Latest news with #Cosplay
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Thousands of comic book fans brave summer heat to attend Hong Kong Ani-Com 2025
Cosplayers dressed as characters such as Dr. Mario, Pikachu and Hokusai were among the thousands undeterred by the summer heat who joined an outdoor queue before streaming into Hong Kong's annual comics and games fair on Saturday. Advertisement The 26th edition of Ani-Com & Games Hong Kong began on Friday and will run until Tuesday at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, featuring a record-high number of 160 exhibitors and more than 788 booths. A snaking queue formed beyond the convention centre across the street on a footbridge into Central Plaza on Saturday, and was constantly moving without any signs of ending as of 2.30pm. Jonathan Nguyen, who came as Dr. Mario – the main character of the eponymous Nintendo video game – has attended all five days of every edition of the show in the last two decades after moving to Hong Kong from the US. 'I tell myself the budget is HK$2,000 [US$255] every year, but I go over budget all the time; it was double last year,' the kindergarten teacher in his 40s said. Advertisement He observed certain products were cheaper this year – such as figurines that used to be in the region of HK$600 and now priced at HK$400 – thanks to the low Japanese yen, adding that the economic downturn had not impacted his desire to spend. 'I would say that nerds spend no matter what the economy is like because we do it for the love of the game,' said Nguyen, who also dressed as Steven from Steven Universe and Russell from the film Up on other days of the event.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
How TikTok Is Powering The Next Wave Of Global Anime Fandom
Inside TikTok's Anime Industry Meetup: How Publishers, Studios, and Creators Are Shaping the Future of Fandom On the eve of the 2025 Los Angeles Anime Expo, TikTok's Publisher team hosted an evening of conversation and connection at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. The guest list brought together anime publishers, studios, streaming platforms, and creators from across the globe. The focus of the evening was clear. Anime fandom is more global than it has ever been, and TikTok is a driving force behind this passionate community sharing these stories that they love. Over the past year, anime-related content has ranked among the most viewed and reshared genres on TikTok. Hashtags like #AnimeTok, #MangaTok, and #Cosplay have generated more than 51 million posts. But what matters most is how fans are engaging. Viewers are turning into active participants. They remix trailers, stitch reactions, share scene-by-scene commentary, and build entire narratives around their favorite characters. This behavior turns casual interest into lasting fandom and gives publishers a new way to seed stories and test creative concepts long before a global release. Anime is evolving through this kind of fan-driven sharing and as a result, new titles are reaching audiences around the world, including many who are discovering anime for the first time. TikTok has become a bridge that connects stories across cultures and communities. It's not just fueling growth; it's changing how anime travels and takes root with global audiences. The meetup opened with a keynote that challenged publishers to think about how their strategies could evolve alongside the platform. At the center of the conversation was a timely question: Can anime catch up to Hollywood? The short answer, according to the speakers, is yes. In many ways, it already has. The data supports it, but so does the energy of the community. Anime-related content is not only keeping pace with film and television topics on the platform, it's driving high levels of engagement, discussion, and creativity. This keynote emphasized the importance of testing content, exploring new formats, and giving creators the flexibility to interpret IP in ways that resonate with their audiences. It provides a real-time view into what fans care about, from the characters they connect with to the moments that spark conversation. Clips resurface months after a show premieres. Audio trends evolve alongside fan interpretations. This kind of environment gives publishers a unique opportunity to build momentum, long after the initial launch. The key takeaway: That means testing early, listening closely, and embracing a landscape where content is meant to be engaged with. TikTok isn't just where anime fandom lives, but it has helped scale it, diversify it, and accelerate the way stories travel. Entire series are now discovered through fan edits. Legacy franchises find new life when a stitched clip lands in the right feed. A single creator's reaction can spark global demand. What's especially exciting is that this momentum isn't confined to one region or demographic. The event's creator panels made that clear, showcasing voices from both Japan and the United States who are helping anime reach new audiences through creative, community-driven content. The first panel featured a bilingual conversation between Straw Hat Goofy, a U.S.-based anime creator known for his charismatic anime commentary and film reviews, and Shinnosuke, a creator from Japan known for introducing films, television dramas, and anime. Together, they reflected on how TikTok has helped shift the perception of anime in their respective countries. He also noted how celebrities like Michael B. Jordan and Megan Thee Stallion have shown their enthusiasm about anime publicly, helping to normalize and elevate the genre in pop culture. Shinnosuke shared a similar evolution in Japan. The second panel brought together Satoyu, a creator from Japan widely recognized for his popular content that creatively blends anime with his own original character, and the California-based collective TheAnimeMen, a group of diverse best friends who share their love for anime, and their goal is to normalize anime across the world. They spoke about the role creators play in cross-cultural exchange. 'TikTok and our content bridge the gap for users overseas who haven't seen anime,' Satoyu explained. He described how he uses character-driven content and interactions in the comments to help new viewers understand and fall in love with anime. 'I am able to portray stories through IP content and relay them for those who don't know about it, which has helped bring anime to different audiences.' AnimeMen built on that idea, saying, 'People didn't know a lot of anime titles before TikTok came around. TikTok is bridging the gap for more niche anime in the U.S.' They emphasized that partnerships with creators are key to anime's future abroad. TikTok has become a platform where creators can both express their fandom and actively expand it. For anime companies, the potential to grow through authentic collaboration is stronger than ever. Anime fans are already showing up. The opportunity now lies in how industry players choose to show up in return. That means testing early, listening closely, and embracing a landscape where content is meant to be engaged with, not just consumed. Anime is evolving in real time, and this week's event made it clear that TikTok is one of the platforms where that evolution is being shaped, shared, and celebrated the loudest.
NHK
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NHK
North America's largest anime convention underway in Los Angeles
Fans of Japanese animation are flocking to Los Angeles to attend North America's largest anime convention. The annual Anime Expo has been underway since Thursday. The four-day event has served as a major showcase for Japanese pop culture in the United States for more than 30 years. More than 300 exhibitors are introducing new content and items, including the latest Japanese animation works and video games. The convention also features events, such as panel discussions hosted by Yoshida Naoki, who produced the latest video game title in the popular Final Fantasy series. Cosplayers dressed up as anime characters took photos of each other, while other visitors bought exclusive items. A man said he enjoyed seeing so many people openly showing that they love anime. The Japanese government is promoting the country's content industry, such as movies and animation, with the aim of expanding overseas sales about fourfold to 20 trillion yen, or about 138 billion dollars. The Japan External Trade Organization says a significantly growing number of Japanese companies are visiting the Anime Expo for business. It adds that the visitors also include firms that are not related to the content business.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Quad Con' held at the Southern Hills Mall
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Geeks, gamers and Cosplayers get on your mark, as Quad-con has invaded the Southern Hills Mall in Sioux City this weekend. This is the second year of the event at the mall, and it has everything from comic books, video games, action figures, original art and you can Cosplay as your favorite character. 'This is a celebration of all things pop culture. You're going to find anything from Pokémon action figures, comic books. You're going to find original art from the artists that are set up here. It's a mishmash of everything people are into right now. If you're looking for something for that hard-to-find nerd in your life, this is the place to come, said John Wells, the Event Coordinator for Quad Con. According to organizers, this event is a great way to 'dip your toe' in the water if you've never attended a Comic-Con before and want to experience it. 'It's a way to go to a comic book convention lite. You know, it's not the full experience but you will see the same vendors at these shows. We don't have guests, we don't have panel discussions, we don't have all these other things and ultimately that all costs money and we're a free event,' added Wells. The event is going on during normal mall hours and it concludes Sunday at 6:00 p.m.. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sydney Morning Herald
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
The best new Australian music to listen to this month
Teether & Kuya Neil, Yearn IV Naarm's (Melbourne's) underground music scene can feel like a deranged pot-luck dinner – club rats, art punks and rap surrealists seasoning their demented bone broth with unknown spices pinched from ziplock bags. Teether and Kuya Neil come bubbling out of that soup's peak-boil with their debut album, Yearn IV. Neil, one of the country's most visionary producers, sets the vibe on album opener Scratch the Flea Point with a murky Enter Sandman -esque guitar line and added breakbeats; Teether pokes fun at his hometown on Cosplay ('Half of the club cosplay low class/ How you got all that designer on?'); and on Dial Up (featuring Stoneset) he conjures his trademark feverish imagery ('Who filled the city with rats? Breathing the hottest of breath/ Pig on my bag, down my neck, screaming'). Yearn IV locates its energy in Naarm's community, cultures and creativity, pokes fun at its class contradictions and hedonism, and isn't afraid to embody the present moment's existential dread in Neil's swampy but nonetheless electric production. Teether's tongue is on fire, but ultimately Yearn IV' s a bisque to burn the brain. Nick Buckley Montaigne, it's all about the money If you had to guess which local pop artist would manage to work the lyric 'I am renouncing the monetary system' into a gleefully pinballing art-pop track, your mind may have drifted to Montaigne. It's all about the money is the fourth single from Montaigne's upcoming fourth album, and it's a return to their best: piercing and funny, with a delicious sticky melody that will bounce in your head for days. The production, by Montaigne with assistance from talented dance producer Wave Racer, bursts with bright guitars and jaunty electronic effects. The Sydney artist's new album, it's hard to be a fish, will land on June 19, and it marks their first as a fully independent artist after splitting with major label Sony a few years back. They recently joked on April Fool's Day that they had re-signed, which is perhaps an indication of how little love is lost between the two parties.
