SINGAPORE - From Japan's top cosplayer to its hottest anime titles, this year's C3 Anime Festival Asia (AFA) Singapore will feature a line-up of the anime industry's top talent.
The annual home-grown festival was first organised in 2008 by Japanese pop culture events marketing agency Sozo and is now billed as the largest of its kind in South-east Asia, having drawn crowds of over 105,000 fans and participants for its 10th anniversary in 2018.
It will return to Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre from Nov 29 to Dec 1.
Appearing at the festival will be Japan's top cosplayer Enako, who will be holding a meet-and-greet session with fans. She will be joined by other popular cosplayers such as Baozi & Hana, Hakken and Singaporean cosplayer Rithe.
Visitors to the festival can also catch the premiere South-east Asian screening of Frame Arms Girl Movie and the first anime episode of popular humanoid cats game Nekopara.
This year's edition of I Love Anisong concert, which features artists whose tracks are used in popular anime titles, will showcase a special collaboration performance among four artists - Ayaka Ohashi, Azusa Tadokoro, May'n and Minori Chihara - on Dec 1.
Another of the festival's highlights is the new AFA Play Zone, where fans can try their hand at the iconic ninja selection exam from the anime Naruto (2002 to 2007) in a themed escape room.
Visitors to the festival can also watch aspiring illustrators from different countries pit their creativity and skills against one another at the regional Art Duel competition.
The spotlight will also shine on top seiyuu (voice actors), composers and other anime industry experts, who will share behind-the-scenes experiences with anime enthusiasts.
Fans will be able to hear directly from the voices behind their favourite anime characters, including Satoshi Tsuruoka from Fate/Grand Order and Asami Tano from Zombie Land Saga, and glean insights from renowned anime producers.
And for the first time outside Japan, Mappa, the animation studio behind hit series Yuri On Ice (2016), will be showcasing an exclusive behind-the-scenes gallery featuring scenes from their most popular titles.
