AniManGaki has announced that it is returning to a physical event this year at Mines International Exhibition & Convention Centre (MIECC) in Seri Kembangan, Selangor on August 27-28.
Otakus, cosplayers and gamers will be happy to return to this comeback anime convention for the first time since 2019 after pandemic forced it cancelled in 2020 and last year’s event took place online.
AniManGaki director Yvonne Sing said this is the first full-scale on-ground event in the endemic phase.
“It is a lot of hard work and many sleepless nights. I suppose in essence, this is our love letter to the ACG community. Truly thankful to everyone for having our backs and coming together with us on this renewed adventure. AniManGaki will continue to exist so as long as the community needs us,” she said.
AniManGaki co-director Jo Lynn said, “This year’s AniManGaki is extremely special. After two years of silence, we intended to comeback as strong as possible for the sake of our ACG community. My only wish is that our hardwork shines through and that you see we try our best in the many changes we made. We like to think that this is our way of embodiying the hard-to-die spirit that lives in many otaku.”
In the latest announcement, AniManGaki revealed that there will be some new additions and expansions to this year’s event, including:
- Increase in artist/cosplay booths from 230 (in 2019) to 300 individual vendors.
- Panel and workshops will have their own respective rooms, which means more contents for all.
- Opening of the upper mezzanine above the hall to accommodate tabletop activities, vtuber showcase and the cosplay alley.
- Introduction of the Super Gaki Pass for attendees who want to skip the lines for panel, workshop and special guest autograph sessions.
Main activities at AniManGaki 2022 include cosplay, singing and art competitions, artists and cosplay alleys, stage performance, live concert, gaming tournament (with a prize pool of RM3000) and exhibition.
The event will also include fan meet-and-greet sessions, personalized autographs, panels and workshops.
Exhibitor booths that may be interesting to attendees include Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile, World of Warships, Studio Yuraki, GigaBash, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (Sony Pictures) and Kadokawa Gempak Starz.
This year, AniManGaki is inviting several special guests flown in from abroad to give fans the chance the meet them.
Special Guests:
MindaRyn, an Anisong singer with over 1 million followers on her YouTube channel, started chasing her dream as a YouTuber and finally major debut in Japan in 2020 with Lantis record label. She has made four successful singles, which consist of opening and ending theme songs for many animes. With her talent and trilingual skill, (Thai, English and Japanese), she has reached many fans from all over the world. Catch her live concert at the end of Day 1 (Aug 27).
An American Youtuber with over three million followers on her channel, Emirichu features videos where she illustrates conversations with friends and stories about her personal life. Catch her panel and autograph session on both days (Aug 27 & 28).
RandoWis is a creator who has authored comics, illustrations, animations and videos on the internet that are viewable for free on his main website and social media platforms. Started out as a series of short comics that he made for his classmates back in 2011, he has since published works for all to see and enjoy for the past 10 years. Catch his panel and autograph session on both days (Aug 27 & 28).
Shirahama debuted as a mangaka artist with the Beam Comics serialized manga; “Eniale & Dewiela”. Her works include creating cover illustrations and art for names such as Marvel, DC and Star Wars. Serialization of her latest manga “Witch Hat Atelier” began in 2016, garnering popularity from not only within Japan, but across the globe starting with France’s “Japan Expo Awards” while winning an award from there and beyond. Catch her live drawing and autograph session on both days (Aug 28 & 28).
