Check out this photo gallery I put together for Wired on the Tokyo Anime Fair, which took place last weekend. The intro text I wrote got omitted (they never seem to get any of the stories completely right) so here it is:
Anime is one of Japan's biggest exports (besides Corollas and Vaios). The city government of Tokyo, recognizing the importance and profitability of anime in Japanese pop culture and around the world, joined with local studios to hold the first International Anime Fair in 2002. This year's event, which ended Sunday, was a four-day spectacle attracting more than 100,000 people. They saw nearly 300 exhibitor booths, special symposiums, performances of anime theme songs and the coveted Anime Award.
Unlike ComicCon, San Diego's comic book fan convention, the first two days of the Tokyo Anime Fair are for business only, and showing up in costume is strictly forbidden. This year's theme explored how animation robots -- from Astro Boy and Gundam to the tripods in The War of the Worlds -- have influenced modern robotics technology. Here are some of the highlights and character cameos from the weekend.
See the gallery (Wired News)
wow! very nice! what can you find on the business day? is it like E3 was where you can get interviews with anime creators or retailers close some deals?
Posted by: Oscar Yasser Noriega | March 29, 2007 at 02:02 AM
Only 100,000? I'm shocked that they didn't have to bring in the military for crowd control.
Posted by: mq1986 | April 03, 2007 at 11:39 AM