To begin the first post, we'll have a short introduction of the closest upcoming event, Anime Festival Asia!



The Anime Festival Asia 2009 (AFA) will be held on the 21st (Saturday) and 22nd (Sunday) of November 2009, at Suntec Convention and Exhibition Halls 403-404, and will incorporate Animation Asia Conference 2009. It is one of the greatest and biggest events in South East Asia, which features aspects of Japanese animation and popular culture. Those who are able to appreciate such things are strongly encouraged to come!

However, why go to this festival in Singapore, when one can go to the real thing? A valid question, but if one is unable to speak Japanese with any degree of coherence, then it would be a better idea to attend this festival which is largely conducted in English (I too, am utterly devoid of Japanese language skills).

Tickets are needed for anyone who is 13 years old and above. A one-day pass will be SGD$15 for adults and SGD$12 for students, and a two-day pass will be SGD$25 for adults and SGD$20 for students. Tickets can be purchased at the AFA 09 event or pre-registration (only for a two-day pass though). Cosplayers* and kids under 12 years old do not need a ticket to enter.
*On a side note, pre-registration for cosplayers free admission is closed.


AFA has a wide range of activities for cosplayers, bloggers, otakus, collectors, kids, and anyone who enjoys Japanese culture. With new attractions such as the Moe Moe Kyun Maid Café , staffed by 8 beautiful ladies, and the ‘I Love Anisong’ concert, both of which we will cover below, and plenty of merchandise for the fans:

In addition to that, those interested in artwork will note that AFA will also feature other booths related to things like digital media, and last year, one of our local studios, Imaginary Friends Studios, got to showcase their work!



While these artworks may not always be related to Japanese anime or conform to Japanese art styles, they are still commendable examples of digital artistry, and should you so wish, you can purchase prints of these works from the artists themselves at their booth.

Also, there may even be a section allowing the artistically-inclined to doodle freely! Here are some photos taken of the board from last year.






Highlights of the event:

1. ‘I Love Anisong concert’

‘I Love Anisong’ is a music concert held during AFA 09, with appearances by Shoko Nakagawa, Hatsune Miku, Ichirou Mizuki, Yoshiki Fukuyama, and MAY'N. These guests are either voice actors/actress or singers (except Miku, she's a vocal program), who are famous in Japanese animation world.
Tickets are sold at SGD$188 for a two-day pass and SGD$108 for a one-day pass. Purchasing tickets allows you to stand a chance to get an autograph from your favorite ‘I Love Anisong Artiste’ of your choice. Of course, buying more tickets will increase your chances, which is what I intend to do.
Merchandise is also available online or at their booth during AFA 09. [I Love Anisong shirts!]

2. Danny Choo

Danny Choo is a blogger who lives in Japan, and was awarded the Blogger of “Best Japan Blog” award of 2009. Among his articles, he covers quirks of Japanese culture within Tokyo, interesting updates on Japanese anime and related merchandise, and even tourist attractions in Japan (I must admit though, it is largely about anime and figurines).
Here's his blog!

3. KANAME☆

A professional Cosplayer renowned for his portrayal of Cloud Strife from “Final Fantasy VIl: Advent Children” and Ichigo Kurosaki from “Bleach”. As one of the invited judges of AFA Regional Cosplay Championship at AFA09, the ante of the competition is sure to be ramped up! He will also gain more fans in Singapore (those who haven't heard of him yet at least), and female otaku will almost certainly fall in love with him (I agree! I'm also a fan of his! -YT).
KANAME☆ Profile Page on Cure: http://ja.curecos.com/profile/?ch=72203

4. Moe Moe Kyun Maid Café

This is a new attraction of AFA, as it was not present at AFA last year. It’s a classic maid café with 8 lovely ladies at your service (Their uniforms are those of traditional Western maids mind you! Seeing as Singaporeans might have slightly different idea). Their menu has yet to be revealed, and while the dishes are mostly Western, with few of Japanese origin (ironically), signature dishes such as omu rice (omelette rice), curry rice, and cakes should be part of it.

[On a side note, I think they're selling some merchandise related to the café, some little badges. Unconfirmed yet, but I'll keep you all posted as soon as I find out!]

5. K-ON Experience

K-ON is a Japanese animation series that originated from a four-panel comic strip by Kakifly. There will be a live dubbing (voicing for characters in languages other than the original) session in AFA 09. Fans of the series are sure to find this a treat, as they will get to meet their favorite characters in real life! So to speak, admittedly. But nonetheless, Hisaka Youko! It is like having Mio Akiyama talking to you personally! We might also be able to get their autographs, though this is probably a case of luck.

6. Competitions

There will be a few competitions held during AFA 09; Regional Cosplay Competiton, Bandai World Gundam Competition, Extravaganza 09 and WS World Grand Prix.
This year is the first ever Regional Cosplay Championship in South East Asia. It is a cosplay competition among selected cosplaying teams from countries in South East Asia. Finalists will perform and be judged by a panel of distinguished guests from Japan including internationally renowned cosplayer Kaname☆. Pictures of finalists and details of the competition can be found here. (Just to let you know, cosplayers are people who dress up as their favorite characters from movies or an anime series. I've included some photos taken from last year's Anime Festival Asia).



Bandai World Gundam Competition is a competition where participents have to post their Gundam works online, and judges will determine the winner. The winning piece gets to be displayed at AFA in the form of graphic prints at the Bandai showcase in AFA.

Extravaganza 09 is a major art competition for those who like drawing and designing digital works. This year’s theme is ‘Gaming’, and these works will also be exhibited in AFA.

WS World Grand Prix will comprise of players facing off against each other in the latest hit in anime trading-card games, WS. WS stands for Weiβ Schwarz, which is a type of anime trading game. Players can use heroes and heroines from the latest animes and games to battle against each other in an epic showdown.

7. Bandai Experience Zone

Bandai is the third largest producer of toys in the world. It was founded by Mr Naoharu Yamashina in 1950, and has gone on to become firmly established as Japan's leading general toy manufacturer; the company continues to blaze new trials in various fields of entertainment.
In AFA 09, Bandai has many events and activities catered for everyone. Kids can enjoy their day at Bandai Kids Land where there are special activities for them. Bandai is also giving away free Ben10 toys for kids who registered for Bandai Kids Land.

Bandai will also launch new products at AFA 09, such as Harumika, Power Rangers Jungle Fury (the sixteenth and latest version), Gunpla, and the Battle Spirits Trading Card Game.

In addition to this, the latest technology in sound recognition systems will be introduced in the form of Joysound, a karaoke system that can select scenes from various shows or animes, and then allow you to use your voice to dub that particular scene, or even do covers of your favorite songs!

These are the highlights for now. New events will be added at the official AFA 09 site (http://www.afa09.com/index.html) as the date approaches.

AFA 09 has special accommodations and hotel packages for foreign visitors. For more information visit the AFA site for overseas visitors.