In a month or so, Coslandia 2019 will be held at SMX Convention Center Aura (inside SM Aura Premier in Taguig City). I’ve been to their first Coslandia held at Eton Centris before, but this year’s edition is set way, way high already. Here’s why:

Idols and Artists

Coslandia is organized by HalloHallo Entertainment, which manages the official AKB48 sister group in the country, MNL48. The group is set to perform the main theme of Coslandia as their 5th Single, in which Gabb is already announced as the song’s center. That alone ain’t enough to describe the IDOL aspect of this event.

You see, aside from MNL48, Coslandia has other guests from Japan such as Amatsusora (and its leader Samero), 1-Girls, Graco Rex Neo, Hazuki Tsubasa, Yuasa Michiru, Fairytales, and TJ (Hirotoshi Maeda).

We’re not familiar with most names, sure; but the first time I heard Fairytales, they were rocking the New Frontier Theater during the MNL48 1st Generation Concert, with positive raves from MNLoves.

As for TJ, he’s with Tokuma Japan Communications who also manages Hironobu Kageyama, Perfume, FES☆TIVE and Ali Project among others.

I guess that’s about it for the guest– wait, Pastel Mix will be in Manila again?! Kitakits mga Pasmimi oy!

Cosplay

I still can’t believe the fact that Coslandia has invited not just Cosplay Mode Magazine of Japan but also the man who coined the term “cosplay,” Nobuyuki Takahashi. Talk about having influencers here.

Cosplay Mode is a legend in Japan’s cosplay scene, regarded as a style bible for cosplay, and has been resurrected to its current form (the first iteration was called CosMode, but its publisher had to close shop).

As someone who has been immersed in the cosplay culture in the country, I am looking forward to meet-and-greet the bigwigs behind this culture.

Fresh from their journey at the World Cosplay Summit 2019, our Team Class S will be present to share their skills and teach those who want to follow their footsteps in becoming the country’s cosplay ambassadors to the world.

Remember when I talked to Reika in Cebu about Pop Culture Hiroshima? Guess what – Coslandia will be hosting the NCR Qualifier for the said cultural exchange.

Games

You probably heard the news from this year’s Tokyo Game Show, where MNL48 launched its Janken Senbatsu game there. This official card game will also be present at Coslandia, and I am expecting MNLoves will be ecstatic about it.

Seikimatsu Blue

The adaptation of Wani Books’ Seikimatsu Blue is another prime attraction of this year’s Coslandia. Some of the guest idols are cast in the adaptation top-billed by MNL48’s Abby, Brei, and Coleen. MNLoves are already hyped about this, and I’m looking forward to witnessing how this adaptation unfolds.

Manga creator Shintaro Hirota and film director Tetsuya Hashi is set to grace Coslandia to meet MNLoves and Seikimatsu Blue fans alike.

Official Merch

When I say Official Merch here, it’s not just official MNL48 merch – among the items that will be on sale at Coslandia are back issues of Cosplay Mode, limited English edition copies of Seikimatsu Blue which you can ask director Hashi to sign,


This year’s Coslandia is dubbed as the ultimate J-culture festival, and with the reasons above, they sure have set our expectations. Save the dates – November 1, 2 and 3, at SMX Convention Center Aura, SM Aura Premier, Taguig City. Tickets are available at SM Ticket outlets at SM Cinemas or online at SMTickets.com. See you there!