Whether you’re a superhero geek or J-pop otaku, there’s no other place to be than the Bangkok Comic Con x Anime Festival Asia this long weekend. Thursday through Sunday is the time to explore fictional worlds of superheroes, Hollywood creations and kawaii anime schoolgirls.
Doubling up on the fun from last year’s con, the event has been joined by the Anime Festival Asia, to bring four days of joy at the much bigger venue of BITEC Bangna.
Once they step into the hall of BITEC, con-goers are free to unleash their inner geek for either Western comics or Japanese anime or both. Despite the bigger venue, it’s easy to walk around as the zone is divided into the comic con on one side and the anime fest on the other, which is of course packed with all the cute cosplayers.
The highlight of the con this year is again the Game of Thrones booth, with the Iron Throne of Westeros drawing many, many butts. It’s even better lit this year, and fanboys and fangirls should be prepared for a long line to play with a Targaryen dragon at the interactive green screen exhibit.
There’s also the Mockingjay Landmark from the Hunger Games where citizens can see the fashion of Katniss Everdeen from all the movies. Clap along or take a photo but you better not raise the forbidden three fingers! If Star Wars nerd, you are, then make your best carbonite-frozen face for a selfie with Han Solo and stormtroopers. Two stars from Star Wars, Ray Park (Darth Maul) and Daniel Logan (Boba Fett), will appear this weekend.
For seven years the Anime Festival Asia has been a great platform of Japanese pop culture in Southeast Asia and it is a household name to J-Pop lovers in the region. The highlights are the Cosplay Stars showcase that gathers popular cosplayers from around Asia, special appearances and a concert. On the second floor of BITEC, there’s also the AFATH Main Stage with a special appearance of Japanese singers May’n and Eir Aoi, a talk show with Gundam designer Kunio Okawara and the voice actor Nobuhiko Okamoto, and exclusive idol performances.
For Thai film lovers, you can enjoy taking photo with props, costumes and sets from the King Naresuan movies. You can also support local artists by shopping for live photo sketches, comics and merchandise. Moreover, there’s no better way to spend money than buying your favorite superhero’s collection, discounted comic book series and all things cute here at the Bangkok Comic Con x Anime Festival Asia at BITEC Bangkok.
Check the schedule for more highlights, including a session with Game of Thrones weapons master Tommy Dunne and Batman producer Michael E. Uslan.
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