HomeAnimeThe Festivities of Madman Anime Festival: Melbourne 2017

The Festivities of Madman Anime Festival: Melbourne 2017

-

animefestival

Following legs in Perth (March 2017) and Brisbane (June 2017), Australian anime publisher Madman Entertainment will be concluding their annual tour of the Madman Anime Festival by hosting it in their hometown of Melbourne. This will conclude their first year of touring MadFest, with 2016’s inaugural festivities being held only in Victoria.

Those in attendance at the event will have access to a number of anime and cosplay special guests through signings and panels, have the chance to attend multiple animated film screenings (at additional cost), go shopping in the Akiba Shopping Zone, enjoy cosplay ops and more.

For those who want to know more information about what’s on, below is an overview of some of the main events taking place:

Madman Anime Festival Brisbane 2017 - Cherami Leigh's Panel
Cherami Leigh hosting panel at Madman Anime Festival: Brisbane 2017

Special Guests

While those of us attending Madman Anime Festival Brisbane this year had the chance to receive insights from voice actor Cherami Leigh (Asuna –  Sword Art Online), those in Melbourne will have the chance to learn from her SAO co-lead Bryce Papenbrook. Papenbrook will be holding a Voice Actor Insights panel at 11.00am in the AnimeLab arena on both Saturday and Sunday.

Other anime guests in Melbourne for the weekend is acclaimed director Shinichirou Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop and more), FATE series producer Atsuhiro Iwakami, voice actor Kana Ueda (Rin Tohsaka – FATE series) and wrestling/singing/voice-acting/acting personality Ladybeard. Expect to see all these guests take part in their own Q&A panels, signing sessions and more

Those familiar with the cosplay scene will also be able to meet and gain insights from some local and international cosplay stars. These include Ely, AmenoKitarou, Orochi X, Pinky Lu Xun and Knitemaya.

Profiles for each special guest can be found on the official Madman Anime Festival website.

Films

While you should expect to see some or all of these in cinemas soon, Madman Anime Festival Melbourne 2017 will be the place to be the first in Australia to see some of the newest animated and live-action adaptation feature films.

Over the four days, screenings will be held for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable – Chapter 1 (Live Action), No Game No Life: Zero (Anime), Mary and the Witch’s Flower (Anime) and Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] I. presage flower (Anime). These films are ticketed separately, and you don’t need to attend the festival to attend these screenings.

You can read more about each of these films below:

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable – Chapter 1

Saturday 4 November 2017 @ 10.00pm – 12.00am

In 1999, a mystical Arrow that can manifest latent Stand abilities travels throughout Morioh. High schooler Josuke Higashikata and his friends are thrust into a new world they never knew existed, as they’re forced to face off against deadly Stand users while trying to uncover the mysteries of the Arrow and how to stop its wielder.

No Game No Life: Zero

Sunday 5 November 2017 @ 5.30pm

The film takes place six thousand years before Sora and Shiro were even a blink in the history of Disboard. War consumed the land, tearing apart the heavens, destroying stars, and even threatening to wipe out the human race. Amid the chaos and destruction, a young man named Riku leads humanity toward the tomorrow his heart believed in. One day, in the ruins of an Elf city, he meets Shuvi, a female exiled “ex-machina” android who asks him to teach her what it means to have a human heart.

Mary and The Witch’s Flower

Sunday 5 November 2017 @ 8.00pm

Mary and the Witch’s Flower, the film adaptation of the beloved novel by Mary Stewart, ‘The Little Broomstick’, is a sublime blend of magic and fantasy that will sweep audiences along with its charming, heartfelt adventure. This film reveals the magical world of a school for witches, combining rollicking adventure with the unique richness, art and animation of Studio Ghibli-style storytelling.  But this strangely sinister school is no Hogwarts, and our heroine is not even a witch!

Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] I. presage flower

Saturday 4 November 2017 @ 7.30pm

The boy wished to protect the girl. That was his thought. 10 years after the Holy Grail War—a battle waged by Masters and Servants over the wish-granting container, the Holy Grail—another war breaks out in Fuyuki City. Shirou Emiya—the adopted son of Kiritsugu Emiya, a participant of the previous Holy Grail War—resolves to fight, carrying out Kiritsugu’s dying wish.

There’s a young girl by Shirou’s side who’s in love with him—Sakura Matou. Every morning, she goes to Shirou’s house to make breakfast and dinner for him, bringing kindness into the life of a boy utterly alone in the world. But once the Holy Grail War starts, there’s a change in the air in Fuyuki City. Murders abound across the city, and the atmosphere grows ominous.

Shirou decides to shelter Sakura in his home. Along with Saber, the Servant he summons, Shirou allies himself with the magus Rin Tohsaka and takes part in the Holy Grail War.

But the battle starts to go awry as secret maneuvers by unseen forces are put into play.

Madman Anime Festival Brisbane 2017 - Attack on Titan Exhibition

Exhibitions

As has been the case with every Madman Anime Festival to date, Madman Entertainment will be arranging a number of art exhibitions for fans of particular series to check out during the event. 

In total there will be six exhibitions, based on anime series Attack on Titan, Cowboy Bebop, Love Live! Sunshine!! and Sword Art Online, Makoto Shinkai’s animated feature film Your Name, and Itasha.


These are just the three broad categories of things on offer during the festival, with more information about the cosplay festivities and happenings in the Akiba Shopping Zone available from the event’s official website.

The Madman Anime Festival is shaping up to be a considerably bigger event in Melbourne than was the case in Perth or Brisbane, evidenced by the number of special guests and film screenings Madman Entertainment is offering in comparison. That said, this will bring conclusion to a year of expansion for the festival… and time will tell whether we will see MadFest continue in 2018 and beyond.

Madman Anime Festival will be held at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre on the 4th and 5th November 2017.

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.
Advertisment

Recent Posts