It's that time of the year again! The 2018 Ani-Com Hong Kong is upon us and will run from Friday, July 27 to Tuesday, July 31 at the Hong Kong Convention Centre. The annual exhibition is the place to gather for the best of anime, manga and gaming culture the city has to offer.
With so much to do and see, you'd be right in feeling a bit overwhelmed when you first walk into the gigantic exhibition hall. Young Post was at the special media preview of the event on Thursday, and here are seven things you must check out when you're at Ani-Com this year:
Video games. Lots and lots of video games
Sony PlayStation is back with a strong presence this year and has set up playable demos of some of the most highly anticipated games out there. Spider-Man and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice each have their own stations set up, and we hear that even the remake of the 1998 survival horror masterpiece Resident Evil 2 will be at the fair.
Awesome merchandise
Ani-Com just wouldn't be the same without the opportunity to purchase beautiful replicas of your favourite characters. Want a mini Captain America to guard your room when you're away? You can buy one here. Looking for the perfect Sanji pencil case to go with the One Piece stationery theme you've got going? No problem, you'll find it at Ani-Com.
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Manga volumes galore
With so many publishers setting up shop with complete collections of your favourite series, the fair is a great chance for you to bolster your manga collection. Many will also have special edition artbooks featuring concept sketches and background info of popular manga for the true fanatics.
Cosplayers unite
A number of anime enthusiasts like to show their love by dressing up as their favourite characters, so if you’re in the mood to grab a selfie with Zhuge Liang from Dynasty Warriors or Rey from Star Wars, Ani-Com is your best chance. The 10 finalist teams of the Anime Cosplay Competition 2018 will also be on show throughout the fair to duke it out for fan votes, so be sure to take a look.
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E-sports Carnival: Clash Royale and Hearthstone tournaments
Samsung is the headline sponsor for the e-sports carnival at this year’s Ani-Com, and top regional players of mobile games Clash Royale and Hearthstone will compete for a total purse of more than HK$235,000 in two tournaments that will take place over the five days of the fair.
For less competitive players, there will be opportunities to try out Samsung’s Gear VR gaming headset and other popular mobile titles such as PUBG Mobile and Goal DX.
Indie games from Hong Kong creators
Here's your chance to support homegrown game developers! At the Hong Kong game developers area in the main hall, you will see some of the awesome games local creators have been working on. Regardless of where the masterminds are from, indie games are a cause worth backing; even more so if you’re helping grow the gaming industry in Hong Kong, so don’t miss it.
Super cool displays
Many exhibitors have pulled out all the stops to create eye-catching displays for Ani-Com visitors. Figurine maker Hot Toys has life-size replicas of many of Marvel’s Avengers, while cutesy B. Duck has an entire games area dedicated to him. Mini battle arenas for spinning top game Beyblade, trial shooting ranges for Nerf weapons and many more fun things are just waiting to be discovered. Walk, explore, play!
2018 Ani-Com Hong Kong fair tickets are available at most convenience stores around the city for HK$35 for a single day pass.