NYAF makes final preparations for convention
Cross Cultural Influence at Festival is Evident in Variety of GuestsNorwalk, CT, September 24, 2008: The second annual New York Anime Festival (NYAF), which will take place in New York City September 26 – 28 at the Jacob K. Javitss Center, boasts a wide cross-section of prominent guests from the worlds of fashion, music, food, as well as comics, fulfilling the festival's goal of expanding beyond anime specifically to embrace many aspects of Japanese pop culture. In its first year in 2007, the New York Anime Festival became an immediate success, playing host to thousands of fans and instantly becoming the fourth largest anime festival in the United States.
"Our festival is like an entire world unto itself, with an enormous and dedicated fan base which literally soaks up all that we have to offer," notes Lance Fensterman, Show Manager for NYAF. "This year our programming will expand much further as our show promises to celebrate talent and achievement in a huge array of arenas, providing even more access and entertainment for our many fans. While our heart and soul is anime, our reality is pop culture. From cosplay to concerts, samurai swords to sushi, the New York Anime Festival is a pop cornucopia of all things Japanese!"
Some of the notable guests who will be participating in events at New York Anime Festival include:
- Chef Masaharu Morimoto – star of Iron Chef andd Iron Chef America – who will be a Guest of Honor. Chef Morimoto will attend NYAF on September 26 and will be conducting a Q&A with fans from 4pm – 5pm and a book signing from 5pm – 6pm.
- Yoshitaka Amano, an acclaimed artist whose credits include Final Fantasy, Sandman, and Vampire Hunter D, will be a Guest of Honor.
- Hideyuki Kikuchi, the author of the acclaimed Vampire Hunter D novel series, will also appear as a Guest of Honor.
- Designers from Baby, The Stars Shine Bright -- Japan's premier Lolita fashion brand – will participate as Guests of Honor and will speak about the histoory and philosophy of their brand, welcome fans to their boutique, and host a Tea Party.
The New York Anime Festival, which will feature over 100 panels and screenings and will host prominent exhibitors including Bandai Entertainment, Del Rey Manga, FUNimation, Media Blasters and Yen Press, among many others, is from the creators of New York Comic Con (NYCC) which hosted more than 60,000 people when it took place at the Javits Center this past April. New York Comic Con, which is held early in the year, is a celebration of everything in American popular culture including comics, movies, games, toys, and more. The New York Anime Festival is the Japanese equivalent. With anime at its center, it is essentially a celebration of everything within Japanese popular culture. As Fensterman notes: "This is what makes our show unique and why we can so easily embrace and welcome such diverse and extraordinary guests as Chef Morimoto and Yoshitaka Amano under one roof!"
Other guests and events at NYAF include: noted voice actress Rie Tanaka, who will appear as a Guest of Honor; World Cosplay Summit will return to the NYAF stage for the second year; Karaterice and NYAF will jointly sponsor Far East To East Showcase (FETES), a night of innovative music that brings together six of the best musical artists from both the Far East and the East Coast; noted voice actor Brad Swaile, who will appear as Featured Guest; mc chris, one of the most unique, provocative and poignant voices in hip hop today, who will perform exclusively for the NYAF audience; and Tony Oliver, Kyle Herbert, and Steve Blum, the talent behind the Gurren Lagann series, who will all appear as Featured Guests.
More information about other guests, events and panels is available at www.nyanimefestival.com.
ABOUT THE NEW YORK ANIME FESTIVAL:
The New York Anime Festival takes place September 26-28, 2008 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan and is organized by Reed Exhibitions, the creators of New York Comic Con. The New York Anime Festival showcases the best of anime pop culture, including the latest anime, manga, Japanese cinema, music, and games, and anime-influenced comics, animation, and films from around the world. The festival features exclusive and extensive screenings, a gala cosplay masquerade, sessions with the some of the biggest names in anime from Japan, Asia, and America, and explores the Japanese cultural experience with displays of both traditional and cutting-edge Japanese life. NYAF's partners include Anime News Network, Bandai Entertainment, BookExpo America, Del Rey Manga, DigitalLife, Free Arts NYC, Japan Society, Karaterice, Kinokuniya Bookstore, New York Comic Con, Samurai Beat Radio, Subway Cinema, TheOtaku.com, TOKYOPOP, VIZ Pictures, and the World Cosplay Summit. Further information can be found at newyorkanimefestival.com.
ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS:
The New York Anime Festival is operated by Reed Exhibitions, the world's leading events organizer. In 2007, Reed brought together over six million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today, Reed events are held in 38 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and organized by 39 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE-100 company and world-leading publisher and information provider. In 2006, Reed Elsevier made adjusted profit before taxation of £1,052 million on turnover of £5,398 million.
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