C3 CharaExpo 2016 Press Conference LIVE!

It's time again for Southeast Asia's largest mid-year anime, comics and games convention!

Get live updates from the latest press conference at the Playstation stage at the 313@Somerset flagship Sony Store!

Bushiroad Confirms C3 CharaExpo 2016 for July! (UPDATED)

CharaExpo will return in 2016

Rejoice! With the first CharaExpo barely over, fans can already expect a CharaExpo 2016 for next year. 16,324 fans attended CharaExpo 2015 over the weekend of June 20 and 21 in Singapore, according to official numbers by Bushiroad.

Japanese TV Channel "WAKUWAKU JAPAN" Launching in Singapore July 6th

Japanese TV channel WAKUWAKU JAPAN will be launching in Singapore in July

WAKUWAKU JAPAN, a new 24-hour Japanese TV channel will be hitting Singapore's shores! The station is operated by SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, which also operates the SKY PerfecTV! satellite network and famous BS SKY TV channel in Japan. It is the largest Japanese entertainment channel in Indonesia and Myanmar, with Singapore being its third country.

Kurosaki Maon Interview: "I was an Otaku!" and World Tour plans

Confessing that she was once an otaku, Kurosaki Maon described how she liked to watch anime and play TV games during her childhood.

The 27 year-old singer-songwriter was in town recently for the inaugural CharaExpo anime, comics and games (ACG) convention on 20 and 21 June. She performed the "Rakuen no Tsubasa" and "Setsuna no Kajitsu", the opening themes to the Grisaia anime at the Entertainment stage to an overwhelming crowd on Saturday evening.

Ayaka Kitazawa Captivates Singapore fans at Key's 1st Overseas Live

Singer Ayaka Kitazawa held her first overseas live in Singapore

"Kud!" The entire hall erupted in applause as Ayaka Kitazawa strode onto the stage cosplaying fan-favourite Little Busters! character Kudryavka.

Hailing from Saitama, the Japanese singer held her first overseas live in Singapore at the CharaExpo Entertainment Stage on 21 June. She performed as part of the VisualArts/Key Special Live Stage, which included a talk show segment with both music producer Shinji Orito and herself.

5 Factors that made CharaExpo so Special

Artistes roaming freely in the halls, wrestling matches taking place alongside live performances and many Japanese exhibitors here for the first time- what's not to love about the carnival atmosphere at CharaExpo?

Ayano Mashiro's Weekend in Singapore in Photos

Anisong singer Ayano Mashiro was recently in Singapore for the inaugural CharaExpo anime convention on 20 and 21 June. We compiled a summary of the photos of her weekend in Singapore.

Despite her petite frame, the singer hailing from Hokkaido actually boasts a set of powerful vocals and is an extremely stunning performer on stage.

Maon Kurosaki, Masami Obari & 2 NJPW Champions in A Wrestling Ring

You may know her as a singer of many anisong hits but do you know that Maon Kurosaki is also a self-professed huge wrestling fan?

The 27 year-old, famous for singing theme songs to animes High School of the Dead and A Certain Magical Index, joined animation director/mechanic designer Masami Obari, together with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) wrestlers Togi Makabe and Hirooki Goto in the ring for a special Sunday morning talk show at new anime, comics and games (ACG) convention CharaExpo in Singapore on 21st June.

Ayano Mashiro Interview: "I Want to Get Closer to My Fans"

She has been in love with anime culture since young and is finally living the dream.

Hokkaido-born singer Ayano Mashiro held her first performance outside of Japan over the weekend of June 20th and 21st, at the inaugural CharaExpo anime, comics and games (ACG) convention in Singapore. The up-and-rising singer has been invited to perform at Anime Expo 2015 in Los Angeles next, on July 4th.

5 Ways to Get the Most Out of CharaExpo

With CharaExpo only 1 day away, we have compiled the quintessential guide for you on how to get the most out of your eight bucks (or six, if you have already bought the early bird tickets).

What to Buy at CharaExpo Part 2: Angel Beats, Little Busters & Charlotte

Welcome back to Part 2 of our Buying Guide for CharaExpo! Visual novels are out in full force as renowned studios VisualArt's/Key and Frontwing will be bringing a huge assortment of goods from Japan to Singapore. Key is well-known for Angel Beats and Little Busters while Frontwing is famous for producing the Grisaia trilogy. There are even some event-exclusive items so don't miss your one and only chance to get them at the convention! In this edition, let's take a closer look at the attractive merchandise on sale at the VisualArt's/Key booth.

What to Buy at CharaExpo Part 1: Love Live! & Cinderella Girls (UPDATED)

Time for more CharaExpo goodness in the lead-up to June 20th! Many Japanese exhibitors have announced the goods they will be bringing to Singapore, including exclusive Comiket merchandise and limited edition outside-of-Japan only items. Here's a rundown of what to bust your wallet on:

SHAFT, Kantoku, KitaEri & Mimorin's Magical Girls Anime Coming to Singapore (UPDATED)

Madoka Magica's anime studio SHAFT and HenNeko illustrator Kantoku's MAGICAL SUITE PRISM NANA, will be coming to Singapore! We had previously reported on this mysterious project with Eri Kitamura, Suzuko Mimori and Asami Imai involved. Now, new details have emerged regarding the merchandise on sale and activities that will be taking place at booth M01 at CharaExpo.

Ayano Mashiro and Kurosaki Maon Have Dinner Together Before CharaExpo

Recently, Ayano Mashiro had dinner with fellow anisong singer Kurosaki Maon, who is also coming to Singapore for CharaExpo, amidst her busy schedule. In addition, she announced that she will be performing on both days of CharaExpo. She will be performing a mini-live at the Entertainment Stage at 2.40pm on June 20 and be participating in the Special Live Stage at 5.10pm on June 21.

Wake Up, Girls Coming to Singapore's CharaExpo?

KonnichiWUG! With 17 days to go, the stage schedule for CharaExpo has been released. The line-up matches with the previously announced stage highlights. However, a notable addition is the Ultra Super Pictures Special Stage, which could feature Sendai idols Wake Up, Girls! performing live for the first time in Singapore. CharaExpo has yet to respond to our queries regarding this mysterious new inclusion at press time.

CharaExpo 2015 Stage Highlights: Ayano Mashiro Live, Melodies of VisualArt's, GRISAIA, Captain Tsubasa & Vanguard Panels

There will be a plethora of activities lined up over the 2 days of CharaExpo, with something for everyone, as the featured content for CharaExpo was announced at the second press conference on May 20. From screenings of recent anime movies, a mass of exhibitors and guests, tons of anime merchandise on sale, a 600-seat card game tournament area, photo-taking, autograph and live-drawing sessions at the Mini stage, a colourful daily line-up of events at the main Entertainment stage and even daily live wrestling matches at the event grounds, CharaExpo encompasses a wide spectrum of engaging and appealing content across the anime, manga, games and cosplay culture.

Chara-Ani, Cospa, Pony Canyon, and More Exhibitors at CharaExpo 2015

Many new exhibitors including Chara-Ani, Cospa and Pony Canyon and the official floor plan for the convention were announced at the second CharaExpo press conference on May 20. They join those previously-announced such as Good Smile Company, Aniplex, Kotobukiya, VisualArt's and Nitroplus. The full list of new exhibitors announced includes Exit Tunes, Tokyo Game Show, Nippon Animation, Anicrush, INCS toenter Co. Ltd, Xarts, Frontier Works Inc., AKB48 Official Treasure Cards, Bilibili Co. Ltd and a certain MAGICAL SUITE PRISM NANA. For those in the dark, INCS toenter Co. Ltd is a Japanese music management company managing artists such as supercell, livetune, Hachioji-P and yanaginagi. One of these artists might just make a guest appearance on the day itself so keep an eye out for them. 

Arpeggio of Blue Steel and Other Anime Movies to Air at CharaExpo 2015

If you missed screenings of recent anime movies at the local cinema or just want to rest your tired legs, you can head over to the Movie Area of CharaExpo 2015. 200 seats have been set aside for each airing of Arpeggio of Blue Steel - Ars Nova DC and THE LAST NARUTO Movie. Best of all, admission is free! If you think you know all about anime and manga, why not join the Otaku Wars Quiz at 1pm daily and pit your knowledge against fellow otakus? Attractive prizes (and bragging rights) await the triumphant otaku!

Kurosaki Maon, Ayano Mashiro, Ryo Horikawa & More Coming to CharaExpo 2015

Fans of Maon Kurosaki will also be delighted to hear that she will be making her first appearance in Singapore. A powerful anisong singer whose vast repertoire includes the theme songs to Highschool of the Dead, Toaru Majitsu no Index II and the Grisaia anime series, she last performed in the region at Bangkok Comic Con 2014. A founding member of three-member technopop unit ALTIMA with Move's Motsu and fripside's Sat, be prepared to be enthralled by her dynamic vocals this June.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling Singapore Match-Ups and Wrestlers Announced for CharaExpo 2015

WRESTLING WORLD 2015 IN SINGAPORE

Wrestling fans unite! Kaname Tezuka, President of New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), also announced that WRESTLING WORLD 2015 in Singapore will be taking place at the dedicated NJPW Ring at CharaExpo. For 2 days, attendees will get the rare opportunity to watch a live wrestling match upfront featuring 12 professional wrestlers, including the likes of Jushin Thunder Liger, Captain New Japan and newly-crowned champions Hirooki Goto and Togi Makabe. The entire event is open for all to view while front-row seats will be ticketed. However, the affable, always-smiling Tezuka-san assured that the tickets will be affordable and more details will be revealed at a later date.