Serdang – Avast me mateys… The 27th and 28th of August saw the spectacular return of AniManGaki at the Mines International Exhibition & Convention Centre (MIECC). This event more than lived up to the expectations of its followers with a full-on pirate theme and its adorable lion mascot decked out in a pirate outfit.
As the first AniManGaki event to take place in person since 2019, everyone breathed a sigh of relief as fans of anime, cosplay, and gaming could at last come together as a community once more and engage with their favourite celebrity cosplayers or even simply their friends. Join us as we share some of the event’s most memorable highlights with you as we think back on all the fun times we had.
Special Appearance and Mini Live by MindaRyn
One of the most well received guests at the AMG 2022 was MindaRyn. A Anisong singer from Thailand with over 1 million followers on her YouTube channel signed with Lantis record label since 2020.
This cheery and energetic performer captivated her fans during her guest appearance on the stage in Day 1 by talking about her experiences in Youtube and being signed to a recording label.
In a brief media interview, when asked about her feelings when she was informed that her song will be used for the ending of the anime “By The Grace of the Gods”. She replied that she kept it at the low down until the song was actually showcased in the anime. When that happened she was bombarded by questions from her family and friends which she then admitted that it was her song.
Since then she has been working hard and releasing another 3 more singles and all are related to anime such as “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime”, “Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest”, and “Sakugan”.
During her Mini Live at the end of Day 1, MindaRyn gave her all in her performance engaging her audience with her singles as well as her anime covers that has special meaning for her.
After her mini MindaRyn was brought back on stage for an encore performance by her fans. It almost wasn’t to be due to time constrains but the fans prevailed and she performed an additional song for her fans that night before having a group selfie with the crowd and as well as the opening act performer Amelia Khor.
Guess Appearance by Emirichu
Another one of the most well-received guests during AMG 2022 was none other than Emirichu herself. An Asian-American YouTuber with over 3 million subscribers, she needs no introduction. During her panel, she discussed the history of her career and urged other fans who want to be just like her to keep pursuing their goals.
Unexpectedly, Emirichu’s birthday also happened to fall on the first day of AMG. Because of this, several of her followers decided to bring even more gifts for her in addition to the bag of goodies that the event organisers had already prepared for her.
Fans were eager to stand in line for a little over an hour at the panel room’s entrance just to see her, but the overwhelming number of fans made it unfortunate that not everyone could get in there because it was filled to the gills! That shows a lot of commitment.
Emirichu, of course, was aware of this and, to make up for it, voluntarily took some time out of her busy schedule to give fans a chance to attend an off-the-record autograph/meet & greet session. They were also welcome to come back the next day to see her perform live as a special guest. Overall, her appearance at AniManGaki on both days was undoubtedly memorable for her fans, and we hope to see her back in Malaysia more frequently in the future.
Booths
As with any ACG event, booth sellers are typically what most fans are looking forward to because they allow them to support emerging artists while also obtaining event-only goods. There was something for everyone, whether you were just window shopping or cashing out at that one stall with the adorably charming acrylic Genshin pins.
Workshops
This year’s AniManGaki attendees also had the opportunity to participate in some of the various workshops. On Day 1, the fun workshops included a class teaching the most crucial skill for any cosplayer, prop manufacturing, as well as lessons on flash photography, brush calligraphy, and Shogi (a traditional Japanese strategy board game closely related to chess).
However, Day 2 added a somewhat more distinctive style of workshop to the Wagashi event, introducing fans to yet another facet of traditional Japanese cuisine in the shape of delectable confections like mochi, anko, and fruit served with green tea. In our opinion, the finished meal looked almost too lovely to eat after seeing the hard work the creative artists put into it. Nearly, because who can turn down wonderful food?
Additionally, there were D&D tutorials led by local dungeon masters, a sky watercolour painting session, and finally, a pastel art workshop where attendees painted with their fingers and were allowed to take their creation home.
Community Booth / Mini Art Exhibit
The community booth area, a recent addition to AniManGaki, featured a showcase of numerous different ACG displays. Any fans were welcome to snap pictures with a broad variety of specially crafted figures, dolls, and even Hatsune Miku collectibles. The collectors themselves might also be contacted by those who wished to learn more.
The event featured appearances by internationally known mangaka Shirahama Kamome during her panel discussion and signing session, but anyone who visited the community booth area would have seen her artwork there. Both days of the event, it was interesting to be able to see her artwork up close on rows of canvases.
Alongside Kamome’s artwork, there was a row of PUBG Mobile artwork created by both amateur and professional artists, some of which included the event’s pirate theme.
Miscellaneous
When you entered the event, it was clear how the pirate motif had been interwoven, starting with a Bounty Wall where attendees could personalise own wanted posters in the One Piece style. Anyone who displayed a poster would be eligible for the fortunate draw held by AMG, in which winners would be chosen at random from the collection of posters. Fans may also take part in AMG’s treasure hunt by gathering stamps from various spots throughout the event.
If all of that wasn’t enough, the food stalls at the event kept all attendees watered and feed throughout the event to ensured that their energy levels are at an optimum to enjoy the event even more.
In conclusion, we truly appreciated our two days at AniManGaki 2022 and took use of everything the festival had to offer. It’s safe to say that this AniManGaki is the largest one yet, and we can’t wait to see what they have planned for next year.
The adventure must come to an end for now, but we hope to run into you scallywags at the next AMG
