Otaku Pop Fes 2026 happened over the weekend at Okada Manila, and it delivered a fun and memorable experience for Pinoy anime fans who attended.
While there are plenty of anime and cosplay events every year in Metro Manila, Otaku Pop Fes sets itself apart with its variety of anime booths. That’s because the event featured official booths for plenty of popular titles, including newer hits like Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, The Apothecary Diaries, Dandadan, and many more. Even classic shows like Naruto had booths at the venue.
These booths were located in various areas of Okada, and they served as great backdrops for photos. While all attendees got to take pics, it was a particular treat for cosplayers, as the booths also had character standees, as well as more creative photo spots.
Here’s a quick look at just some of the booths we saw at the event:
Seeing officially-licensed anime areas is great, as it makes the event feel like a convention straight out of Japan. Sure, it’s not as large-scale as something like AnimeJapan, but it was still no doubt a treat for visitors. These booths are thanks in large part to the fact that event organizer CBZN Perspective partnered with CyberAgent, a major Japanese entertainment company.
Anime was the big highlight in the convention area, though Otaku Pop Fes also featured gaming booths from Cygames, highlighting the studios’ titles like the mega-popular Umamusume: Pretty Derby and Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond.
Along with the various character standees, we were impressed by the quality of the screens in this area. Typically, PH events have screens that are a bit hard to take photos of without getting distortion. In this regard, the screens used here are of noticeably higher quality, reminding us of the quality of international anime events in Singapore and Japan.
Not only were we able to take lots of photos, but we also saw plenty of merch on sale. It definitely took a lot of willpower for us not to overspend, as the anime merch selection was quite good, not to mention that they’re officially licensed goods.
Aside from these, we also liked seeing cosplayers roaming around the event area, taking photos at the booths, and interacting with fans in attendance. It also helps that Okada is a pretty venue, which features lots of great photo spots aside from the anime booths.
Cosplayers also got to show off their costumes on the main stage, courtesy of the OPF Cosplay Cup. This happened in Okada’s The Cove, featuring notable Filipino cosplayers as judges. These cosplayers and content creators also went around the venue, which was a particular treat for their fans.
To top it all off, Otaku Pop Fes 2026 had memorable live performances at night, featuring notable idol groups and singers. For many, this was the biggest highlight of the event.
Of course, given that this is the first Otaku Pop Fes event, there are areas that we think could be better. For one, mobile data was a bit spotty, and the event spaces are spaced quite far apart. Plus, some parts of the venue felt warm, though that’s probably due to the fact that it’s blazing hot right now in the Philippines.
Overall though, these did little to mar our OPF 2026 experience, as we enjoyed our time there. Based on this first event, we’re definitely looking forward to the next event; hopefully, it’ll be even better than this one!
For now, there’s no word yet on an Otaku Pop Fes 2027. Fingers crossed we get an announcement soon.