Oh look! Ozine Fest is in two days!
Each kind of person in the Filipino otaku community has done some sort of preparation for each year’s Ozine. A cosplayer may have finalized his or her costume, a performer may have practiced for his or her special number, a typical attender may have saved up for all the merch that he or she wants to buy, and exhibitors may have prepared the stuff to be displayed in the booths.
However, is the event that these people have been preparing for prepared for them?
Lack of Information
According to the Ozine Fest Anime Figure Special Facebook Page, Ozine Fest 2016 is scheduled on April 15-17 (Friday-Sunday) at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, Philippines.
From Ozine Fest Anime Figure Special (Facebook)
Last March 28, 2016, the same Facebook page posted that the contest rules for Ozine Fest 2016 have been posted on the Ozine Fest blog. Of course, this implied one thing: that the Ozine Fest for this year is a go.
Screenshot from Ozine Fest Anime Figure Special on Facebook
Other details that implied the same thing were also posted on the same page, such as the presence of the Ozine Maid Cafe and details for the FLOW concert, which is scheduled on the 2nd day, April 16, 2016. The last post that was made so far (when this post was written) was all about the autograph and meet-and-greet session for the FLOW concert.
The event supposed to be in two days, why come Ozine hasn’t made any other announcement about Ozine Fest other than announcements about the FLOW concert?
While waiting for an event to happen, here are just some of the things people want to know before going: where and when it will be held, who the guests are, what the activities are, and of course, how much the tickets are (as well as where and when to buy the tickets)! The last and one of the most important details of them all in bold, which usually dictate if a person attends or not, is absent. So far, no announcements have been made regarding ticket selling. Up until now. However, FLOW concert ticket holders are automatically given access to Ozine Fest 2016. What does that mean? Are they planning to announce the actual general admission ticket prices once you’re there? Or are there actually no more tickets to be sold in the first place?
Different Announcement by SMX
Checking the website of SMX Convention Center, Ozine is actually not listed on the said dates but an “Otaku Expo” dated from the 16th to the 17th.
Screenshot from the website of SMX Convention Center
Uncertain Dates
Rumors have also been circulating that Ozine Fest has been cut down to two days (Saturday and Sunday) instead of the usual three days, which matches the schedule in the screenshot above from SMX. Is Ozine Fest 2016 now a second Otaku Expo? (If you guys don’t know, Otaku Expo is a separate con that happened last January at SM Megamall.)
Rambulan sa Ozine Fest 2016
People are now expressing their negative thoughts about what’s happening through social media and if we all remember what happened to Ozine Fest 2014, this is definitely not the first time that Ozine went nuts. Are they actually planning to make a surprise behind these curtains of silence? Either way, planning a surprise or not, everyone will definitely be surprised about what will happen next.
A Facebook event called Rambulan sa Ozine Fest 2016, a reference to the fictitious event Suntukan sa Ace Hardware that went viral, was also created by members of the Filipino otaku community.
Conclusion
At this rate, almost everyone is unsure whether to go to this year’s most-awaited Ozine or not. Why? Even if everybody wants it to happen, no one even knows right now if it will still happen. And, nobody wants to experience another badly organized Ozine Fest again.
And I quote from the film Starting Over Again, “I deserve an explanation! I need an acceptable reason!”
~Kairu
Two-faced life 