Five Things I Loved About ToyCon 2024 and Two Things I Want To See in the Future

ToyCon has come and gone this year; and for those of you who were lucky to attend one day or more, it was truly an evolution of one of the biggest pop culture events in the Philippines. Since I am still on a geek high, here are five experiences I loved about ToyCon 2024, and two things I hope to see in future iterations of this event.

Firstly let’s get this out of the way, what’s a toycon without toys, right? Whether you’re windowshopping for toys, buying them, taking pictures, or simply enjoy basking in the sea of toys that converges with the mass of humanity attending toycon, there is always this to expect: toys are at the center of ToyCon. And ToyCon 2024 lived up to the hype. Your experiences will be full with the toys that populated the event grounds at the SMX Mall of Asia.

Deadpool and Wolverine

Harley Quinn

Next, you have the cosplayers at ToyCon. You know your event has exploded on the pop culture scene when the cosplay community comes in troves. Not only was the community ever present for three days with various fandoms represented, there was even a cosplay competition held on the last day for aspiring cosplayers to compete. So everywhere you go, you’d better be ready with your camera to take shots at these fans who express their love for pop culture in cosplay.

Here’s something that I thought I’d never say at Toycon: I enjoyed the performances. That’s a first for me. This part of ToyCon showed me that it is truly evolving. The highlight of the performances for me was when Krage performed on stage songs from two recent anime: Raven of the Inner Palace, and Solo Leveling. The surprise performance for me was the one made by Chicken Blow the Idol. They went down to the crowd on the second day, and performed an acoustic version of one of their songs. Talk about meet, and greet. This made me an instant fan, and follower. I know that ToyCon has had musical performances in the past, but I’ve always set those aside for the toys. This year is my first year inhaling the performances onstage.

If the musical performances surprised me, here’s one aspect of ToyCon that didn’t: guest interactions onstage. There were a slew of panel discussions at ToyCon, but one in particular stood out for me. That happened on the third day when we got to see the director and cast of FRIENDLY FIRE, a new Filipino movie coming out on October 23, 2024. Not only did we get to see the return of Alodia Gosiengfiao to ToyCon (who revealed that she is expecting a child soon, congratulations!), but we also got to see Director Mikhail Red along with the rest of the cast talk about the film. Also, the first trailer reveal was shown to visiting patrons on the third day. It’s always nice to see these juicy bits of info on upcoming shows at ToyCon. ToyCon 2024 was no exception.

This might be redundant since I mentioned it in the beginning, but I’m going back to it because I am a toy collector. Part of the joy of ToyCon (some might even argue that this is the first thing they do at the event) is hunting for that one toy (or several?) that will complete their collection. Collectors, am I right? Sometimes there’s never enough room for the toys you love. And I think toy collecting has no true age limit. As such, the hunt for these toys that will add or complete your collection forms part of why you visit ToyCon in the first place. Did I find anything for myself? Most definitely. I’m sure I’m not alone in agreeing that hunting for toys is ingrained in the culture of ToyCon…whethere this be voluntary or not.

ToyCon 2024 was a blast, but there were a couple of things that I missed from this year. Yes, there were toy discussions. But, I think ToyCon missed a golden opportunity to invite personalites related to toys considering that some of these toylines are celebrating milestone years this year. For example, the Transformers franchise is celbrating its 40th year. They could have invited, let’s say maybe Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime to the event. I mean, we got comicbook legend Neal Adams a few years back, so why not a celebrity related to these milestone year toylines?

Also, missing from ToyCon are roleplaying tabletop games. There was a Yu-gi-oh! table at SMX. There was Magic: The Gathering, and Warhammer. and even video games at the Mall of Asia Music Hall. BUT…no tabletop. No Dungeons and Dragons. As a long time tabletop player and game master, I was so looking forward to sitting down, and maybe interacting with some like-minded individuals. I was able to spot a stall selling dice in the merchant area, but that was it. Hopefully, I’ll get to see tabletop games represented in future ToyCons.

Overall, ToyCon 2024 was truly an evolution where we see the event expand far beyond just being a marketplace for toys. It has become a celebration of pop culture fandom in the Philippines as it continues to grow. In 2025, ToyCon is slated to be from June 13 to 15. What are we to expect? More of the same, and still much more. See you again then.

Locke and Key Season Two: Closes Doors Unlocks New Ones

It didn’t take Netflix long to come up with a second season, and it didn’t disappoint. I must say that the season one cliffhanger was really a stinger, and the series writers really know how to keep you hanging. Dodge/Lucas is a great villain to hate, and that is more so highlighted in season two.

We ended season one with the revelation that Gabe was Dodge this entire time, and has some dastardly plans not just for the keys but for fearless Kinsey Locke. It’s a twisted Romeo and Juliet story with a demon masquerading as a prince. And, Kinsey doesn’t appreaciate it when she finds out which leads her to doubt her abilities. Also, Eden goes into full demon mode, and provides Gabe with the ally that he needs. Or does she? It’s a very shaky alliance that they have which adds an additional layer to the story. Sometimes I really get irritated that the Locke children are slow on the uptake for taking their time in figuring these two demons out. On the ohter hand, I am reminded that they ARE CHILDREN so having difficulty handling conniving demons is quite understandable. Though, It doesn’t lessen my frustration as the Locke siblings get manipulated back-and-forth by these two. Ir just makes the series that much more entertaining.

Another part of season two that I like is the introduction of new keys. In fact, the beginning of each episode identifies which key is the focus of the story with an animated key intro that basically tells you what the key does. I’ll admit though that my favorite key is the Head Key, and to my mind (see what I did there?) it is the most powerful key in the series. This too is highlighted in this season, and the Head Key is shown to have many uses. The geek in me would just LOVE to have that key to dump in several books of knowledge or other possible sources of them (including making new keys. hihi) to come up with whatever I wish. I’m not sure the Locke siblings know just how powerful that key actually is, but they use it to some advantage in season two.

We also find out in better detail how and when adults start forgetting the magic of the key which explains why poor Nina Locke is oblivious to all that is happening in Keyhouse, and why Duncan can’t remember anything from his past about the keys. However, this loss of memory with Duncan is temporary as there is (TADA) a Memory Key that allows people to remember the magic of the keys even as people grow to adulthood. Related to this, we also find out that only the Lockes have the capacity to make these keys, and requires what is called whispering iron to make. This leads to all sorts of chaos because Gabe wants to make his own key, and finds out this important bit of information.

This new key that Gabe desires, the Demon Key, becomes the center of all the problems in season two. Though it also leads indirectly to the source of Gabe’s eventual destruction. It’s sad to see a great villain go, but he does go out with a bang. In Gabe/Dodge’s defeat we see Kinsey take up the reigns of leadership as she literally soars through the sky. The victory is won at a cost however since there is no curing victims of the Demon Key, and people die left and right in a glorious climactic battle. The end result is Dodge finally slain (or is s/he?) at the hands of Tyler’s Alpha Key. With this, everything returns back to normal in Matheson, Massachusetts. Right?

Not quite. For one, Tyler decides that he doesn’t want to remember the magic of the keys anymore and goes on a road trip with Uncle Dunc’s newly restored GTO. Of course his girlfriend Jackie’s possession and death has something to do with it so it’s normal for him to want to forget everything. That’s one less protector of the keys for now. Secondly, Nina Locke appears to have been propositioned by Bode to remember EVERYTHING about the keys. That can of worms will open a lot of new story threads for season three. Also, fans might mourn the death of Erin Voss, but Ellie is back (YEY!), and Lucas’s echoe is free of Dodge’s influence. I’m not sure how that works, but Ellie and Lucas’s dynamic will be something to watch out for in future stories. Finally, Dodge might be gone, but we have a new villain. From Eden’s expression, this new demonic player might even be more dangerous than Dodge. I’m not sure if he’s more cunning though. We’ll have to wait and see.

All in all, Locke and Key season two has finished some story threads, and ends on a satisfying note. It does provide some new story hooks that will keep me waiting with eager anticipation for the next season. Catch up if you haven’t. Locke and Key is one of the best shows around. Watch it on Netflix.