Friday, September 18, 2009

Time for the New York Anime Festival

The New York Anime Festival starts this Sunday, Sept 20th! Okay, so it officially starts on the 25th and runs through the 27th, but there are a few events to enjoy even before the official opening, while you’re getting your cosplay costumes prepped and ready.

First, on Sunday, September 20th it’s Eureka Seven Day at Kinokuniya Bookstore. Celebrate the theatrical release of Bandai's Eureka Seven and the New York Anime Festival with giveaways, guests, maids and Gothic Lolita clothing sale.

Then on Thursday, September 24th is the official NYAF Pre-Party. The New York Anime Festival and Del Rey Manga are partnering in a joint celebration. Free and open to the public, they welcome NYAF attendees, anime fans, manga readers, industry professionals, and casual New Yorkers interested in the world of Japanese pop culture.

And after all that partying, there’ll be plenty of time for cosplay competitions. There’s a Masquerade where you can win a trip to Japan, five nights in a Tokyo hotel, VIP tickets to the Tokyo International Anime Fair, and $1,000 in prize money. And a Hall Cosplay Contest for those who don’t want to perform.

An Anime LARP is happening too, about which the NYAF website says, “An Anime Convention LARP is equitable to the most ridiculous and at times over-the-top mass crossover mash-up you could imagine.” Sounds fun! Costumes aren’t mandatory but are more than welcome, and pre-registration is required online.

A non-competitive Cosplay Variety Show, is available to showcase the “big, bold, daring, and experimental acts”. Registration is closed, but it’s sure to be a good show. And there'll be a Cosplay Dating Game! (Of course if you don’t find your perfect match there and then, you can always check out Soul Geek.com--the dating site for fans of Anime, Sci-Fi, Horror, Fantasy, Animation, Comics, Video Games, Conventions, Cosplay and Fan-Fiction. )

Labels: Animation, Anime, Comics, Conventions, cosplay, cosplay costumes, Costume and Cosplay Competitions, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Video Games