Otaku Taiiki 2009: Another Typical Anime Convention

Otaku Taiiki was held last Sunday, August 23, 2009 at SM Megamall Megatrade Hall 3.  The event is the brainchild of the organizers of Ozine Fest, Anicon, and the supposed gaming convention turned one huge cosplay event known as GX-Con.  I really don't have high expectations of the event but I am willing to give it a chance and see if there are any improvements.

I arrived at around 10:30 AM.  There weren't many people yet as the cosplayers have not arrived so there was time to go around inside the event hall.  The ticket price for the event is PhP100.00.  Sese and I had planned to go the event but she went ahead of me and was already inside.  It wasn't too hard to find her because the event space was so small.  I even wondered how the event would be able to handle all these people.

Sese in costume

The layout of the event was better than in previous events.  It was actually more spacious and they did not try to maximize the hall too much.  I have to applaud them for better layout planning.  The passageways were much more clear, there was enough space in between booths.  The stage was clear of obstruction and there was lots of room by the audience area in front of the stage.

The first thing I noticed was High Street 5's setup on the right corner as soon as you entered the event hall.  They had walled off the area to separate it from the rest of the event.  We didn't really go in but from outside, you could see what look like random laser lights and Lady Gaga music being played in the background which was a nice touch.

Gundam Model Kit Assembly

On the other end of the event hall, they had a Gundam Model Kit Assembly contest that looked like it was organized by Mechapinoy.net.  There were all kinds of enthusiasts, young and old alike, tinkering away creating their own unique Gundam model.  They were also giving away model kit catalogues and had a display of different Gundam models, some were even award winning.

We also stumbled upon an artist table at the event.  Decaf Club had various artworks on display including small knick knacks based on their works.  One of the items they were selling was an "indie" manga, Butter|Sweet.  I personally got intrigued by the art style of the manga because it was almost Japanese manga quality.  I bought myself a copy for PhP120.00, though I am still in the process of reading it, I really am enjoying it.  I really suggest you go ahead and get yourself a copy and support their group. 

The Decaf Club

There was also a Jail booth and a Jigoku booth, where you could write names of people you'd like to curse.  But between the cutesy bags that Sese bought and the Ciel and Sebastian figures that she wanted to get, there wasn't much left inside the event.  We eventually decided to go outside and take pictures of cosplayers.

I wonder whose name I should put.  XD

I will be honest, I had more fun outside the event than inside the actual event hall.  For me and most of my companions that day, we were content in staying outside the event chatting, meeting up with friends and taking pictures of the various cosplayers.  

Otaku Taiiki had their own array of cosplayers, most of which, I understand, are under contract from the organizers (correct me if I am wrong about that).  They even had twins cosplaying as school girls and was their official mascot for the event.  Needless to say, a pair of cute twin girls in sailor school uniforms attracted a lot of attention.  I was glad I was able to take pictures of them before they got surrounded by adoring fanboys.  And as I was later informed, they too were under contract.  I guess if you're dealing with a commercial event, creating contracts for your marshals and your cosplayers may be unavoidable.

Me with the Otaku Taiiki girls

As the day went by, more and more people arrived at the event.  It became exceedingly cramped both inside and outside of the event hall.  I think with how the anime community has swelled in recent years, Megatrade Hall 3 is no longer big enough to hold that many con-goers and cosplayers alike.  There were so many people at the event that you could barely feel the airconditioner.  Heaven forbid if you have claustrophobia.  By the time Otaking and his crew arrived, it was so jam packed that I even lost them in the crowd.

And just when I thought you couldn't squeeze any more people, the Gosiengfiao sisters arrived.  I swear, every where they go a huge massive crowd just follows them, especially photographers.  And as much as I would like to deny it, Alodia is a crowd drawer and her appearance would benefit any event.

The crowd around Alodia and Ashley

And here are the Gosiengfiao sisters again

The cosplay competition for Otaku Taiiki was being handled by Cosplay Circle, which would explain why the Gosiengfiao sisters were there.  Actually I wondered myself why Cosplay Circle was suddenly working with these organizers for the Cosplay.  As far as I remember, either the organizers themselves worked out the cosplay event or had help from Cosplay.ph (don't quote me on that as it was just an observation).  Typically, these organizers were on the other side of the fence when it came to Alodia and her crew, so I can only wonder what caused the sudden change of allegiances.  Whether my assumptions are true or not, I am still quite amused to see Cosplay Circle handling the contest.  I guess working with Alodia is good for business.

Otaking of ProjectOtaking.com was able to speak with the sisters regarding Robert Wong's statement about cosplay and modeling.  You can read more about it here in OtaGonzo:  Otaku Taiki 2009.

The High Street 5 Booth

A friend from the gaming media, Pepper Laforteza, also graced us with his presence at the convention.  He was suppose to cover the High Street 5 anniversary event being held inside Otaku Taiiki.  However, the Otaku Taiiki marshalls did not want to let him in, initially.  Apparently, they were not expecting media people to cover the event aside from their media partner TV5.  They even wanted to charge him PhP100.00 for entrance to the event so he could get into the High Street 5 booth.  I don't know about you, but if I have an event, I want to expect media to come and would be ready to receive them.  As my friend pointed out, this was not the case here.

To be fair, the event was a moderate success and was much better than the fiasco I've experienced from their past events (air sandwich, anyone?  XD ).  All that was inside really were various merchants and Alodia.  In fact there were tons of people there who did not even step inside the event. It was actually like a school fair, but then again that's probably what they wanted to do for this convention.  I'm not really sure what the point of the event was and it seemed like just any other typical event. I guess I have too many expectations.  But I have to admit I had fun going and seeing friends and taking pictures of the lovely cosplayers.

I leave you now with some shots I took from the event.