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 with opportunities to get close 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 the first installment, Kana Ueda and Ayako Kawashumi talk about the differences between fans in Japan and overseas and popular characters abroad as well as 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’m interested in how Japanese anime fans will respond to this foreign-style festival.
The festival offers visitors a new experience. They can get close to the guests as well. I understood IFF Osaka is special and different from the existing anime events. I hope for visitors to enjoy these differences!
Fans abroad show massive respect to anime culture and the voice acting job. I’m grateful for the opportunities I’m given to feel their enthusiasm directly.
Fans in Japan might have watched recording scenes somewhere. To be honest, they aren’t real. The voice actor in such videos often wears headphones and performs the role alone. That never happens at an actual recording.
Recording is quite complicated in fact. For example, we must consider ‘microphone works’: the techniques and rules to share a couple of microphones in a studio among many voice actors. I’d like to show what actual recording is like at the festival.
Rin is one of my representative roles and really popular among overseas fans. They often ask me to include her name at autograph sessions. Her fans often use ‘Master xx’ for their pseudonyms as well!
Some fans might be confused at first as the communication style abroad is quite different from the Japanese one. However, it’ll be great fun, so please feel free to join the festival.
→nextpage: Ayako Kawasumi 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: Ami Koshimizu and Mikako Takahashi 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
