Toycon PH 2025 - Day 2

I always make sure to attend the Toycon PH event annually. I can recall attending the first early events of Toycon PH back in 2006, which is where I first met Alodia.

I am thankful that I have always been invited as part of the media for several years, and I can also bring my family along and get them into the event for free. The three-day event this year, from June 13 to 15, was held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

This year, I was accompanied by my wife, son, and brother. We attended the event's second day, arriving around 1:00 PM. Many attendees were already present upon our arrival, and traffic was very heavy in the Mall of Asia area.

TOKUSPIRITS

Tokuspirits returned to Toycon PH with *Gokaiger* actors Yui Koike (Gokai Pink) and Ryota Ozawa (Gokai Red). I watched the *Gokaiger* series and enjoyed it.

When we arrived, Yui Koike and Ryota Ozawa were on the TOYCON POP LIFE stage answering questions from the fans.

I am very happy that I was able to meet Ms. Yui Koike, get an autograph, and have a photo with her.

Also part of the special guest list were Miyuki Ueda, the iconic voice of Jamie Robinson in Voltes V, Chizuru Nanbara in Combattler V, Erika in Daimos, and more. Another legendary Japanese seiyuu guest was Rica Matsumoto, known as the voice of Gon Freecs in Hunter x Hunter OVA, Arthur G6 in Fiveman, Satoshi in Pokémon, and Ryo Bakura/Yami Bakura in Yu-Gi-Oh!. Lastly was Yuriko Yamaguchi, also known as the voice of Nico Robin in One Piece, Ritsuko Akagi in Evangelion, Nurse Joy in Pokémon, and more.

Hopefully, Tokuspirits can bring more new Sentai actors next year.

Toys, toys, and toys!

There were a lot of booths this year, plus the rise of limited-edition designer toys. Secret Fresh and Quiccs had their own spots where they were selling merchandise and exclusive Toycon PH release figures.

SMX Convention was really packed with people, and it was really hard to move around in most areas. There were a lot of choices from vintage toys, Funko Pops, Pop Mart items, statues, and more.

There are also booths selling cards from NBA, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic cards, and more. I was able to purchase an Alex Eala Topps card for 1,500 pesos and a Pope Francis commemorative 50-peso coin for 350 pesos.

LIVE PERFORMANCE

Unfortunately, it was really hard to move around at the event, so I decided to just watch the live performances of several artists.

PASTEL MIX

The Davao-based J-Pop-inspired group returned to ToyCon PH and delighted fans with their performance.

DELA (Delightful Enchanting Lovely Angels)

It is my first time watching the Nagoya-based Japanese idol group Dela. I really enjoyed their performance, energy, and songs.

KAIA

I am a big fan of the P-pop group KAIA. It is really nice that they performed several songs at the event.

This is also my first time watching KAIA's latest single "Tanga." My son Jerrick also watched the set and this is his first time watching KAIA.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to watch the other guest artists, including Saya, Beverly, YARA, WANMIN, ZIGA, STARMARIE, and Miura Ayme featuring Miko.

I did scroll around and take photos of several cosplayers. I only had my 50mm lens today and didn’t bring my flash to avoid any hassle.

I am glad I bumped into a few friends who also attended the event.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to maximize the ToyCon PH experience as I am also celebrating Father's Day today and would like to spend it with my family.

Congratulations again to ToyCon PH on its 22 years in the industry. Hopefully, I can take better photos at the next ToyCon PH event and get better deals.

Photos taken using Canon EOS R8 and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

MDL Philippines Season 5 Playoffs

After my MDL PH Fun Meet event coverage last April, I was again asked to cover the MDL PH Season 5 Playoffs under Moonton Games. This was my first MDL coverage and my first time watching the games live. The two-day event was held at Greenhills Mall in San Juan City.

DAY 1 [May 17]

For the first day, I arrived early around 10:30 AM to scout the area and coordinate with the logistics and production team on where I could stay and take photos.

The event area was also well set up, as Naruto inspired it. It had Naruto character standees, a noodle house, and games.

There are two games for Day 1, the semifinals. Both are best-of-seven series; the winners will play in the finals the next day.

The event host is Odin, and the casters are QWERTY, Athena, and 2PE.

GAME 1 - Omega Neos vs ONIC x Nine Lives

ONIC x Nine Lives defeated Omega Neos 4-2.

It's sad to see one of my favorite MLBB players, H2wo, fail to enter the finals, as Omega Neos played well in the regular season. Hoping to see H2wo back in the MPL Philippines where he can showcase his skills as a jungler.

GAME 2 - Aurora Hunters vs RRQ Kaito

After an intense first game, another action-packed game between RORA Hunters and RRQ Kaito was decided after seven games.

RORA Hunters defeated RRQ Kaito 4-3.

It was an intense first day, as the games ended around midnight. I was forced to book a motorcycle app from San Juan to Santa Rosa, Laguna, to get home faster.

Content creators Jiji and Elgin were also present at the venue.

It is also nice to see friends from the media who attended and covered the event's first day.

DAY 2 [May 18] - FINALS and AWARDING

Day 2 started with the MDL Philippines Season 5 awards.

Regular Season MVP - Sionn (ONIC x Nine Lives)

Best Jungler - H2wo (OMG Neos)

Best EXP Laner - Lansu (ONIC x Nine Lives)

Best Gold Laner - West (OMG Neos)

Best Mid Laner - Sionn (ONIC x Nine Lives)

Best Roamer - Caloy  (ONIC x Nine Lives)

The previous season's champions, AP Bren, are also present at the venue to support MDL Philippines and the players.

ONIC x Nine Lives defeated Aurora Hunters 4-1, playing better as a team and securing the objectives.

Casters Brigida and Lanna were also present at the event.

Overall, it was a fun experience for me, covering MDL Philippines games for the first time. Friends from the media also covered the event, including Drew, Yumi, Caesar, and Fluffy.

Photos taken using Canon EOS R8 and RP for MDL Philippines.