Long queues of early birds form for Anime Festival Asia
The halls for Anime Festival Asia may have only opened at 9am on Friday (27 November), but that did not stop hundreds of Japanese pop culture fans from turning up at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre hours ahead.
According to staff members, people had started queuing from the night before, but had to be asked to leave the premises during closing time.
Some reportedly waited outside the building, rejoining the queue again in the morning, which started at about 6am. At 8.30am, the queue could be seen snaking from the fourth level, where AFASG15 was held, to the third floor below.
Many were queuing to get CDs from artistes like Maaya Uchida and Shiori Mikami, which came with limited tickets for an autograph session.
As soon as the doors were open to priority queue members of the public, people were seen rushing to the Pony Canyon booth.
Only 40 to 50 tickets are available each day, and on Friday, they were gone within 45 minutes, according to a staff member.
Others were there for the toy exclusives from exhibitors like Good Smile Company, including their range of “Nendoroids”, toys with a larger head and smaller body.
A check at 10.30am showed at least six items from Good Smile’s booth had sold out, which included both Nendoroids and the sets which they can be placed in.
Last year’s AFA saw over 80,000 visitors, and organisers are aiming to improve on that with close to 200 booths, almost double the number from 2014.
The convention will run over the weekend, until Sunday, and will include appearances by Japanese artistes and voice actresses, who voice characters on anime shows, as well as comedians and popular cosplayers.
