● Three-day blockbuster experiential festival showcasing direct from Japan Anisong Artistes, J-Culture Content, themed experiences and more
● Returning and New Exhibitors and partners to feature hit title anime-related content, exclusive showcases and experiences – including Japan’s most popular Butler Cafe, Swallowtail, and the “NARUTO X BORUTO: Ninja Selection Exam” escape room game
● New elements in the action-packed programming: Inaugural AFA Film Festival and AFA PLAY Zone
● I Love Anisong tickets see strong response in sales
C3 Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2019 (#C3AFASG19), South East Asia’s biggest and most prestigious Japanese Pop Culture event, takes off on its three-day blockbuster experiential showcase today in Singapore. With an AFA Airways theme this year, the festival rolls out a weekend of extensive curated content, offering non-stop surprises, programmes, competitions and a star-studded line-up of guests and celebrities for fans and J-Pop Culture enthusiasts.
In its 12th edition, the C3 Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2019 is held from 29 November to 1 December at Suntec City Convention Centre’s Level 3 and 4. The home-grown event drew 105,000 visitors for last year’s Singapore edition.
The main festival elements spread across Level 3 of Suntec City Convention Centre – the Exhibition Hall with a comprehensive range of merchandise, showcases and experience zones, as well as a mini stage (Akiba Stage) and the new AFA Play zone, a dedicated space for analog and digital gaming experiences curated for Anime lovers. The Day Stage hosts special anime screenings, talk shows and guest appearances throughout the day. The stage space transforms into a concert hall in the evening, hosting the I Love Anisong Anime Music Festival, with power-packed performances across 3 days. The inaugural AFA Film Festival will be held on Level 3.
With tickets selling out fast for the I Love Anisong concerts, organisers are hopeful for another successful edition. “2018 marked our 10th anniversary and we saw a record showing of support from fans in Singapore and the region. This year, we have pulled out all the stops to create new elements in the festival, with something different every day. We hope to give our fans a refreshed experience, and amazing memories for new visitors, with a mix of new star attractions and crowd favourites,” said Shawn Chin, Managing Director of SOZO and founder of Anime Festival Asia.
A Passport to the Best J-Culture Content
From exclusive anime content and merchandise to a stellar line-up of Anisong artistes and more, festival-goers are in for an exhilarating flight at this edition of C3 Anime Festival Asia Singapore.
Highlights include the I Love Anisong Anime Music Festival: The star-studded artiste line-up includes Ayaka Ohashi, Azusa Tadokoro, BLUE ENCOUNT, fhána, JUNNA, Maaya Uchida, May’n, Minori Chihara, MYTH & ROID, ReoNa, SCANDAL and TRUE! A special collaboration performance between four Anisong artistes will be held on 1 Dec.
The first-ever AFA Film Festival, will be held on Level 3 of the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre during #C3AFASG19. The curated line-up of anime movies and concert footage includes the South East Asia premiere of Frame Arms Girl Movie: Kyakkya Ufufu na Wonderland, CENCOROLL CONNECT, Saekano the Movie Finale, One Piece: Stampede, HYPNOSISMIC – Division Rap Battle – 4th LIVE @ OSAKA Day 2 Battleground, Utano☆Princesama Maji LOVE Kingdom and #C3AFASG19 exclusive Zombie Land Saga LIVE: Franchouchou Minna de Orabou in SAGA. Tickets for the film festival are sold separately.
For the first-time outside of Japan, MAPPA – Japan’s renowned animation studio – is bringing “MAPPA SHOWCASE” to #C3AFASG19! Anime fans and aspiring animators can get an exclusive look at what goes on behind-the-scenes when developing hit anime series such as Yuri on Ice, Banana Fish, Dororo and Zombie Land Saga.
Bring out the Anime Gamer in you at the New AFA PLAY
Attendees can showcase their gaming prowess and strategic thinking abilities at AFA PLAY Zone, a newly-added dedicated zone that features competitions, anime games and more. The zone includes activities such as gaming sessions with guest cosplayers, an Auto Chess tournament, a brand new, highly competitive multiplayer online strategy game by developers Drodo and Dragonest Co. Ltd.
A key highlight is the Naruto x Boruto: Ninja Selection Exam, an escape room concept based on the iconic ninja exam featured in the anime. The game is available for the first time in Asia.
Attendees can also look forward to intense battles at the dedicated zone, from the exclusive showdown between the producer of Fate/Grand Order Duel, Mr Konaka, and Singapore’s GRAND COSMOS WAR Tournament Champion and Art Duel, a regional competition where aspiring illustrators from different countries battle against one another.
New Themed Experiences
Attendees can look forward to catching a glimpse of the latest and upcoming releases, as well as exploring new booths featuring themed experiences.
BANDAI SPIRITS will present their latest Gunpla and plastic model kits from various anime titles and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment will exhibit a series of demos for their upcoming video game releases. Exhibitors CYBIRD and Kotobukiya will be showcasing their respective products, the English version of the hit Japanese smartphone game A3! and prototype figurines that are slated for release in 2020, which includes the Ikemen Joker, Kimetsu no Yaiba and Bishounen DC models.
Experience the digital world of Sword Art Online Alicization and fantasy world of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime at the Muse X Hakken! inaugural themed experiential booths, or try out Fate/Grand Order Duel and purchase official merchandise at the Aniplex booth. Visit as well the asobi! booth by Genesis Frontier for game demonstrations.
At the end of the day, attendees can leave their luck behind and be confident of a chance at winning something at the Ichiban Kuji booth, a product by Bandai Spirits with sure-win tickets, or try out the free manga app – MangaPlus by SHUEISHA – at the JUMP exhibition booth.
Attendees can look forward to a greater variety of food and drinks selections at this year’s Matsuri-themed Food Street. With more than 10 stores, offerings include IPPUDO EXPRESS, Renga-ya, Sinful Cold Soba and Tiger Sugar. For a different experience, enjoy the royalty treatment from professional butlers at Swallowtail, one of Japan’s most popular butler cafe.
Returning Favourites for #C3AFASG19
Attendees can look forward to the return of Creators Hub, a dedicated area with booths selling fan-made merchandise such as art prints, t-shirts, enamel pins and more by budding artists. The Akiba Stage will host performances and special appearances, including I’m Sora Project’s first-ever live stage performance and the long-anticipated annual Ikemen Series Standee Raffle. Other programmes at the Akiba Stage include celebrity cosplayer showcases, a special deep-dive session on the manga industry and a special autograph and photo session with Cosplayer Hiroto, the official Cosplayer for the Ikemen series.
Meet and Hear from top Seiyuus and Industry Experts
Get a first-hand account of what goes on behind-the-scenes from industry experts, voice actors/actresses (seiyuus) and other experts at the Day Stage. Seiyuus behind top anime titles will take the stage to share their insights with fans. They include: Ayahi Takagaki (from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures), Aki Toyosaki (from K-ON!), Eriko Nakamura , Saki Fujita1 (from YuruYuri), Satomi Arai1 (from A Certain Scientific Railgun T), Asami Tano (from Zombie Land Saga), Satoshi Tsuruoka (from Fate/Grand Order), Reina Ueda, Azumi Waki (from Null & Peta), Miho Okazaki, Chikahiro Kobayashi (from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime), Ai Kayano and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (from Saekano the Movie: Finale and Sword Art Online Alicization: War of Underworld).
Fans of the popular humanoid cats game NEKOPARA can hear producers share more on the upcoming TV anime, and see the premiere of its first anime episode. Other guests include Manabu Otsuka from MAPPA and Nobuhiro Takenaka from Cygames, who worked on the Zombie Land Saga franchise and will be sharing their experiences, as well as composer Hige Driver, the creator of songs for many popular games and anime such as THE iDOLM@STER CINDERELLA GIRLS, Tokyo 7th Sisters, Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Full Boost, Azur Lane and hit Japanese animation Re:Zero – Starting Life in Another World, NEW GAME!
Be Wowed by Celebrity Cosplayers
With Cosplay being a key element of J-Culture, festival goers can meet celebrity cosplayers including Japan’s top cosplayer Enako, Baozi & Hana, Hakken, Hikarin, Hiko, Hiroto, Mon and Singaporean cosplayer Rithe. Enako will be having a meet & greet session at #C3AFASG19 and everyone’s invited. Baozi & Hana, the extremely popular duo with a huge fan following in and beyond China, will make their last cosplay appearance at #C3AFASG19.
C3AFASG19 is a ticketed event, with tickets starting from SGD15. Tickets can be purchased online at https://animefestival.asia/singapore19/tickets-2019/ or on-site at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre 3rd floor concourse (for the “EXHIBITION ONLY” and “EXHIBITION + STAGE” tickets) and Hall 404 on the 4th floor (for the “I LOVE ANISONG” (EXHIBITION + STAGE + CONCERT tickets).
For more information about the festival, members of the public can check out the official site and Facebook.
C3 Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2019
Dates: 29 November – 1 December 2019
Location: Suntec City Convention and Exhibition Centre (Levels 3 & 4)
Exhibition Timing: 10am – 8pm