International Fan Festival (IFF) is the biggest anime event in Canada which celebrates anime and Japanese culture. This year, IFF made its way to the birthplace of anime, Japan! International Fan Festival Osaka 2018 (IFF Osaka)took place At Grand Cube Osaka (Osaka International Convention Center) on 6 & 7 October 2018.
The festival provides participants opportunities to get closer to their heroes in anime, music, comics, games and novels as well as to voice actors. The star-studded guest list this year included voice actors who are popular in and out of Japan: Tomokazu Seki, Katsuyuki Konishi, Kana Ueda, Shizuka Ito, Ayako Kawasumi, Ami Koshimizu, Mikako Takahashi and Fumie Mizusawa.
The festival also offered various events which anime fans could actively participate in over the two days, including ‘Photo Sessions’ where fans could take group photos with voice actors, ‘Live Recordings’ where sound directors and voice actors demonstrate recording in sync with animation, and ‘Q&A Talk Show’ where guests answer fans’ questions sent to the website or collected at the venue.
To celebrate the launch of IFF in Japan, our friends over at ‘Anime! Anime!’ conducted an email interview series with the guest voice actors prior to the event. In its third installment, Ami Koshimizu and Mikako Takahashi talk about the differences between fans in Japan and overseas, popular characters abroad and their enthusiasm for the festival.
「International Fan Festival Osaka 2018 presented by Anime Revolution」(C)International FAN Festival All Rights Reserved.
Location: Grand Cube Osaka (Osaka International Convention Center )
Date: 6 & 7 October 2018
Official Website: osaka.ifanfes.com
I love overseas anime events. I feel happy to hear about anime works which have borderless popularity. I’d love to participate in overseas anime events, but right now I’m not really able to stay away from home, so I’m really glad to be involved in the festival.
I felt like we didn’t need words to communicate and thought borders didn’t mean anything for something we are passionate about. I always felt happy at events abroad. I felt like I was on stage at a rock festival because fans went crazy even for a talk show!
As far as I can remember, I’ve only done live recordings in Japan! I already feel excited about how non-Japanese fans will react!
Among many, Ryuko Matori from Kill la Kill is the most popular. I remember that Nadja from Ashita no Nadja and Holo from Spice and Wolf had many fans, too. Yang Xiao Long from RWBY, who I dubbed for the Japanese version, is popular overseas right now!
Although I still haven’t gotten the whole picture yet, as it’s a foreign event taking place in Osaka, I’m looking forward to meeting you all at the venue and having fun together at the festival!
→nextpage: Mikako Takahashi Interview
The summer anime season is over. We had a few refreshing titles that kept us company through the hot months, but fall is bringing so many new titles and a few sequels we’ve been waiting for a long time.
Interview: Kana Ueda and Ayako Kawasumi Talk About Overseas Anime Fans and Events
Interview: Tomokazu Seki and Katsuyuki Konishi Talk About Overseas Anime Fans and Events
Sumire Uesaka & Kana Hayase Exclusive Photo Session at Nakano Broadway
Voice Acting Isn’t Just Acting With Your Voice: Interview with Two People from the Industry
Actress & Singer Minori Chihara Answers Your Questions
Kazusa Aranami Interview: On Performing, Working and Being a Woman in the Anime Industry
