“For the first time ever in South East Asia, Singapore will celebrate the

diversity of Japanese Pop Culture.”

Singapore will be placed in a spotlight again come November when it hosts what is slated as the biggest anime convention, Anime Festival Asia 2008 (AFA08). This highly anticipated event will be held at the famous Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Center on November 22 and 23 (Saturday and Sunday). I’m quite sure that a lot of people including those who are fans of anime and manga have already marked these dates on their calendars.

This is no ordinary event but it is a festival where over 80, 000 people like anime consumers and various anime-related industry players not only from Singapore but from neighboring countries are expected to attend. The event will serve as an introduction for the launching of the Japan Creative Centre which will take place in Singapore in 2009. This particular Centre’s primarily goal is to bring in more of the Japanese culture including Japanese content to Singapore. These activities will pave the way for more collaboration among related industries, companies, organizations and can lead to better opportunities and networking.

This convention will occupy Halls 403 and 404 which total about 5, 000 square meters of exhibition space that will be divided into 6 “Experience Zones” namely: Akiba Town, Anime Live, Anime Blockbusters, Industry, Mangaka, and Planet Mech.

Now, what can you expect from these 6 Experience Zones?

AKIBA TOWN – From the name itself, you will get the idea that this section will bring the famous Akihabara to Singapore! You can expect a lot of exclusive merchandise and rare collectibles that will be brought in Japan for the eager Singapore public. Some of the retailers that will be featured in Akiba Town include Bandai, Alter, Art Storm, Hobby Art Gallery, Revoltech, etc.

ANIME LIVE – Anime fans will get the chance to enjoy the latest releases of anime series and movies, some musical performances, and live character performances for kids like Power Rangers, Tamagotchi, Masked Rider, etc. Check out the Tamagotchi Connection and take part in Tamagotchi activities. For starters, you can bring your Tamagotchi to the AFA08 and you will instantly get a sticker for free. If you are a fan, then you can take pictures with the Tamagotchi characters that will make an appearance during the event. Aside from this, you can join the Cosplay Mania competition and dress up as your favorite anime characters.

ANIME BLOCKBUSTERS – In this zone, anime fans can view various storyboards, character designs including sketches of different anime characters, exclusive footage, props and episodes of the most successful animes. Some teasers of upcoming shows will also be shown during the event.

INDUSTRY – Any anime fan would be interested to hear leaders of the anime industry share their experiences and extensive knowledge on the content of their works, upcoming industry trends, and even guidelines and tips when it comes to intellectual property rights, etc. If you would like to learn more or if you would like to pursue a career in the anime industry then you should definitely go to the Industry Zone.

MANGAKA – The festival will, of course, not be complete if it will not feature Manga. In this zone, you can expect to see some notable sketches from various manga artists and even manga drawing competitions that include the likes of Graphite ’08 and Mangaka ’08.

PLANET MECH – Given that Bandai is the official sponsor of the event, an entire zone is dedicated to showcase Bandai’s limited edition products and merchandise. You must definitely take part in this Bandai Extravaganza where you can check out new toys and see if you would like to bring some home. The highlights of this Experience Zone include the Perfect Airbrush Challenge where there will be live airbrushing demonstrations. You can also view the very first AFA08 Gundam Diorama which is a gigantic diorama featuring the Gundam robots.

It is really enriching to know that a festival like AFA08 will be happening in Singapore and that Japanese diversity will be duly celebrated much to the delight of growing Japanese pop culture community. This is another great reason to go out of your hotel in Singapore and experience what this vibrant city has to offer.

This event was organized by I-Promo Events & Marketing in collaboration with Dentsu Singapore. The festival is sponsored by Bandai, known as Japan’s leading toy manufacturer. Animax is the official regional media partner.

HELPFUL INFORMATION:

Inclusive Dates: November 22 and 23, 2008

Time: 10:00am to 9:00pm

Venue: Halls 403 and 404 - Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre

Entrance Fees: S$ 5 per day

Package Fees: S$ 8 for both days (children 6 years old and below will be admitted for free)

Website: http://www.afa08.com

Posted in Events, Singapore

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 at 6:44 pm and is filed under Events, Singapore. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.