Abu Dhabi is getting its own immersive anime and Japanese culture experience as Middle East Games Con, which takes place October 25 to 27 at ADNEC, expands to include an area dedicated to Japanese anime, manga, cinema, music, games, fashion and food.
Anime is Japanese animation characterised by colourful graphics, vibrant characters and fantastical themes, while manga are comics created in the Japanese language.
The three-day event will showcase a range of anime content, art and entertainment. Visitors will also be able to explore and experience Japanese culture including calligraphy, traditional sword fighting, art alongside fashion and food. Cosplay (costume play) will be a major component at the event and will see a dedicated catwalk display on the Animania stage – all visitors are encouraged to come along dressed as their favourite characters. A highlight of the new area will be a Dynamic Samurai Sword fight performance by Katanayaichi which had attracted the audiences in Japan Expo in Paris and Hyper Japan in London, will surely get excite gamers and Anime and manga fans and Japan lovers in the UAE.
Organised by the same team that bring you the wildly successful Middle East Film & Comic Con in Dubai, the capital’s premier gaming festival attracts 10,000-15,000 fans annually. Visitors to Middle East Games Con can access Animania as part of their ticket cost, and play unreleased games, meet game voice actors, international YouTube stars and compete in live tournaments.
Visitors can expect a loud, vibrant, multi-sensory experience which brings both gaming and Anime off the screen with enormous impact. The event offers a social opportunity for fans to meet up and interact offline. It’s an annual experience that’s not to be missed.
ANIMANIA ATTRACTIONS INCLUDE:
Entertainment:
KATANAYAICHI - "The Way of the Samurai" presented in a legendary fighting and dance performance.
MIHO - An artist in Japanese Calligraphy, combined with traditional music in an authentic performance. Free from tradition, she has explored various expression of calligraphy.
EN DESIGN × ARISE - Based on Japanese traditional dance, they create new dance performance fusing contemporary dance and contemporary music.
XIÈ- A unit of the traditional Japanese poetry recitation known as “Shigin” fusing computer programming -generated ethnic and ambient sound.
WACCHA - A "Samurai Voice Artist" and professional Beatboxer who combines both arts with sword performances.
KIRIE - A group of theatre performers depicting Japanese Mythology in fine arts.
EKOTSUMI - Famous for performing and writing about Japanese Mythology and folklore.
NISHIOKOKUN - Japanese Local mascot from Kokubunji city in Tokyo. He will introduce his home town in the unique way.
Full schedules to be confirmed closer to the event date. There is more content and entertainment to be announced and visitors are encouraged to follow the channels on social media or www.me-gamescon.com for the latest updates.
Shopping:
Animania will offer an Authentic Japanese Pavilion “MIYABI” hosted by Japan Promotions which has ten years experiences of producing Authentic Japanese cultural pavilion and cultural performance stage comprehensively as an official partner of the Japan related conventions such as Japan Expo in Paris. The term “MlYABI” is one of the aesthetic ideals of Japan, which stands for elegant, refined, and subtle touches.
A product highlight will be the range of figures and collectables including posable action figure of a UFO Robot Grendizer (Sofubi (soft vinyl) Toy Box lineup) made by world famous figures and garage kits manufacturing company kaiyodo will be available at the event.
Featuring more than 30 brands from Japan, “MIYABI” is a showcase for enjoying the concept of Japanese culture through traditional arts and crafts pieces that have been hand crafted in Japan for hundreds of years and will be full of high-level content to satisfy any authentic Japan enthusiasts.
“We are so glad to introduce Authentic Japanese craftworks, art works and products and to show Japanese traditional cultural performances in the long awaiting convention Animania.” Aki Yamada, manager of the Middle East section in Japan Promotion said.
“Through my living in the Middle East for 8 years, I know more and more people get interested in all about Japan through Anime and Manga and games in the Middle East and they are eager to have a comprehensive Japanese cultural event in the Middle East region. Many of the products will be featuring for the first time in the UAE, and the authentic content that we are bringing will make this event stand-out above the few attempts to replicate something similar to meet the demand in the past.” Aki continued.
Michael Lamprecht, Project Manager for Animania commented “We’re really excited about introducing the Anime element to Middle East Games Con this year. The Anime and Manga fans of the UAE deserve a quality niche event which ensures a special and memorable experience.”
“There is such a huge demand among the fans in the region for unique and immersive international experiences. The content will be as true to the art form as possible, and the products will be unlike anything available in the UAE. There’s so much cool stuff – including gaming, VR (virtual reality) – in true Japanese fashion. If you go to Japan, it’s so overwhelming so we are working to re-create and reflect that experience.” continued Lamprecht.
Finlay Parr, Project manager for Middle East Games Con added “Animania will add much more variety and entertainment to the already packed Middle East Games Con. Our aim is to make this a destination rock-star entertainment event in the nation’s capital.”
“Anime and gaming content are perfectly complimentary, with many games originating from Anime. We want to try and expose people to everything, and unique experiences are part of that!” he added.
Sponsors and feature exhibitors confirmed to attend the show include: ZOOM, Virgin Mobile, Mentos, Taaleem, HP Omen, PlayStation, Sennheiser, Japan Promotion, Logitech and DELL Gaming.
Watch the highlights video from 2017 to get an idea of what to expect from Middle East Games Con.
Many more announcements of guests and activities will be revealed in the coming weeks, so visitors are encouraged to connect via social media or the official website www.me-gamescon.com.
Admission tickets start from 115AED and are on sale from Platinumlist.com, UAE Exchange and 7eleven stores across the UAE.
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