From Stand-Up! Hearts to Iketeru Hearts: One Last Stage in Singapore

Idol group Iketeru Hearts (formerly Stand-Up! Hearts) performing on the second day of AFA 2015

Over three days, they had fun with, bantered with and no doubt, put a smile on the faces of the many who had dropped by their booth, their curiosity piqued by the eight vivacious girls who would cheerfully invite them to take a picture or two together.

Often performing alongside many other groups at idol events in Japan, they had the audience's undivided attention showered on them for the first time, with supporters turning up in droves to spur them on at their daily stage performances.

They were only idol trainees, yet to make their professional debut but it didn't matter. The crowd couldn't care less. To them, "Stand-Up! Hearts" was what they were there for, what made them happy the most.

Eir Aoi ROCK THE WORLD!! Interview: Musical Influences, Soup Curry King And More

First world tour. Nippon Budokan concert. Fourth album release. 2015 has certainly been an extraordinary year for Eir Aoi.

One of the hottest singers in Japanese music today, the Hokkaido-born songstress with eleven singles to her name, has performed the theme songs to many hit animes, from the likes of Sword Art Online, Aldnoah.Zero and Kill la Kill, gaining a legion of fans worldwide for her magnificent voice.

Originally scheduled to make a stop in Singapore this October as part of her "ROCK THE WORLD" first world tour, the concert was postponed to next year because of air quality problems.

Interview with Lia: Working With Jun Maeda, Voicing IA and That Life-Changing Call

Eurobeat, techno, trance, happy hardcore and anisong- Japanese singer-songwriter Lia has sung for so many different music genres but she is not stopping anytime soon.

"I like anime songs and I think my voice is more suited to them but I also want to try as many genres as possible in my life. I really like trying new things," said the 30 year-old in fluent English. She was in Singapore to perform at Anime Festival Asia 2015 last month .

ZAQ Interview: "My Music? It's CHAOS!"

"Chaos." She replied when asked to describe her music. "It's all over the place."

In 2012, anisong singer ZAQ, who had made her name composing and writing songs for other artistes, released her first single, "Sparkling Daydream". The opening theme for anime Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! went on to become a major hit and since then, her solo career has been on the rise, with an impressive nine singles and an album to her name.

Maaya Uchida Interview: "I Want to Graduate from Voicing Chuunibyous!"

Already in her twenties, she thinks that she should graduate from voicing chuunibyou (eighth-grade syndrome) characters.

One of the hottest seiyuus (voice actresses) in the anime industry right now, Maaya Uchida has lent her voice to many fan-favourite anime characters, most notably Takanashi Rikka in Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! and Kanzaki Ranko in The Idolmaster: Cinderella Girls.

Why You Definitely Need To Go to AFA 2015 This Weekend! You Won't Regret It!

How did your first day of Anime Festival Asia go? Large crowds and snaking queues were the most common sights of the day as fans scrambled to get their hands on exclusive merchandise and autographs in the eighth edition of the annual Japanese pop culture convention. XDantheManX Online checked out what went down on the opening day and what you can expect over the next two days.

All the Autographs You Can Get at AFA 2015! Collect them ALL!

Gotta catch 'em all!

AFA 2015 starts tomorrow! What's the first thing to do when the doors open? Dash in and get every possible autograph you can get, of course! Ain't nothing better than meeting your favourite singers and voice actresses and getting your memorabilia signed by them personally! Here's XDantheManX Online's guide to ALL the autographs that you can get at AFA! Collect them all!

6 New Exhibitors to Check Out at AFA 2015!

Bushiroad! Culture Japan! Good Smile Company! Many famous companies will be returning to AFA once again, following their successful outings in previous years, bringing with them tons of new and exclusive anime merchandise sure to tempt the many gullible young fans attending the convention. Joining them every year will be many new exhibitors, both big names and lesser-known ones. We take a look at some of the new exhibitors who you can check out at AFA this Friday!

Want to Make your Anime Product Official? Now you Can, at AFA 2015!

Urawa no Usagi-chan

Are you an anime merchandise creator? Do you make your own doujinshi? Want to make your product official? Good news, now you can! With copyright infringement of doujinshi becoming a hot topic in Japan lately, you wouldn't want to be caught on the wrong side of the law, would you?

DJ YURiA is Coming to AFA! Meet this Super-Cute Japanese Bunny Disc Jockey!

Source: DJ YURiA's Instagram

Going along with their all-new introduction of opening acts for this year's I Love Anisong Reboot concerts, AFA has announced super-hot Japanese EDM DJ, YURiA to open Sunday night's concert. "Wait- who's DJ YURiA? Is she an anisong DJ like Kazu?" you ask.

Fret not, the XDantheManX Online team has got you covered! The EDM disc jockey has been on our radar for some time ever since we chanced upon her Instagram profile a while back. Find out who this super-cute bunny-loving Japanese DJ is!

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.

13 Cosplayers to Meet at AFA 2015!

What's an anime convention without cosplay?

The slate of announcements from the year's largest Japanese pop culture celebration, Anime Festival Asia (AFA) 2015 continues with the reveal of an astounding 13 bedazzling cosplayers, a mix of both fresh and familiar faces, who will be making their way to the convention later this month. With so many cosplay guests, will you have the time to meet all of them?