…or what happens to be my one-week nightmare with my bank One day, I was trying to get cash from an at a posh location. The machine was slowly taking the card in. When it’s time to get the cash, the card is getting out slowly — and then it decided that nope, it won’t give me the card and it won’t give me the cash I asked for. ...

Ota Kuniyoshi must be crying right now. Today, June 15, 2018, it is announced that the idol group Wake Up, Girls! will be disbanding by March 2019 [see this PDF, in Japanese]. On my part, this is sad news, but there is a purpose for doing so: “… the group will disband so that the members can each pursue their individual goals and dreams and so they can walk their individual paths.” ...

Image taken from the Cyalume World Battle website …and the Philippines will have its chance on making it to the world stage Imagine this: You are in an anime/J-pop concert with your lightstick, doing the traditional cheers for the singer/s on stage… and there’s the other guys who are passionately doing so. These are referred to as wota, and they are doing the dance that I refer to as wotagei (we can also refer to this as cyalume dance). ...

I’ll be moderating two panels at the Pinoy Otaku Festival this Saturday - Panels are for 30 minutes, part of the afternoon session Hi guys! Long time no post again. I know I have a busy week — I was so busy that the only thing I can do is to share stuff on Facebook. We just had another event and I think they are done with the egress. ...

#NICE2018: One hot Cultural Day I have landed in Davao this Saturday to see the second day of the Nippon Industrial and Cultural Exchange as well as the 2018 National Finals of the World Cosplay Summit Philippines. After arriving at Davao International Airport, I went directly to the Almendras Gym (Davao Recreational Center). It’s still 6 in the morning, and the gym’s not yet open. I am greeted by a few staff including Nico, of which I assume is the event’s floor director. ...

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. ...