News
Animaga Expo 2016 in Melbourne this Weekend
posted on by Jon Hayward
Details
- Where: Melbourne Showgrounds, Epsom Rd, Ascot Vale VIC 3032.
- When: Saturday the 27th and Sunday the 28th of August 2016 from 10:00am to 6:00pm.
- Cost: Tickets start $27 for a single day pass and $45 for a weekend pass online, tickets will cost an additional $5 at the door.
- Website: http://animaga.com.au/.
Special Guests
Tohru Furuya
Most famously known as Amuro Ray from the original Mobile Suit Gundam, Tohru Furuya has been voice acting since the 1970s and shows no sign of slowing down. You will know him as Yamcha from Dragon Ball, Tuxedo Mask in the original Sailor Moon and Pegasus Seiya in Saint Seiya. He has also narrated both Akagi and Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (and voiced Ribbons Almark), voiced Casshern in Casshern Sins, reprised his role as Yamcha for Dragon Ball Z Kai, voiced Dr. Kosaku Tokita in Satoshi Kon's Paprika and most recently appeared as Sabo in One Piece.
Tohru will be hosting his Q & A on Saturday and Sunday at 12:00pm on the Main Stage.
Ryoko Shiraishi
Often cast as either the effeminate-and-kind young man or the mature but sweet-and-sensitive supporting woman, Ryoko Shiraishi has been over 190 different anime as various characters. You will know Ryoko as the voice of Hayate Ayasaki (Hayate the Combat Butler), Takamina (AKB0048), Angelica (Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya 3rei!!), Quin {Death Parade), Yulier (Sword Art Online), Kaede Nagase (Negima!) and Anew Returner (Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Second Season). And that's not including her roles in video games including Chip in Sonic Unleashed, Mila in Dead or Alive 5, Popol in NieR Replicant and Hime "Himeko" Onizuka in J-Stars Victory VS.
Ryoko will be hosting a Q & A on Saturday at 11:00am and at 2:00pm on Sunday in the Main Hall.
Tony Taka
Tony is a Japanese illustrator and character designer who started working on advertising but soon switched to professional illustration in 1998 and hasn't looked back since. Tony soon became know for his eroge work and started selling how works at Comiket 2002 as part of the T2 Art Works circle. In 2004 he took charge of character designs for Sega's Shining series and since has created countless characters with over 150 of them being turned into figures. Since 2015 Tony has been leading Albion Works to find challenging and creative activities with his teammates. You would most recently recognise his work in the Bikini Warriors anime as the character designer of Valkryie.
Tony will be hosting a Q & A at 3:00pm on Saturday and 1:00pm on Sunday on the Panel Stage.
Other Guests
Animaga has several other guests including Hitomi, maid and president of @home cafe (best maid cafe in the world), Japanese cosplayer Kaname☆ and from Hong Kong, Yui. Also the CEO of Tokyo Otaku Mode, Tomo Kamei will be in attendance alongside a special Tokyo Otaku Mode store. You can view the guest list here.
Highlights
The Animaga website is getting better year after year, but it's still a little confusing. The map and the timetable are both listed on the front page but here's a couple of our highlights.-
Saturday
- 10:00am - Tomo Kamei Speech. Main Stage
- 1:00pm - Animareal Panel. Main Stage.
- 3:00pm - TOM Cosplay Competition. Main Stage.
- 4:30pm - Hitomi @Home Panel. Panel Stage.
- All Day - Beginners and Advanced Gunpla Workshop. Gunpla Workshop.
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Sunday
- 10:00am - Tomo Kamei Speech. Main Stage
- 3:00pm - Animaga Cosplay Competition. Main Stage.
- All Day - Beginners and Advanced Gunpla Workshop. Gunpla Workshop.
Animaga will be running a Maid Cafe for both days, open from 10:00am on until 5:00pm on Saturday and 10:00am to 5:00pm on Sunday (details can be found here. There will also be a gaming area and the Gunpla workshop running all day and a variety of Madman anime will be screening in the Madman Screen Area on both days.
Final Details
You can find the facebook event for Animaga here and further information on Animaga including ticket pricing and the event's floorplan.You can also follow Animaga on facebook.
And of course if need be you can visit Animaga's Website.
