The largest and oldest anime and manga fan-event will take over Brno Exhibition Center this weekend. Famous guests such as Tetsuro Shimaguchi, a Japanese samurai choreographer that worked for the Kill Bill movie; and Orchid, a Spanish doll photographer will take part in Brno Animefest. Photo from Animefest 2018. Credit: @BrnoDaily.
Brno, May 23 (BD) – As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Manga and anime represent a specific pop-culture film and comics genre with roots in Japan that has gained a massive popularity across the globe. This Friday at 4 PM, Brno Exhibition Center will open its gates to thousands of local and international fans and professionals. Last year, the attendance numbers crossed 6,000. “The number of visitors and the scope of this event is a result of year-round preparations, which involve six hundred organizers working without any pay in their free time,” festival director Adam Rambousek explains, thanking the organizers.
Animefest features dozens of opportunities for learning new things and meeting new friends: conferences; workshops; games; martial arts displays; stands with fan merchandise, collectibles, and costumes; cosplay and dance competitions; music; and parties.
As for the anime program highlights, the movies “Danmachi – Arrow of the Orion” and “Laidbackers” will be exclusively released in Europe for the first time, while it is still only broadcasted in Japanese cinemas. “The authors have provided us with working versions of the videos with unfinished animations for the translation, because the final versions were completed only the previous week,” says program director Jan Horgoš. Another of the films on the festival screen will be “Mirai”, a girl from the future – a film which was nominated for an Oscar.
Every May, Animefest brings famous industry names to Brno. This year, fans can look forward to meeting Tetsuro Shimaguchi, a Japanese samurai choreographer that worked for the Kill Bill movie; and Orchid, a Spanish doll photographer.
Events such as Animefest always attract the attention of many of us humble “mortals” with fabulous cosplays. This year, internationally-recognized cosplayers such as Elyon, Macky, and Maul promised to stop by Brno. “I am excited about the invite to Animefest, and I cannot wait to meet all the incredible cosplayers from the Czech Republic in person,” says Matthew, a cosplayer with the stage name “Captain Ghostly” from Belgium. Thanks to international cooperation with other events, Animefest cosplay competition works as a selection of representatives for the finals of European competitions.
Find the program here.
Brno Daily is a proud media partner for Animefest. See our short video report from the previous edition.
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