Calling all Otakus, weebs and anime fans. This year Comic Con Africa is catering to our love of anime and manga by including a whole Otaku Town content zone!
“Step into the vibrant world of Otaku Town at Comic Con Africa! Immerse yourself in a thrilling fusion of anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture. Get ready for an electrifying experience as we bring you exclusive screenings of the latest and greatest anime series, transporting you to captivating worlds filled with epic battles and heartwarming tales.”
In partnership with JETRO and Japan Street, Otaku Town オタク向け will include these amazing activities:
- Exclusive screenings and watch parties
- Talks around Japan Pop Culture
- Learning Japanese
- Mastering mech painting with Gunpla SA
- How to draw Shounen characters
Anime fans can also expect Japan-focused culinary classes, Karate classes and Japanese music openings. Jack Liang the executive producer and vice president of international business development and licensing for Polygon Pictures will be flying in from Japan to talk about and showcase some of the episodes he worked on with Netflix. There will also be 6 Otaku-themed vendors in the area. International Youtuber guests, Aki Dearest and TheAnimeGuy will be situated there.
Otaku Town is located in Hall 6 near the Otaku-themed cars. The area itself, I’m told, is decorated to represent Japanese culture and aesthetics with manga colours incorporated.
Renee Staack, the general manager of Comic Con Africa says this is a passion project for her and they have partnered with JETRO to start building this. Her hope is that more Japanese IP holders will come out to exhibit and retail their items.
Who is JETRO?
JETRO, or the Japan External Trade Organization, is a government-related organization that works to promote mutual trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world. 72% of Japanese investments in Africa are from South Africa, which is quite remarkable.
We have been told that two of the big Japanese brands like the Demon Slayer rights holder will be coming through to Comic Con Africa this year to visit Otaku Town to see how big the audience is there and at the whole show.
Comic Con Africa will have a bigger focus on anime and manga this year. Their official artwork year comes from TV Tokyo and it’s based on the Naruto x Boruto Movie so those who have purchased the 4 day passes are all going to get their connected badge with the artwork on it.
We need all the Otakus, weebs and anime fans to show up in this area to support and showcase our love for all things anime and manga. The more that show up, the more it can grow for future cons and the bigger Otaku Town will get for us. Come find Craftsingh and I in Otaku Town to partake in some fun activities which may include special prizes just like we had at the Anime Night at Nexus Hub.
For more information check out the dedicated page here, including a seminar titled Japan Pop Culture Connect Session.
