From the 25th to the 27th of August, AniManGaki returned to the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Center (MIECC) to celebrate its 15th anniversary in style. Though expectations were high leading up to the event, AniManGaki definitely managed to live up to the hype, with an impressive lineup of guests, performances and activities to enjoy.
Missed the event, or just want to relive the festivities? Here’s a recap:
Vendors Galore
Artist Alley
If you were on the look out for unique fanart and collectibles, then AniManGaki’s Artist Alley was the place to be. Many talented artists came together to showcase their work, offering visitors a chance to purchase everything from prints to keychains and even handmade plushies that would make any otaku’s heart (and wallet) skip a beat.
Though fan-made creations based on Hoyoverse’s Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail dominated the aisles, there were also artists with more niche offerings on display, such as Emo Trash & Etc, a booth that sold T-shirts and stickers inspired by rock music.
Exhibitors
Once you headed out of the Artist Alley, you would find yourself in the middle of the exhibitors’ booths, where one could find official anime merchandise and various products on sale. Prominent brands such as Hada Labo, Coca-Cola, JBL and Republic of Gamers took centre stage, offering visitors exclusive discounts and fun activities to participate in.
One exhibitor’s booth that caught our eye belonged to guest cosplayer Hakken, who attracted hundreds of adoring fans throughout all three days of the event. Thankfully, the crowd was mitigated by the organisers providing a separate hall just for Hakken’s fans to queue in.
Cosplay Alley
Speaking of cosplay, those looking to support their favourite cosplayers simply needed to take the escalator to the second floor, where the Cosplay Alley was located. There, you could find many talented cosplayers from around Southeast Asia, each showing off their latest works and signing autographs for their fans.
F&B
Located at the end of the first floor were the food vendors’ booths, where a mixture of small businesses and large brands, such as Tedboy and Pizza Hut, could be found plying their wares. Visitors could then head over to the nearby dining area to enjoy their meals, or take a short walk to visit the many food trucks parked outside the convention hall for more dining options.
Community Showcase
Booths, Panels and Workshops
AniManGaki put the spotlight on various communities in the ACG scene via the many different Community Booths present in the event. Everything ranging from Itashas to D&D, to Lolitas and even Hatsune Miku was on display, with community representatives present to introduce visitors to their respective interests.
Visitors who wanted to learn even more about the ACG community could visit the panels and workshops held throughout the event, where guest speakers had the chance to educate them on various topics such as making your own cosplay and the intricacies of anime production.
In particular, we at THE MAGIC RAIN had the honour of working together with Persona Theory Games, Hidden Chest Studios and the International Game Developers’ Association (IGDA) to showcase the local indie gaming scene at the event. Visitors were invited to try out indie titles Kabaret and Midwest 90: Rapid City at our booth, as well as getting to learn more about indie game development at our panel, “A Look At Indie Games Development in Malaysia”.
We’d also like to extend a special shout-out to the various communities who held unofficial fan gatherings and meet-ups at the event, allowing fans of all kinds to make new friends who shared their interests. Their efforts definitely added to the excitement and liveliness of the overall event!
VTuber Showcase
The Malaysian VTuber community had the chance to step out from the screen and venture into the real world via AniManGaki’s VTuber showcase. Curated by Psy8_ Media, the showcase featured 100 Malaysian VTubers, each represented by a life-size standee of their model.
Visitors could learn more about each VTuber by scanning the QR codes attached to each standee, watching their featured videos on the many TV screens available in the venue, or by grabbing one of their free postcards.
Other Attractions
Maid Cafe
AniManGaki 2023 featured not one, but two different maid cafes throughout the event – the Cells At Work-themed Anone Anone Maid Cafe organised by Project Meido, and the medical-themed Meido Heaven ICU Concafe organised by Moe Events.
We managed to check out both cafes during our stay, and thoroughly enjoyed our experiences there. Look forward to our maid cafe write-up, or check out our video review of the Anone Anone Maid Cafe here!
Stage Performances
No anime event would be complete without some exciting performances, and AniManGaki 2023 certainly delivered on that front, with acts such as Rina-Hime, Nymphie, The Crestfall, and many more rocking out on stage on all three days of the event.
However, the highlight of the weekend definitely belonged to JKT48, the Indonesian sister group to renowned J-Pop group AKB48. It was a real treat for local fans, who had the rare opportunity to see these international stars perform well-known hits such as Heavy Rotation, Flying High and Koisuru Fortune Cookie.
The local ACG community also got to show off their skills in AniManGaki’s stage contests, namely the Cosplay Competition and the AMG Idol Singing Competition. Team Syok Syndicate took home the first place for the Cosplay Competition with a cool Kamen Rider skit, while Fate Feather managed to snag the AMG Idol championship title.
Finally, DJ Taka Kazuki closed out the event with his successful Malaysian Book of Records attempt for the most Harlem Shake remixes in one minute. We’d like to congratulate him and AniManGaki for this momentous achievement!
So, there you have it – a taste of what went down at AniManGaki 2023. As always, we’d like to extend our thanks to the AniManGaki team for having us, as well as the guests, cosplayers, artists, and visitors who helped to make it a success.
For more information on AniManGaki, check out their links below:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/animangaki
Instagram: https://instagram.com/animangaki
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/animangaki
Website: https://www.animangaki.com
