Going-Places

Ateneo de Manila-based independent otaku organization Touyou no Shinjuu (Toushin) held its second Toucon Online last weekend (June 17-19). The event, considered as the country’s first student-organized online otaku event during this pandemic, presented activities catered to cosplayers, console gamers and anime fans alike. It was attended by over a hundred fans on Discord, and was viewed hundreds of times on Facebook and Twitch. Which Segments I’ve Watched at TouCon Online 2022? One of their segments on Day 1 is pretty unique - a Wikipedia speed run where the fastest who can reach a certain article wins. The fastest speed run recorded went from Among Us to Manga in just 10 seconds. ...

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. ...

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. ...

Six days of Otakufest 2021 have passed. One of Cebu’s annual otaku events just went virtual last week, and here’s a recap of what has happened. Workshops Even during these times, I’m happy that Otakufest is still able to hold workshops. Afternoons of hands-on tutorials are done by SFX Makeup Artist Chey Adamson and Team Class S’ Seigfred Enero. If I were to ask which moments I remember the most, I’ll share one for each workshop: ...

One of Cebu’s annual hobby events return for another edition - this time, it’s open to a wider audience! Otakufest 2021, the annual event usually held at SM Seaside City Cebu, will be holding its event online. This year’s program covers 6 Days of live streams and online workshops with local talents. Online Workshops on Zoom There are open workshops for everyone to witness! Catch SFX Make-up Artist Chey Adamson as she conducts an SFX Make-up Workshop on Day 3. ...

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. ...

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. ...

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.* 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). ...