Lookback: Best of Anime 2011

Primetrade Asia Inc. held the Best of Anime 2011 event alongside the Manila International Book Fair. It was done in Function Rooms 4 and 5 of SMX Convention Center, from September 18 to 19, 2011. It was a well-timed event since it was a weekend and many mall-goers were enticed to visit the event, with only a bridgeway connecting the two establishments.

Otakultura’s Ruby Knight and Shinoda were able to cover Day 1. The ribbon cutting was done at about 11, after which a long line of cosplayers entered the event area. Highlights for the first day were the Karaoke Competition (with Dennis Isidoro winning first place with his rendition of Kidou Keiji Jiban’s opening theme), the Quick Draw Competition, the Gunpla Making Contest and the Open Cosplay Contest. The Japan Foundation’s Manga Library and Team Onii-chan’s Figure Display were also present in the event; the first was conveniently located in a corner of Function Room 5, the second at the far end of Function Room 4.

From Inside The Armor (Ruby Knight sees…)

This was the first time I attended a BoA convention, and I can essentially sum up my thoughts in five words: PRIMETRADE ASIA VIRTUALLY CONTROLLED SMX. I mean this positively, since they really had a layout of the place and they anticipated the crowd that was to arrive. Never mind the far venue, the P150 entrance (it was cheap for a venue this large, though) and SMX’s tight security – I was able to move around without bumping too much into other cosplayers / people. I took so much pics that my camera’s SD card ran out of space and I had to rely on the internal memory for a while. As soon as I arrived, I met Stigma of Disgrace waiting outside. If you recall, they were the band that OtK interviewed for Radiotaku Sessions. Vocalist Dwakk told me that they were the first band to perform for that day.

I then bought a ticket and entered the venue. As soon as I entered, I was like “WOAH! THEY USED TWO FUNCTION ROOMS FOR ONE EVENT!”. I’d give Primetrade Asia a +1 for this move. Moving on, I continued taking pictures of the event and introducing myself to a lot of Facebook contacts. Later, I met Shinoda and after showing him my progress, continued on my job. At about 3 in the afternoon, Himitsu Heiki went on stage to perform. If you can recall again, Himitsu Heiki was the second band interviewed for the Radiotaku Sessions. I left SMX at about four, and headed home an hour later. Before I end, I’d like to say HAPPY 2ND ANNIVERSARY TO OTAKULTURA!

Shinoda’s POV

What’s up, y’all?! It’s your machoman Shinoda once again delivering the latest on the anime and cosplay events of the Philippines, and our last stop was at The Best of Anime 2011 held at the SMX Convention Center in SM Mall of Asia. I had the privilege of attending both days of the event, courtesy of work from My Little Prince and booth manning at the UP AME ticket booth. The Best of Anime experience was quite a busy one for me, considering that I was taking care of my duties for My Little Prince, Otakultura, and UP AME as well. But it was all tiring fun, and a great experience. Now, here’s my roundup.Having been to smaller venues these past few months, it was such a breather to be inside a much more spacious and colder venue. There was lots of real estate to walk and hang out with. For the first day, there was so many freebies that I amassed: from free newspapers and magazines, product samples, and another Gundam model kit.

The only problem with my location at the booth was that it was not facing the main stage. However, the activity area was quite near the booth, so I was able to listen to workshops that showcased How to speak Japanese, Costume Design, Voice Acting Contests, among others. I was also able to help out with the Darts Booth and Ticket Booth of my organization. Another problem with SMX is that their management was too strict, which was their reputation. We weren’t able to get food inside the venue.But anyways, I did enjoy my two-day stay at this event. Looking forward to next year’s edition.

The Stalker Eye of the Mistress:

I was able to visit Day 2 of Best of Anime. Despite being a newbie to the anime convention scene, Best of Anime is proving to be a worthwhile visit in its second year. Have you seen the size of the convention area? That’s 2 Function Halls they took up! Primetrade Asia (the organizers) rented the whole SMX for all of their events, which included the Book Fair and Music Festival Manila. And since the 2 Functions Halls provided more than enough space for the booths and crowds. It was also a good idea for the organizers to install section / stall labels overhead, though getting lost was not an issue here. The stalls are divided to smaller chunks instead of the typical corridor-style festival layout. I’d say that the layout and the area size is certainly accommodating for a large foot traffic. I still find it strange, though, that a huge bulk of the convention-goers and cosplayers preferred to stay outside the function halls. I do pity the security having difficulties rounding up everyone outside.

School-based organizations were very much visible in this event. I’m glad that the organizers gave these school orgs a chance to make their presence known. Other local groups, such as PinoyPS.com, were also present. ‘Twas indeed a rare sight to see these orgs shine in such a big event. Good job on allowing them to have their own booths!

The stage area felt like it had little dead air. Whatever the time was, there was always something going on in the stage, something I really would like most of the organizers to follow when holding a major event. Auctions, bands, mini-games and other featurettes were lined up in the large stage. I did watch a few on-stage performances coming from amateur videoke singers and auctioneers. Too bad I wasn’t able to buy anything from the auctions.

This is getting too long already, so let me cut it short. Best of Anime has established itself as one of the must-go events of the year, if for the simplest fact that they were able to acquire a large space for everything. We look forward to next year’s Best of Anime. And hopefully, Otakultura will be there too!

External Galleries
Otakultura’s Facebook Gallery for Best of Anime
Best of Anime’s Official Facebook Gallery

Outgoing:
Best of Anime’s Facebook Page
Best of Anime’s Official Website

Postscript: Due to an unexpected webhost rollback caused by a massive storm, this post is a re-upload.

Tags: Anime & Manga, Best of Anime, cosplay, events, Lookback