Rune and other anime series that made a mark in the childhood of most of us 20-somethings. She keeps that dream as she studies. Photo: Japan Foundation Manila One day, she was given the opportunity to address her “small dream” to a large crowd, in a place she has rarely been to. ...

[Photo] Lime Creatives / Otakufest Recently-held preliminaries a first in the city [Photo] Lime Creatives / Otakufest Team Class S is the champion in the Central and Eastern Visayas Qualifiers of the World Cosplay Summit Philippines held at Otakufest 2018 inside Cebu Business Park last Saturday, February 24. The team, composed of Seigfred Enero and Sheena Mae Butad, performed a skit as Aram and the Dark Lord of the hit game “Chain Chronicle.” ...

Before I start talking about the event, here’s a story: I got contacted by rayan of AnimePH Project that they will be out of town during the weekend of Otaku Expo 2018, and I am asked if I’m interested to cover it. I said yes, of course, given that the Ozine Team is always open to the likes of us. A day before the event, I met with the Ozine Team (that includes its General Manager Dennis Uy) and noticed that the hall where it will be held, Megatrade Hall 2, is on its way to refurbish the doors of that hall. ...

…says the 30 or so people inside the Rice Party held January 21 Rice for the Rice Queen. This is the words of praise for the idol of the Rice Cult, Hanayo Koizumi. The thing is, Hanayo doesn’t know this. Also, I made that up. Forty keks. While my stay at Red Monster Cafe was brief, what I can tell about the first-ever local birthday party dedicated to Hanayo is this: Kanin. Rice. Rice is life. Rice is carbohydrates, which is turned into energy. ...

Trust me, they have soft, pugon-made pandesal. The Kamuning Bakery Cafe, an institution in Quezon City, serves as a venue for various occasions. This includes the Pandesal Forum and the World Pandesal Day. I dreamt of visiting this historical bakery along Judge Jimenez St. in Quezon City (even just once), so when the opportunity comes, I’ll come and see for myself. That opportunity came last Saturday. Before we start: Prior to my visit here, I went to Eccentric Yet Happy’s law seminar for bloggers (but for some reason I am late and embarrassed by how I was late because the topic was so important and yet here I was). ...