Otakufest 2024: Nikaon Na Ka?

Otakufest 2024: Spice of Life is the Best Hobby Event Genre

APT APPETIZER

Cosplay, hobbies, and everything culture - these were the ingredients chosen to make the perfect Otakufest event.

But the organizers added an extra ingredient to the concoction: the theme of food. Thus, Otakufest 2024 was born.

Held from August 17 - 18, 2024, Otakufest is an annual cosplay and hobby convention in its 17th season.

Widely acknowledged as one of the biggest hobby events of each year in Cebu, Otakufest was first cooked and served in 2008 as a simple fried egg of an event, and now it’s a barangay boodle fight that fosters fun, flavor, and friendship.

MEAT OF THE MATTER

Otakufest 2024 was especially quite the treat as the official event mascot, Ara-chan, was fully realized by international guest cosplayer, Diane Sabandeja.

It has been almost two decades worth of Otakufest, but this is the first year where Otakufest finally settled into a proper identity - an identity following the recipe of Otakufest’s founder and chef, Ara Chawdhury.

So what is that recipe for a perfect hobby event?

Well, it’s actually just the same old ingredients, actually. If an event can make you have an Antoine Ego ratatouille flashback moment, then that event was cooked to perfection.

And boy, was the event cooked and seasoned to perfection indeed.

Cosplay, art, card games, toy and figurine displays, merch, local and international cosplay guests, Tekken, DnD, Asian pop dancing, Gunpla, local idol groups, workshops, and even a lightsaber combat tournament - all these and more sure made up a salivatory smorgasbord of satisfaction.

Starting with cosplay, the main course attractions of the event were the national and international guests, Wiru, Miu, Diane, and the vtuber Kiichan.

Not only did congoers taste their presence and kindness by availing of their limited merch in person, the guests also had meet and greets that were all just five-star Michelin experiences of their own.

If cosplay wasn’t exactly to your taste, the event had card game tournaments in the flavors of Magic the Gathering and Cardfight Vanguardand hosted by Top Deck, and Yu-Gi-Oh! hosted by The Greyscale Company.

And if card games aren’t your mental meal, there were DnD and RPG events as well to really prove you’re a creative connoisseur and not an idiot sandwich.

If you wanted to feast your eyes on performances that were simply “Fuiyoh!”, groups such as ASFIRE, Nami, and Hoshizora, and performers like Nako Chii, Zera Azraith, and Cess had the crowds cheering their hearts out as the stage was filled with music, singing, and dancing.

For those into pleasant plating and visuals, Otakufest also made congoers happy with the Cosplay Crosswalk featuring the local personalities of Ayeen, Noelle, Ayishi, the Qwins, and the Kohisekai Team.

The most delectable decision Otakufest settled on though is the fact that artists and merchants were the premiere spread of the event table.

Located smack dab in the center of the whole venue at the Sky Hall, this would be where many would find themselves at first, and where many would find solace from the scorching sun outside.

A lot of the customers spent most of their time here, and all had stickers, shirts, pins, plushies, keychains, and more to take home.

The venue was loaded with known artists and even guest artists like Bastinuod and Sharrie.

Sharing the tables with everyone were the excitement entree exhibitors Elysium, Tokusatsu Cebu, the Cebu Mecha Society, the Cebu Authentic Figure Enthusiasts, and the Gunpla Cebu Community.

Oh, and if you wanted a real meal to whet your appetite, Nonki, Macology101, Harbour City, Selecta, Workplace Cafe, and Chef Budz Marata were all there to take care of your tummies.

Events aren’t just all about the diners and consumers though, and chefs of different creative fields had workshops to foster the future with fried… I mean pride.

International cosplay wig stylist Ranchii held a workshop that taught all who heard her about hair.

Co-Lab had a voice acting workshop where everyone found out that the mouth isn’t just for eating.

Porplchic held the cutest crochet workshop ever conceived, and the Emottoons Animation Studio had everyone interested in the beautiful world of animation.

We’ve talked about a lot of OF’s filling offerings thus far, and if you preferred physical affairs, there was a Tekken tournament for the ages, a lightsaber combat tournament held by Sabersturm, and an Asian Pop Dance competition as well.

Also, yes, Tekken is a physical activity. Don’t lie that it gets your blood pumping and your arteries unclogged.

LEFT WITH A GOOD TASTE

At the end of Otakufest 2024, all we can say is…

In many ways, the life of a hobbyist is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their attention and their selves to our opinions and interests. We thrive on Facebook posts, which are fun to write and to read.

But the bitter truth we hobbyists must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average hobby event is probably more meaningful than anything we post or gossip about. But there are times when a hobbyist truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends.

That weekend, we all experienced something new, an extra-ordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about hobby events is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core.

Not every hobby event can become great, but a great hobby event can come from any community that cares for the hobby community.

It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than that of Otakufest, which started as a small school event at the University of the Philippines in Cebu. Now it has become, in this hobbyist's opinion, nothing less than one of the finest hobby events in the Queen City of the South.

We will all be returning to Otakufest soon, hungry for more.