The most anticipated return of Encantadia happened last weekend at the Toycon 2016 + Poplife Fanxperience held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
Beginning with the unveiling of its official trailer that captivated the crowd and made the fans more excited about the “requel,” the ground-breaking debut of GMA Network’s most awaited telefantasya was spearheaded by its lead stars Kylie Padilla, Gabbi Garcia, Sanya Lopez and Glaiza de Castro, wearing their royal costumes as Amihan, Alena, Danaya and Pirena respectively for a meet-and-greet opportunity with the Encantadia fans.
Kylie shared that attending ToyCon has always been in her and her sibling’s bucket list that’s why participating in the event did not tire her at all. “Actually hindi ako napagod. Sobrang matagal ko nang pangarap na maka-attend ng ganitong event so, I feel at home. Kanina lang inikot ko itong buo. Ako nga lang mag-isa, napagod na ang paa ko. Pangarap namin itong magkakapatid, sayang wala sila dito. Pero yun nga, in-enjoy ko nalang din ito for them,” she said.
Gabbi was overwhelmed with how the loyal fans of the series have still given them the same amount of support and trust. “First ToyCon ito ng Encantadia na we got to face them in our costumes. Nakakatuwa kasi yung pag-embrace ng mga Encantadiks sa bagong cast ng Encantadia, hindi mo makukwenstiyon yung support and loyalty nila. Ang sarap ng feeling na we got to feel it talaga first hand kasi magkakaharap kami with the fans,” the young actress explained.
Sanya, on the other hand, said she is very grateful for the support the fans gave them before, during and after the launch that helped her to overcome the pressure she has been feeling. She shares, “Siguro hindi ko talaga maalis na hindi ma-pressure kasi iba yung pagmamahal na binigay ng tao sa Encantadia, kaya, pinipilit kong tanggalin yung pressure na yun para hindi makaapekto sa trabaho na dapat kong gampanan. Thank God tinulungan ako ng mga fans na ma-overcome yun kasi for them, we are Encantadia—we are someone they love.”
As a first time attendee, Glaiza expressed her admiration joining one of the biggest toy conventions in the country. “Masaya, yung first time na experience dito kasi fan din ako. So alam mo yung feeling na nakikita mo yung idol mo, yung hinahangaan mo, or yung isang bagay na may significance sayo, sobrang precious nun,” shared Glaiza
Together with Kylie, Gabbi, Sanya and Glaiza, the powerhouse cast of Encantadia came in full force as Rocco Nacino, Ruru Madrid, Rochelle Pangilinan, Vaness del Moral, Pancho Magno, Buboy Villar, Carlo Gonzalez, Kate Valdez, Mikee Quintos, James Teng, Klea Pineda, Migo Adecer and Solenn Heussaff wowed the crowd with their impressive costumes. Encantadia’s director Mark Reyes and lead visual designer Noel Flores were also present during the launch.