Celebrate Anime, Manga, Cosplay, and Japanese Pop Culture in NYC

Norwalk, CT, March 4, 2009: The New York Anime Festival today announced it is partnering with Del Rey Manga, Japan Society, Karaterice, Keio Academy, Samurai Beat Radio, and Yen Press to hold an Anime Day at the largest Japanese bookstore in North America -- New York City's Kinokuniya Bookstore. Taking place Sunday, March 15, Kinokuniya Bookstore (located at 1073 Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan) will present a day-long series of events showcasing the cute, cool, and diverse worlds of anime, manga, cosplay, and Japanese popular culture.

"We're thrilled to be behind Kinokuniya's Anime Day," NYAF Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. "The anime fanbase in NYC in hungry for events, and we plan to provide them with a number of unique activities and attractions in the months leading up to this year's Anime Festival."

Anime Day at Kinokuniya will include a special all-day raffle as well as a series of speakers and presentations...

Anime Day Event Schedule

All Day: All customers who come into Kinokuniya Bookstore can enter to win a number of prizes from Del Rey Manga, Japan Society, and the New York Anime Festival, including a collection of 50 of Del Rey Manga's best-selling and fan-favorite manga as well as complimentary tickets to Japan Society's KRAZY! exhibit. Winners will be drawn at 6 PM, and customers must be present to claim their prizes. Note the Del Rey prize will be shipped to the winner following the event.

11 AM: Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei and Soul Eater Giveaway. Kinokuniya Bookstore opens at 11 AM, and it's got two special giveaways for fans who wake up early. Yen Press will be handing out limited-edition Soul Eater key holders to the first 30 fans who come in, and Del Rey Manga will be giving away free copies of the first volume of its upcoming Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei to the first 10 fans who come into Kinokuniya dressed as the manga's title character -- the morose school teacher Zetsubou-Sensei.

12 PM: Introduction To Cosplay. India Davis, Renee Gloger, and Elizabeth Licata are three of the best cosplayers in America. Renee traveled to Japan to represent America in the World Cosplay Summit in 2008, and India and Elizabeth will be traveling to Japan to compete in the WCS this summer. Be sure to take notes when all three come to Kinokuniya to discuss the ins and outs of the world of cosplay, time-tested tips and tricks, and maybe even preview their latest costumes!

1 PM: Japan Society Presents KRAZY! Japan Society is an internationally acclaimed cultural institution located at 333 East 47th Street, and from March 13 until June 14, they're celebrating Japanese pop culture through KRAZY! THE DELIRIOUS WORLD OF ANIME + MANGA + VIDEO GAMES, an exhibit pulling together 200 works of art, objects, and pop culture ephemera and situating them within the context of Japanese art and life. Get a preview of KRAZY! at Kinokuniya and be sure to check out the full exhibit after Anime Day is through!

2 PM: Let's Draw With Misako Rocks! Misako Rocks! is a manga artist who calls NYC home, and she's come to Kinokuniya to teach fans to draw the manga way. Misako will be speaking about her background, her three comics, and the ABCs of manga illustration.

3 PM: Keio Academy Summer Camp. Like anime? Want to learn to make it? Keio Academy -- part of a 150-year-old school in Japan -- will be opening its doors to teenagers this summer for a special two week course teaching them the basics of anime and digital media. Keio will be at Kinokuniya to show off some of the works of their previous students and offer up information about their 2009 camp.

4 PM: SamuraiBeatRadio.com Introduces Ai Kawashima. Samurai Beat Radio comes to Kinokuniya to introduce fans to one of the rising stars of Japanese animation -- Ai Kawashima. Ai is a J-Pop star with six top-10 singles, a best-selling autobiography, and a part in One Piece. She's making her US debut later this spring, but before she gets here, Samurai Beat Radio is giving you a chance to get to know her. Samurai Beat Radio will lead a presentation featuring her music and a video greeting made exclusively for Kinokuniya and you! Plus, Samurai Beat Radio will reveal where you'll see Ai very, very soon!

5 PM: Making Music With echostream. Karaterice presents a special appearance by NYC band echostream! This fun and informative presentation will give you an inside look at how echostream produces music in their home studio. Watch and listen as Tony, Tomo, and Ryoko take you through a session, from recording guitars and vocals, to laying down a beat, to perfecting a finished piece. Sit back and learn how to record and make music right on your home computer.

6 PM: Raffle Drawing. 50 books from Del Rey Manga is the grand prize in the Anime Day Giveaway. Customers can enter all day long, and to win, they'll have to be present at 6 PM for the giveaway's drawing. Note the grand prize will be shipped to the winner following the event.

Kinokuniya Bookstore, Del Rey Manga, Japan Society, Karaterice, Keio Academy, the New York Anime Festival, Samurai Beat Radio, and Yen Press invite anime fans and New Yorkers up for a unique and unforgettable experience to come out to Anime Day at Kinokuniya on Sunday, March 15th!

ABOUT KINOKUNIYA:

Japanese Arts, Cooking, Fashion and Anime. More than a bookstore, Kinokuniya is a community where New Yorkers gather to relax, sit at a cafe, and meet internationally acclaimed writers and artists. Kinokuniya is the New York subsidiary of Kinokuniya Company, LTD, the world's leading Japanese bookstore which operates 84 stores internationally. Founded in 1927, Kinokuniya's first store opened in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. Today, Kinokuniya has developed into a large-scale bookstore chain with the goal of providing Japanese living abroad with information from home as quickly as possible and introducing Japanese tradition and culture to the local community. For more information please visit the flagship US store location at 1073 Avenues of the Americas (between 40th and 41st Streets) or on the web at kinokuniya.com.

ABOUT THE NEW YORK ANIME FESTIVAL:

The New York Anime Festival takes place September 25-27, 2009 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. 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.