It's sooo close till Animania Festival Weekend @ Australian Technology Park and we've got a STELLAR schedule of events lined up! But wait, there's more!
Announcing the Madman Panel!!
Madman are Australia's leading distributor and our hottest gateway to the latest and greatest anime and manga titles. In fact, pretty much all of our scheduled screenings are courtesy of Madman! Thanks white-bound-up-Ninja-guy! Especially for the special screening of the latest Death Note movie, L Change the World scheduled for Sunday afternoon at the Chibi Stage.
Those who have visited a Madman Panel can expect the latest updates on what's to come in the anime/manga scene for DVD releases and more. If you have never been to one of their panels, well go on along and learn more and meet some of the guys that BRING YOU ANIME!
Oh man, I'm so pumped! (and it's not all that sugar I promise...)
Looking forward to an awesome weekend! Final announcements tomorrow night - and a surprise? Maybe? Who knows?!
Cheers,
Panda
P.S. Animania Festival Weekend has Facebook-ified! Click here to say you're coming to the event! (Facebook account required :D)
In addition to the judges introduced yesterday, Animania Festival will be welcoming Akiko Okubo as a Special Guest Cosplay Judge from Japan!
Okubo-san will be visiting Animania Festival as the official World Cosplay Summit representative from TV Aichi, Japan. She worked with the WCS as a PR/Manager for two years before taking on the role of Chief Secretary. We welcome Okubo-san's intuitive sense in the Cosplay Competitions and we're sure she'll bring a critical eye for Japanese fashion.
If you're interested in what Animania will be doing with WCS next year, then head to the Doujin Stage at noon on Sunday to learn more. Our special guest will also be taking part in our panel on Animania Festival 2009's participation in WCS 2010. More details on this here. Okubo-san will also be offering her assistance in judging the Bankai competion.
On the topic of Cosplay, don't forget there'll be heaps on in the Cosplay HQ at Animania this year - our special dedicated area for Cosplay events and Cosplayers!! There's the Cosplay Market, Cosplay Expo, Cosplay Photo Shoot and in the spirit of the Olympics of course, the Cosplay Games! Click here for all the info!.
First up is a totally gnarly announcement: It's confirmed! The Death Note Movie: L Change the World will be screening at Animania this weekend! Stay tuned for further details and screening times.
And now on to the topic of today's equally gnarly post. Watching the cosplay competition we all know that the judges are the people who make the call on who wins, but who are these mighty forces of cosplay experience and knowledge? Read on and meet the judges!
Hey everyone,
Travis here, taking the reins of news posting from Amanda again! Now it's time to bring you some news! NEWS ON!
At the festival this weekend, there will be a wide range of exciting art activities for every kind of artist out there!
The Origami workshop, is back again this year. As well as two new workshops; 3D papercraft (paper modeling) and Japanese Paper Dolls!
These work shops are a lot of fun and you can take home your creations formed by your very own hands! Places are limited so be sure to get to the workshops early. Check the schedule to get in on the paper folding action! For more info about the workshops check the Art Area & Workshops page.
Like to draw? The doodling competitions are back again, ready for your artistic gauntlet to be thrown down! Bring your best art skills and show the world what you can do! More info on art comps can be found on the Art Competitions page
YEAH! Well that's it for my bad self. Catch you on the flip side!
-Travis
Moving out of the familiar stomping grounds that was Town Hall, might have of you asking "how do I get to Animania via public transport now?" Well worry not my inquisitive friends! Check out the video below of Morris taking a stroll from Redfern station (platform 10) down to the Australian Technology park in less than 5 minutes!
While you're here why not check out the Speed AMV entries and help select a winner for the People's Choice award!
Woah! 6 days to go! I hope you're all as super pumped as I am!
(Remember any gymnastics is an entirely optional method of human transportation.)
Entries into this year's first ever Speed AMV competition are now available for viewing on YouTube!
The Speed AMV combines the traditional AMV with our old comedic favourite, Fandub. The results? Well, they turned out so much more awesome than we could have expected!! Click here to see for yourself!
And make sure to go view each video and rate each video - the video with the highest rating and number of views will take out the People's Choice award. Whether you vote for Phoenix Wright 'whipping it' or the cast of AzuManga being tormented by L or any of the others, one will be crowned People's Choice!!
In addition to the Animania Insight and Classroom forums, panels and seminars mentioned yesterday, we have added a few more Art-related talks!
Animania Festival this year will be featuring a number of Art Talks and Demonstrations focusing on art techniques, Asian Ball Jointed Dolls (ABJD) and Cosplay.
The art-specific talks will be looking at digital and traditional illustration in action, how to translate ideas into a web comic and copic techniques. Local ABJD experts will present an introductory talk on dolls as well as look at photography techniques and face-up. And Cosplay... there are almost too many topics to mention! From how to develop memorable skits to how to organise groups to Q&A sessions with WCS Preliminary finalists, there's bound to be something for all!!
Animania Festival Weekend will again be featuring a range of seminars and panels for visitors!
Along with a number of art talks and demonstrations, Animania will be bringing back its series of discussion panels/open forums - Insight. These panels/forums take a closer look at various topics in Japanese popular culture and attempts to answer those niggling questions like, what is anime really? And how is anime fandom different to other fandoms? And can anime and manga really be educational?
This year's Insight topics are diving into anime and manga as genres and/or mediums. Check out the full list of topics and speakers available now here.
There will also be the brand new series of seminars this year, the Animania Classroom!! These will focus on introducing novices out there what anime and manga are all about, what's popular and why it's different.
There will also be some special sessions on Japanese language and a closer look at Miyazaki's Spirited Away. So if you're not sure about what anime or manga really is, then come along to these sessions - all welcome! A list of all the topics that will be presented can be found here.
These talks and panels are bound to leave you wanting to learn more, so make sure to check them out and bring your learning cap!
Animania Festival will feature two Asian Ball Jointed Doll (ABJD) competitions and the deadlines for both have been extended to the 15th August, 2008.
Popular in Japan and Korea, these unique and beautiful dolls are the focus of a niche community in Australia. These resin dolls are made with ball and socket joints, making them fully articulated (complete with neck, shoulders, elbows, torsos, hips, ankles, etc) and highly poseable. Each doll is unique and can be customised with its own personalised outfit, personality and aesthetics. Doll manufacturers sometimes base ABJDs on popular characters in anime or manga.
Animania Festival is featuring ABJDs for the first time within its Art Area. A range of events will be held including introductory seminars and art-based tutorials and demonstrations for current ABJD owners.
There are also two competitions for ABJD owners - Doll Photography and Doll Cosplay - with some awesome ABJD prizes up for grabs! And remember, there's a little more time before submissions need to be made, head to the competition page to learn more about the rules.
Want a chance to WIN a double pass to the upcoming Animania Festival Weekend?
Then tune into SBS Radio's hot, rad and super wicked Alchemy Asian Pop Show for more details.
Not only are they offering a chance to win double passes to Animania Festival weekend, but every Thursday night from 11pm-1am on SBS Radio, Jennifer Ho plays you all the latest Japanese, Korean and Chinese beats. From hot super pop to fresh indie beats, they've got it all! The Pillows, Dynamic Duo, Mc Hotdog, Eason Chan and many other renowned artists have all made a guest appearance on the show, so what are you waiting for! Tune in to 93.1 fm Melbourne, 97.7 fm Sydney, or check out the Alchemy website for your local frequency!
Just the ticket for those that missed pre-rego!!
Back again with more tomorrow,
Amanda
P.S. Tickets will still be available at the door on the day too! (Cash only at registers thanks, sorry!)
