Another summer anime convention has concluded and we are here to give it a rating, so read on to find out more.

Animax is one of the largest and widely-known anime cable channel in Asia, every year they hosted an annual Animax Carnival event around different countries to give their fans more reasons to enjoy anime.

In the Philippines however, the last Animax Carnival was held on 2012 and there weren’t any succeeding events for the next 2 years due to unexpected circumstances. As fans prayed for another Animax event, it was finally answered with this year’s Animax Carnival at the SMX Convention Center. But are the fans satisfied with what Animax had offered this year?

Entrance and Registration

Looking for the entrance is a no-brainer for this case, as there are streamers around the entrance to grab your attention that it’s from Animax. With a fence barricade to control the flow of the con-goers getting inside the venue and a separate entrance for re-entry to avoid mix-ups with the first time ticket purchasers.

Not much hassle in buying a ticket (or if you purchased yours online, you can directly present your ticket at the entrance) as the purchasing area located at the side entrance area of the SMX Convention, right before you can enter the event venue.

Attendees had no worries in knowing what activities are currently performing as there are sign boards at the entrance showing the activity schedules as well as the event map for a much convenient tour.

An interesting part upon entering the premise is that you will be given an ID that also acts as an event passport; where you can roam around the event venue and get it stamped from participating booths. Completing the passport earns you a couple of freebies at the redemption booth.

Event site and booths

Despite occupying one function hall, the event has enough booths to keep any otaku entertained for hours. Right after you enter the area, you can spot the sponsor booths ranging from Sony PlayStation, Sky Cable, Cignal, Garena and ANA on the left side which was dubbed as the Akihabara area and the Yoyogi Park area for the traditional Japanese games as well as the Harajuku area on the right portion for the merchandise and food booths and finally in the middle you can find the massive stage area.

Each section has its own respective theme instead of mixing them altogether in a single section, making it easier for con-goers to navigate around the event venue.

Event Stage

One of the main highlights of Animax Carnival is their event stage. The set up quality for the stage is top notch, this is quite similar to the quality that we saw from Garena’s Rampage event last year. It even pack a giant LED screen; a bigger version compared to the other major conventions used, which is more like double its size. A series of OVAs and movies were screened at the stage from known series such as Parasyte, Fairy Tail and Hunter x Hunter where the audience can sit down, watch and relax.

Event Activities

The stage activities are non-stop; leaving no dead air that would bore their audience and with the hosts Rhianna Floresca and Eri Neeman hyping the crowd as it offered different programs ranging from cosplay competitions, mini games where audience can participate, anime screenings and special performances by some of Animax’s international guests including Asia’s Got Talent finalist Triqstar and Junior New System, Tambiourine Master Gonzo and a special appearance by renowned cosplayer Alodia Gosengfiao. Let’s not forget the individual and group cosplay competitions where the winners will take home cash prizes and gift packs.

As for the booth activities, con-goers can participate on mini games catered at the Yoyogi Park and Akihabara area, in which they can earn freebies such as item codes, tumblers, ballers, stickers and stamps for their Animax event passports where they can redeem for Animax premium items.

Security

There are guards roaming inside and outside the venue to ensure order at the event. Event marshals are also present in providing assistance and information by attendees. Surprisingly security is relaxed outside the area, especially at cosplayers who are outside and having their photo shoots, but judging from the few amount of cosplayers and no issue of hallway congestion, SMX management probably made an exception for this event.

Overall

It may have a small venue, but Animax Carnival is still an entertaining otaku convention if you are the type that who just want to spend time with your otaku buddies rather than buying more stuff, there are enough activities for you and your friends to try out and then head back to the stage to watch a movie screening. However if you are the type who wants to see exhibits being displayed or more merchandises to purchased, you would have left the event early with disappointment.

Take note that the Animax Carnival only features anime series that are part of their program line up, so don’t expect them to highlight other series that are from the other channels. Hopefully this gives Animax the momentum to continue the trend and maybe provide a bigger area and more surprises for their fans if they wanted to continue this event annually.

Check out some of our photos from the Animax Carnival event through our Facebook Page

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