Last year, Primetrade Asia made the bold move by bringing The Best of Anime out of its comfort zone and scheduled the popular event a week before their flagship event Manila International Book Fair, finally showing everyone that the event can stand on their own.
Now, on their ninth year, The Best of Anime is happening again this weekend and they are making sure that its going to be bigger than ever before! Exciting guests, Exciting activities, and much more.
Of course, before all the exciting happenings for the whole weekend, we bring you the low-down on one of the much-anticipated events this event season on this edition of The Pre-Show.
Fresh Acts
As everybody knows, special guest cosplayers and musical performers had been a staple of our Japanese pop-culture event diet for sometime now, and we believe that The Best of Anime 2018 will fill your appetite with fresh acts!
Taiwanese cosplayers HYKO and Mon夢 will finally make their appearance for the first time, and they will be joined by returnee Onnies from Thailand.
The cosplayers are not just doing their usual catwalk, because everyone can also pick their brains and learn from their experience with their tutorials on the first day this Saturday. Mon夢 will have her make-up tutorial at midday, while HYKO will have her cosplay tutorial in the afternoon.
Also, the three cosplayers will have their much-awaited performance for all to see on the second day this Sunday!
The Best of Anime’s Ongaku Fest concert continues this year, and they will have much-anticipated performances from the Japanese singer Valshe and the popular visual-kei group An Café!
Valshe, who started her career in the video-sharing service Niconico in 2009, is known for her singing in both male and female voices.
She gained notoriety in singing “Butterfly Core”, which was used as the 37th opening theme song for the long-running detective anime series Detective Conan, which was eventually followed by the 49th opening theme song “Lie to You.”
An Café is a popular visual-kei band playing pop rock music since 2003, currently composed of Miku (vocals), Kanon (bass), Teruki (drums), Takuya (guitar), and Yu-ki (keyboard).
The group performed “Kakusei Heroism ~The Hero Without A Name~”, which is the second opening theme song of the popular mystery anime Darker than Black, as well as the theme songs for Fuma no Kojiro live-action series and Duel Masters Versus Revolution anime series.
Their performance this Sunday is a must-watch, because this may be the last time that they perform in the country in a while, as they have announced that they are taking a hiatus starting January 2019. Don’t miss it!
Aside from Ongaku Fest, there will also be musical performances on the main stage for both days, featuring the Japanese musician Kors K and the idol group Starmarie!
Kors K, who was known for being a part of the hit music game Beatmania. He has since released songs and remixes, which was performed in domestic and international labels totaling to 500 tracks.
The fantasy idol group Starmarie will make their return to enchant everyone with their singing and choreography. This will be the fifth time that the group will be performing on this event.
Plus, the indie idol group Aidoru Sozai is set to make their appearance at the popular event for the very first time.
Tearjerkers, and more…
Aside from the special attractions, The Best of Anime 2018 will also bring tearjerker movies, courtesy of local film distributor Pioneer Films.
In case you missed their screenings on the cinema, then attendees will have a special treat, as the Japanese anime films Fireworks, Should We See it from the Side or the Bottom? and A Silent Voice will have a special screening during the event!
Fireworks, Should We See it from the Side or the Bottom? will be screened on the first day, at 11:00am, right after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
A Silent Voice will be screened at the event on the second day, at 5:55pm, which is right before the “Ongaku Fest” concert.
Aside from the film screening, The Best of Anime 2018 has a ton of fun activities where everyone will enjoy, including arcade games from Quantum, booth activities from ANIMAX, Embassy of Japan, AniZone, and so much more.
Also, get the chance to meet-and-greet the voices actors of the upcoming animation series Barangay 143, and you could win prizes including Samsung Galaxy 8+ phone!
Tickets
And now, Let’s talk about what could be the most important aspect of the event, which is the ticket sales. There are three (3) ticket tiers for the event, which are the Convention, BoA Premium, and BoA Extreme passes.
CONVENTION PASS
PHP450 per day
Entrance to Convention Hall only.
BOA PREMIUM
PHP1,500
Entrance to Day 2 Convention Hall, and Access to “Ongaku Fest” Regular Area.
BOA EXTREME
PHP2,500
Entrance to Day 1 and 2 Convention Hall, Access to “Ongaku Fest” VIP Area, and Special Perks.
We recommend that attendees should buy your tickets through SM Tickets outlets for convenience. You may also buy tickets online through smtickets.com, but be sure to exchange your online ticket for a physical ticket before going to the event venue.
For Convention Pass holders, the ticket you have bought from SM Tickets can be used for any of the two days.
Location
Just like the previous years, The Best of Anime 2018 will be happening at the SMX Convention Center, which is inside the Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City.
Unlike the previous years, the event will now be happening at Hall 4, which is at the Ground Floor. That basically means that the event will have a bigger headroom, and most likely a more spacious area, which still depends on the floor plan.
“Ongaku Fest” concert, on the other hand, will be happening at Hall 1, while the Fan Meets will happen at Meeting Room 5 at the Second Level.
We advise all attendees to have some common courtesy for everyone, like Keeping the Hallways clear, Follow the Orders of Safety & Security Personnel, and Throwing your Garbage in Proper Disposal Areas.
Of course, NO PHOTOGRAPHY, VIDEO AND AUDIO RECORDING ALLOWED DURING THE CONCERT, regardless of personal use or otherwise.
To the organizers, we wish them good luck and keep it up. To all attendees, Keep calm, Be Safe, and Have Fun.
Also, You can stay tuned to the latest updates regarding The Best of Anime 2018 as we bring you hourly updates on the event and its exciting festivities… See you at the event!
THE BEST OF ANIME 2018 is happening on August 25 and 25 at the SMX Convention Center – Manila in Pasay City.
For more details regarding the event, please visit their website at thebestofanime.com or Follow them on their Facebook page at facebook.com/bestofanime.
All information listed on this article are correct as of press time. Subject to change without prior notice.
