What You May Not Know About AFA 2015...More Cosplay and Idol News

Exciting news for cosplayers and idol fans after the break!

It's less than two weeks away to the largest Japanese pop culture convention of the year and announcements are in full swing. The organisers are certainly not resting on their laurels, with this year's all-new, all-different "I Love Anisong Reboot" concert's 17-singer line-up and an astonishing 13 guest cosplayers hitting our shores.

Amidst the deluge of recent announcements, here are some interesting news which you may have missed.

UPDATE: Niji no Conquisitador's performance at AFA has been confirmed by the organisers

AFA will be dedicating a free cosplay zone with the AFA Shop on Level 3

That's right. Level 3 will now be an official AFA "free cosplay zone".

That's right! Cosplayers who do not wish to enter the exhibition halls and stage will not have to pay to take part in the festivities. AFA will be dedicating a special free cosplay zone in support of the cosplaying community. Non-anime merchandise and services from big-name brands such as Canon and BCL will be on offer at Level 3 of Suntec City Convention Centre, one level down from the convention halls, where cosplayers frequently showcase their crafts during the convention.

The AFA Shop at Funan Anime Matsuri

In addition, the AFA Shop booth, where you can purchase exclusive convention memorabilia such as the coveted I Love Anisong concert T-shirts, will be stationed at the same area this year. The booth was also where you could get photobooks and merchandise of guest cosplayers, along with selected items from featured animes in past years so we'd keep an eye out for it if we were you! It's official that AFA 2015 will be taking place across both Level 3 and 4 of the convention centre.

Not one, but TWO idol groups will possibly be performing at AFA this year
(UPDATE: CONFIRMED)

Idol group Nijicon will possibly be making an appearance at AFA this year

The idol fever is certainly experiencing a revival this year as idol groups continue to invade Singapore like never before! September saw yume-kawaii duo BPM15Q holding their maiden overseas performance here, with electro-dance idol Rie Yunohara and Kyoto maiden You Yanase staging a live show barely a week later.

【速報】11月末から虹のコンキスタドールのシンガポール遠征が決定しました！！出演メンバーは長田・奥村・根本・的場・鶴見となります。詳細は後日発表します！お楽しみに！！ #虹コン
— 虹のコンキスタドール (@2zicon) November 9, 2015

"Nijicon will be coming to Singapore at the end of November!" No prizes for guessing which event they'll appear in

Along with previously-announced guests Stand-Up! Hearts, idol group Niji no Conquisitador (Nijicon) will be making their way to Singapore in November and possibly performing at AFA too! The idol group, produced by illustration community website pixiv, announced the news on their official Twitter that 5 members- team leader Minari Nagata, public relations head (fancy title) Nonoka Okamura, Nagi Nemoto, Karin Matoba and Moe Tsurumi- will be heading to Singapore at the end of November.

Nijicon performing at AFA Thailand

Their songs are pretty catchy too, especially this one

Nijicon is certainly no stranger to AFA, with 5 members having taken to the stage for their first overseas performance at AFA Thailand earlier in April this year. In fact, the group's most senior member Moe Tsurumi, was at AFA last year, reporting on the event for news site Tokyo Otaku Mode. Looking at how Nijicon has just released their first album this month, expect an exhilarating live performance from these cute girls and many meet-and-greet opportunities at AFA!

Moe Tsurumi at AFA last year

UPDATE: Nijicon's performance at AFA has been officially confirmed by AFA 2015. We broke the news here first!

#AFASG15 5 members of Nijicon (Niji no Conquistador) will come to Anime Festival Asia from 27 Nov ~ 29 Nov 2015 at...
Posted by AFA - ANIME FESTIVAL ASIA on Wednesday, November 18, 2015

There you have it, two things you may have missed amidst all the AFA announcements. AFA has recently begun listing a few exhibitors on its website, with more to be announced soon so start your speculation engines running! The organisers seem to be keeping their cards close to their chest this year, dropping huge bombs only in these final weeks. With their promise of over 100 exhibiting booths this year, expectations are assuredly high!

#AFASG15 Join ANISONG SEIKA in this full version of AFASG15's official promotion video! Only at AFASG 2015 will you get...
Posted by AFA - ANIME FESTIVAL ASIA on Saturday, November 14, 2015

Over 30 guests and 100 exhibiting booths