Anime Japan returns to Tokyo Big Sight.

Every spring Japan’s anime and manga publishers gather for Anime Japan, the country’s biggest anime industry event. This year’s iteration took place last weekend at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center in the city’s Odaiba district, so we grabbed our camera and headed out to see what was waiting for attending fans at the exhibitors’ booths.

One of the largest installations was the booth for Fate/Grand Order, or FGO, as it’s also known. This spinoff from the Fate franchise has bucked the trend of mobile games being short-lived, and this summer will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of its release.

FGO isn’t limping along these days, either. As it approaches the one-decade mark, it’s getting ready to launch a new arc at the end of April, and in addition to seeing official cosplayers and kigurumi mascot costumes, visitors to the game’s booth at Anime Japan could receive a high-quality illustrated “guidebook” recapping the story so far to help new players get up to speed and to jog the memories of those who’ve been taking a break from the game for a while.

▼ There was also some large-scale character artwork decorating the walkway-adjacent exterior walls of the booth.

As if its title weren’t attention-grabbing enough, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX also has people eagerly waiting to watch it because it’s the first time for Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno to be contributing scripts to a Gundam anime. Though GQuuuuuuX won’t be making its TV debut until next month, its Anime Japan booth was showing off a 1:1-scale model of the titular mecha’s head unit.

There were statues of the series’ robots too…

…and also preview builds of upcoming 1:144-scale HG-grade Gunpla plastic models of the series’ white Gundam and Zaku.

▼ For GQuuuuuuX’s Zaku apparently every day is leg day.

During Anime Japan, GQuuuuuuX’s producers said that the anime will only be running for 12 episodes. While 12 to 13 episodes has become a common length for TV anime in the modern era, it’s a very small episode count for a Gundam series, especially one that seems to be building a unique, complex setting like GQuuuuuuX is, so maybe we’ll be getting a split season where there’s an extended break after the first 12 episodes air before new ones are produced.

▼ If that does turn out to be the case, at least we can pass the time by building the free made-from-recycled-materials Gunpla the booth was handing out.

Strolling over to the Puella Magi Madoka Magica booth, we were greeted by gigantic illustrations of an angelic Madoka and devilish Homura.

The Madoka Magica booth was highlighting two new additions to the dark magical girl franchise, starting with Puella Magi Madoka Magica Magia Exedra, a new mobile game that launches this week. Part of the promotion included these Kyubey masks, allowing you to slip on the face of one of the most hated characters in recent anime history (or tear it to pieces, if you still can’t forgive this prime example of a diabolical mascot/mentor character).

The booth was also selling advance tickets for Walpurgisnacht: Rising, the newest installment in the Madoka Magica theatrical anime series, which actually doesn’t have a release date yet but is slated to open sometime this year.

Brighter and cheerier fare could be found over at the booths for You and Idol Pretty Cure, the newest sub-series within the PreCure franchise…

…and the Pokémon anime’s new Megavoltage arc.

Shifting back to content squarely aimed at older anime enthusiasts, figure maker Good Smile Company was exhibiting new and pre-production figures for characters from mobile game Blue Archive.

Another example of anime art making its way from the screen to the physical world was this Lycoris Recoil manhole cover, featuring protagonists Chisato and Takina, which is being installed near Tokyo’s Kinshi Park this week.

Other series that caught out eye at the event included the tale of court intrigue Though I Am an Inept Villainess…

…dark yuri series I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day…

…and Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle.

And as for the design of the booth itself, we’ve got to make special mention of publisher Kadokawa, whose setup was done in a carnival style…

…and included a stage for Oshi no Ko’s in-series idol singer unit B-Komachi.

There’s always a special kind of excitement that comes from being at an in-person anime event, surrounded by other fans. We’re glad to see Anime Japan still going strong, and already looking forward to next year’s event, plus all of the great new anime to watch between now and then.

Photos © SoraNews24
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