COSPLAYERS, anime enthusiasts, Jpop and Kpop fans, among others, were gathered in an alternate universe Saturday for the Otakufest 8.0 held at the University of the Philippines Cebu College.

There was the annual cosplay competition hosted by famous young cosplayer Liui Aquino; a Kpop dance competition; and another highlight of the event was the performance of the Korea's group FameUs.

Kpop fans among the crowd were screaming "Welcome to Cebu!" when members of FameUs appeared on stage.

FameUs has been performing in Korea since 2013. The group is made up of Han Saem, the leader; Jung Hoon, Do Ah, Daeyoung and Hanyoung the vocalists; Kudo, the dancer and rapper.

The group performed their songs and two Filipino songs - "Pusong Bato" and "Na sa'yo na ang lahat." They were very energetic on stage and they knew how to throw the crowd wild despite the rain.

They said the warm welcome of their Filipino fans is overwhelming. They mentioned that Filipinos are always smiling and always happy.

They added that they like the beaches in the country, they like to eat Bulalo because it tasted like one of their dishes called galbitang, and they also like Sinigang.

The group also expressed interest in coming back to the Philippines to perform again for their Filipino fans.

The Otakufest, now on its seventh year, is the first collegiate cosplay and hobbies event in Cebu. Cosplayers of Disney and Studio Ghibli characters, online games avatars, comic books and mangas were walking around the UP campus grounds, posing for photographs, meeting and greetings friends.

Otaku is a Japanese term for people with obsessive interests in Japanese manga and animation. It also refers to people who embrace more areas of interests, like the Korean and Western cultures. (Lyka Jaca/USJR intern)