The biggest pop culture event in Asia had landed in Manila and was unstoppable on its third straight day as AsiaPOP Comicon Manila 2016 welcomed thousands of attendees from all over the world. Spanning the entire SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia Complex, the scale that APCC 2016 was on was mindblowing, and on its second straight year it had an impressive lineup of guests and unique attractions from around the world for attendees to enjoy, bringing the latest and hottest trends, activities, and attractions pop culture had to offer. For a glimpse of an exciting Day 1, click here, and for our coverage of Day 2, click here.
arkadymac.com is glad to be APCC’s online media partner for the second straight year, and we had our Photographer Mitch and Cosplay Models Nicole and Yanna bringing in the action from this huge pop culture extravaganza.
Filipinos have always been been big fans of pop culture, being forever in love with movies, comics, cartoons, music, books, TV, and other media, which was most probably why they eagerly lined up to get inside the event even before the SMX’s doors opened, anticipating all the excitement that AsiaPop had promised waiting for them. On the entire ground floor of the SMX convention center, a bewildering array of booths and exhibits were there to amuse, entertain and amaze the attendees. People could browse through amazing toys and figure displays and collections, take part in makeup demos, watch wrestling matches, play human-sized foosball, try the Magic:The Gathering card game, have pictures with Pokemon themed vehicles, experience parkour, and participate in the little mini games each exhibitor booth had to offer. They got to go home with nice freebies and giveaways from those too.
Artists from around the globe also graced APCC. They had their own booths so they could display their work to their fans, and the artists were happy to tell us that it was a great experience meeting their Filipino fans as they appreciate their work so much and go to talk to them as they did autographs as well. Comic book veterans Whilce Portacio, Ken Lashley, and Mike Zeck, also got to be presented on stage and had a great conversation with the audience during their stage segment.
APCC 2016 had been the talk of the town as they delivered on their promise to bring big Hollywood stars to Manila. Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: Days of Future’s Past), Claire Holt (Vampire Diaries), Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), and Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones) were the big names that had their Filipino fans scrambling all over to get the chance to meet them in person. Attendees got to see them at their Meet and Greet and Autograph Sessions as well as on stage. The media also got the chance to conduct interviews with them, and we got to know more about these fascinating people. We will have video clips of the interviews ready on the site very soon.
One of the highlights of AsiaPop Comicon Manila was The Cosplay Authority Global Challenge, or The CAGE, which had become the most epic cosplay competition the Philippines has ever seen, boasting of the biggest prizes only dreamed of in the cosplay scene . Participants had to go through a rigorous process just so the best of the best could compete. The second day of APCC featured the adult category, while the third day featured the kids’ category. Being children didn’t make the contest any less competitive as their costumes were also all painstakingly crafted and intricately detailed, with parts that would seem as if they moved on their own. The performances they put on certainly gave justice to their characters and made for a great show in front of an appreciative audience.
Even world-class cosplayers and judges Alodia Gosiengfao, Yugana Senshi Uon, Riddle, Ani Mia, Lindze Merrit, and Myrtle Sarossa had a hard time determining who was the best of the best, and in our interview with them they were amazed at the amazing talent of the chibi Filipino cosplayers and the support of their parents.
The winners were announced at the end of the day with the deserving cosplayers being awarded the biggest cash prizes ever given away at any Philippine event. They included Fred Vinas as Tinker being named Champion and receiving the grand cash prize of a whopping 10,000 USD, followed by Guy Singzon as Mandarin Spawn winning 1st Runner up and receiving 5,000 USD, and Izaiah Luke Buelos as Timbersaw claiming 2nd Runner up. Over at the Kids’ Category, our chibi cosplay model Ashley Misaki won the Fans’ Favorite award, claiming 2,000 USD.
Ending the day on literally high notes was anisong legend Hiroshi Kitadani, who wowed the crowed with his vocal prowess, singing fan favorite songs, especially from the series One Piece. Fans were singing along and waving and pumping their fists to the performance of this amazing artist from Japan.
Nothing but exciting and star-studded for a whole 3 days, APCC was certainly an event that everyone enjoyed. People walked home with tons of pop culture merchandise and pictures with their favorite actors, actresses, artists, and cosplayers. With the great turnout and outpouring of support, we do hope AsiaPop Comicon Manila comes back next year.
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