Convention News | My Top Highlights for NexCon 3 Day 2 - April 3, 2016
10:56 AM
While I am still composing my review for “Batman v Superman:
Dawn of Justice” (I am not that good at movie reviews), I want to share what
happened last weekend. It has been a long time since I went to a pop culture
and cosplay convention. So, I was very excited to attend NexCon 3, especially
when I was looking forward to one of their programs (more on that later).
NexCon is already on their third year in celebrating pop
culture, science fiction, fantasy, and the like. If you’re a new reader, I did
a blog post about the first NexCon, saying that I was
happy there is a convention dedicated to the Pinoy and Western fandom.
Since then, Marc and I decided to attend NexCon every year.
In the first two years, we were in cosplay. But for this year, I was a bit lazy
to cosplay and I wanted to experience NexCon as a normal congoer. NexCon was
held on April 2-3, 2016 at SMX Convention Center, Function Room 5. Tickets were
at P350. We went on a Sunday.
Marc and I arrived at past one in the afternoon and started
roaming around. We were glad that Cosplay.ph (the organizers) got the biggest
function room on the second floor of SMX because it was really spacious. Even
when a lot of people were coming in, we were still able to roam around without
worrying about tight spaces and bumping into other people.
Anyway, we were there until the closing. Here are my top
highlights for NexCon 3, Day 2:
Booths and Hauls
One of the first things we did upon entering is roam around
and look at the booths. We were supposed to complete the conquest card, but was
unable to due to lack of budget lol. So, we just looked at what the booths were
offering. We played a game in the 501st booth where we had to block
some Nerf bullets using a lightsaber. I blocked one bullet. Yay!
We also had a picture with Geekerie shirts, where I bought
my STAR Labs shirt before.
Unfortunately, I was not able to take photos of the booths,
but there were some that stuck to me. I also got some of their calling cards :)
We roamed at the first half of the con and then went
shopping after attending the “Encantadia” panel. We actually planned to buy
geeky t-shirts, so that’s what we did :) Below are our hauls:
 |
| Except for the Encantadia shirt, that was given away by Direk Mark :D |
International Guests
While the international guests were not a priority, it
didn’t stop me from watching them on stage. I have to admit, Casper Van Dien is
handsome, his daughter Grace is hot, and his girlfriend Jennifer Wenger is
sexy. And I love that they are enjoying themselves in NexCon because they were
so fun to watch on stage. They were so jolly and gullible, it was obvious that
they were enjoying their stay in the con. It was really great to watch them.
And of course, I did not think twice of taking their pictures when they came
down the stage. It’s not always that you see international guests/cosplayers.
Cosplayers
Of course, NexCon will not be complete without cosplayers.
Actually, I think this was the part where I regretted not cosplaying in NexCon.
I thought the hiatus was good, but I saw the cool cosplays in the event and I
thought, “I wished I cosplayed any of my past cosplays”. I even told that to
Marc and he said “I told you so”. Guess my love for the hobby will never go
away. I’ll cosplay in the next event XD
Anyway, yeah, so I saw cool cosplayers in the event. I’ll let the pictures do
the talking:
Cosplay Rumble
In relation to what I mentioned above, one of the programs
that I wanted to watch was the Cosplay Rumble. I still love watching cosplay
contests because I want to see and admire great cosplays, especially those
dedicated to pop culture. It’s I only took a few pics of the contestants, but I
liked most of them.
Meeting Cosplay
Friends
This is one of my greatest highlights because I saw cosplay
friends who also share our love for the Western fandom. It’s funny because a
lot of them were asking why we didn’t cosplay, making me regret more than I
didn’t do it, LOL XD. But it was great seeing them because we have not attended
a con in months. That’s actually one of the things I love with cons: we see our
cosplays friends and chat with them about fandoms and other stuff. Cons are
actually more fun when you are with friends.
Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of my friends, silly me. I forgot
hahahah. But I enjoyed seeing them after a long time.
“Encantadia” Panel
with Direk Marc Reyes and Noel Flores
THE REASON WHY I ATTENDED NEXCON. MY MAIN HIGHLIGHT OF THE
CON. “ENCANTADIA” PANEL BY DIREK MARC REYES AND NOEL FLORES. I thank NexCon for
actually doing this because they have made “Encantadia” fans very happy.
For those who don’t know:
Encantadia is a
Filipino fantasy television series (locally known as telefantasya) produced by
GMA Network. It was dubbed as the grandest, most ambitious, and most expensive
production for Philippine television during its time of release. The pilot
episode was aired on May 2, 2005.
The story unfolds in
Lireo, the kingdom where Ynang Reyna (Queen Mother) Minea lives with her
daughters Amihan, Alena, Danaya, and Pirena. The four Sangg'res are tasked to
be the new keepers of the brilliantes. Their skills in war and their powers as
the royalty of the diwatas are believed to be the strength of Lireo. As long as
the gemstones are kept properly, the balance of nature in Encantadia remains.
But this story tells viewers that powers can also break precious relationships
as Pirena had plotted the downfall of her own sister Amihan, who won the
competition for the Lirean crown, and the other Sangg'res Danaya and Alena took
Amihan's side. (Wikipedia)
Basically, Encantadia is getting a new series/reboot.
According to director Mark Reyes, the series that will be shown this year is a
requel---a retelling of the old story with new plotlines and twists. This means
that while the old fans will be seeing the old characters and story, the show is
also introducing stories that we have never seen in the 2005 series. They’re
going to do this to address to the new audience as well, which mostly consists
of millennials. In other words, as what Direk Mark has been saying throughout the
panel, “Keep an open mind!”. :D (Agree!)
Lead Visual Artist, Noel Flores, also showed the fans
previews of the sets, props, costumes, and languages of the “Encantadia” world.
He said that they are making the visuals more “gamified” to address new audiences.
The costumes are also lighter, so the wearer can be more flexible in moving and
in doing the fight scenes. I really love the new visuals and it made me more
excited for the upcoming series.
This is just a summary of the panel. I’ll be doing a
separate post about my love for “Encantadia” and about my reaction on the
panel. I’ll just leave you with the pictures above.
Conclusion
All in all, Day 2 of NexCon was great---it was worth the
P350 ticket. Just like in their first and second year, they did a wonderful job
in coming up with programs and activities that made fans happy. Cosplay.ph even
brought international guests. I am looking forward to NexCon 4, with things
getting bigger.
~Hainrihi
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