Animax Carnival Philippines 2015 (Day 1)

Logo not mine. Credits go to SPE Networks – Asia Pte. Ltd. and Animation Investment, Inc.

The Animax Carnival Philippines 2015, which happened last May 30-31, was a roller coaster. Bear with me because it is my very first ACPH (although I have heard that its history has gone a long way already), but trust me. It was a different con experience!

Some of you might be disagreeing with me, but I think this con is really impressive. My kuya told me that I should trust Animax but I really had a few doubts about it at first. Anyway, let’s move on to my thoughts.

To those who did not attend ACPH, this con was divided into three parts:

• Yoyogi, the traditional gaming area.
• Harajuku, the fashion and food area.
• Akihabara, the tech area.

You can google the name sources (or they’re self-explanatory). Of course, the entertainment area, or stage in other words, is present also.

Crowd

I have experienced my worst so far with crowds in Ozine Fest 2015 (since I didn’t pre-order tickets) so I totally expected a large wave of people. I’m not really sure if this is a positive thing for Animax, but for congoers I think this is a good one. Since the tickets were sold via SM tickets, my friends and I thought that I was easier to buy them in SM Southmall. And we were even thinking that there will actually be a line for people who didn’t buy pre-sold tickets! Anyway, let’s get back to ACPH. Honestly, for a con, there was a lot of space. And I mean a lot of space.

Especially the stage area. If you you really intended to go because of the anime premieres, you definitely have the space to lie down and care about nothing else in the world because THERE IS SPACE!

Merch

I was pretty much disappointed with the Harajuku area, which was intended for clothing stalls and merchandise because there were only fourteen stalls! Each stall measured only about a square meter.

Harajuku in a nutshell.

There are only a few choices but the good news is: you’ll be able to save your money [that was allotted for merch]. I’m not kidding! But if you like Oo-kun, feast your eyes on the vast amount of merch prepared by Animax! A large merch store was set up between Yoyogi and Harajuku solely dedicated to Oo-kun!

Food

I mentioned earlier that Harajuku also houses the food stalls for the hungry ones. But there is an unwritten rule that in-con food isn’t always tongue or wallet-friendly. And that again has been proven to be right, folks. (I shouldn’t have eaten inside in the first place!) Four pieces of takoyaki for a hundred pesos?! You’re definitely kidding me!!! But I guess Animax really did concentrate on Japanese food so that explains the lack of choices. That’s fine, but they should’ve provided cheaper food choices that are friendly for people who are saving up for their next cosplay. Or merch.

Games and Gadgets

To those who were not able to attend ACPH, I’d like to share that they had gadget and game booths, which are quite unusual for an anime convention, at least in my opinion. In my anicon experience, there are usually three things that I see in conventions:

• Cosplay
• Merch
• and Contests

Definitely no gadget booths because I’m talking about anicons and not game cons here. But games (and I mean traditional games) can be present but they are usually spearheaded by people who are unaffiliated with the organizers and each play is paid separately. ACPH made me see the 200 pesos that I paid for. It was worth it.

For each game you win and for each task you complete in the checklist, you get to have Oo-kun merch as prizes! (I mentioned the Oo-kun merch store, right? You get the stuff sold there for free!)

Yoyogi in a nutshell.

I forgot to take a photo of my own activity passport!!! Anyway, it’s a list of stuff you have to do to get freebies.

If you complete the four games in the Carnival Game Checklist namely Kendama, Daruma Otoshi, Wanage, and Shateki, you’ll be able to get a freebie for each: a notepad, Oo-kun balloon, a pencil holder, and an L-folder. If you complete five of the ten tasks in the Activity Passport, you’ll be able to grab one freebie (which depends on what your fate dictates, meheh). The ten tasks will be accomplished by going to the tech booths other activity booths such as the Fairytail booth where you have to take a photo (Yeah, it’s the one below where we look like idiots).

There is a sure reason why you must go around to visit all the booths.

Entertainment

While I was lining up to get my prizes for all the activities Jeanne and I have done, we were watching the cosplay competition. Thank you for the hosts’ good hosting skills! The stage area was also big enough to be seen from the three other corners of the hall. Even though we were watching from afar, I can say that Alodia was close to us because her face was shown by the large screen behind her!

Alodia singing ‘God knows…’

Even though my friends and I only stayed up until 5 PM, it was surprising that the special guests for the night were big. For Day 1, the Tambourine Master Gonzo was there. For Day 2, Filipino Pride Junior New System and Japanese Dance Masters TRIQSTAR performed. I can’t give details about stuff that I’m not sure about, though!

Conclusion

ACPH is definitely a con to remember. Now it has a special place in our little otaku hearts and we’re waiting for the next one to come. Thank you, Animax!

-Kairu

*Photos belong to Jolene Valenzuela, Elijah Lei Dy, and Cherry Bantiling.