ANIME FESTIVAL ASIA 2013

Region's top Japanese Popular Culture Festival,
Anime Festival Asia 2013 is here!

Mark your dates this November for Anime Festival Asia 2013 (AFA13), for a sensory treat of good music, shopping, anime-related content and much more. The region's biggest festival for Japanese Popular Culture, which saw over 80,000 visitors last year, returns on 8 – 10 November 2013, to Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Singapore. Organisers shared the I Love Anisong artist line-up, one of the festival's key highlights, as well as some of the key exhibitors and sponsors, today during Anime Festival Asia Indonesia held in Jakarta.

Fans can look forward to a combination of familiar favourites and new experience zones. They include:

• The return of the Akiba Town retail experience area with exclusive merchandise direct from Japan, the Creator Hub featuring works by fans, for fans, and the Japan Future Entertainment Zone.
• Diners can experience AFA Café, a new concept combining the very popular Moe Moe Kyun Maid Café and Atelier Royale Butler Café. The AFA Food Street will return as well.
• A new Japan Fashion Zone will bring to Singapore the latest and trendiest fashion fads.
• Cosplay lovers will see South-east Asia's best cosplayers battle it out in the annual AFA Regional Cosplay Competition. A Single's competition, held for the second year running, will see celebrity cosplayers on the events grounds selecting their favourite cosplayers amongst the visitors.

In response to popular demand, the exhibition area will open from 8 November 2013, Friday, to allow visitors to join in the booth activities and shop to their hearts' content for three days. Previously, the exhibition area was only open from the second day onwards, for two days.

THE BEST OF LIVE MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT – I LOVE ANISONG CONCERTS AND VALRAVE

From artistes who will perform in Singapore for the first time, to returning heavyweights bringing their latest performances never seen before in South-east Asia, music lovers can enjoy three days of exciting themed concerts. Featuring a stellar line-up of twelve artistes with more to be announced at a later date, this is one of the biggest gathering of anisong artistes, outside of Japan for a single event.

• I Love Anisong

  The signature I Love Anisong concerts will be held on 8 and 9 November.
  • Friday (8 November) showcases feature highly prominent music creators. They include LVIN, EGOIST, Hachioji P, livetune, and motsu x DJ Kaya.
  • Saturday (9 November) is dedicated to the female superstars in the scene. LiSA and May'n return to wow the crowds once again. Eir Aoi, who will perform in AFA Indonesia 2013, will make her Singapore debut during Diva Night.

• Valvrave – Concert and special stage segment

  One of 2013's most highly anticipated animes, "Valvrave: The Liberator", will see its second season coming in October 2013, AFA13 organisers are proud to be the first in South-east Asia to bring to fans a special concert night dedicated to this anime. On 10 November, the concert halls will feature artistes performing the anime's opening and ending themes. Returning to AFA is the dynamic duo of angela and T.M.Revolution, who held his solo performance in AFA13. Elisa and the night's special guest performer, Nana Mizuki, will make her overseas debut. Fans can also expect a special stage segment featuring voice actors Ryouta Ousaka and Ryohei Kimura duo behind the two lead male characters of the show, Haruto Tokishima and L-Elf respectively.

FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES NEW SPONSORS AND MEDIA PARTNERS

Organisers also announced the participation of several companies participating in AFA13 as sponsors. King Records, one of Japan's most respected record labels, participated in AFA last year and returns as a sponsor this year. Leading Japanese beverage company Itoen, airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Microsoft will join the festival as sponsors for the first time. The participation of these companies reaffirms AFA position as both a market leader in content, as well as a platform for youth marketing. Media partners include Animax Asia, one of the region's biggest cable broadcaster of Japanese animation, as well as Hello Japan, one of the newest channels dedicated to Japanese programming.

Home-grown concept sees growing success in the regional scene

Anime Festival Asia started on 2008 in Singapore, and extended its outreach in 2012 to hold satellite events in Malaysia and Indonesia for the first time, with a focus on content relevant to the local markets. The inaugural satellite events saw a combined attendance of over 80,000 visitors. This year, a satellite event is held in Jakarta from 6 to 8 September 2013, and is expected to attract 85,000 visitors. Anime Festival Asia 2013 in Singapore will be 3 jointly organised by Japanese investors Dentsu Inc & Zepp Live Entertainment, and Singapore-based organiser SOZO.

"We're delighted by the strong support for Anime Festival Asia in Singapore, as well as the various countries. This year marks a milestone as prominent Japanese companies, Dentsu Inc and Zepp Live Entertainment Inc, lend a hand to strengthen the festival's network with Japanese companies, promotional outreach, as well as our concert-management expertise. All these means 1 thing to our visitors – more of the top quality content and merchandise that makes Anime Festival Asia so special for youths, families, and lovers of Japanese Popular Culture," said Anime Festival Asia's Executive Festival Director and SOZO's Founder and Managing Director Shawn Chin.

AFA2013 will be held at Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre. For more information on the festival, members of the public can check out www.animefestival.asia and www.facebook.com/animefestivalasia.