I took advantage of a fine day in Tokyo to visit Anime Japan 2014 being held at Tokyo Big Sight.
Anime and Manga are two words which for many is synonymous with Japan, and both hold a special place in my heart as my late teenage years early 20’s saw a healthy diet of Astro Boy, Gundam, Akira and the like, in later years enjoying Ghost in the Shell. Japan used to hold separate Anime and Manga festivals, and this year they brought them together. It seems the strategy was a success if the size of the queue was any indication.
Not to mention the crowd when on the inside.
After entering the show it took me around four hours to explore all the stands; which may seem like a small amount of time however given I wasn’t partaking in the many queues surround ‘Gift Stands’ (shops attached to displays) my progress was quicker than some.
Each stand was generally comprised of:
Major signs generally displaying the signature character(s) associated with that particular label;
Handouts galore with the characters.
Historic photos/images associated with the labels productions.
Larger stands had large multi-media displays.
Some were interactive
And some just had big things that had me wonder ‘how did that get in here?’
And most had a ‘gift shop’ attached to procure the essential merchandise.
For many it seemed Anime 2014 was a “just shut-up and take all my money” festival. Overall I had a great time. If you’re interested below are all the photos I took are here.