I attended the AFA ‘09 press conference earlier today, though I’ll leave the personal details and (extremely blurry, sorry) photos for another post, so you’ll get only the important bits for now.
AFA ‘09 will be held from the 21st to 22nd of November, in Halls 403 and 404 of the Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
1. I Love Anisong Mega Music Concert
Basically a collective label for the concerts at AFA09, I Love Anisong will not only feature the performers from last year, but will also include 2 new ones, bringing the total number of performances to 4. Expect to have 2 performances for each day this year. ^.^
To break it down:
Past Performers
May’n (May Nakabayashi)
“Japan’s Singing Sensation”
Performed as Sheryl Nome in Macross Frontier
Ichirou Mizuki
”King of Anime Songs”
Founding member of JAM Project
New Performers
Yoshiki Fukuyama
Guitarist, singer and songwriter
Member of JAM Project
Shoko Nakagawa
a.k.a. “Shokotan”
Blogger, Singer, Illustrator…the list goes on.
As of now the main website still isn’t up yet…maybe there’s more info to come?
2. Regional Cosplay Championship
Anime Festival Asia 2009 will also host the first ever Regional Cosplay Championship in Asia. Simply put, the top cosplay team from each South East Asian country will compete with one another, sponsored by AKA09, and will be judged as they perform here during the festival.
They’ll be judged by “a panel of distinguished guests from Japan”, including Kaname, who’s an internationally-renowned cosplayer. He’ll also be conducting a closed-door panel session for cosplayers who wish to know more about how to improve their techniques. More details to come.
3. Animation Asia Conference 2009
AAC09 (Animation Asia Conference 2009) will be held on the day before AFA09, aiming to promote an IP (Intellectual Property) ecosystem and “provide an opportunity for international businesses and animation-related companies and organisations to network and learn from the best in the business”.
Talks will be held by “renowned speakers”, including the likes of Danny Choo, who (if you didn’t already know) is a famous blogger, whose blog has been awarded the “Best Japan Blog 2009” by Forbes, and gets 2 million hits a month.
It will be held on the 20th of November, in the same venue (Suntec Convention Centre, Halls 403 & 404), though pricing has yet to be confirmed.
4. Other Attractions
Moe Moe Kyun~ Maid Cafe
(Yes I am dead serious)
There’ll be a maid cafe at AFA ‘09! These 7 cute maids will be there to serve you your food (and I quote this) “soothe your souls”. Each maid is said to be able to “soothe your soul” in her own special way.
No real details atm, like whether the food’s halal, or what the pricing is like. Or whether you can get the maids to write your name in ketchup or something. Their profile pictures are available though.
Danny Choo
Not only will Danny Choo be appearing to talk at AAC09 (above), but he’ll also be hosting other events, including an online Gundam modelling competition in conjunction with Bandai and Anime Festival Asia to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Gundam.
You can check out the competition details here, and winners stand to receive a hamper full of Gundam exclusives from Bandai. Here’s an example badass entry.
Danny will also be showcasing his Mirai franchise at AFA09, including his own Mirai figma.
Gundam Time Tunnel
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Gundam, a Gundam Time Tunnel will also be set up by Bandai, featuring the progression of time from the first Gundam to the latest one, and will cover the entire history of the Gundam franchise, as well as items and memorabilia through the years.
Goodies~
Highlights such as the Akiba Town Marketplace and an AFA Exclusive Specialty Shop have also been confirmed, bringing you the latest goodies and exclusives from Japan.
Details yet to be confirmed.
Family Attractions
There’ll be a Kids Land section at AFA09 aimed at children of ages above 4 years. There’ll be hands-on sessions on learning how to make sushi, dumplings, sandwiches, and the like.
There’ll also be workshops on learning how to assemble model kits at Bandai’s Gundam Caravan, and participants will be able to take their creations home too.
…
Phew, I think that’s all of it. Stay tuned for photos and personal thoughts! *runs*
P.S. I took most of the images from NKDS’ post, since they seem to have all the logos somehow. -_-
10 Responses to “Anime Festival Asia 2009 Press Conference – What You Need to Know”
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OH NO! KIDDIES LAND!?! THAT MEAN… BAKUGAN! *vomits brains and dies*
NanoPulp´s last blog ..Threadless Tshirt Giveaway at jaypeeonline.net
No Bakugan was mentioned. However Ben 10 merchandise was confirmed. One kid will also get to walk away with an entire set too.
Not my thing, but hey, lucky kid!
Meido??? OH SHI-
Where’s Miku live concert!?! LOL
Kazearashi´s last blog ..Happy 2nd Birthday Hatsune Miku
Or better yet, another BRS preview screening! =D
NO NANA!!!! RAGE!
Sorry chibi. There’s still more to reveal though, so if you’re lucky… =D
Save money la. Then go get a Pass.
Like a NanaMizukium Pass or something.
NanoPulp´s last blog ..Threadless Tshirt Giveaway at jaypeeonline.net
which part of no nana do you not understand
Looks pretty good, thanks!
This post will actually served me a lot thanks