Amin Abbas

The 1st edition of “Animenia” Festival was held from 23 – 27 October at Manarat al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi.

Organized by Brag, the 5 days event welcomed over 30,000 fans over five jam-packed days of anime mania with immersive themed exhibits, creative workshops and gaming, star-studded live entertainment, exclusive meet and greets, mouthwatering street food, retail, and an epic cosplay competition with more than AED 400,000 in prizes up for grabs.

Jean Hajjar, Head of Entertainment at Brag told Arab News Japan the story and idea behind organizing Animenia Festival: “The inspiration for organizing Animenia Festival in Abu Dhabi was to bring the energetic and imaginative world of anime to life right here in Abu Dhabi. We aimed to transport fans and gamers into the vibrant, futuristic setting of Neo-Tokyo without them needing to leave Abu Dhabi. The festival celebrated the passionate and growing anime fandom in the AD and the region. Our goal was to set a new standard for anime festivals worldwide and place Abu Dhabi on the global anime festival map.”

“The concept was to bring together an impressive roster of anime worlds (Naruto, Jujutsu Kaizen, Attack on Titan, Hello Kitty and Spacetoon) anime directors, voice actors, manga artists, and video game creators for meet-and-greets, a gaming hub, and interactive workshops and the world’s largest cosplay competition prize pool. Visitors could dive deeply into the creativity of anime, exploring themed exhibits, meeting their favorite characters, savoring Japanese street food, and collecting exclusive anime and manga merchandise. It was designed to be a full-on celebration of anime culture, delivering an unforgettable experience to fans and newcomers alike,” he added.

Here are the main highlights from the event:

Anime Worlds: Fans and visitors entered to explore five immersive anime worlds, bringing their favorite anime series to life includes Attack on Titan, Naruto, Jujutsu Kaisen, The Hello Kitty and Spacetoon. Each world offered interactive activities, perfect for photos and collectible hunts.

International Anime Icons – Meet & Greet: Animenia brought some of the biggest international anime icons to the region, making day one a dream come true for fans! Legendary figures like Square Enix’s Isamu Kamikokuryo, Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, and Ryo Horikawa were here to meet fans. They also got to connect with Attack on Titan director Yuichiro Hayashi and Final Fantasy creators like Takashi Tokita and Yusuke Naora.

Retail & Street Food: Animenia also brought the flavors of Tokyo to Abu Dhabi with a fantastic lineup of authentic Japanese street food—from ramen to sweet mochi. They also had the opportunity to experience a variety of regional and international brands, enjoying anime accessories, collectible merchandise, and trendy anime streetwear to take home.

Live Entertainment: The live entertainment was a major highlight of the event and received an enthusiastic response from attendees! Each performance brought a unique energy that kept the crowd engaged and excited throughout the day. Some of the notable names include Team Anime DXB, Yoko Takahashi, KUNI-KEN, Rasha Rizk, Mojo FLOW, Powerglove and many more.

Workshops & Gaming: Animenia was packed with hands-on workshops, gaming, and shopping for fans to dive into Japanese creativity and culture.

Cosplay Competition: The largest cosplay competition prize pool attracted some of the best cosplayers globally, we had over 250 registrations and shortlisted the top 100. Some of the nationalities we had flew in from Japan, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Moldova, United Kingdom, Thailan, Singapore and France.

About the overall response and feedback from the attendees of the event, Hajjar said: “The response to Animenia Festival was overwhelmingly positive. Visitors and fans were thrilled to experience an event of this scale in Abu Dhabi. From the Neo-Tokyo experience to meet-and-greets with international anime creators, icons, J-Pop performances, and one of the world’s biggest cosplay competitions, the festival was a memorable celebration for the visitors. We’re incredibly grateful for the support and excitement from everyone who attended.”

Abu Dhabi Gaming, a leading initiative set up by the Abu Dhabi government to drive the growth of the UAE’s gaming sector participated in Animenia 2024 and hosted a vibrant booth designed to immerse visitors in a world of gaming and anime through a variety of thrilling activities. In line with Abu Dhabi Gaming’s goal to support and promote gaming culture in the UAE, attendees participated in exhilarating E-sports showdowns, where gamers of all skill levels competed in high-energy tournaments for exciting prizes. In addition, the booth featured game challenges tailored to different types of players, from casual gamers looking for fun to seasoned competitors eager to test their abilities.

“Our participation in Animenia 2024 was a tremendous success, allowing us to connect with the UAE’s vibrant gaming community in meaningful ways. From cosplay events and pop-culture trivia to anime quizzes, gaming showdowns, and immersive VR experiences, we were thrilled to see fans fully engage with everything Abu Dhabi Gaming had to offer,” said Marcos Muller-Habig, Director – Abu Dhabi Gaming told Arab News Japan. “Events like Animenia are crucial for building relationships and fostering a deeper sense of community among fans, which is an important part of our mission to grow and support the gaming sector in the Abu Dhabi. We look forward to building on this momentum and creating even more unique experiences for gamers across the region.”

“I had the incredible opportunity to attend Animenia Abu Dhabi, and it was an unforgettable experience! The festival was an authentic celebration of anime culture, featuring amazing activations from iconic franchises like Naruto, Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, and beloved Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty,” Japan in Arabia founder Jason Ishida told Arab News Japan. “I was thrilled to rock out with J-Pop band Flow, known for hits like “GO!!!” and “Colors.” Rasha Rizk, who rocked the anime world via Spacetoon, treated us to some of her most famous songs like Detective Conan: Case Closed, Digmon, Hunter X Hunter, and Pokémon. Watching her bring her signature sound to the stage added a perfect fusion of Arabic and Japanese culture.”

“Among the standout guests were legendary figures in the anime and gaming world. Yoko Shimomura, known for composing the iconic Kingdom Hearts soundtrack, shared her musical journey. Naoto Ohshima, the designer of Sonic the Hedgehog, talked about his creative process that brought this beloved character to life. Ryo Horikawa, the voice of Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z, brought excitement as he recounted his experiences in the industry. Keiichiro Toyama, creator of Silent Hill, discussed his groundbreaking work in horror gaming. Hidetoshi Omori, renowned for his work on Gundam and Dragon Ball, has been influential in shaping their visual and narrative styles. Yutaka Abe also shared his work on the Detective Conan franchise, where his illustrations help bring these beloved stories to life”.

“At our Japan in Arabia activation, sharing our passion for Japanese culture and calligraphy with guests was a highlight. I was pleasantly surprised by the response from anime-goers; we often had a long queue of people waiting to get their names and other meaningful words personalized for them on the spot.”

“Overall, Animenia Abu Dhabi was an exciting celebration of creativity and cultural exchange that brought together fans from all walks of life. I left feeling inspired and connected to a community that shares my love for anime and felt proud to share Japanese culture,” he added.