Four years ago, The Best of Anime started out like any other event, but the only difference was they were a side-event within the famed Manila International Book Fair (MIBF), which is held every September.
Fast-forward to today, The Best of Anime has become one of the most awaited events of the year, and it is no surprise that it has evolved from being a piggybacked event to an event worthy of its holding out on its own.
In 2012, The Best of Anime did what no other anime event has ever done, as Japanese visual-kei band Uchusentai NOIZ became the first J-music band to ever perform in an anime event held in the country, and the fans went wild over their music and antics which has set the bar for other anime events in the country. And the rest, as they always say, is history.
With The Best of Anime 2014 looming in the horizon, allow Anime Pilipinas to give to you a preview on one of the country’s most awaited anime events with more guests, more new surprises & above all, an unforgettable anime event experience.
MORE GUESTS, MORE SURPRISES
In 2012, Primetrade Asia, the organizers of the event, broke the barrier in the anime events scene with the guesting of Japanese Visual Kei band Uchusentai NOIZ. Their electrifying presence surely made notice at the SMX Convention Center, and it made the function rooms literally rock.
Last year, they invited J-pop artist and NHK’s J-Melo personality Joe Inoue, the cosplay duo from Thailand Yuki Godbless & Jiaki Darkness, noted Thai cosplayer Karael Sanguis and Idol group Starmarie.
More guests will arrive for the fifth outing of The Best of Anime on top of those who’ve already made an appearance last year.
Of course, Joe Inoue is staging a comeback, not only as a performer, but as a host for the event. Plus, Singaporean cosplayer-blogger Kaika and Thai cosplayer Onnies will also be in BoA to meet their Filipino fans and to judge the BoA All Star Cosplay Competition.
And, just only recently, Primetrade also announced that Karael just freed up his schedule and he too will be back for the second time. Local cosplayers Myrtle Sarrosa and Liui Aquino will be joining in to interact and be with their fans for the Best of Anime.
On the music front, local bands Pedicab and Sandwich will provide the OPM feel during the event, as well as other J-Rock cover bands which will belt out tunes from many popular anime series.
But the most exciting part has got to be the performances of Starmarie and an another Japanese Visual-kei rock band, heidi.
Starmarie, which will be performing for the third time in the country, has evolved since their first visit on the Best of Anime 2013. Now with five members, they are sure to keep us more “kawaii” with their bubblegum-induced pop with slightly darker themes.
heidi, which sung the ending theme songs for the hit shoujo anime Kaichou-wa Maid Sama!, will surely bring the house down with their electrifying performance near the end of the event. They will not only perform the songs from Maid Sama! but will give something new for us Filipino fans and for sure, the SMX will have a repeat of what happened in 2012.
A FACE OFF AT THE BAY
Aside from these special guests, The Best of Anime 2014 will also serve as the backdrop of HEROtv’s annual cosplay tilt which will be held at the SMX for the very first time since it was launched.
Dubbed as HERO Face Off 2014: The Ultimate Cosplay Battle, the “event within an event” will surely be a most awaited one as different cosplayers will fight it out to become the ultimate HERO Face Off Cosplay Champion!
The event will be held on September 21 with Kakki Teodoro and Mikoy Morales hosting the event. Judges for the HERO Face Off 2014 competition include Ms. Marjorie “Jojo” Neri-Estacio, the concurrent HEROtv and Balls Channel manager, Ms. Irene Lloren of Primetrade Asia and Myrtle Sarrosa, among other judges.
Alongside the HERO Face Off event, HEROtv will also hold a Dub-it-Out Contest with two of the most recognized voices in the Philippine dubbing industry, Jefferson “Jeff” Utanes and Filipina “Pinay” Yumul-Pamintuan. They will also hold a dubbing seminar and Meet-and-Greet on the second day.
Aside from HERO Face Off, the event will also have the BoA All-Star Cosplay Competition and the Best of Anime Interschool Cosplay Competition, where different schools will vie for the prize of being the ultimate inter-collegiate cosplay champion.
THE TICKETS: HOW TO BUY AND HOW TO GET IN
These past few weeks, controversy erupted when a blog revealed that unlike in the previous years, The Best of Anime 2014 will now have a “No Ticket No Entry” policy.
This is because of a new policy by the SMX Convention Center to avoid a repeat of past anime events where people are simply loitering around the venue’s lobby and not entering the event itself, thereby adding to the foot traffic and the congestion to other events held at the SMX.
The ticket prices have been announced by Primetrade Asia since July, and the pre-selling period went for two months, from July 16 to September 16. Tickets bought during the pre-selling cost PhP280 per day, or at a discounted rate of PhP500 for both days.
Now that the pre-selling period is over, ticket prices sold during this weekend’s MIBF and the event itself will cost PhP300 per day. Tickets will be available at the MIBF Registration booth during the book fair, and the ticket booth located near the left wing entrance of the convention center.
Why the high ticket prices, you ask? For the most part, it’s because of the fully loaded guest list that BoA is having. In a span of two days, you get three musical guests, three international cosplayers and many activities and booths. For the meet and greet sessions for Onnies, Kaika, heidi, and Joe Inoue, you will need to shell out PhP500 for each session.
For those who will buy tickets on the day of the event itself, you will enter at the Left Wing entrance, near the Shrine of Jesus Church. For those who has bought the pre-sold tickets and have their official receipts, those who have qualified for the different contests or those who will re-enter the event, the left door of the venue’s front entrance shall be your entry point.
THE BIGGEST ONLINE RADIO COVERAGE YET
Lastly, this goes without saying that we will be there to cover the event as it happens, be it online or on Social Media. Of course we will be posting late breaking updates via our different social media channels, and through our collaborative Live Blog on animepilipinas.com.
But we want to take our coverage up a notch as well.
In partnership with Radyo Pirata, Primetrade Asia and Anime Alliance, as well as fellow anime blogs Deremoe, AnimePH Project and Otakista, we will bring to you the largest and most comprehensive online radio coverage of The Best of Anime 2014.
With radio now deemed as the “last real-time medium”, we will leave no stone unturned in our live online radio coverage. We will deliver breaking news reports, analysis, and live on site and on field reports from the convention floor and other areas as well.
We will also cover the cosplay competitions and other side events that come with the Best of Anime, delivered straight to you wherever you are in the country or in the world.
So do catch us on Best of Anime weekend, as we will take you where no other coverage has done before and you will hear the ambiance, the color and the drama of the event—all live on real time.
The Best of Anime 2014 will hit another milestone, entering to its fifth year… the organizers of The Best of Anime, Primetrade Asia, has never left anything past their radar.
Their thirty-year experience in handling events such as the highly-popular Manila International Book Fair, coupled with their youthful exuberance & unmistakable knack for the audience will not only make The Best of Anime 2014 not just simply the best anime event, but also an unforgettable experience for everyone..
The Best of Anime 2014 will be held from September 20-21 at Function Halls 3 and 4 of the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, and Ticket Prices are at PhP300 per day. For more information, please check their official Facebook and Twitter pages.
Pre-event article written by Red Mendoza for Anime Pilipinas, and Edited by Lorenz Baliwagan. You may follow them on Twitter at @knightkira and @PBNkapamilya respectively.
Anime Pilipinas is not liable for any changes in the event schedule that may arise without the notice of the organizer involved.
DISCLAIMER: Due to an agreement with The Best of Anime 2014 organizers, the concert performance of Local & Foreign music guests will not be played on the Radyo Pirata stream.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article previously stated that The Best of Anime 2014 happens on September 21-22, but the correct date is on September 20-21. We apologise for the error, and Thanks to Mikhail Argel Tan for pointing it out.
