| Bizan Mountain Stage |
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In Japan, home of anime, Tokushima draws a lot of attention from many anime fans as a cool anime town.
"Machi★Asobi" is a popular anime event held in Tokushima several times a year.
A large number of anime fans gather from all over Japan. |
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There was so much to see and do: talk shows and concerts by creators involved in producing anime and voice actors, over 20 anime film screenings, an annual anime award ceremony, autograph sessions, exhibitions of original artwork, anime projections, displays of cars painted with anime characters, exhibitions of figurines, a stamp rally, and even a bus and the airport decorated with an anime theme, the recording on the ropeway on the way to the venue specially remade using a voice actor's performance, and countless other events at stages all around town. |
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| Decorations at Tokushima’s Awa Odori Airport |
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| Mountain summit stage on Mt. Bizan |
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The Bizan summit main stage featured a variety of events including live performances of “Idol Master”, “Fate” and more by anime creators and voice actors.
The "Machi★Asobi" Cosplay Grand Prix final event was held to decide the champion. There were eleven entrants from Japan and two guest entries from China.
The Chinese entrants passed the preliminary stage in Shanghai, and gave performances that were a testament to their great skills. The venue was full of anime fans that cheered them on wholeheartedly. |
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This is a display of “itasha” – cars that are painted with the owner’s favorite anime and videogame characters. Many people turned their cameras towards the uncommon sight of these rare itasha.
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Every year, the famous anime magazine"Newtype" announces the winners of anime awards within the pages, but this year for the first time the announcements and award ceremonies were held as a part of "Machi★Asobi". "Puella Magi Madoka Magika" won awards in 12 of the 21 categories. |
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| Many more events at the foot of Mt. Bizan!! |
The concerts and talk events weren’t just held at the summit of Mt. Bizan.
The stage at the bank of Shinmachi-gawa River and the foot of Mt. Bizan and the pagoda event stage were both sites of events from morning to night.
Voice actor unit" Tsukineko"… and "MOSAIC.WAV", a well-known AKIBA-POP group brought their fans to a frenzy with a live performance. |
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This time, "Machi★Asobi" tried many new challenges, including using the important cultural property "Odeon-za" theater in Mima city, a long way from Tokushima city center, to screen a variety of films, from old anime classics like "Ashita no Joe" to modern releases.
Normally, people visit the "Awa Odori Kaikan" to experience Awa Odori dancing, but this time it was the site of anime screenings, and a special collaboration performance between "Tsukineko" and Awa Odori dancing.
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| During the festival, the whole town was full of anime!!! |
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The door to "Tokushima, Awa Odori Airport", was decorated with anime character banners for "Machi★Asobi", and both anime fans and regular airport visitors turned their cameras towards the banners to capture the moment. |
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There was an autograph session by popular anime artists in Poppo Street arcade. It was a rare chance to get some autographs from many artists, and there was a long line of fans leading to the venue. |
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A bus painted with illustrations from the popular anime "Fate/Zero" appeared in Tokushima city center. Not only the outside of the bus, but also the inside of the bus is decorated, and many people rode the bus just to check it out. This bus continues to ride around Tokushima after "Machi★Asobi" has finished. |
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Each venue had a stamp installed, and by collecting these, it was possible to get a special anime gift. |
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At Higashi Shinmachi Arcade, a complete set of back issues of the past decades of popular anime magazines “Animage” and “Animedia” were assembled for display. It is here where it’s possible to learn about everything from old nostalgic anime classics to the most up-to-date anime information. Also, at the entrance to the arcade is a huge banner made by "ufotable", which is worth a look. |
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Hungry anime fans were able to eat at participating "Machi★Asobi" restaurants and get some limited edition anime-themed gifts. |
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