From the 28th to the 30th of November, Anime Festival Asia Singapore (AFASG) once again returned to the bustling halls of the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre. As one of the region’s premiere anime and pop culture events, the event treated fans to a wide variety of highlights and attractions.
Upon stepping onto the convention floor, visitors were immediately greeted by sprawling displays from various entertainment powerhouses. Anime distributors such as Toho, Muse and Crunchyroll showed off some of the most popular titles on their platforms, such as Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Demon Slayer, and The Apothecary Diaries, while game publishers like Bandai Namco and Cygames brought titles like Once Upon a Katamari and Umamusume: Pretty Derby.
Aside from the major blockbusters, a few other exhibitors also showcased slightly more niche titles. The Kadokawa booth featured displays for The Summer Hikaru Died and Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings In Russian, among others; while fans of Chinese animated series like Link Click could head over to the Bilibili booth for official merchandise and fan activities.
Other interesting displays that could be found on the show floor included the Singapore debut of Jojo Caravan, an art exhibition featuring illustrations and manga pages from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, which celebrated the release of the Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run anime adaptation; as well as a special display area for the Japanese singer-songwriter Ado, marking her fifth anniversary as an artist.
Moving onto the Day Stage, fans were able to catch a stacked lineup of panels from prominent figures in the anime industry. Highlights included an appearance from anime YouTuber Gigguk, here to showcase his new animated film Baan; a Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End panel featuring Kana Ichinose and Chiaki Kobayashi; and a The Apothecary Diaries panel featuring Aoi Yuki and Asami Seto.
Running alongside the Day Stage was the Next Stage, a side stage which showcased a variety of creators from across Asia. These included the Cho-Bon Dance Japan troupe, who performed a modernised version of the traditional Japanese Bon dance; Vocaloid producers like SatapanP and HachiojiP, spinning their most popular tracks for the crowd; and even our very own Malaysian performers Snowstorm and Zephyrianna.
At night, the stage lit up with one of AFASG’s biggest highlights – the I Love Anisong music festival. Huge names from the Japanese music industry graced the stage to perform some of their greatest hits, including NOMELON NO LEMON, Sakurazaka 46, Sally Amaki, Shouta Aoi, ClariS, May’n, and Wednesday Campanella, just to name a few.
Last but certainly not least, no visit to AFASG would be complete without a visit to the cosplay and creative hubs, where artists of all kinds could be found showcasing their creative works to a wide audience. Though this was by far the most packed area of the event, it was well worth a visit to find original artwork and fan-made merchandise that you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else.
Anime Festival Asia will return in 2026 with events in Hong Kong and Thailand, taking place in February and May, respectively. For more information, visit the official Anime Festival Asia website.
