Lovers of Japanese pop culture were gathered for the Anime Festival Asia 2009 (AFA 09) held at Suntec City Convention hall last weekend.

Countless booths littered the convention hall showcasing many aspects of Japanese pop culture, from Japanese animation to toys and figurine collectibles.

Most of the attendees also made an effort to dress up for the occasion in their favourite anime characters.

The 'I Love Anisong' Mega Music Concert was a highlight of the festival, with performances from renowned anime theme song singer Ichirou Mizuki hailed as Japan's "King of Anime Songs" and J-Pop performer Shoko Nagasawa who has sung anime theme songs most notably for popular franchise, Pokemon.

Another highlight is the Regional Cosplay Championship which attracted top cosplay teams from the region and judged by a panel notably consisting of prominent cosplayer in the international scene, Kaname.

While targeting specific fans of Japanese animation, the festival also aims to introduce Japanese pop culture to the region and give Japanese performers and personalities more exposure.

Text by Stephen Vergara of Republic Polytechnic.

This is a final-year project by Republic Polytechnic students in conjunction with AsiaOne.