Last weekend, the annual Anime Festival Asia 2009 (AFA09) took place at the Suntec City Convention Hall on the 21st and 22nd of November; being one of the major anime conventions in the region, it catered to fans and hobbyists alike with a series of thrilling events for the second time in two years running.

Characters coming to life: Cosplayers looking their best in various costumes

Highlights of the convention included a cosplay ( a role-playing activity that involves anime fans dressing up as their character of choice) competition and booths selling anime-related merchandise that spanned the gamut, ranging from model kits to body-sized pillows embossed with popular characters. Of note were the displays by toymaker Bandai and Good Smile Company that showcased figurines as well as upcoming product s to be released in the months to come.

Anime figurines on display: The iconic Rx-78-2 from the “Gundam” series and Mio Akiyama from “K-On” (From Top to Bottom)

A number of Japanese celebrities and singers also attended the event and conducted electrifying stage performances as well, namely May’n, Yoshiyuki Fukuyama, Shoko Nagakawa and Ichirou Mizuki, all of whom are singers for theme songs featured in hit series such as “Macross” and “Tengen Toppan Gurren Lagaan”. Well-known Japanese culture blogger, Danny Choo, of “dannychoo.com” fame also attended the event in his trademark storm trooper costume as well.

All in all, AFA09 was an immense success as a platform to further promote Japanese pop culture locally, judging by the large crowd that was drawn to the event, while simultaneously satisfying the local fan community by bringing in the best entertainment from the “land of the rising sun”. Hopefully, next year’s event will be a similar, if not more, fulfilling experience. AFA BANZAI!

Written by Stanley Lim