Apparently I got the event's name wrongly... It's AFA08 (Anime Fest Asia 2008) not Asia Anime Convention... ^^; Sorry about the blur-ness

Date: 22 and 23 November
Place: Singapore (but uhh... I don't know the specific place)

"CELEBRATING THE DIVERSITY OF JAPANESE POP CULTURE!Singapore, 03 September 2008 – For the first time ever in South East Asia, Singapore will celebrate the diversity of Japanese Pop Culture.Taking place on the 22nd and 23rd of November 2008 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Center, Anime Festival Asia 2008 (AFA08) will showcase a wide array of Japanese Pop Culture related content, spanning over 5,000 sqm of space with 6 experience zones: Akiba Town, Anime Live, Anime Blockbusters, Industry, Mangaka and Planet Mech, where visitors will gain access to exclusive content, merchandise and live acts straight from Japan.

The festival targets children, youth, adults and industry visitors both locally and from around the region – with an expected turnout in excess of 80,000 visitors.

Anime Festival Asia 2008 (AFA08) is organized by I-Promo Events & Marketing in partnership with Dentsu Singapore. AFA08 is sponsored by Bandai, Japan’s leading toy manufacturer, with Animax as the official regional media partner.

The festival, made possible with support from the Embassy of Japan and the Japan Foundation, will be attended by directors, producers, manga artists and creative individuals from Japan’s entertainment industries.

The festival is a pre-event introduction for the Japan Creative Centre that is scheduled to open next year in Singapore. The Japan Creative Centre’s primary objective is to be a platform for showcasing Japanese-related content and culture in Singapore.

AFA08 will also provide an opportunity for international businesses and anime–related companies and organizations to network and participate in the fair. As interest in the Japanese anime industry increases throughout the world, this trade fair provides businesses and companies in South East Asia an opportunity to preview the latest anime content from Japan.

“Anime Festival Asia will be an exciting experience for everyone in the family! There is a program-packed line-up at “Anime Live”, where activities on stage will include an exclusive premiere of an anime short from “Genius Party Beyond”, the latest anime feature movie from Studio 4¡C. AFA08 will also have character appearances, music performances and competitions of all kinds related to the anime industry. There will also be live talk shows where anime enthusiasts can meet the creators of their favourite anime. Manga fans will also have a chance to enter the world of the artist with a display of never before seen sketch arts in the “Mangaka” zone. “Planet Mech” will appeal to robot fans who can get up close and personal with a Gundam Seed Destiny diorama display; and the list goes on,” said Anthony Kang, Chairman, Dentsu Singapore and Chairman of AFA08.

“With Japanese Popular Culture in South East Asia currently undergoing tremendous growth in popularity, there is definitely a need for a global platform like Anime Festival Asia to showcase Anime related content in this region, much like the ‘Tokyo Anime Fair in Japan, and the ‘Anime Expo’ in the US. We will showcase exclusive footage, artifacts and creative scene materials such as storyboards, character and prop designs at ‘Anime Blockbusters” where fans can go ‘behind the scenes’, ” said Richard Tan, Executive Director of I-Promo Events & Marketing and Festival Director of AFA08. “We also have an ‘Industry’ zone to provide youths who are considering a career in the anime industry a chance to find out more about their opportunities, and there will be a business track for companies in the industry to learn more about content development and distribution,” added Tan.

KOJI MORIMOTO (“The Animatrix – Beyond”) Studio 4degree Founder and Animation Director and MARIMI SAKURAI (Project Manager, Studio 4¡ (Four Degrees) are the first two speakers confirmed for the “Anime Live” talk shows."

"Anime Festival Asia ’08 will be held at Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Halls 403 and 404 from 10.00 am to 9.00pm. Tickets can be purchased at the door at $5 (1 day) and $8 (2 days). Children under 6 years of age enter for free. Visit http://www.afa08.com for more details."

Ichirou Mizuki also known as the King who have performed many songs for the anime from the golden age such as Captain Harlock and Masked Rider...

May'n will be there too! But you gotta buy the exclusive VIP ticket to see her mini-concert.... ;A; PS: SHe's only 18!!! O__O OMG.. She's the same age with me and yet she's so famed!!!!!

Kunio Okawara who is one of the mechanical designer for GUNDAM!!! OMG OMG OMG... As a gundam fan, you might not want to miss this guy...

Signing off (enjoying fangirl-ness),
Kar Yee/Weiss/Ayumi

Labels: ACG convention, Anime

# posted by Akatsuki Ayumi | 9:51 AM |