Words by Carinna Reyes
Fresh-faced, relaxed, and jokey–when Osric Chau entered the hall for the AsiaPOP Comicon 2018 Conference, we couldn’t believe our eyes either. With his casual demeanor and easygoing vibe, one would almost find it impossible to believe that he’s someone internationally famous–except that he is. He expressed his admiration for the country and is already planning his second trip after his upcoming film, Empty By Design (together with Jasmin Curtis-Smith), wraps up and he heads home.
When asked how he would describe the Filipino fans, his straight answer was: “I feel like Filipino fans are professionals […] I’ve never seen any fans fan out so hard, like it’s their job! [Because] they’re so good at being fans. They’re the most supportive, loudest, the craziest… it’s wonderful.” And as a Filipino fan myself, I’ve felt the bar raised higher for us fans to gather more people and celebrate our fandoms more in the upcoming Comicon this weekend.
The invited guests in APCC 2018 conference. From left to right: Philip Ondango, Whilce Portacio, Osric Chau, and Honorario Banario
Other exciting guests at the conference shared their thoughts and expectations for the Filipino fans as well. World-renowned cosplayer Philip Ondango (more popularly known as Canvas Cosplay) expressed his respect and appreciation for the Filipinos’ resourcefulness when it comes to creating their costumes. Being Filipino himself, he is thrilled to witness the growing cosplay community of the region and is honored to be called once again to judge this year’s the CAGE, one of the most internationally recognized competitions on cosplay.
When asked about his thoughts on judging competitions, he replied: “[A]t the end of the day, it’s not about competing with other people, it’s about pushing yourself. So, when I’m a judge, I’m looking at the different techniques that were attempted, whether it’s sewing or leather work, or LED programming […] Then I also evaluate how well they execute it.”So, a pro-tip for those of you who plan on competing: Make sure the inside of your costume looks as good as it does on the outside.
Philip Ondango portrayed the character Aizawa Shouta from the anime My Hero Academia during the APCC conference. He has revealed that he will be dressing up as Po (Kung Fu Panda) and Aquaman for the last two days of APCC.
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