Sonnya (L) and Renee (R) in their award-winning costumes. Photo by Anna Fischer.

WORLD COSPLAY SUMMIT TEAM USA AT KINOKUNIYA BOOKSTORE ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 17!

The New York Anime Festival today announced it is partnering with Del Rey Manga and Samurai Beat Radio to hold a Cosplay Day at the largest Japanese bookstore in North America – New York City’s Kinokuniya Bookstore – on Sunday, August 17, 2008.

Kinokuniya Bookstore, located at 1073 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan, will present a day-long series of events showcasing the diverse world of Japanese cosplay and the World Cosplay Summit — an international cosplay event held each summer in Nagoya, Japan. Sonnya Paz and Renee Gloger, Team USA in the 2008 World Cosplay Summit, will attend Kinokuniya’s Cosplay Day as Special Guests.

“We’re extremely pleased to form this partnership with Del Rey Manga and Samurai Beat Radio and I think the Cosplay Day at Kinokuniya will be fabulous,” New York Anime Festival Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. “These partners are key players in the anime world and I think Cosplay Day underscores that we have become a key player, too! We want to celebrate the passion of cosplayers and accomplishments of Sonnya and Renee, and there is no better home for this than Kinokuniya Bookstore.”

The New York Anime Festival is an anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture convention from the creators of New York Comic Con and will take place September 26th through the 28th at the Jacob Javits Center in New York, NY.

Cosplay is short for “costume play” and is one of the most vivid and creative aspects of anime fandom. At its center is the creation and wearing of costumes based on a fan’s favorite anime or manga character. The World Cosplay Summit is the Olympics of Cosplay, an annual event which draws cosplayers chosen from around the world for a competition before judges including some of Japan’s most iconic anime and manga creators. This year, countries including Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, and the USA sent representatives to the World Cosplay Summit.

Kinokuniya’s Cosplay Day will include special all-day activities as well as a series of cosplay-themed presentations…

Kinokuniya Cosplay Day All-Day Events

Anime And Manga Discount: Any customer who comes into Kinokuniya Bookstore at 1073 Avenue of the Americas on Sunday, August 17 wearing anime, manga, or video game cosplay will receive 10% off all anime and manga purchases.

Cosplay Day Giveaway: All customers who come into Kinokuniya Bookstore can enter to win a number of prizes from Del Rey Manga and the New York Anime Festival. Winners will be drawn at 5:30 PM, and customers must be present to claim their prizes.

Kinokuniya Cosplay Day Event Schedule

3:00 to 4:00 PM: World Cosplay Summit Memories. The World Cosplay Summit — the Olympics of Cosplay — was held earlier this month in Japan, and two girls from Queens represented America in this international event. Team USA’s now back in NYC, and they’ve come to Kinokuniya to talk about their trip to Japan and experiences in the World Cosplay Summit. Sonnya Paz and Renee Gloger will spend an hour speaking about what it was like being crowned Team USA, what it was like winning a trip to Japan, and how they felt going up against cosplayers on the international stage!

4:00 to 4:30 PM: Cosplay Q&A. Got a question about cosplay? Curious about beadwork? Don’t know the best fabrics, metals, and woods to work with? Sonnya Paz and Renee Gloger will answer all your questions — beginner to advanced — so that one day you, too, will be good enough to compete in the Olympics of Cosplay.

4:30-5:00 PM: Samurai Beat Radio. Samurai Beat Radio, broadcast in 26 cities in Japan, comes to Kinokuniya to record a special, live show. Samurai Beat Radio will interview Sonnya Paz and Renee Gloger as well as cosplaying attendees to find out the who, what, where, when, and why Americans cosplay. This is a chance to get your voice heard throughout Japan!

5:30 PM: Raffle Drawing. Free tickets to the New York Anime Festival and Del Rey Manga prize packages are up for grabs in the Cosplay Day Giveaway. Customers can enter all day long, and to win, they’ll have to be present at 5:30 PM for the giveaway’s drawing.

Kinokuniya Bookstore, Del Rey Manga, the New York Anime Festival, and Samurai Beat Radio invite anime fans and New Yorkers up for a unique and unforgettable experience to come out to Cosplay Day at Kinokuniya on Sunday, August 17!

Sonnya (L) and Renee (R) in their award-winning costumes. Photos by Anna Fischer. Click for high-res versions.

The New York Anime Festival (NYAF) today announced designers from Baby, The Stars Shine Bright – Japan’s premier Lolita fashion brand – will participate in its 2008 event as Guests of Honor. Baby, The Stars Shine Bright designers Miho Satoh and Masumi Kanoh will attend the New York Anime Festival to speak about the history and philosophy of their brand, welcome fans to a special Baby, The Stars Shine boutique, and even enjoy a cup of tea with NYAF attendees during a Baby, The Stars Shine Bright tea party. All this will occur at the New York Anime Festival, an anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture convention from the creators of New York Comic Con, that takes place September 26th through the 28th at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

Born on the streets of Japan, Lolita fashion adopts child-like charms and details from periods such as Rococo France and Victorian England. The Lolita look is full of knee-skimming skirts, pintucks, petticoats, and blouses edged in lace. Developing since the 1970s in Japan, Lolita fashion is now rapidly gaining a wide following worldwide.

“We’re very honored to have Baby, The Stars Shine Bright take part in the New York Anime Festival,” NYAF Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. “NYAF is a celebration of all that is part of Japanese pop culture, and Lolita fashion is a dynamic part of what’s on the cutting edge — and Baby, The Stars Shine Bright is largely responsible for getting it there.”

Baby, The Stars Shine Bright was founded as a boutique in Shibuya, Tokyo in 1988 by husband and wife team Akinori and Fumiyo Isobe. Baby, The Stars Shine Bright has since grown into an international phenomenon with fans around the world and stores as faraway as Paris. The brand has collaborated with numerous famous icons including Sanrio’s Hello Kitty and Japanese pop star Nana Kitade. Anime fans and followers of Asian cinema will no doubt recognize Baby, The Stars Shine Bright as the clothing line at the center of the feature film Kamikaze Girls.

Baby, The Stars Shine Bright designer Miho Satoh was born in Tokyo, enjoyed handicrafts since she was young, and started studying clothing design as a high school student. Even now, after joining Baby, The Stars Shine Bright, she continues her studies in clothing design. Designer Masumi Kanoh was born in Miyagi, Japan. She’s always loved cute things and discovered Lolita fashion in junior high school. She joined Baby, The Stars Shine Bright right out of university.

Further information about Miho Satoh and Masumi Kanoh and the Baby, The Stars Shine Bright events at the New York Anime Festival will be available at newyorkanimefestival.com in the coming weeks. Tickets to NYAF are on sale now at newyorkanimefestival.com.

ABOUT THE NEW YORK ANIME FESTIVAL

The New York Anime Festival takes place September 26-28, 2008 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan and is organized by Reed Exhibitions, the creators of New York Comic Con. The New York Anime Festival showcases the best of anime pop culture, including the latest anime, manga, Japanese cinema, music, and games, and anime-influenced comics, animation, and films from around the world. The festival features exclusive and extensive screenings, a gala cosplay masquerade, sessions with the some of the biggest names in anime from Japan, Asia, and America, and explores the Japanese cultural experience with displays of both traditional and cutting-edge Japanese life. NYAF’s partners include Bandai Entertainment, BookExpo America, Dark Horse Comics, Del Rey Manga, Kinokuniya Bookstore, New York Comic Con, Samurai Beat Radio, Subway Cinema, TheOtaku.com, and TOKYOPOP. Further information can be found at newyorkanimefestival.com.

ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS

The New York Anime Festival is operated by Reed Exhibitions, the world’s leading events organizer. In 2007, Reed brought together over six million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today, Reed events are held in 38 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and organized by 39 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE-100 company and world-leading publisher and information provider. In 2006, Reed Elsevier made adjusted profit before taxation of £1,052 million on turnover of £5,398 million.

The New York Anime Festival (NYAF) today announced famous Japanese voice actress Rie Tanaka will appear at its 2008 event as a Guest of Honor. Ms. Tanaka is most known around the globe for voicing Lacus Clyne in the anime series Gundam SEED, Chii in Chobits, and Suigintou in Rozen Maiden. The New York Anime Festival, an anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture convention from the creators of New York Comic Con, takes place September 26th through the 28th at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

“We’re excited to welcome Ms. Tanaka into or show,” NYAF Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. “She’s given voice to some of the most popular and enduring anime characters in recent years, and we know she has an eager fanbase wanting to meet her in America.”

While Ms. Tanaka is most known for her roles in Gundam SEED, Chobits, and Rozen Maiden, she has contributed her voice to characters in over 50 animations, with some standouts including Simca in Air Gear, Yomi in Azumanga Daioh, Sei in Burst Angel, Hiroko Matsukata in Hataraki Man, Monica Lange in Macross Frontier, Tomoe Marguerite in My-Otome, Saki in Steel Angel Kurumi, and Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke in Strike Witches. In addition, Ms. Tanaka is also the voice behind songs featured in many of the series she’s worked on including Azumanga Daioh, Burst Angel, Chobits, and Gundam SEED.

Beyond question-and-answer and autograph sessions, Ms. Tanaka will perform a selection of her songs at the start of NYAF’s World Cosplay Summit Masquerade — a costume contest with prizes including a trip to Japan. Tickets to NYAF are on sale now at newyorkanimefestival.com.

ABOUT THE NEW YORK ANIME FESTIVAL

The New York Anime Festival takes place September 26-28, 2008 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan and is organized by Reed Exhibitions, the creators of New York Comic Con. The New York Anime Festival showcases the best of anime pop culture, including the latest anime, manga, Japanese cinema, music, and games, and anime-influenced comics, animation, and films from around the world. The festival features exclusive and extensive screenings, a gala cosplay masquerade, sessions with the some of the biggest names in anime from Japan, Asia, and America, and explores the Japanese cultural experience with displays of both traditional and cutting-edge Japanese life. NYAF’s partners include Bandai Entertainment, BookExpo America, Dark Horse Comics, Del Rey Manga, Kinokuniya Bookstore, New York Comic Con, Samurai Beat Radio, Subway Cinema, TheOtaku.com, and TOKYOPOP. Further information can be found at newyorkanimefestival.com.

ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS

The New York Anime Festival is operated by Reed Exhibitions, the world’s leading events organizer. In 2007, Reed brought together over six million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today, Reed events are held in 38 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia and organized by 39 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE-100 company and world-leading publisher and information provider. In 2006, Reed Elsevier made adjusted profit before taxation of £1,052 million on turnover of £5,398 million.