Cool Japan Festival 2015 (day 2)
Hi. Here to report again on another convention. Cool Japan Festival was held for two days at Trinoma mall, on November 7 and 8. I attended the second day. Well, this one is a bit special from the others - because if's more of an "idol convention" than a cosplay one. But the japanese and local performers all wear cute costumes (and Alodia is cosplaying as a version of Hatsune), so I guess it's ok to post here. ^___^
Have waited almost 3 years for AKB48 to visit our country. And it has now come true.
There are other guest performers.. Doraemon, drummers from Japan, Akishibu Project, and some local performers like Alodia and Kawaii 5 (debut performance).
Without any further delay, let's start:
Arrived at approximately 1:30 in the afternoon. Could hear the japanese drummers performing. However, I could not see the stage very well from where I'm standing. Walked around and I saw a line of people waiting to get inside.. joined the line.
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Time: afternoon, approximately 1:45 pm
Location: Trinoma mall first floor, just outside the festival area
While waiting on the line, I could see the 222-inch stage screen. Took some pics. Later I would win the lottery and be able to get nearer to the stage. For now, here's some long distance shots of Kawaii 5 and Amachan.
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So nice, she hands out cookies to the people at the line. ^^
Got cookies 4 times. I declined the 5th time because I felt ashamed to take cookies 5 times. @_@
After an hour of waiting, almost able to get in.. can see the the entrance now.
Time: approximately 2:30 in the afternoon
Place: inside the Cool Japan Festival area
Finally able to get in! xD
Hmm, this board says that you have to win the lottery in order to get a seat near the stage.
Some items from Japan. A lot of them looked interesting.
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Kawaii 5, members of this idol group are Jelline, Monica, Venus, Mae, and Alice. It's their debut performance in this event.
And they're here to promote the japanese telenovela Amachan - the costumes that they're wearing are from that show. They're so nice. Got an autograph from each one of them. ^^
Amachan is at 11 pm in the morning with replays at 10 pm at TV 5 (Mon-Friday).
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Let's explore the convention area some more..
Bought a lottery ticket. You need to win in order to have a seat near the stage. Seats are limited.
This seems to be an area where people can sample make-up or get styled.
Ivy! Musume. Hmm, they're a new sing and dance group doing a cover of Morning Musume from Hello! Project in Japan. Saw them by coincidence. They did not dance, I guess they visited this convention to introduce themselves to people. :3
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Won the lottery!! They use this roulette thing that you see in some anime. If a red ball comes out, you win. Oh, and another thing - I have zero complaints about the staff of this event, they're all
super nice including the security guards and bouncers.
They're not like the Ozine events at megamall where the guards are rude. o_o
Now have the precious ticket.
Hello Kitty items
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Water balloon game. Oh, this is just like what I see during shrine festivals in anime. You try to grab a balloon from the small pool. Looks fun. This convention reall feels like we're in Japan. ^^
Food area. Okonimayaki and takoyaki for hungry people. There's shaved ice. :3
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And if you're in the mood for more japanese food. Have some fresh sushi.
And I would like to introduce miss Maria Bautista, the CEO of Hallo Hallo Alliance for this event.
Time: approximately 4:30 in the afternoon
Place: Cool Japan Festival, premium seats area
They will take the ticket and will stamp a mark on your arm
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The first performers are the Doraemon mascots. They had a short question and answer game. Questions are from the anime. Funny because sometimes the mascots would act like the characters. For example, Soneo would pretend to give your prize, but then he would run away with it. Shizuka would give you the prize right away if you answer correctly, because she's kind. ^^
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Up next are the japanese drummers. They're actually cool, and one of them even plays a flute.
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REMINDER: after clicking play on the youtube video, you can adjust it by going to the bottom of the video and move your mouse to the "Settings" (it looks like a circular wheel). Please adjust the vid to 480p to make them clearer. Because for some reason youtube sets my videos to a lower resolution, making the quality really bad.
The stage host is a good one, she introduced everyone quite well. Sorry, forgot her name - I think her name was only mentioned once. This area of the post might be edited later.
And next is a performance from the Kawaii 5 girls. As I've said previously, this is their debut performance. And they have a show everyday, at 11 a.m on Channel 5.
They played a game of rock, paper, scissors. The loser gets hit on the head with a plastic hammer (after putting on a helmet). xD
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Many people here at the event.
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Time: approximately 5:30 in the afternoon
Place: premium seats area
AND now, my favorite performance of the day..... It's Akishibu Project idol group. ^^
Got to talk to Kera Hinako (one of the members) at the cd signing event, and she's so nice. I hope they get invited again to our country next year.
Oh, and I have one minor complaint. The organizers should have been a little more strict with the giving away of fliers for Akishibu Project. I saw some people grabbing 3 or 4 for themselves... omg, what would one person do with 3 or 4 fliers wtf???? The end result is the fliers ran out right away, many were not able to get one. Fliers should have been
limited to one per person in my opinion.
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Up next is Alodia, cosplaying as winter version of Hatsune Miku. She's a famous cosplayer here.
Hmm, on this event she performed a song and dance with Akishubu Project. Sorry, I have no video of her performance. The 3 gb space of my cam's memory is not enough for all the vids that I recorded at this convention.
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Well, now it's time for the last performers - and it's AKB48 Team 8. Have waited almost three years to watch AKB48 members perform live, and now the dream has come true. Can't believe that already "living the dream" at this moment. Thanks to the lottery, able to get near the stage. ;___;
Team 8 are good performers. And each one of them has a unique "personality" on stage. Hard to describe it, but for example... one of them danced a bit differently from the others. And some other minor differences, where you can see that each member is trying to stand out from the rest. Each one trying to catch the attention of the audience.
Feels like I'm in Akihabara, Japan on this day. xD
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I have several videos of them, but most are of them talking at the stage. Here are two videos where they perform..
Aitakatta
Maybe + Ponytail to Shushu
Team 8 says "maraming salamat po" it's filipino language - meaning, "thank you very much" in english.
Well, and that's it. This is a very very fun day. Team 8 went back to Japan the next day.
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But wait.. the event is not finished yet. Akishibu Project has a cd signing event. ^___^
They set up a table on the stage. I was one of those fast enough to be able to buy a limited cd. Their bodyguard asked .. "who do you want to sign your cd?", I answered "anyone is ok, they're all great anyway". Met Kera Hinako-chan, she's so nice to talk to. Signed the cd with her name, and my name. And an unexpected surprise. She also gave me the towel (also signed) that they used while dancing at the stage. Feeling blessed. ><
Selfie with Hinako-chan
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And sadly... every good event must come to end. Akishibu Project now also says goodbye. Please visit our country again next year..
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Tried some food before going home. This shaved ice with flavor tastes great. So this is what some characters eat in anime... hmmm... :3
And the people in charge of balloons. Connie and Joseph. During the day I picked up a purple balloon, and I tried returning it to them. However, they said I could keep what I found. And even offered that I could take another from the pool. They're giving away for free now, since the event has ended. Meeting kind people is a nice way to end an event. Hallo Hallo Alliance group of organizers - you're the best. ",)
Say goodbye to Cool Japan Festival 2015. I hope this event happens again next year. Thank you very much for making my dream of seeing AKB48 live come true. ",)
Pics taken after getting home:
A fan. Signed by the Kawaii 5 girlls, I was lucky enough to get near them while the crowd is still small.
Towel, signed by Kera Hinako
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Balloons given to me by the nice people that I met there.
Hallo Hallo Alliance bag, has a magazine inside. Got it when I purchased an item to join the lottery.
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Body spray. This is the item I purchased to get into the lottery.
The guide. You get this for free when you're at the line waiting to get in. Has all things you need to know about the event.
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Other free items given by the Hallo Hallo Alliance staff.
Cookies. Received this from their promo girl while I was on the line waiting to get in.
A little sad, I wasn't able to ask her name. Refused the 5th cookie, because feel ashamed to have taken a lot already. @_@
Well, that's all. Thank you for reading. The next convention report will be about Christmas Toys and Collectibles Fair 2015. Happy holidays everyone. ^^