Anime Festival Asia (AFA), the region’s largest and most followed Japanese Popular Culture and Anime Festival, returns this November as the J-pop Event to round up 2016. Visitors can look forward to a mix of crowd favourites as well as new activities in store for the festival programming. With something for everyone who loves Japanese popular culture, music, anime and more, highlights include special themed dedicated zones based on anime blockbusters.

Fans can also look forward to learning more and hearing from a wide variety of guests – from behind-the-scenes talents, to DJs and idol groups. A star-studded line-up of Anisong legends as well as up-and-coming artistes will take on the I Love Anisong stage during its highly popular evening concerts. Held for the ninth year, the show has seen close to 600,000 attendees in Singapore alone since it started in 2008.

How to get There: Nearest MRT is Esplanade/ City Hall
Venue: Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre Levels 3 & 4
Cost: Tickets start from S$13 for festival access
Date: 25 – 27 November 2016
Time:
Fri, 25 November: 9.30am – 8.00pm
Sat, 26 November: 9.30am – 8.00pm
Sun, 27 November: 9.30am – 7.00pm

I Love Anisong Concerts

12 artistes, include artiste groups among them will perform at AFASG16 for the ultimate Japanese Popular Culture and Anime concert experience. They include six returning Anisong legends who have performed to sold-out concerts in Singapore (T.M.Revolution, JAM Project, HoneyWorks / CHiCO with HoneyWorks, Aimer, KOTOKO, and May’n), while six exciting new additions, HOME MADE KAZOKU, Minori Chihara, Ami Wajima, Alisa Takigawa, Konomi Suzuki and Wake Up, Girls！will be showcased on stage this year. Let’s meet their preview before D-day! This is one concert fans of Japanese anime and gaming music should not miss! They will perform on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only at AFASG 2016!

HOME MADE KAZOKU

HOME MADE KAZOKU is a HIP HOP group comprising of the three members MICRO (MC), KURO (MC) and U-ICHI (DJ). They met during their university days in Aichi Prefecture and formed the group in 1996. They had their major debut in 2004 with smash hits including ‘Thank You!!’, ‘Shounen Heart’, ‘Serbia no Tsubomi’ which enjoyed great popularity. In 2009, they achieved their dream with a successful solo live concert at the prestigious Budoukan. In 2016, the 10,000-audience, large-scale outdoor music festival “KAZOKU FES” was not only held for the 6th time, it was the first time which a second day was added to great success! “Though not being related by blood, we’re family by the music we create” – through this concept, they have found fans all throughout Japan.

Through their signature song ‘HOME SWEET HOME’, fans can feel the love they have for their hometown prefecture. They have also been appointed the title ‘LOVE AICHI SUPPORTERS ~Aichi Music Ambassador’ from the prefecture themselves. Not just within their own country, the charismatic group has even extended their overseas performances to countries including America, Taiwan and Brazil. Having achieved their 10th Year Anniversary in May 2014 since their major debut, they have announced that they will be taking a break from activities from December 2016 onwards. Before that, they will be releasing a last Best Album ‘LAST FOREVER BEST ~Mirai e to Tsunagu FAMILY SELECTION~’. Come this December, they will be embarking on their final Tokyo-Nagoya-Osaka Tour, ‘HOME MADE KAZOKU THE LAST LIVE ~Kazoku no Minna ni Kokoro Kara THANK YOU!!~’

KOTOKO

She started her activities as a vocalist of “I’ve”, the music creator team from Hokkaido, in 2000. She made her major debut with the 1st album “HANE –hane-“ in 2004, which ranked in at 7th in Oricon. She has sung a theme song for many TV animations, such as “Hayate no Gotoku!” from “Hayate the Combat Butler”, “being” from “Shakugan no Shana” and “→unfinished→” from “Accel World”. Her activities were expanded to other fields such as movies and games. She sang a theme song for the movie “Real Onigokko” as well. KOTOKO also makes music and writes lyrics. She has written “SHOOT!” as a theme song for “RO-KYU-BU!” and “sign” for “Ano Natsuga Matteru”. She commemorated her 10th anniversary in 2014, and achieved huge success with 47 stops on her nationwide concert tour.  Furthermore, she is also active overseas, having been on an Asian concert tour before.

T.M.Revolution

Born September 19th, 1970 in Shiga prefecture, Takanori Nishikawa debuted in May 1996, with the song “Dokusai –monopolize-“, as T.M.Revolution, his solo project. He has established his reputation with his catchy tracks, polished and fascinating concerts, and overwhelming live performances, while he consecutively released monstrous hits such as “HIGH PRESSURE”, “HOT LIMIT”, “WHITE BREATH”, and “INVOKE”. Many singles have been picked up for theme of major animations and games including “Mobile Suit Gundam”, and “Sengoku BASARA”.

Since his debut, T.M.R. has built global fan base and reputation among Japanimation fans, have performed in the US, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia along with his release of albums worldwide. He was appointed as the first ‘Goodwill Ambassador for Hometown Shiga’, and has been hosting Shiga prefecture’s first major outdoor annual music festival, ‘Inazuma Rock Festival’, with cooperation from local authorities. In 2013, his collaboration with Nana Mizuki attracted tremendous interest and great response, being called “the most powerful and revolutionary” match. Their collaborated singles, “Preserved Roses” and “Kakumei Dualism”, both became enormous hits. In the past, he has participated in the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen 5 times, which proves his status as a nationally popular artist. 2016 marks his 20th Anniversary since debut and he looks forward to making another great leap forward.

JAM Project

JAM Project was launched in 2000 by powerful singers representing the anisong industry. The members came together with the same desire to create the appropriate theme songs for highly evolved Japanese animation. They share the same intention to make the anisong culture shine. With this purpose, JAM Project built up a unique position in the anisong industry. Most importantly, the “power” they have in their voices distinguishes them from other singers. Each member is involved in the entire song creation process. In order to strengthen the connection between animation and theme song, they start by meeting with animation producers and directors and go on to directing the creative process. They are performers and producers at the same time. All members also have very active solo work to stimulate each other. With each member possessing different characteristics to gather as one, JAM Project is able to create one-of-a-kind theme songs. They have released more than 200 songs to date. All of the songs are powerful and spiritual, and can be seen as “Real Theme Songs”. In 2008, they started their first world tour “No Border” and performed in 10 cities in 8 countries. The tour included Taiwan, Brazil, United States, Korea, China (Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong), Mexico, France and Spain. After the tour, they gained attention worldwide. They then attended numerous anime conventions held in countries such as Singapore, Thailand, San Marino and Germany.

They also performed at Expo 2010 Shanghai China and Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, representing Japanese culture through anisongs. In year 2012, they held a South America tour and brought their exclusive band members for all 4 stops. The tour was a success and they were able to present authentic anisong concerts overseas. In 2009, JAM Project held a sold-out concert at Budokan. They then went on a nation-wide tour, performing at countless venues such as Osaka-Jo Hall, Yokohama Arena, including 2 days in Budokan. JAM Project is supported by fans of all ages and genders. They have been touring worldwide since July 2016 under the tour title “AREA Z”. Anisong will cross many borders, including countries and music genres. Just like the anime heroes, they strive to make dreams come true with their performances.

Konomi Suzuki

Born on 5th November 1996. After winning the nationwide Animax Anisong Grand Prix competition, she made her debut at the young age of 15 with her first single “Choir Jail” in 2012 with lyrics produced by Aki Hata. Since her debut, she has performed for five years in a row at the largest Anisong event, Animelo Summer Live. She has performed the theme songs for many TV Anime series, including “This game” for the series “No Game, No Life” and “Redo” for the series “Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-“. “This game” attained 2nd place on the Billboard JAPAN Hot Animation charts in the first week of its release. For her 8th single, “Absolute Soul”, she collaborated with Masami Okui, a legend in the world of Anisong. She is in the midst of her 20-show, 2nd solo tour, with the final show coinciding with her 20th birthday. With a brilliant voice that continues to charm fans everywhere, Konomi Suzuki is one ever-evolving Anisong singer to look out for!

Minori Chihara

Minori Chihara is a Voice Actress-Artiste who was born on the 18th of November in Tochigi Prefecture. In 2004, she made her voice actor debut playing the character Aya Natsume in the anime series ‘Tenjou Tenge’. In the same year, she also made her singing debut with the release of her first album ‘HEROINE’. While steadily doing performances at live-houses and the roads of Akihabara, Minori Chihara started gaining tremendous attention when she got the role of Yuki Nagato in the popular anime ‘The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya’ in April 2006. Following which, she made appearances in numerous new productions, and also furthered her singing career with Lantis. While she normally has a calm demeanor and a bright smile, as a singer, her sophisticated image and her singing voice creates a gap that has endeared her to many fans.

Since the inception of her original blog in 2004, she has made it a point to update it everyday to connect better with her fans, with over 3000 to date. Being able to see her personality through her posts, it serves as an important role in connecting her with fans. From a young child to an adult woman she has portrayed roles of various personalities, showing off a wide range of skills through the various works. Even as an artiste, she has successfully performed at large, prestigious locations such as the Nippon Budokan and Saitama Super Arena. She has become a prominent figure and role model for others in the same industry to look up to.

Wake Up, Girls！

Wake Up, Girls！is a voice actress unit that was born from the movie and TV anime series of the same name in 2014. They were also involved in the follow up movies that were split into 2 parts in 2015. The story revolves among 7 young girls living in Sendai, coming together to form the idol group ‘Wake Up, Girls！’. While training together to improve themselves, the group aims to be top idols. Uniquely, the 7 cast members (Mayu Yoshioka, Airi Eino, Minami Tanaka, Yoshino Aoyama, Nanami Yamashita, Kaya Okuno, Miyu Takagi) are also active as the voice actress unit Wake Up, Girls！in the real world. They welcomed their 3rd anniversary with the final performance on their 3rdLIVETOUR on 28th of August 2016. With 14 performances across 7 concert venues, they have managed to attract over 15,000 fans!

Aimer

Aimer teamed up with the “Agehasprings” group, which has worked with, produced, or provided music for various artists, including YUKI, Mika Nakashima, Flumpool, Superfly, Yuzu, and Genki Rockets. In 2011, her musical career began in earnest. In May 2011, she released the concept album “Your favorite things”. It covered numerous popular works, including works in various genre such as jazz and country western music. The number 1 record cover was based on Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”, and was the first song to appear in the lead album chart for the jazz category in the iTunes Store.

The album reached number 2. On September 7, 2011, she debuted for Defstar Records, with the song “Rokutousei no Yoru”, which was selected by Ending Theme of the anime No. 6. “Rokutousei no Yoru” recorded its highest ranking at number 9 on the Rekochoku music distribution chart. The second single was released on December 14, 2011. “Re:pray/ Sabishikute Nemurenai Yoru wa” reached number 1 in the “Mora” music download charts site. The song “Re: pray” was chosen as the ending theme for the anime Bleach. On August 15, 2012, Aimer released her fourth single, “Anata ni Deawanakereba”. The first track of this single “Anata ni Deawanakereba” is an ending song of the anime Natsuyuki Rendezvous. On October 3, she released the first album “Sleepless Nights”. On March 20, 2013, she released the fifth single “RE:I AM”, which was used as the ending theme for the sixth episode of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. And on May 21, 2014, she released the sixth single “StarRingChild”, which was also used as the ending theme for the final episode of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. Both singles reached top 10 in the “ORICON”, which is the most famous music distribution chart.

On September 3, 2014, she released the mini album “DAREKA UMI WO” with Kanno Yoko, who is one of the most popular music creators in Japan. On December 17, 2014, Aimer will release the latest single “broken NIGHT/hollow wORlD”. Both songs, broken NIGHT and hollow wORlD, were used as the main theme for the game ”Fate/hollow ataraxia” for PS Vita. 2015 : Got a great feedback about the performance at Yokohama Arena 2 days in a row as a supporting act for ONE OK ROCK 2015 “35xxxv” JAPAN TOUR.
Released the 8th single “Brave Shine” on June 3, and it ranked 4th at ORICON weekly chart. On iTunes single chart, the song got No.1 not only in Japan, but also in some other Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.
Continuously, the 3rd album “DAWN” was released and ranked at No.4 on ORICON CD Album weekly chart at the first appearance, and it became a longtime seller. 2016 : Her 9th single “ninelie” featuring chelly who is a vocalist of EGOIST was released on May 11th. This song is an ending theme for “KABANERI OF THE IRON FORTRESS” on NOITAMINA in Fuji TV network and written and produced by Hiroyuki Sawano who created the soundtrack for this Anime.

Alisa Takigawa

In March 2015, Alisa Takigawa debuted with ‘Season’, the ending theme of TV anime ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’. In November of the same year, she released ‘Sayonara no Yukue’, the 3rd single of ‘Owarimonogatari’ which gained tremendous response and turned out to be a smash hit. The video has gained over 190,000 views on YouTube and her 2015 activities won her the ‘30th Japan Golden Disc Award’ Newcomer Prize. In June 2016, during her first Tokyo-Nagoya-Osaka solo live tour, one of the stops, at the famous Ebisu LIQUIDROOM, was fully SOLD OUT. Since her debut, her rising popularity as a singer-songwriter has only continued to increase greatly. In September 2016, she will be releasing ‘Iroasenai Hitomi’, the new ending theme of the anticipated second season of TV anime ‘The Seven Deadly Sins: Signs of Holy War’. She will be releasing her much-anticipated first album ‘at film.’ on the November 2, 2016!

Ami Wajima

Ami Wajima was born on December 29, in Kutchan Town, Hokkaido Prefecture. She always had a complex about her vocal ability ever since she was little, but had a strong desire to become a singer, making full use of her voice through song. After graduating from middle school, she moved to Sapporo for vocal lessons while working on her studies. In 2016, she emerged as the winner of the Horipro x Pony Canyon Next Generation Anisong Singer Audition, out of 10,041 candidates. in May, she made her major debut with ‘Gensou Drive’, the opening theme for the TV Anime ‘Mayoiga -The Lost Village-’. She has released her second single ‘Eien Loop’, the new ending theme for the TV Anime ‘Kuromukuro’ which began airing in July. Participating in numerous events both within Japan and overseas, Ami Wajima is the New Generation Anisong Singer to look out for today!

HoneyWorks / CHiCO with HoneyWorks

HoneyWorks is a creator unit that has garnered over 200 million combined views on video sharing sites such as Nico Nico Douga and Youtube. Members include composers Gom and shito, illustrator Yamako, and supporting members Oji (Pirate), Mogeratta, kororu, ziro, cake and AtsuyuK!. Representative works include ‘SukiKirai’, ‘Hatsukoi no E Hon’, ‘Kokuhaku Yokou Renshuu’, etc. Their melodies are love-related and filled with youth, such that they are said to play a positive-rock style of music. On 29th January 2014, they made their major debut with the release of their Vocaloid Best Album ‘Zutto Mae Kara Suki Deshita’, which even reached 4th place on the Oricon Weekly Charts. In May 2014, the formation of ‘CHiCO with HoneyWorks’ was announced. In 26th November 2014, they released their second major label album ‘Boku Jya Dame Desuka?’, which reached 2nd place on the Oricon Daily Charts. HoneyWorks was awarded the Amazon Ranking First Prize for the first half of 2015. The 6 novels that were created based off their music was also a best-seller that sold over 1.2 million copies combined. July 2015 saw the much-anticipated release of their third album, which featured guest vocals from sana. In April 2016, HoneyWorks’s songs were used in the original anime movie ‘I’ve always liked you -Confess Your Love Committee-’ which was shown in theatres all over the country.

The first week of its premiere received 8th place in the Movie Box Office Rankings and a sequel of the movie is scheduled for release in December. CHiCO, is the winner of the Vocaloid and Anisong audition Utakatsu! organised by Sony Music. Together with HoneyWorks, the Creator Team that is the subject of conversation and responsible for over 100 million online views, the collaboration unit CHiCO with HoneyWorks is formed! CHiCO with HoneyWorks’s first 3 singles were used for popular anime: – Sekai wa koi ni ochiteiru: Aoharu Ride OP theme – Ai no scenario: Magic Kaito 1412 OP theme – Pride Kakumei: Gintama OP theme The music videos have been viewed over 100 million times, and in November 2015, their debut album “Sekai ha i ni Michiteiru” was a smash hit. Their 4th single, “Koiiro ni Sake” was released in April 2016 and was used as the opening theme to the movie “I’ve always liked you -Confess Your Love Committee-” They sold out their first hall solo concert at the Nakano Sun Plaza, and toured live houses in Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka and Tokyo in the summer, as well as making their first ever summer festival appearance at “Summer Sonic 2016”. On 14th September 2016, they released their fifth single ‘Canele & Wolf’!

May’n

Although her artiste name ‘May’n’ was originally derived from her real name, she has always had the desire in her heart to be able to “become the main theme of everyone’s lives and sing for them.” May’n has performed the theme songs for multiple TV anime, dramas and movies. Having completed 4 successful overseas tours, her largest one yet started in February 2014, in which she held over 70 performances across the 47 prefectures of Japan as well as overseas venues. On 26 August 2015, May’n held her 10th Anniversary concert at the Japan Budokan. It was her 4th time performing at the prestigious location. At the same time, she released her first Best Album “POWERS OF VOICE”. May’n ASIA TOUR 2017 OVER∞EASY is scheduled to kick off in January 2017! Her ever-powerful and stunning voice will continue to capture the hearts of people who hear her songs, not just within Japan but all over the world.

Featured Anime & Special Guest

Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2016 (AFASG16) will see blockbuster Featured Anime titles, as well as the talents behind each title’s success, to give visitors a rare glimpse and in-depth understanding of their favourite anime titles. Organisers have curated a strong and varied lineup of titles, from hit favourites to a TV Series that has won hearts and minds through Glove Puppetry. Other guests include Tokyo performance dolls and idols Tokyo Performance Domo, Animefan dance group Real Akiba Boyz, idol groups Iketeru Hearts and Nijicon and the father of kawaii culture and creator of DOKIDOKI, Sebastian Masuda Over the 9 years, AFA has inspired many young individuals and nurtured a community of talents from “Creator Hubbers” to performers.

Acknowledging the rise of local talents in the community who yearn for a stage to perform, AFA has opened up its stage to a variety of local acts this year, including 2 idol dance cover groups, Tokimeki JUMP and Natsuiro Party, anisong deejay, DJ Dan and Rika the 2010 AFA X anisong showdown competition winner. AFA will also welcome back the 2014 grand pix winner of the Asia Anisong-Singer Audition, Usagi and piano genius, Piano Minion. “We are happy to see this growth in the community and are very honoured to have helped cultivate a new generation of creators. This year is a testimony of this, as we open up even more areas for our local talents to shine. We hope that one day we can export even more local talents to Japan”, said Shawn Chin, Anime Festival Asia’s Executive Festival Director and SOZO’s Founder and Managing Director.

SWORD ART ONLINE THE MOVIE ~ORDINAL SCALE~ FEAT. YOSHITSUGU MATSUOKA & KANAE ITOU

The animated TV series “Sword Art Online” is based on author Reki Kawahara’s light novel (winner of the 15th Dengeki Novel Award Grand Prize) in which the protagonist Kirito fights to survive in the mysterious next-gen VRMMORPG called “Sword Art Online.” Since the first volume of the novel was published in April 2009, the series has been extremely popular with cumulative sales exceeding 12.5 million units in Japan and 19 million worldwide. Because of its popularity, the series has been adapted into two animated series, in addition to several games, comics and merchandise. In Spring 2017, “Sword Art Online The Movie – Ordinal Scale –“, a brand new original story written by Reki Kawahara, is set for a theatrical release. SAO fans around the world are anxiously anticipating its release.

“Ordinal Scale,” an ARMMO-RPG that was designed exclusively for “Augma.” Following its release, it has become the most discussed game due to its advanced technology. In this game, players can raise their rank by collecting items that appear in various places in the real world and by defeating monsters. This “Ranking System” is the main feature of the game, and in this system, each player’s status is determined by their rank which is indicated by an ordinal number instead of a cardinal number. As the result, high ranking players are given overwhelming power and often rank has become a major factor in deciding the outcome of a PvP battle.

Yoshitsugu Matsuoka was born on the 17th of September in Hokkaido. In 2012, he received the Best Male Newcomer Award at the 6th Seiyuu Awards Ceremony. His numerous successful roles include: Sora (No Game No Life),  Akashi Saginuma (M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane), Tomoya Aki (Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend), Souma Yukihira (Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma), and not forgetting Kirito (Sword Art Online)

Kanae Ito was born on the 26th of November in Nagano. Her many popular roles over the years include: Midori (Divine Gate), Ruiko Saten (A Certain Scientific Railgun), Amu Hinamori, Diamond (Shugo Chara!!), Sena Kashiwazaki (I Don’t Have Many Friends), as well as Yui (Sword Art Online). Catch Yoshitsugu Matsuoka and Kanae Ito on the Sword Art Online Stage this year, only at Anime Festival Asia Singapore!

ASSASINATION CLASS ROOM FEAT. NOBUHIKO OKAMOTO

A mysterious creature with the enormous power to disintegrate 70% of the moon suddenly appears and declares that he will destroy Earth by March of next year. But until that time, for some reason the creature says that he will teach class 3-E (where misfit students end up) of Kunugigaoka Junior High School in Japan. This creature possesses incredible powers that even the army can’t overcome, and leaders around the world are left with no choice but to leave it up to Class E of Kunugigaoka Junior High School to defeat the creature. Class E’s assignment is to assassinate the mysterious creature = “Koro Sensei” (“korosenai”; cannot kill “Sensei”; teacher) and save the world from complete destruction! And they have to do it before they graduate!! Despite these unusual circumstances, the students do their best to stay positive and grow and learn.

©Yusei Matsui/SHUEISHA,ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM Committee

Nobuhiko Okamoto born on the 24th of October, the Tokyo-native voice actor received the 2009 Best Newcomer award at the third Seiyuu Awards while in 2011 at the fifth Seiyu Awards, he was presented the Best Supporting Actor award. His hobbies include magic and watching movies. He is even a Third Class Certification holder in the board game Shogi. His notable roles as a voice actor over the years include: Karma Akabane – Assassination Classroom, Mikoto Mikoshiba – Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Ryou Kurokiba – Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, Yuu Nishinoya – Haikyuu!!, Accelerator – A Certain Magical Index, Eiji Niizuma – Bakuman, Takumi Usui – Maid Sama!, Rin Okumura – The Blue Exorcist, and many more! Be sure to catch Nobuhiko Okamoto on the Assassination Classroom stage this year at Anime Festival Asia Singapore!

KUROMUKURO FEAT. YOUHEI AZAKAMI

During the construction of the Kurobe Dam, an ancient artifact was discovered, and so the United Nations Kurobe Laboratory was established. Intellectuals from all over the world gathered to study the artifact, and the children of those researchers attend Tateyama International Senior High School, including the Chief Researcher’s daughter, Yukina Shirahane. In the summer of 2016, a lone samurai once again awakens. P.A. WORKS 15th Anniversary Commemorative Project P.A. WORKS and Tensai Okamura join forces to create “Kuro-mukuro” – a new mecha-action epic set in an international school that will shatter the despair of modern society!!

© KUROMUKURO Production Committee

Youhei Azakami was born on 7 August in the Gunma Prefecture. He graduated from Aoni Production’s Seiyuu Academy and made his debut in 2011. Gaining experience over the years, he took on a wide range of anime and game voice acting roles, narrated television programs , and has appeared on several radio shows. His big chance came in 2016 when he was chosen to voice Kennosuke Tokisada Ouma, the main character of “Kuromukuro”. With his multi-talented voice acting skills, he is definitely one voice actor to look out for!

MY HERO ACADEMIA FEAT. DAIKI YAMASHITA

“Dreams” become “Reality’! This is the story where I become the best hero! It all began, in Qingqing City, China, with the news of the birth of the “light-emitting baby”. From then on “superpowers” were discovered in various places, and time passed without the identification of the actual cause. The world became a superhuman society, where 80% of the world’s population have some kind of special trait. While “Villians”, using their “Quirks” attained at birth for crime have been increasing in numbers, the “Heroes”, who make use of their own “Quirks” to stand against them as well as disaster has resulted in a society where many people are rescued. Once a person who daydreams about being a “Hero” that he looks up to, the young Izuku Midoriya, aka Deku, aims to enter the hero school that has produced many renowned heroes. However, Deku is part of the 20% of the population, the ”Quirkless” that does not have any abilities… One day Deku meets the No.1 hero that he looks up to the most, All Might, and his fate has undergone a great change. Friend, Master, Rival, and Villians… While undergoing numerous training and challenges facing these numerous characters, Deku grows into the best hero that he can be. The new Hero Story, begins!

© KH/S, MP, M

Daiki Yamashita born on the 7th of September in the Shizuoka Prefecture, he made his voice acting debut in 2012. Some of his notable roles over the years include: Rekka Shirogane (Gaist Crusher), Sakamichi Onoda (Yowamushi Pedal series), Isobe Isobee (Isobe Isobee Monogatari ~Ukiyo wa Tsurai yo~), and many more! Catch Daiki Yamashita on the My Hero Academia Stage at Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2016!

TOUKEN RANBU ~HANAMARU~ FEAT. MITSUHIRO ICHIKI

The year is 2205. With the intention to change history, the enemy has started attacking the past. Entrusted with the mission to protect history, the “Saniwa” was sent to the past together with the strongest spiritual artifacts, the “Touken Danshi”. Touken Ranbu -ONLINE- is a PC browser and smartphone application developed by DMM GAMES and Nitroplus, and was released on 14 January 2015, servicing Japan. As a sword training simulation game that is played through the collection and strengthening of famous swords that have taken the form of warriors, “Touken Danshi”, in order to subdue the enemy intending to change history, it has gained many users since its release. With the early development of mixed media such as musicals and plays gaining popularity, the development of 2 TV anime was started in March 2016 simultaneously

©2015-2016 DMM GAMES/Nitroplus

TOUKEN RANBU HANAMARU is a TV anime that is being broadcasted domestically in Japan starting in October 2016. Amongst the animation staff, include Director Takashi Naoya making his TV series directorial debut, Character Designer Junichiro Taniguchi (Chief Animation Director for Puella Magi Madoka Magica) and Series Composition / Scriptwriter Pierre Sugiura (Series Composition / Scriptwriter for Barakamon). The animation production is by Doga Kobo, which has helmed several other titles. The year is 2205… The “historical revisionists” have begun attacks on the past in their plot to change history. The ‘Touken Danshi’ – guardian spirits of legendary/historical swords given corporal bodies by the Saniwa’s power, will fight to protect history. The story centres around them in a certain Honmaru, living a dedicated, cheerful “Hanamaru” daily life.

©2016 TOUKEN RANBU HANAMARU project

Mitsuhiro Ichiki was born on 10th of January in the Kagoshima Prefecture. Voicing characters from a wide array of TV anime and games, his impressive track record includes roles such as: Yamatonokami Yasusada (TOUKEN RANBU), Kazuya Aoi (Freezing), Yukio Hans Voralberna (BLEACH), Scarlet (OZMAFIA!!), Hibiki Kohaku (Blazblue), Takeyama (Angel Beats!). His hobbies include cooking and playing fighting games. Be sure to catch Ichiki Mitsuhiro on the TOUKEN RANBU stage, only at Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2016!

THUNDERBOLT FANTASY : SWORD SEEKERS FEAT. GEN UROBUCHI

There was once a great war, fought between the armies of the demon world and the human world. To show their superior power, the humans forged a great number of weapons with limitless power known as Shinkai Makai (Magical tools commanded by the gods). After the war, many of these weapons were protected by Seal Guardians. Two of whom were the siblings Tan Kō and Tan Hi, who were tasked with protecting the strongest weapon, the Tengyouken (Divine Punishment Sword).

However, one day the sword fell into the hands of the evil Betsu Ten Gai, who was the leader of the Gen Ki Shu, a group who utilizes the naturally-defended mountain fortress, Seven Sins Tower, as the base of its operations. In their pursuit of Gen Ki Shu, Tan Hi met Rin Setsu A and Shō Fu Kan by coincidence, who became their allies. This peculiar tale follows the adventures of these three individuals, brought together by this chance of fate, in their aim of reaching the Seven Sins Tower and taking the sword back from the hands of the Gen Ki Shu. ©2016 Thunderbolt Fantasy Project

Gen Urobuchi is a Scenario Writer of the PC Game Maker Company, Nitroplus. In 2000, He was the scenario writer for Nitroplus’s maiden work, the PC game “Phantom -Phantom of Inferno-” From then on, he also worked on scenarios for multiple games from the same company, such as “Kikokugai: The Cyber Slayer” and “Saya no Uta”. From 2004, he started writing novels, with his well-known flagship work being “Fate/Zero” (adapted into an anime in October 2011). From 2008, he also began writing scripts for anime, being in charge of multiple works such as “Blassreiter” (series development and episode scriptwriter), “Puella Magi Madoka Magica” (scriptwriter), “Psycho-Pass” (story creator and scriptwriter) and “Suisei no Gargantia”” (series development and episode scriptwriter).

On 26 October 2013, the movie version of “Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion”, written by him, was shown nationwide in Japan. 15 November 2014 saw the release of “Rakuen Tsuihou – Expelled From Paradise- “, another creation of his original screenplay script-writing. In July 2016, he has worked on the original draft, screenplay writing, as well as production supervision of the unprecedented boundary-breaking Japanese-Taiwanese glove puppetry TV Series, “Thunderbolt Fantasy: Sword Seekers”.

ZUTTO MAE KARA SUKI DESHITA FEAT. HONEYWORKS/CHICO WITH HONEYWORKS

“Because, this is the last practice…” Sakuraoka third year student Natsuki Enomoto has a crush on her childhood friend Yuu Setoguchi. Not being honest with her feelings, she asked him to help her ‘practice’ confessing love. Whilst continuing to hide her feelings, Natsuki gets asked out on a date by her classmate Koyuki Ayase… Will Natsuki be able to get past her ‘practices’ and move on to the real confession!? With their video garnering over a hundred million total views, the youthful love drama stage produced by the creator unit HoneyWorks has been given a movie edition! HoneyWorks songs ‘Kokuhaku Yoko Renshuu’, ‘Hatsukoi no E-hon’ and ‘Yakimochi no Kotae’ will be used as the centre theme of this project. Confession Executive Committee ~Love Series~. Come and watch the protagonists make their move in this Movie Animation, ‘I’ve always liked you -Confess Your Love Committee-’! Catch the screening of the movie, only at the AFA Main Stage! Following the movie screening, there will be a special talkshow, featuring Gom, sana and CHiCO!

The movie has been rated PG with a Consumer Advice of Brief Nudity.
©HoneyWorksMovie

SOUND! EUPHONIUM 2 FEAT. TOMOYO KUROSAWA

Sound these emotions!! In the Kyoto prefectural contest of the Wind Ensemble Competition, North Uji High School Wind Ensemble successfully gained a gold award there, and now are going to challenge themselves in the next stage – the Kansai regional contest where many skilled school compete…!

©Ayano Takeda,TAKARAJIMASHA/Hibike Partners

Tomoyo Kurosawa is one of the most successful young voice actresses today. Having studied acting from a young age and starring in television dramas, commercials, and plays as a child, she made her voice acting debut in 2010 as Natsuki Koyama in the anime movie Welcome to THE SPACE SHOW. Tomoyo Kurosawa also played Otome Arisugawa in Aikatsu!, voiced Miria Akagi in The IDOL M@STER Cinderella Girls, Itsuki Inubozaki in Yuki Yuna is a Hero and Kumiko Oumae, the main character in Kyoto Animation’s Sound! Euphonium.

FOOD WARS! SHOKUGEKI NO SOUMA FEAT. YOSHITSUGU MASTUOKA

Helping regularly at his family’s diner ‘Yukihira’ in the suburbs of his hometown, Soma Yukihira found himself recommended to a cooking school by his father Jouichirou right after graduating from middle school. That prestigious school was ‘Tootsuki Culinary Academy’, an elite school where only the top 10% survive long enough to make it to graduation. The strictest exams, the dropout-inducing training camp from hell, and the Food War ‘Shokugeki’, which puts one’s own place in the school on the line. Soma overcomes the trials that gets more difficult, honing his cooking skills. With like-minded friends by his side, facing the strongest opponents of the same batch, Soma continues to grow personally.

…Then autumn arrived. The selected Year 1s were scheduled to participate in the unforgiving traditional Tootsuki ‘Autumn Elections’. Soma Yukihira was one of the selected participants. The theme for the qualifying round was ‘Curry’.  Akira Hayama, a prime candidate for winning the whole event and a spice specialist, had a curry dish with such deep complexity, that it led Soma to accept Hayama’s challenge. Experimenting through trial-and-error all the way till the day of the showdown, Soma managed to achieve the same ‘aroma explosion’ as Hayama did. The results however saw Soma getting 93 points, losing first place to Hayama with 94 points.

Despite being defeated by Hayama, Soma was still confirmed as a participant in the main competition. Holding regret in his heart, he swore to become stronger. Then came the ‘Autumn Elections’. The final eight candidates are: Soma, Megumi, Takumi, Hisako, Alice, Kurokiba, Hayama and Mimasaka. Who will Soma’s next opponent be?! Who will emerge victorious?!

©Yuto Tsukuda, Shun Saeki/ Shueisha,Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma Committee 2

KOTOBUKIYA: FRAME ARMS GIRL FEAT. SECRET GUEST

KOTOBUKIYA has an important announcement to make and a Special Guest will be invited to reveal it during the Event! Originating from Japan, FRAME ARMS GIRLS has been a hot topic of discussion amongst the hobby market in Asia. For this special talkshow, the producers responsible for its promotion will be here in Singapore to speak with everyone. There will be much that you can only see and hear at AFA Singapore.

What is FA:Girls? Personified bishoujo characters from Kotobukiya’s original robot series, Frame Arms. Compatible with weapons and armors from M.S.G weapon series and Frame Arms series.　Customize your own Frame Arms Girl (FA:Girl)! FA Design: Takayuki Yanase, FA:G Design: Humikane Shimada.

In 1947, KOTOBUKIYA was built as a toy store in Tachikawa, Tokyo, and it became a limited liability company in 1953. While always continuing to focus on retail sales, KOTOBUKIYA first venture into original products as a model kit manufacturer began in 1983 with Armament, their first original model kit. This was followed in 1985 with King Godzilla, their very first licensed kit. What really set apart KOTOBUKIYA from other model kit manufacturers was the acquisition of the model kit license for Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam THE-O mecha, the first time a company other than Bandai was able to release Gundam products! Their first foray into the non-kit busienss was in May of 1989 with soft vinyl statues and the Active Styling Figures (today branded as ARTFX Statues). Since then, they have increased their lineup with fully assembled and painted resin statues (now known as KOTOBUKIYA Fine Art Statues), Action Figures, One Coin Mini Figures and more!

As a model kit manufacturer, they were always striving to further improve the material and detail and articulation of their kits. That level of commitment has continued throughout all product types that they have developed, and KOTOBUKIYA is renowned for their quality and dedication to craftsmanship. In their retail stores, they hold annual sculpting and painting contests, which is judged by their in-house and other known sculptors and outside judges, including the editor-in-chief of Hobby Japan, the Japanese model magazine. The number of entries normally exceeds three hundred, with entrants from all over Japan. In fact, many entrants at the contests have been scouted by the industry manufactures in Asia over the years. They attracted the attention of not only top artistic talents, but also the favor of publishers and licensors who wish to work with only the best collectible toy industry has to offer.

EXIT TUNES PRESENTS KRADNESS & MATSUSHITA

With over 170 thousand subscribers on YouTube, and over 160 thousand Twitter followers, kradness has fans not just in Japan, but all over the world. While using his unique high-toned voice as a singer, he has also set up his own fashion brand “RAMERA”, as well as being a producer and debuting as a model. His media exposure has continued to rise. He is also the vocalist for the unit “Quarks” with well-known vocaloid music producer Camellia as the DJ and composer for the unit. She began sharing videos on video sharing in 2008. Her husky voice has received recognition, resulting in a major label debut in 2013. An undisputed “terminal-stage fujoshi” and “heavy gamer”, she has performed for multiple tracks in music games, and has gained tremendous support as a representative of the female otaku.

TOKYO PERFORMANCE DOMO PRESENTED BY NHK WORLD Born in 1998, Domo is the official mascot of NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster. Over the years, he has become a well-known character around the world.nTokyo Performance Doll was formed in June 2013. The 9 members were selected among 8,800 candidates from all across Japan. Let’s learn and dance “Domobics”, a new catchy song, with Domo and 3 TPDomo members! This year at Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2016, you can meet them at the MAIN STAGE, MINI STAGE and NHK WORLD’s BOOTH! Music video, dance tutorial and more are available online at http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/domo/world/domobics/

AKIBA STAGE SPECIAL GUESTS

Sebastian Masuda is a contemporary artist widely recognized as the father of Japanese kawaii culture. Celebrated for his film, theatre and clothing, he is regularly invited to speak around the world. Masuda also created the legendary boutique 6%DOKIDOKI, where one can have a peek into his boundless imagination through his bright colored and unique designs. TIME AFTER TIME CAPSULE is a global participatory artwork in which Masuda invites people to share their love of kawaii. The Domo capsule was created in collaboration with NHK World to show how kawaii can be a means of personal expression and a tool to bring people together.

DJ Dan is Going into her second year as a DJ, Dan had developed a keen interest in music where her influences consist largely of anime songs, 2D male idols, and music from Japanese rhythm mobile games. Her other interests include cosplaying and collecting “Touken Danshi” during her free time.

DJ Keitan is Pioneer of Anison x Dance movement, he is a RAB (Real Akiba Boyz) member but also a member of PCF, a group known worldwide for their performances. Entertaining the floor with any song as a DJ, he also uploads videos and now he has more than one hundred million views. He has produced a lot of artistes’ content, made their videos, organized music festivals or concerts and a great number of other creative works.

Real Akiba Boyz is the Best Anison Entertainment and Dance group of the world! In their performance videos, they have a lot of videos which have more than 1.000.000 views, and in total, they have more than 50.000.000 views. They have performed numerous official dance videos of anime like “Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku”, “Teikyu” and “Makura danshi” and in October 2015 they have put in great effort for the movement of anime in “Anitore EX”. They are a unique dance performer unit who is not only charismatic and popular on the internet, but also in real life.

Natsuiro Party is composed of MoMo, Michi, Miki, Kamiya and Hikari, Natsuiro Party is an all-girl performing group that aspires to bring the Japanese idol experience to Singapore. Debuting this year, the group has taken the stage in various Japanese-related events such as Funan Anime Matsuri and SJ50 Matsuri. Join Natsuiro Party as they spread energy and zest through sing and dance! Watch them on WOWJAPAN OVERTIME

Niji no Conquistador is coming with the theme of “Every day is a Culture Festival!”, they’re not just idols, but also voice actors, illustrators, cosplayers and even dance choreographers. Out to spread the excitement, Nijicon is a unit presented by illustration social networking site 「pixiv」. Their 6th single ‘Kagiri naku Bouken ni Chikai Summer’ was released on 20th September 2016. They have also completed their nationwide tour across 4 large cities with their first event at Tokyo Ebisu LIQUIDROOM on 27th August 2016. Their much-anticipated 2nd album ‘Rainbow Eclipse’ will be released on 13th December 2016. Members attending Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2016: Nonoka Okumura, Moe Tsurumi, and Akari Nakamura.

Lucus is also known as PianoMinion in Youtube. He was introduced to the piano at 11 years old in 2013, he got very interested in playing Piano and Piano arrangements. He is having his classical piano lesson with present Piano Teacher. He attended many Piano Master classes conducted by piano professors in Singapore from various oversea conservatories. This June he went to Sydney Conservatorium of Music to have a private lesson from Professor Paul Rickard-Ford Chair Piano Unit Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He was the 2nd prize winner for the International Music competition by UK “Masters of Piano Sonata”

Tokimeki Jump consists of 6 members originally from Pika Pika Meido Café (PPMC). PPMC was founded in 2013 and has organized several of their own café events and performed at numerous J-culture events. Pika Pika Meido Café: Official Facebook Debuting at AFA2016, Tokimeki JUMP is a new performance group, hoping to spread happiness and joy through their performances. “Tokimeki”, which means heart beat in Japanese, represents the group’s passion towards performing and their hearts beating as one. “JUMP” represents the group’s enthusiasm, jumping into the exciting, yet unknown future ahead.

Usagi  is 19 years old, she comes from Singapore. She won a Grand Prix prize of 「Asia Anisong-Singer Audition(AAA)」 held at 「Anime Festival Asia（A.F.A） Singapore2014」 in Singapore. Occupation : Student, Hobby：Singing、Reading、Watching Anime, Favorite Singer：Nana Mizuki, Special abilities： Able to mimic different accents of people speaking English and also imitate vocaloids singing

Rika. With a love for Japanese culture and animation that has spanned well over a decade, Rika has been a regular face at J-culture event stages since 2002. Heavily influenced by the likes of Masami Okui, angela and the late ORIGA, she loves challenging herself and is well-known for unconventional song choices and versatility in covering a wide variety of styles. Among her most striking performances was a live rendition of the Kumikyoku Nico Nico Douga medley in 2008, as well as her segment in a local gaming convention earlier this year, where she sang in Japanese, Latin, Russian, and five other languages. Rika also won the 2010 AFA X Anisong Showdown Competition with her version of Shangri-La, angela’s iconic OP for Soukyuu no Fafner. Her other interests include cosplaying and being a slave to mobage gachas.

Cosplay Celebrities

Popular culture fans, aspiring cosplayers and cosplay fans can look forward to meeting and even picking up tips from their favourite celebrity cosplayers. A star-studded line-up of nine celebrity cosplayers from the region will grace Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2016 (AFASG16). The Festival’s Cosplay Ambassador, KANAME☆ (from Japan), will return with his amazing cosplays. Fan favourites Angie (from Malaysia), Baozi & Hana (from China), MON (from Taiwan), Reika (from Japan), and Ying Tze (from Malaysia), are part of the Anime Festival Asia circuit tour, and will present new cosplays in Singapore. Exclusive this year to the Singapore edition are, Enako (from Japan) and stayxxxx (from Taiwan). The festival is 4 honoured to also welcome stayxxxx, who rarely makes overseas appearances, to meet fans in Singapore.

ANGIE. A popular cosplay star in SEA, Angie has cosplayed more than 100 anime characters since 2008, with each cosplay more impressive than the last through her portrayals of each character. Her likeliness of her Asuna cosplay from the Sword Art Online series has skyrocketed her to fame. Angie is a regular cosplay guest at AFA events and around the world. She is also the official cosplayer of AFA’s mascot, Seika.

BAOZI & HANA. Baozi, the handsome prop-making fanatic and Hana, the adorable make-up wizard! As two of the most popular male cosplayers from China, Baozi & Hana have amassed a legion of fans around the world. Both Baozi and Hana have been featured in many cosplay magazines and are both frequent guests and judges for anime conventions and cosplay competition globally.

ENAKO.  Born on 22nd January 1994 in Nagoya, Enako is a charismatic cosplayer from Japan who is expanding her activities worldwide! Having fans all over the world, her Twitter and Instagram accounts have exceeded over 220,000 and 125,000 followers respectively. Enako is widely known to be one of the top layers in Japan’s cosplay scene. Aside from cosplay, she does a whole range of other activities including TV appearances, magazine features and voice acting. Aiming to become the best in her field across Japan, the West and Asia, it’s the charismatic cosplayer Enako! Her current activities include: Assistant for TV Aichi’s “Seiji Chihara’s BUZZ☆DOL with Rena Matsui”, Voice Actress of Takatsuki Hime and Official Cosplayer for mobile game “Shinkukan Dolls”, Regular feature on Fashion Magazine “IMADOKI!!”

KANAME☆Celebrity cosplayer KANAME☆ will welcome his wave of fans and visitors alike with his amazing cosplays. From Cloud of “Final Fantasy VII Advent Children” to Ichigo of “Bleach” and Portgas D.Ace of “One Piece”, KANAME☆ continues to wow with his high level of quality and realism in his cosplays. KANAME☆ is currently the cosplay Ambassador for Anime Festival Asia.

MON. The adorable Taiwanese cosplayer has charmed both male and female fans with her ability to depict anime characters of both genders with ease. Her sweet nature and beautiful cosplays makes her one of the most popular cosplayers in Taiwan and abroad. Mon has been regularly engaged to endorse products and games as a cosplayer model.

REIKA. As one of Japan’s most popular cosplayers, Reika is constantly receiving love-calls from events all around the world. She has gained much popularity due to her androgynous cosplays and her attention to detail when it comes to crafting her cosplays. As a cosplayer who creates her costumes and props on her own, Reika is an inspiration to many.

STAYXXXX. Taiwanese cosplayer stayxxxx is a veteran in the cosplaying scene. Over the past years, she has graced the covers of many cosplay magazines. Her charismatic and androgynous looks have garnered her many fans. She has recently been endorsing many mobile game applications as their official cosplayer. stayxxxx has rarely guested in overseas events, as such, Anime Festival Asia is honoured to have her as part of our cosplayer line-up.

YING TZE. Popular Malaysian cosplayer, Ying Tze returns to Anime Festival Asia Singapore. Known for always interacting and taking care of her fans, Ying Tze has a wide fanbase across Asia and has been invited as a guest to many events in Asia. Ying Tze is also a regular face at AFA events.

While enjoying the performance by guest stars whose come to AFASG, you can take e look at photo spots or buying some fangoods on creators hub area! Don’t forget to visit all booth and stand with fabulous contents around AFASG. Waste your time no more and grab your ticket now, here only at AFASG official ticketing partner.Tickets for AFASG2016 start from S$13 per day for Exhibition-only access. Sales for all ticket tiers are available via APACTix online, hotline, and SingPost outlets. See you there!

For more details, please visit:

AFASG Official Website

AFA’s Facebook