Over the weekend, as I was alternately getting drenched in a sudden tropical downpour and then soaked in my own sweat pogo-ing in a moshpit the size of an Olympic swimming pool, I remembered that a couple of hundred miles away, otaku of every shape, size, and predilection were probably experiencing the very same thing — albeit under completely different circumstances.
I am, of course, talking about Summer Comiket. This event marked the 76th time it was held, and the exhibition drew a record half a million people through its massive front doors. Inside Tokyo Big Sight you can find fanworks of every genre, title, or pairing imaginable — and maybe even some you can’t even being to imagine. It is a celebration of devotion to fandom and creativity of craft from many of the finest amateur artists in the world.
Which begs me to ask the question: why is it that despite the fact that our beloved Philippines has fans and creators just as dedicated and passionate as their Japanese counterparts, we cannot muster enough determination and willpower to attempt something along the scale of this behemoth of a comic con?
Sure we have comic conventions and other events designed to bring together original works and doujinshi, but with what I’ve experienced, somewhere in the middle it almost always degenerates to infighting and mudslinging and other brouhaha between the organizers, the artists, and the paying public.
I deeply envy doujinshi fans from countries like Japan, China, and Italy where they can waltz into a massive space dedicated solely to their hobby, while publicity stunts, media gimmicks, and corporate interests take a back seat. Perhaps for this to happen in our local spheres of fandom, all it takes is just one good idea from one dedicated fan.
So: if you could design your own version of Comiket, what would you like it to be like? Have fun in the comments box, kids~
JPOP Manila 
the independent komikon may actually be a baby version of what comiket was when it first started. we still have a long way to go though.
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sadly true — the number of artists in a single aisle at COMIKET can easily dwarf the number of artists in the entire KOMIKON and/or MCC.
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“I deeply envy doujinshi fans from countries like Japan, China, and Italy where they can waltz into a massive space dedicated solely to their hobby, while publicity stunts, media gimmicks, and corporate interests take a back seat.”
– I empathize with you here. And like John said, we have a long, long way to go but Komikon did a great job of starting it. In the long run, maybe we can reach the standards of COMIKET.
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a very long way, @sese. but i am pretty positive that somehow, someway we’d get a con — probably on a smaller scale, but very much in keeping with the character of tokyo’s comiket.
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I hear you. The trouble is the local scene seems to be in a rush to ‘turn pro’ and gain mainstream acceptance, when Komiket clearly demonstrates what can be accomplished by passionate amateurs.
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meh turning pro is over-rated
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Does that mean that we have to wait…37+ years just we can have a con as big as that?! O__O
I read in the Comiket history that it started first from a mere circle of friends with that passion to what they love, just the same with Komikon. We as enthusiasts of comics should help Komikon grow more from that love of the trade and not from greed of money(though we should be more wise in creating it as a job opportunity, but that’s another thing).
But unfortunately with the current trend of Filipino mentality that “comics are for kids only”, “art are for the rich” and “you won’t get rich in komiks (or novels or anything related to the arts)”, we will have way long to go before Komikon flourish into a well of fresh haven of talent and job opportunity, despite our tag as a talented race. Because accept it, in this country using art to be used for different kinds of opportunity in different areas as possible is impossible.
Majority of Filipinos don’t have any idea as a race of appreciating anything without accepting nothing in return, we always expect we should be compensated or paid for something. We are not aware of the true meaning of passion. And since majority of us are below the middle-class bracket, anything not related to food are considered useless. That’s why usually we look down on artists, we don’t appreciate what they do, because we can’t literally eat what they produce. For a well-minded sensible Filipino, art made from passion can be eaten too, by the soul. But how about for a grumbling stomach (the poor) and a greedy tummy (the opportunistic corporations)? Art as passion alone is futile to satisfy the first, and expect the latter useless to stop asking for more.
We could only dream for a Komikon as big as Comiket in dreams, but having Komikon is better that none, ne? If only Filipinos can be taught to appreciate art early enough to understand it more than just a written or painted words and scribbles in trees, Komikon (and other conventions related to the arts)then might have grew into something bigger than today.
And don’t expect from our National Artist in VA to have that dream fulfilled…
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