Ateneans and visitors alike got to experience a festival that brings historic Japanese tradition in a new light with games, food, and performances at TouCon 2018 last April 20, 2018 at Bellarmine Field, Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City. As an open-air convention open to everyone, Toucon celebrated contemporary Japanese culture where people of any interests and hobbies can meet and have a blast.
Organized by Toushin, a Japanese art and culture student organization in Ateneo, TouCon 2018 had a lot in store for attendees, with Ateneans and outsiders welcome to join in the fun for an entrance fee of only Php 100.
Special guests and judges for the event were some distinguished cosplayers from the community: Kibi, Envy, and Sage GT. Early on there was a panel discussion wherein attendees could go up on stage and ask the guests anything from their thoughts on anime to cosplay.
Also on stage were lively performances from artists from Ateneo and from the community.
One of the highlights of the event was the cosplay competition where cosplayers from the university and beyond got to perform on stage with their stunning costumes. The esteemed panel of judges made up of esteemed cosplayers: Kibi, Envy, and Sage GT, had the difficult job of choosing the winner.
Named Champion of this year’s Toucon Cosplay Competition was Ivan Valerio who cosplayed Voltes V. He got to take home the grand prize of 2,000 pesos. The runners-up also were named and all the participants got certificates of participation and all were happy to join together for a group picture.
Toucon was not just all about the stage program. All throughout the day there were artist booths, food stalls, and two game booths for the attendees to enjoy, like the Dragon Forge booth where one can play tabletop games. And there was Kingyo Fishpong. As the name suggests, it is similar to beer pong, and you can win a goldfish (or three) for P50 a game.
All in all, Toucon 2018 was an enjoyable event for any fan of Japanese pop culture and was a fun school event this summer. We’re already looking forward to their next event.
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