Anime Festival Asia

Anime Festival Asia (AFA)

Participants at the 2009 festival held at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre
Status Active
Venue Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre (2008–2011, 2013– )
Singapore Expo MAX Pavilion (2012)
Location(s) Singapore (main convention)
Country Singapore (main convention)
Inaugurated 2008
Attendance 145,000 in 2014
Website
http://www.animefestival.asia

Anime Festival Asia (AFA) is a series of anime conventions held in the Southeast Asian region, with a core annual convention held in Singapore. The main convention is traditionally held over a weekend in mid-November. It was held at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre in 2008–2011, but was moved to the Singapore Expo MAX Pavilion in 2012 due to renovation works at Suntec Convention Centre that year. Satellite conventions were also held in 2012 at the Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and at the Jakarta International Expo, Kemayoran, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Alongside the main conventions, AFA also holds periodic business conferences focusing on the anime and manga industry. The first of these was Animation Asia Conference, held in 2009.[1]

AFA is notable for having one of the largest attendance figures for anime conventions outside of Japan, with 82,000 attendees in 2011.[2] Total attendance since 2008 as of 2014 is 678,000.

The continued organisation of AFA is managed by Sozo.[3] in partnership with Zepp Entertainment & Dentsu.[4]

History

Dates Location Attendance Guests
November 22–23, 2008 Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre
Singapore		45,000+ Kunio Okawara, Kōji Morimoto, May'n,[5] Ichirou Mizuki
November 21–22, 2009 Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre
Singapore		 Hatsune Miku, Ichirou Mizuki, May'n, Shoko Nakagawa, Yoshiki Fukuyama,[6] KANAME ☆,[7] Danny Choo
November 12–14, 2010 Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre
Singapore		 Aira, Alodia Gosiengfiao, KANAME ☆, Kana Hanazawa, Angela, Ichirou Mizuki, JAM Project, May'n, Scandal
November 11–13, 2011 Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre
Singapore		82,000[2] Danny Choo, Hatsune Miku, Ichirou Mizuki, Flow, LiSA, Sea☆A, May'n, Angela, Kalafina, Kanako Itō, Chiwa Saitō, Gō Nakanishi, KANAME☆, Suzuko Mimori, Sora Tokui, Mikoi Sasaki, Izumi Kitta,[8] USAGI
June 9–10, 2012 Putra World Trade Centre
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia		 Kalafina, Maon Kurosaki, Aimi, Flow, Kotoko, Sea☆A, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Tomohiko Ishii, Danny Choo, Kaname☆, Tasha, Miyuko

{{Convention list

 date = September 1–2, 2012 venue = Jakarta International Expo location = Jakarta, Indonesia attendance = guests = 7!!, bless4, Ichiro Mizuki, LiSA, Angela, Kotoko, Sea☆A, Stereopony, Danny Choo, Kaname☆, Akatsuki Tsubasa

}}

November 9–11, 2012 Singapore Expo MAX Pavilion
Singapore		85,000+ est.[2] FLOW, fripSide, May'n, Sea☆A, Sphere, T.M. Revolution, Shinichiro Watanabe, Go Nakanishi, KANAME☆, Singi, Danny Choo,[9] Daisuke Kishio, Fumiaki Nishihara, Kenji Kamiyama, Hachioji-P, Akatsuki Tsukasa, Judy, Hiko, Mikoto, Reika[10]
September 6–8, 2013 Jakarta Convention Center
Jakarta, Indonesia
November 8–10, 2013 Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre
Singapore		 Danny Choo, Ryōhei Kimura, Ryōta Ōsaka, Nana Mizuki, May'n, T.M. Revolution, Lisa, Eir Aoi, Angela, Elisa, Gen Urobuchi, Koji Yamamoto, Shinichiro Kashiwada, Tomohiko Ito, Yui Ishikawa, Tetsurō Araki, Kyoji Asano, George Wada, Tetsuya Nakatake[11]
August 15–17, 2014 Jakarta Convention Center
Jakarta, Indonesia		 Egoist, Eir Aoi, Garnidelia, Hachioji-P, DJ Kazu, Luna Haruna, T.M. Revolution[12]
December 5–7, 2014 Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre
Singapore		145,000+[13] angela, Eri Kitamura, DJ Kazu, Yui Horie, fripSide, LiSA, yanaginagi[14]
April 30 May 1-3, 2015 Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre
Bangkok, Thailand		 angela, DJ Kazu, Eir Aoi, fripSide, May'n, Kalafina[15]
2015 Indonesia
November 27-29 , 2015 Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre
Singapore

2008

First held at Suntec Convention Hall, Singapore. Managed to invite Kōji Morimoto, Animation Director of Studio 4°C and Kunio Okawara, mechanical designer of Gundam for the industry talk. Ichirou Mizuki and May'n (her first overseas concert) were also present at the event.

2009

Anime personalities Kaname, May'n, Uchiro Mizuki, Mamoru Hosoda and photographer Danny Choo at the 2009 festival in Singapore

Managed to invite Danny Choo and KANAME ☆ to the event.

Created the maid cafe called "Moe Moe Kyun Maid Cafe."

Notable singers were Shoko Nakagawa who sang a duet with Ichrou Mizuki on Day 1 of the event and Yoshiki Fukuyama who sang a duet with May'n on Day 2 of the event. Hatsune Miku made her first "live" solo appearance overseas.[16]

Held the first ever "Regional Cosplay Championship" where cosplayers from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines competed in teams of 2 against each other.[17]

Invited 4 K-On! voice actors to the event and performed a first-ever live dubbing of certain scenes.

2010

Held on November 12–14.

Aira and Alodia Gosiengfiao as well as KANAME ☆ were invited as cosplay judges.

Voice actors Kana Hanazawa and Milky Holmes were invited to the events.

A butler cafe called "Atelier Royale" was featured.

Invited singers included AKB48, Angela, Ichirou Mizuki, JAM Project. May'n and Scandal.

Movies Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: Awakening of the Trailblazer and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya were screened before their DVD or Blu-ray releases.

2011

Chiwa Saitō (centre) on stage during the 2011 festival

Confirmed date of the event: November 11 to November 13.[18]

Invited singers include Ichirou Mizuki, Flow, LiSA, and Sea☆A on Day 2 of AFA.[19] May'n, Angela, Kalafina, Kanako Itō and Milky Holmes on Day 3.[20]

Hatsune Miku had her very own Live Party concert on Day 1 of the event, the first such concert to be featured in the region outside of Japan.[21]

Chiwa Saitō, Gō Nakanishi, Danny Choo, KANAME☆ and USAGI are special guests for the event.

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn episode 4 will be shown on the same day as Japan.[22]

2012

Separated into 3 events with the first event held at Malaysia[23] in June, the second event held at Indonesia in September[24] and the third event held at Singapore in November.

Danny Choo hosted the three events.

All 3 events also had a maid cafe and a butler cafe.

The event in Malaysia was held at Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur from 9 June to 10 June 2012.

Invited singers for the Anisong concert in Malaysia include Kalafina, Maon Kurosaki, and Aimi on Day 1, and Flow, Kotoko, and Sea☆A on Day 2.

Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and Tomohiko Ishii from Production I.G, Danny Choo, KANAME☆, and Tasha with Miyuko from Korea were special guests for the event.

The second event was in Indonesia from 1 September to 2 September 2012 and the venue was Jakarta International Expo.

Invited singers for the Anisong concert in Indonesia include Ichirou Mizuki, bless4, 7!!, and LiSA on Day 1, and Angela, Stereopony, Kotoko, and Sea☆A on Day 2.

Singapore was the final event of 2012, held from 9 November to 11 November 2012 with the venue as Singapore Expo.

Fumiaki Nishihara, Go Nakanishi, Kenji Kamiyama, Shinichiro Watanabe and Hachioji-P were special guests for the event.[10]

Daisuke Kishio and Sphere were the invited voice actors for the event.

KANAME☆, Akatsuki Tsukasa, Judy, Hiko, Mikoto and Reika were the invited cosplayers while Clive and Richfield were the invited judges for the cosplay competition. Team Shikon from Japan and Lunar Asterisk from Indonesia presented a special cosplay performance during the event.

Invited singers for the Anisong concert in Singapore include T.M.Revolution on Day 1, BABYMETAL, FLOW, fripSide, Lisa and m.o.v.e on Day 2, and May'n, Minami Kuribayashi, Sea☆A and Sphere on Day 3.[25]

Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie, Fairy Tail: The Phoenix Priestess and Puella Magi Madoka Magica were movies screened at the event.[26]

2013

Held in Jakarta,Indonesia and Singapore. Theme song Origami sung by Valerie Tang(former member of Sea*a).

2014

Held in Jakarta,Indonesia and Singapore. fripSide was in Singapore for a second time since their last appearance at AFA 2012. The largest ever held to date in Singapore Suntec City Convention Hall covering the entire 4th floor, new mascot Seika introduced.

2015

To be held in Jakarta,Indonesia and Singapore. To be held in Bangkok, Thailand for the first time.

References

  1. ↑ "Animation Asia Conference 2009". Onscreen Asia. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Anime Festival Asia sees tens of thousands of fans attend". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
  3. ↑ Sozo
  4. ↑ Dentsu.
  5. ↑ "Macross Frontier Singer May'n to Perform in Singapore". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
  6. ↑ "Anime Festival Asia 2009". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
  7. ↑ "Information on Anime Festival Asia 2009". AnimeCons.Com. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
  8. ↑ "Singapore's Anime Festival Asia Announces Guest Lineup, Theme Song". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
  9. ↑ "Singapore's Anime Festival Asia to Host T.M. Revolution, fripSide, Sphere". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Special Guests, AFA 2012". Anime Festival Asia. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
  11. ↑ http://animefestival.asia/afa13/experience_zones.html
  12. ↑ http://www.animefestival.asia/afaid2014/i-love-anisong/
  13. ↑ http://animefestival.asia/home/?page_id=37
  14. ↑ http://animefestival.asia/afa2014/i-love-anisong/
  15. ↑ http://animefestival.asia/afath2015/
  16. ↑ http://afa09.com/i_love_miku.html
  17. ↑ http://afa09.com/afa_cosplay_championship_09.html
  18. ↑ http://www.animefestival.asia/
  19. ↑ http://www.animefestival.asia/rock_your_soul.html#saturday-tab
  20. ↑ http://www.animefestival.asia/rock_your_soul.html#sunday-tab
  21. ↑ http://www.animefestival.asia/rock_your_soul.html#friday-tab
  22. ↑ http://www.animefestival.asia/featured_anime.html
  23. ↑ Anime Festival Malaysia
  24. ↑ Anime Festival Indonesia
  25. ↑ I LOVE ANISONG, AFA 2012
  26. ↑ Featured Anime, AFA 2012

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anime Festival Asia.