If you have miss out our live coverage, don’t fret. We have you covered. Let us take a deep breath,  Anime Festival Asia 2010 Press conference have revealed all the details you need to know including the event highlights, the folks who are coming down to I LOVE ANISONG concert and also most importation, the ticketing prices.

The press event was graced by members of the invited media which include us, the public media and also bloggers. Of course, other invited guests such as various corporate bodies and and relevant associates attended this event as well.

Breaking down the details -

Basics first – Anime Festival Asia 2010 a.k.a. AFA X will be held in Suntec Convention & Exhibition Hall 401 -402 on  13-14 November 2010

This year, AFA X will feature various experiences:

AFA’s Regional Cosplay Championships return once again, with the top cosplay team from each participating South East Asian country sponsored by AFA X to compete in the Regional Cosplay Championship during the two-day anime festival.

A panel of distinguished guests from Japan and around the region will be there, which includes internationally renowned cosplayer KANAME.  (now fangirls and fanboys, we wanna hear you scream! )  ^^

More details will be unveiled soon about the Regional Cosplay Championships. Countries involved will include Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia

For the first time in AFA and the first time ever in Southeast Asia, be the first to catch two of the most highly anticipated anime theatrical releases, even before its DVD or Blu-ray release on the main stage area in AFA X!

Gundam 00: A Wakening of the Trailblazer and The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi

AFA X is also proud to support the same day premiere of Gundam 00: A Wakening of the Trailblazer in Singapore!  For the first time ever in Singapore’s history, you will be able to catch the same time screening of an Anime movie on the same day as Japan!

For those who can’t wait to watch the movie, tickets are also available from SISTIC starting from the 14^th of September 2010.  Tickets start from S$12 each.

moe moe kyun !

Moe Moe Kyun meidos are back with a special flavor ! Seifuku version ! Dressed in school uniforms, these kawaii kouhais of yours will be serving you delicious finger foods and scrumptious desserts ! School Days have never been so …exciting… before.

Something for the ladies !! By popular request, Atelier Royale Café will be making its debut appearance at AFA X this year. Atelier Royale is a butler café (執事喫茶 shitsuji kissa), it is a themed restaurant with well-dressed male employees in waiter’s uniform or even a tuxedo.

Talk about sensations, the male butlers are specially selected to wait on you and serve a host of delectable light treats and refreshments at your fancy. Check it out with your friends and be spoilt like a hime-same (princess) for a day or two by a league of gentlemen.

Akiba Town aims to create a flavor of Akihabara, packed with exclusive merchandise goodies from a large selection of brands from over 30 exhibitors. This is including items exclusively meant for events outside of Japan or even before release in Japan! From Gunpla to figurines, and so much more, AKIBA TOWN is truly a merchandise heaven for fans with all sorts of different tastes!

Cool Japan is an initiative setup to showcase some of the latest and coolest innovations from Japan. This very special experience zone will let attendees to not just see but immerse themselves in this exclusive and mind blowing experience by some of the tops brands of Japan.

This is a little surprise but there is a mini stage located in the middle of the festival grounds, it is going to be fun-packed filled with activities throughout the day.  More details coming soon!

The Ultimate Anime Mega Concert From Japan!

5 Artists – 6 Hours – Over 2 Days!

I LOVE ANISONG concert returns for this year’s AFA, only bigger, better and louder! Experience about 6 hours of anisong goodness live in AFA X with Jam Project, angela, SCANDAL, May’n and our legendary aniki – Ichiro Mizuki !

Along with the guests who will be performing in I LOVE ANISONG  concert, there will also be special guests in Anime Festival Asia 2010.

Special Guest Appearances

Along with the artistes who are performing in I LOVE ANISONG concert, there will also be special guests in AFA X too !  This is one amazing lineup as compared to previous years of Anime Festival Asia, I wonder if it is mind blowing for you.

Kana Hanazawa
花澤香菜

Born in 1989, Kana Hanazawa is an amazing seiyuu (voice actor) who have voiced several leading roles in anime and video games. A few good examples will be her voice acting as Sophie in Tales of Graces, Tenshi (Kanade Tachibana) in Angel Beats!, Mato Kuroi in Black Rock Shooter, Kozue in Occult Academy

Her angelic voice has melted hearts of fans worldwide, you will be surprised as first debut vocals began a tender age of fourteen in the classic anime Last Exile as Holy Madosein.  Look out for her in the fall of 2010, as she takes on roles in Otome Youkai Zakuro, Umitsukihime, Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawai Wake ga Na and Motto To Love Ru.

This will be her debut overseas appearance and it is right in AFA X !! So fans of her, show her your support !

KANAME☆

Fans scream with joy over his appearance in last year’s AFA especially with his cosplay on Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. He is back again and we wonder who he might be cosplaying as in this year.

KANAME☆ first started cosplaying casually as a motivation to shape up his body and has poured his soul into 16 characters over 2007 – 2009. He is currently working on his 1st original photo book, aimed for publication in December this year.

So are you excited with KANAME☆’s return ?

Danny Choo

Bloggers or media worldwide will be probably be familiar with Danny Choo. The Tokyo Stormtrooper  who is also a blogger extraordinaire, web 2.0 genius, TV host, internet pop-icon and worldwide otaku hero will be making an appearance in AFA X.

Originally from the UK and son of renowned fashion designer Jimmy Choo, Danny has been working in Japan since 1999, serving as Computer Engineer at Japan Airlines, Website Manager at Amazon Japan and CGM Product Manager at Microsoft. He now runs an Internet strategy firm in the heart of Tokyo called Mirai Inc where he also works on TV and anime production.

As an expert on subjects like Otaku-ism (obsessive love for all things anime and manga) and Consumer Generated Media, Danny is regularly invited to speak at conferences around the world. He also recently started to host a TV show called culture:Japan on Animax.

Danny Choo will be joining AFA as a global content and marketing partner, he will also be hosting some of AFA X’s most exciting stage segments.

COSPA

COSPA is one of the top manufacturers of character apparel, goods and costumes from anime, manga and games in Japan. They own several brands: COSPA, Nijigen COSPA, Resinya!, COSPATIO and Trantrip. Each has a unique brand concept. They were established in 1995 and have created the character goods market for those adults who love character apparel, goods and costumes. Their goal is to share and maximize fun by creating new trends for character apparel as communication tools. Their policy is to produce only approved and properly licensed merchandise that brings original creators’ passions.

This year in AFA, COSPA Japan is proud to present the Kadokawa World Tour and Evangelion Store!

Merchandise from the Kadokawa World Tour and Evangelion Store are premium items, available only at overseas fairs. All the product designs are fresh and produced exclusively for international markets only.

The hit anime titles featured at the Kadokawa World Tour are Spice and Wolf, Summer Wars, Lucky Star, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Sora no Otoshimono and Shakugan no Shana. And not forgetting the Rebuild of Evangelion items at the Evangelion Store!

Catch these fantastic merchandise FIRST in SE Asia at AFA X!  Get them fast before they run out!

Bushiroad

Bushiroad Inc plans, develops and sells many kinds of collectable card games. It has garnered 300 million yen in sales in the first year. With collaborations with major content owners in Japan, Bushiroad directly brings anime and game characters together with the scenes to create a whole new gaming experience to players on a different playing field.

Top players from Malaysia and Singapore will gather at AFA X for the final round of the WS Grand Prix. At the end of the day, only one player representing each country will get to fly to Japan and get to compete with the top WS players in the world, for the chance to be crowned the top WS player in the world!

Mr Takaaki Kidani, President of Bushiroad will be making an appearance this year at Anime Festival Asia!

Milky Holmes
ミルキィホームズ

Get ready to investigate the seiyuu unit, Milky Holmes, from the anime, Tantei Opera Milky Holmes. This group of talented girls will be making a special appearance at AFA X, for the first time ever in Southeast Asia! Check out this PV from the lively girls of Milky Holmes

Artistes For “I LOVE ANISONG”

Navigation

Page 1 – AFA X Experience Zones

Page 2 – Special Guest Appearances

Page 3 - “I LOVE ANISONG” Artistes (This Page)

Page 4 – Ticketing Information

JAM Project

One cant deny the epic levels of JAM (short for Japan Animationsong Makers) Project,  a super group that unites the best talents of the anisong world. The main line up consists of Hironobu Kageyama, Masaaki Endo, Hiroshi Kitadani, Masami Okui and Yoshiki Fukuyama.

You heard the awesome performance brought by Yoshiki Fukuyama during AFA 09, now experience the group in AFA X.  JAM Project is a movement that’s inspired by the power and spirit of anime which is broadcasted not only in Japan but all over the world toda.

JAM Project’s aim is to produce songs that are good enough to match the calibre of anime. The only way to achieve this is to bring together the masters of anisong who feel and express the soul of anime from their hearts. The magic that separates these passionate anisong warriors from other artists is the high-spirited power within their vocals that flows into the hearts of fans.

Already having more than 100 songs, JAM Project members also write some of their own songs and are working towards producing their own albums. In 2008, they also toured 8 countries and 10 cities to spread the magic of anisong and anime to fans across the globe.
Are you ready to handle to the awesomeness by JAM Project ?

Ichiro Mizuki
水木 一郎

The legendary Aniki is back in AFA X. No words can describe how awesome he is. He is an anisong pioneer who debuted his performance in 1968 with the theme song for Genshi Shouken Ryuu, Mazinger Z, Captain Harlock, as well as the big TV hit, Kamen Rider, from its initial series.

In 1999, Aniki even made history by singing 1000 songs within 24 hours! He also collaborated with French DJ Dimitri in 2003 while being ordained the “Anime Song Ambassador” in Paris in 2007. Recently, Aniki performed at the 2010 Shanghai International Exhibition’s CoFesta.

For over 40 years, Aniki has been raising the dreams and hopes of children with his charismatic singing. Today, he continues to pass on the magic of anisongs with his amazing passion and live performances all over the world.

I LOVE ANISONG will be featuring the five artistes performing over the 2 days of Anime Festival Asia 2010. A teaser site has been setup, do check it out here

SCANDAL

SCANDAL needs no introduction for fans who are into Japanese music. Their sweet schoolgirl image may fool the general person but when they are armed with their music instruments, they will rock you out with their pop  rock music.

Proclaiming themselves as “the most powerful Japanese girlie pop rock”,  Haruna (lead vocals and guitar), Mami (guitar), Tomomi (bass) and Rina (drums) are SCANDAL!  These girls are aged between 19 to 22 years old and formed their back in August 2006 when they first met in a music school. Their initial performances began with street performances in Osaka Castle Park until one day their fame skyrocketed.

It began in 2008 when SCANDAL performed at Sakura-Con in Seattle, followed by a tour in 6 other American cities. In the same year, they also rocked a crowd of 10,000 at the Japan Expo of France and another 8,000 at the Anicomi Festival in Hongkong, attracting great international fandom.

the classical Spaceranger PV

SCANDAL has an unique way in which they chose to promote themselves. They love Japanese animation and manga hence they love to be represented in animated form, if you go to their official website, you will see that each SCANDAL member is represented in an animated character version. They have a series of promotional videos that uses such style (an example above), do check it out on their website and blog !

Official Webpage – http://www.scandal-4.com/

Official blog – http://6109.jp/scandal4/

angela

angela is the brilliant creation of “atsuko” Yamashita Atsuko (山下敦子) as vocals and “KATSU” Hirasato Katsunori 平里勝敬) on guitar. The duo are known for their signature upbeat tunes and rich arrangements of dazzling mix of electronica, dance, rock, swing jazz

Both are from Okinawa and met each other in a music school located in Tokyo, they formed a street band in 1993. It was at 2003 when angela shot to fame with their opening song for anime Stellvia no Universe , titled Asu e no Brilliant Road.

May’n
中林 芽依

May’n’s first debut appearance in AFA 08 mesmerized the fans with her powerful vocals during the concert, performing songs from popular anime “Macross Frontier”.  Despite her young age, May’n is already rising towards her dream of being Japan’s top female rock vocalist with sold out concerts at the acclaimed Budokan and all over Asia.

Commanding a wide range of singing styles from pop rock, soul to R&B and grand ballad, May’n unleashes her high notes with absolute precision and ease, captivating fans throughout her entire magical performance. Her latest song “Ready, Go!” in in particularly lovely. Here is a video of the song

Her phenomenal success has also earned her the support of leading producers who have worked with Ayumi Hamasaki, Porno Grafitti, Ikimonogakari, Chemistry and Malaysia. This year, you will get to feel the magical phenomenon brought by May’n.

Official Webpage – http://pc.mayn.jp/index.html

Official blog – http://ameblo.jp/mayn-blog/

Here are the dates where our favorite artistes will be performing !

13 November (Sat)
JAM Project
Ichirou Mizuki

14 November (Sun)
SCANDAL
angela
May’n

Ticketing

It is amazing with the various event highlights that AFA has came up with to compliment the ticket prices spanning two days, those prices appear to be reasonable as we compare them to those concerts in Japan ! I bet some overseas fans will be pretty jealous and wish they are in Singapore.

The details are as below, make sure you read up the type of ticket that will entitle you the certain privilege in AFA X !

Entrance Ticketing Details

Entrance tickets will be pre-sold at authorized outlets.

Tickets will also be sold at the event grounds.

I Love Anisong Ticketing Details

Concert Standing Pass

Further details on the sale of I Love Anisong tickets to be announced.

Official Forum discussion for AFA X can be found here