An anticipated return has come and grace the halls of the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City, Philippines. Waves upon waves of people came in through the doors dressed up as their favorite characters, some with their friends to hang out and catch up, others with their family to check out and visit amazing booths and performances during the event. The convention has been filled with energetic music, chatters, artists and their creations, with the overflowing love and dedication of everyone for their favorite cosplayer, anime, manga, and the Japanese Pop Culture. Truly a return to behold as Anime and Cosplay Expo takes over the weekend from July 16-17, 2022.
Anime and Cosplay Expo or widely known as ACX kicked off with its very first event way back in 2016, and has become the tantamount event we know now today. After the worldwide pandemic, it is noticeable that conventions don’t feel the same as they are, with the world slowly healing and living it’s way up despite the circumstances we all have, this post-COVID event has proven to be pave a path to newer adventures that everyone deserves as they dive into the community themselves.
Doors to the event opened at 11:00 AM, as crowds of people surfed through and immediately filled up the first and second floor of the venue. In light of the previous happenings from Cosplay Carnival earlier this year, wherein there had been a surge of people attending the event and overcrowding the doors from and to the halls of the event place at SMX itself, this time around the staffs have thought it through and provided a new ticketing system for better crowd control and less aggravation for the attendees. The present staff and marshals at the convention made it much easier for con-goers and first time attendees to wiggle through and have a stress-free convention, the insides of the venue is also fully air-conditioned to ensure that everyone will be having a great time including the dedicated cosplayers at the convention.
The main stage didn’t start until the afternoons, which gave enough time for everyone to roam around the FanFare Alley to check out artists and the Exhibitor Booths, in addition to that the event halls’ speakers all blasted anime openings which hyped up the crowd as they entered the convention.
As the time draws near everyone gathered near the main stage to take a seat and huddle in on the carpeted floors as the event started, special performances and the Auction itself has the crowd on edge for what more is in store.
Another concert-esque event had made its comeback and continuously given the crowd a wave of nostalgia as Cosplay Karaoke goes live! The audience was thrilled, swayed, and actively headbanging to AniSong hits and wonders as the day goes on.
Another event during the stage is the Cosplay Got Talent, we saw participants as they dazzled the audience with their talents all the while incorporating their cosplay’s character. Be it singing, dancing, or a group performance, everyone gave out their best and enjoyed themselves as they took to the stage their passions and talents.
We will never forget the lovely Special Guest for this year’s event the wonderful Xiao Yukiko, she is a Singaporean cosplayer known for her Genshin Impact cosplays such as Raiden Shougun, Yae Miko, and Sangonomiya Kokomi. Yukiko cosplayed as everyone’s favorite Starlight Anya Forger from the anime SpyXFamily and her favorite Genshin character Sangonomiya Kokomi. Yukiko expressed her thoughts on Facebook: “It was my first time ever in Philippines! Thank you everyone so much for the warm welcome to Philippines. The hospitality from every single one of you was heart warming.I enjoyed ACX so much! Having the opportunity to meet you PH homies and guest at ACX was my huge pleasure ? Thank you for your love and support~ Till next time Philippines ?”
No words can express how much we are grateful for our guests, as well as to all our exhibitors during the convention. Among the exhibitors and booths we met with Pinoy Cosplay Podcast, a passionate group dedicated to bringing people together through their love of Anime, Cosplay, Hobbies, and the Japanese culture. On their booth you may find them selling out prints and goods from their Hobbies to their Cosplays, they also include helpful guides for beginner cosplayers and support those whom are veterans in the cosplay community.
Before the convention ends, Cosplay.PH the event organizer, made their official announcements for one of their much anticipated events of the year, Cosplay Mania 2022. As mid-year events go big this time around, Cosplay Mania or better now as CosMania or CosMa is one of the coveted events every year that a lot of con-goers and enthusiast aim to attend to in their book of events. Cosplay.PH has also announced the special guest cosplayers who are invited for the said event, namely Thai based cosplayers Thames Malerose and Onnies, together with Singaporean based cosplayer Yosuke Sora! The ticket prices for CosMania include ULTRA SILVER, PLUS SILVER, and REGULAR SILVER. Additional details such as GOLD and VIP tickets will be announced once the Silver Tickets have been sold out, as the JAM Concert line up will be announced at a later date on their Social Media pages.
As announced on the Cosplay.PH page, Cosplay Mania page and Social Networking Sites the ticket announcements will be continuously updated.
The global pandemic is still looming but it shows that we are adapting to the new normal lifestyle, the anime community also has gradually adjusted with the times and we can say that Anime and Cosplay Expo 2022 is a success! Allowing everyone to have a safer, more enjoyable, and interactive event Cosplay.PH has cemented their improvements and we can feel their passion as we stretch for a new event this year!
Announcements for Cosplay Mania and many more to come will be available for everyone to view on their social media sites, be on the look out for more surprises as reveals are still on their way!
Thank you for Cosplay.PH for a wonderful event and to everyone who came to the event, to the con-goers, exhibitors, staff, and more.
Thank you as well as all images from above are courtesy of Anime Corner you can check out more of them here. Read through their ACX Experience here as well! Stay tuned to more announcements, news, and events coming your way very soon!
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