Organisers of Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2022 (#AFASG22), Southeast Asia’s biggest and most prestigious Japanese Pop Culture event, shared a series of key updates today on its festival line-up.
Details on key highlights that you can look forward to were unveiled for the festival, which will be held physically from 25 to 27 November 2022 at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.
From a star-studded Day Stage Line-up, a refreshed Creators’ Hub, J-Dance Competition, and Meet & Greet Sessions, there is something for every festival-goer. Additions to AFA Night LIVE!, the festival’s evening showcase segment, and details of the AFAVerse visitor experience were also revealed.
AFA Day Stage
The AFA Day Stage, located at Hall 405, will play host to a series of screenings, guest talk shows and more over 25 – 27 November. Highlights include:
25 November
- A virtual guest appearance and talk show with V-tuber Fulgur Ovid from NIJISANJI EN,
- PRISM Project will host an epic face-off battle of improv between two groups of virtual talent, with prompts chosen live by audiences
- A talk show featuring Vtubers based in different countries, featuring Luna Amane of NHOT BOT, Maya Ichimonji from GEMS COMPANY, Nox from VirtuaReal and Lilrya Prisvielle from VReverie
- An appearance and performance by Miura Ayme and Satoshi Kada from Obey Me!, an otome game of the “Shall we date?” series!
- And a special guest appearance by celebrity cosplayer Hakken.
26 November
- Screening of the first 2 episodes of ARKNIGHTS: Prelude to Dawn, the anime adaptation of the popular mobile game, featuring a recorded message from the Japanese voice actress for Amiya and a recorded interview with the production staff from the anime production house, Yostar Pictures.
- Appearances by Junta Terashima and Ryota Takeuchi, who voice and sing as characters from the group The Cat’s Whiskers in the Paradox Live multimedia franchise, ahead of the upcoming anime series coming in 2023
- Lycoris Recoil, one of the most popular titles from the July 2022 anime season, will be featured through a talk show on stage. Guests coming for this stage event will be announced separately.
27 November
- A special panel from MAPPA, an animation studio that will be talking about the current and upcoming projects of the studio, with hit titles like Chainsaw Man, “ATTACK ON TITAN” The Final Season, Hell’s Paradise and VINLAND SAGA SEASON 2.
- Special DJ performances by D4DJ, a media mix project from Bushiroad that revolves around content including anime, game, and live concerts performed by the voice actresses.
- A guest appearance and talk show with voice actor Yuki Ono
AFA Night LIVE!
Enjoy the 10th Anniversary Event Premiere Screening of Sword Art Online – FULLDIVE – on 25 November, 7.30pm, at AFA Night LIVE!
This adds on to earlier announcements shared on AFA Night LIVE!, which features a stellar cast of virtual YouTubers (VTubers) and artistes. Held over three nights, AFA Night LIVE includes hololive Meet, an interactive live talk show and Meet & Greet session with some of the world’s most celebrated VTubers, on 26 November, as well as I Love Anisong, a fan-favourite music events, on 27 November.
Creators’ Hub x pixiv
For the first time, AFA will partner with pixiv, Japan’s largest online art community, to present the largest ever Creators Hub. On pixiv, people share illustrations, manga, and novels, with close to 20,000 works from 230 different regions worldwide posted daily.
pixiv is also hosting an Illustration Contest, where the winning entry will receive these amazing prizes:
- 200,000 JPY in cash (approx. SGD 2000)
- A free Creators Hub booth at AFASG 2023
- A chance to display an original artwork at the pixiv display area in the Creators Hub
Featured Creators
With over 150 participating creators this year from 15 countries and regions, organisers shared that 28 Featured Creators have been selected to showcase their work at the festival grounds. They include:
- Self-taught illustrator Rachta Lin, whose travels and experiences influences her creations;
- Sarah Thursday, who creates illustrations inspired by dark alternative subcultures with a deeply personal twist; and
- Digital artist Raiko, who paints characters from games and anime usually in a semi-realistic style.
AFA Singapore 2022 will also collaborate with Sarah Thursday to release a limited-edition capsule collection! Featuring an exclusive t-shirt, tote bag, and sticker, check them out at AFA SHOP and AFASHOP.CO!
J-Dance Asia Competition
A new J-Dance Asia competition will be held, with the Finals on 26 November at Akiba Stage in the festival grounds. Groups of 2 to 10 pax will have the opportunity to highlight their choreography based on a Japanese song track in front of the crowd. Renowned dancers from Singapore and Japan will stand as judges, and also get to strut their stuff in a special dance showcase.
Participants to J-Dance Asia stand a chance to win cash prizes of up to S$1,000.
Registration is open here from now till 11 November 2022.
Cosplay Competition
The Cosplay Singles showcase competition will return to AFASG22. Cosplayers can take this chance to show off their costumes on a regional stage and stand a chance to win up to $500 cash.
Register here from now till 06 November 2022.
Exhibitor Highlights
Organisers shared some of the exhibitor highlights as well. They include Anime Metaverse, Bandai, Bushiroad, Conan, Genshin Impact, Good Smile Company, Hakken!, Kotobukiya, Nissin, Valiant Force and more. Showcases will range from exclusive merchandise to offers.
Meet & Greet Sessions
Fans who want to meet AFA’s celebrity guests can look forward to Meet & Greet sessions. Sessions will be available with celebrity cosplayers Hakken, Charess and Ely. Tickets on sale now.
The AFAVERSE Visitor Experience
For the first time, you will enjoy a game-like experience from the moment they step into the festival grounds.
You will get a specially-designed NFC-enabled band to earn AFA Hero XP, AFA Coins, instant discounts, and unlock virtual easter eggs. You can also design their own Seika AFA-tar, unlock special skins from AFA-Pitstops or exchange for limited-edition accessories with AFA-Coins.
Tickets
#AFASG22 is a ticketed event. Fans will be able to purchase all ticket tiers, from General Admission 1-Day Exhibition to 1 Day VIP tickets online from today. Tickets start from S$21 / Day for Exhibition.
Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2022
Dates: 25 – 27 November 2022
Location: Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre (Levels 3 & 4) Exhibition Timing: 10 am ~ 8pm
