Comic Con Africa 2023 has come and gone, leaving followers with recollections made and experiences shared with household and mates. While there was an enormous number of geek and popular culture to devour on the occasion this yr, from comics and gaming to motion pictures and TV exhibits, there was an amazing concentrate on anime and Japanese tradition this yr that basically stunned me. It not solely exhibits the occasion’s dedication to carry anime to the forefront of South Africa’s leisure choices, it additionally gave anime followers much more of their favorite hobbies and pursuits.
The discuss of the city was One Piece, primarily because of the surprising recognition of the latest Netflix live-action collection. Walking the present flooring this yr, it was evident that One Piece was now a family title in South Africa’s anime group, reaching much more audiences and enthusiastic new followers than we’ve ever seen earlier than. In reality, the most well-liked cosplay for attendees this yr appeared to be the enduring Straw Hat, worn by protagonist Monkey D. Luffy. You couldn’t stroll 5 steps with out seeing a Straw Hat and that made me smile.
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Apart from the cosplay, you can additionally discover numerous stalls promoting superior One Piece merchandise, from T-shirts and mugs to collectible figurines and extra. To put icing on the cake, Comic Con Africa additionally hosted South African actor Steven John Ward as a visitor this yr, higher recognized for portraying Dracule Mihawk within the live-action One Piece collection. Veronica Taylor, who voiced the enduring Ash Ketchum within the Pokemon anime collection, was one other spotlight visitor.
Those acquainted with YouTubers additionally bought a chance to fulfill The Anime Man and Akidearest, two widespread content material creators who typically concentrate on anime and Japanese tradition of their movies which are inclined to amass hundreds of thousands of views. Having these skills on the present undoubtedly helped develop the enthusiastic response to anime this yr.
That mentioned, I discovered anime basically to be much more current at Comic Con Africa this yr in comparison with earlier years. You might nonetheless discover your assortment of merchandise associated to widespread anime like Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, Pokemon, Dragon Ball and extra on the present flooring, from the distributors to commercials. However, the tone appears to have modified a bit. In earlier years, it undoubtedly felt like anime was a bit sidelined in favour of gaming and comedian guide popular culture on the present however this yr, it was given equal footing.
Of course, a giant a part of that success was Otaku Town, a piece of Hall 6 that featured its personal stage the place it ran a number of anime and manga-themed workshops, quizzes, giveaways, panels and extra. Fans concerned about Japanese tradition and its previous might additionally view some incredible historic stalls in Otaku Town that gave South Africans a bit extra perception into the wealthy tradition and traditions of Japan.
For the primary time, it additionally appeared just like the variety of anime cosplayers outweighed the gaming and comedian guide cosplayers you typically see on the conference. Maybe it has to do with the rising recognition of anime within the nation or possibly it has to do with a normal lack of curiosity and enthusiasm for comedian guide media now after followers are feeling the load of the saturated DC and Marvel movie and TV market.
As a long-time anime fan, it felt nice being absorbed in so many anime-themed occasions and social gatherings. For the longest time, anime was that area of interest medium that appeared like solely the few dabbled in however now, it’s clear that the medium has much more endurance in South Africa than ever earlier than and experiencing it first-hand at Comic Con Africa was a heartwarming, eye-opening affair.
Comic Con Africa has hit a candy spot with the quantity of anime and manga publicity this yr and I can’t wait to see it evolve because the medium grows to grow to be a brand new powerhouse in popular culture. If the success of Netflix’s One Piece proves something, it’s that anime/manga is right here, it’s large and it’s solely going to get larger the extra spotlights are shone on it.
