Sudden cancellation raised major concerns among fans, merchants, and event exhibitors.
Ozine Idol Fest, a popular event for anime, cosplay, and J-music fans, was canceled just hours before it was supposed to open at SM Megamall, leaving merchants, artists, exhibitors, and attendees scrambling over canceled plans, refunds, and unpaid bills.
The last-minute cancellation has since brought fresh attention to separate complaints involving Ozine and its related businesses, including claims of unpaid refunds and outstanding payments.
One collector claimed he has been waiting for months for refunds from Pokémon and One Piece trading card pre-orders after handing over ₱480,000 in down payments in June.
According to his post, ₱180,000 was supposed to be refunded after a Pokémon Focused Fighter pre-order was canceled, but only ₱80,000 was returned in August.
He said ₱100,000 remains unpaid, while another ₱140,000 down payment for One Piece EB-05, scheduled for release in November, also remains pending.
Other merchants and artists have separately accused Ozine Events and related businesses of failing to respond to refund requests. Former participants have also raised complaints about crowded venues, delayed electricity, poor event organization, and duplicate or allegedly duplicate products among exhibitors.
In a statement posted on social media, Ozine Events apologized to those who had prepared products and made arrangements for the canceled event, but did not initially give a detailed explanation of what had led to the decision.
The organizer said it had to make a difficult decision at short notice and acknowledged the disappointment, inconvenience, and frustration experienced by those affected.
Ozine added that it would properly address the concerns of everyone affected and provide further updates.
In 2017, Japanese tokusatsu performer Ryousuke Kaizu publicly accused Otaku Expo and organizer Dennis Uy of failing to fulfill agreements involving the TokuSpirits event, including payments, airfare, and hotel arrangements for Japanese talents.
Kaizu also claimed previous event fees had not been fully paid and warned Japanese performers against appearing at future events connected to Otaku Expo and Uy.
The Tokusatsu Network reported the dispute at the time and published Uy’s response, in which he disputed parts of Kaizu’s allegations and said the parties had agreed on payment arrangements.
Otaku communities now say Ozine Fest needs to explain what happened and give affected merchants, artists, attendees, and customers concrete timelines for refunds and other outstanding payments.
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