Anime Festival Asia 2015 Singapore (AFA15) Field Report1
And of course the finale for the event is the I Love Anisong concert. This year's final act featured renowned artists in the anime and J-Pop industry. We experienced the performances of nano, Mika Kobayashi, KAMUI, GARNiDELIA, Lia and May'n, in order of appearance.
nano
Being the first act is never easy. People’s expectations are high, is the first performer that manage the crowd and set the whole atmosphere for the event. As it is her first time in Singapore, fans and us alike are left in the dark as to what kind of show will bring.
Before her act even started, fans were already cheering and chanting. nano's performance did not fall short of expectation as she blasted her fans with her energy and enthusiasm with notable songs like “Nevereverland”, “Born to Be”, “Bull's Eye” and “No Pain, No Game”.
A natural crowd pleaser as well, she is funny and is perfectly confident in addressing her large amount of people but yet chooses her words in such a way that it appeals to an individual. Although it was a short act, she left with a short, but powerful message which reflects strongly on her dedication and passion in music. "Remember to smile and smile to others as well. Music is the tool to help us smile. It may not be mine but whenever you feel down, put on music and just smile!". She brought a great start for the final event of AFA 2015.
Bull's Eye / nano
Mika Kobayashi
Next to appear on stage is Mika Kobayashi. Her opening act was from the soundtrack of Shingeki no Kyojin’s “ət'æk 0N tάɪtn” or The Armoured Titan's theme. With her captivating vocals, she took the atmosphere that nano was left behind and made it her own.
Kobayashi-san brought us back in time by singing yet another hot favourite from the past - “Bios” from Guilty Crown. Naturally artistic, she collaborated with Tetsuro Shimaguchi, KAMUI to put on a show that kind of reminds you of Kabuki theatre. Whilst unnatural for a concert event, this innovative presentation was beautifully executed with Kobayashi-san playing the piano and KAMUI enchanting the crowd with his swordplay.
Bauklötze Live - Mika Kobayashi (OST Attack on Titan)
GARNiDELIA
GARNiDELIA was up next. A rising force in the music industry in Japan, GARNiDELIA's duo has a unique style of music and fans became wild when they are announced as the next act. GARNiDELIA's passion for music resonated throughout the concert hall. To showcase their tenacity for music.
The set list for this year is almost like a mix of GARNiDELIA's past to present. They've included a song from MARiA’s days in a different group called “Girls” and the ever famous “SPiCa” back from Toku's days as Toku-P! Recent hits includes “Ambiguous” from Kill la Kill, “Grilleto” from Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei and “Daze” from Mekakucity Actors. Fans continuously cheered as the duo dished out hit after hit leaving behind a captivated audience.
GARNiDELiA - “ambiguous” | AFA Singapore Live
Lia
The penultimate act, Lia is known for singing many of the studio Key's anime openings. This year was no exception. The poignant memories of our beloved anime such as Clannad, Angel Beats!, Air, and most recently - Charlotte from last season was elicited, reminding of the feels trips we had to go through all over again as she mesmerizes the audience with her captivating vocals.
Lia's alluring voice was not her only gift to her fans that day. She announced plans for a world tour in Asia featuring IA, the Vocaloid voiced by her. Coming in year 2016, she will be featured as a special guest. Look out for Party A Go-Go! a revamped vocaloid concept with the enchanting Lia in year 2016.
"Bravely You" by Lia - Charlotte (シャーロット) Opening / OP
May'n
The finale act to close off AFA 2015 was May'n! A featured artist since year 2008, she appears every year on the final day. This year was no difference, May'n dynamism and powerful vocals resonated throughout the whole concert hall.
Her set list included a brand new single - “Yamaidare Darlin”, the OP to Aquarion Logo. This year, May'n also sang popular songs from anime throughout her career such as “Chase the World”, the popular “Diamond Crevasse” and “ViVid” before ending off the event with “Lion” which sent the crowd wild! May'n has once again upped the ante and never fails to disappoint.
May'n／ヤマイダレdarlin' MusicVideo
AFA 2015 - Final Day Experience
Walking Around the Booths
It's the last day of AFA 2015! As usual the crowd was relentless! We had to squeeze our way through JUST to get in!
For today's portion, we paid a visit to the good people at Good Smile Company. Famed for their brand of products known as nendoroids or more affectionately referred to by fans as 'nendos', they are figurines that range from cute chibi sized to figurine size. Here are some of their best displays!
Isn't the Hatsune Miku just magnificent??
Even if he is a chibi, he still has the blank look on his face!
From the good old times, Dark Magician Girl
And from more recent times, here's Sable ready for marriage!
Doujin Booths
We've also visited both doujin booths and official merchandise stalls. Ranging from anime memorabilia to props to T-shirts, these stalls fulfils the inner otaku in you by letting you own your very own piece of anime!
AFA 2015 allocates a space for doujin owners to set up stalls and hawk their wares. This year, we see an increase of space with a new name. This year's doujin area is appropriately named, Creator's Hub. These original creations are cheaper than the original deal from the large manufacturers. However, no doubt that they are cheap, given the originality and appeal of the products, they still sell out within a few hours with some even becoming ongoing trends on site as well. Here are some samples from some of the doujins.
We didn't enter the official merchandise section as these are usually found online on the manufacturer's webpage and usually packed with people. This year's featured official merchandise stalls are...
Cosplayers
And of course, not forgetting our daily dose of cosplayer's of the event..
And with that, we've come to the conclusion of this year's AFA 2015. If you've attended the event, please do share with us your favourite moments and highlights. If you haven't, we hope to see you here next year! Until next year, Honey's Anime is signing off!
P.S.
We would like to give credit to our resident photographer who painstakingly and without reservation, captured most of the important highlights in this collection. A true artist, he also does cosplay photoshoots with dedication. His sense of artistry propagates the notion of cosplay as an art form. Please do check out his collection at.
Breathtaking Photography (theBTphotgraphy)
https://www.facebook.com/thebtphotography/?fref=ts
Author: Araragi
Singapore AFA2015 Article Tour
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