[EXCLUSIVE] Relive The Philippines’ First Grand J-Pop Event

"To keep the J-Pop community together and unite every fans is our main goal" said Arianne Gonzaga, the head organizer of the first grand J-pop event in the Philippines, the “J-POP FEST: THE GRAND EVENT.”

On March 11, 2012, thousands of fans gathered to celebrate and mark the first ever grand J-pop event in the Philippines, "J-POP FEST: THE GRAND EVENT". Brought to you by Japanice Productions in cooperation with Kfest Manila Events Management, the event was jam-packed with 11 long hours of pure J-pop fandom and is highlighted by several activities such as:

Pinoy J-Pop Idol, where the participants showed their singing talents and captured the fans' hearts while singing their favorite J-Pop songs, and Fan Clubs Face Off, where the different fan clubs that participated at the event showed how much they love and support their own idol groups in their own and unique way. This portion of the event was made memorable by the mixed emotions of the fans brought by the performances of NYUSU.ph(NEWS) and KAT-TUN PH.

The whole world knows how Japan was devastated by a major earthquake which all happened at the very same date last year. So, to commemorate the event, a short video presentation tribute was made for Japan which made the crowd silent and got some people crying.

After the somber moment commemorating Japan's loss, the fun continued as the Band Battle Royale commenced wherein the crowd cheered as different bands competed to be the best and rocked the whole event while singing songs from SCANDAL, Ikimonogakari and many more.

J-Pop is also known as a great influence within the realm of manga and anime, from the theme songs to the fashion trend of the characters. The JFest Fashion Show-Cosplay was a way for participants to show off this aspect of J-Pop. They walked in and exhibited their bizarre anime and J-Pop idol-inspired costumes.

Last but definitely not the least, there was the J-Pop Dance Contest where the participants groove together with the crowd. Perfume, Hey!Say!JUMP!,AKB48, and ARASHI songs were some of the favorites during this section.

In the end, the attendees went home with satisfaction and happiness that they got from interacting with their fellow fans. With this event evolving from a ‘kick-off party’ which was meant to be as a “test” to see if the J-Pop community is still alive, the "J-POP FEST: THE GRAND EVENT" succeeded with its main goal on uniting the J-Pop fans in the Philippines as one.

For photos of the event please refer to the JpopAsia Philippines Media Association Facebook page or the gallery below: