The eleventh edition of Made in Asia was the first one run by Easyfairs, meaning there were quite a few changes, and not always for the better.
Frankly, the only change for the better I noticed is that it wasn’t freezing cold inside like last year.
Mostly, Made in Asia has remained the same, although this year there was less appeal for steam- and dieselpunks with fewer shops catering to them. There was a Nerf shooting gallery (bring your own, because the guns they used had rubbish aim), which may or may not hold some interest, and Japanese metal band Fate Gear, known for their steampunk look, was performing all three days.
Their look was pretty generic steampunk, though — I’m pretty sure you could buy most items at one of the stands selling what has rapidly become a kind of steampunk uniform with no guarantee you would be getting the real deal, as that seller was lousy with counterfeit — and their music wasn’t any better.
If you are into diesel- or steampunk, Made in Asia 2019 was not the place for you, unless you actually like Fate Gear and/or shopping at the same sellers you see literally everywhere. It is an Asiamania event, and since they seem to be focusing more on that now, I doubt it will become more interesting to the ‘punk scene again.
