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Anime Festival Asia to launch online platform AFA Station
Annual Japanese pop culture event Anime Festival Asia is set to launch an online platform that will bring the event’s offline experience to the digital realm on Aug. 29 and Sept. 5 and 6.
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Pictured is Anime Festival Asia (AFA) 2016 in Jakarta. (facebook.com/animefestivalasia/File)
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nnual Japanese pop culture event Anime Festival Asia is set to launch an online platform that will bring the event’s offline experience to the digital realm.
The first AFA Station will have three key days: Aug. 29 and Sept. 5 and 6. Details of the events, including streaming times, will be announced later.
AFA Station will cover the event’s popular elements, including anime, games, music, lifestyle, culture and cosplay, in one place. Fans can expect curated appearances, immersion in the e-commerce platform and online community discussions. AFA Station will also have video streaming, interactive content scheduling and community functions.
Managing director of the event’s organizer SOZO, Shawn Chin, said that COVID-19 had greatly impacted them as they were unable to hold any events.
“In order for our company to survive in this new normal, we’ve had to pivot ourselves to innovate in these current times,” Chin said in a statement. “AFA Station will not replace the physical AFA we all know and love, nor is it a replacement to C3 AFA Singapore. But with AFA Station, we’re pushing the envelope as to what can be done to bring the festival experience, our customers have come to love us for, online.”
Chin also hoped that the platform would be able to bring the latest and best content from Japan to Southeast Asia.
In April, AFA held online event AFA United, streamed live via its website. The event featured various voice actors, singers, musicians, bands and cosplayers.
Initiated in 2008 in Singapore, AFA is among the most prominent Japanese pop culture events. Its first installment in Indonesia was held in 2012, drawing a large crowd as fans could meet with like-minded enthusiasts, buy merchandise and watch Japanese musicians perform all in one place.
C3 AFA is part of a collaboration between SOZO and Sotsu, the organizer of C3. It made its debut in Jakarta in August 2017. (wir/wng)
