2023 Anime Central: Fans Enjoy Meeting Creators and Artists
Cosplayers enjoy walking on the street between Hyatt Regency O’Hare and Donald Stevens Convention Center
The Anime Central 2023, the biggest Japanese anime and manga convention in the Midwest, took place at the Donald Stevens Convention Center and Hyatt Regency O’Hare from May 19 to 21 for three days. The event, held in the Chicago area since 1998, has grown significantly over the years and become one of the top anime conventions in the U.S.
The greatest attraction in Anime Central (ACen) is not only enjoying cosplay but also getting together in one place with Japanese artists such as voice actors and actresses, anime and manga creators, J-pop singers, producers and DJs. This year about 50 anime and manga related artists from Japan, the U.S. and other countries were invited to the convention. There were live concerts, panel discussions, Q&A sessions, autograph signing sessions and more.
At Donald Stevens Convention Center
At the Donald Stevens Convention Center, almost all the goods related to J-pop culture were introduced and sold at nearly 200 booths. There were also over 250 tables in the Artist Alley where amateur and professional artists could exhibit and sell their art, and talk with their fans and friends.
The Chicago-based Japanese Culture Center offered aikido and Japanese martial arts demonstrations with Japanese traditional art exhibits such as Japanese calligraphy and origami arts.
The Consulate General of Japan in Chicago presented brochures on JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching program), sightseeing spots and more.
This year, the Ikebana International Chicago Chapter #27 was invited to exhibit ikebana arts. According to Margot Wang, President of the Ikebana International Chicago Chapter, 15 ikebana arrangements were offered by three main ikebana schools, Ikenobo, Ohara-ryu, and Sogetsu-ryu. There was also a table with dry flowers and vases to offer visitors to experience of how to make ikebana arrangements.
To meet the anime audience, the Chapter board members and ikebana teachers got together to create an anime-related character with ikebana and produced printed brochures, posters, stickers, flyers, and T-shirts. All those works were based on their own research, which found many ikebana contents in the anime and manga illustration books.
Wang said, “The response was incredible and beyond our initial expectations. We talked to many visitors who were interested in not only anime but also flowers, natures, and horticultures.” She continued, “This is the group that understands Japanese aesthetics very well. They interacted with us so well and felt very comfortable taking photos of our floral arrangements with the posters we had created. I think anime’s target audience perfectly fits in the ikebana generation to come. That is the main purpose of our chapter took on this important project.”
In the Convention Center, each in-person session with special guests and performers was held every hour at 16 different venues.
The Japanese female guests and performers were Voice Actress Rie Tanaka, Azusa Tadokoro, Yrika Kubo, and Kana Ichinose. There was also Anime Producer Kazue Hayashi. Japanese males were Animator Tomokatsu Nagasaku, Line Producer Eiichi Koshiishi from Kinema Citrus, Anime Producer Kazuki Yamanaka and Naokado Fujiyama, and Animator Hisayuki Tabata to name a few.
Guests from America and other countries were veteran Voice Actor Tony Oliver, Voice Actor Griffin Burns and Aleks Le in Demon Slayer, Voice Actor John Swasey for Golden Boy, Scottish Music Producer and DJ TANUKI, and many more.
At the Hyatt Regency O’Hare
Harajuku Kawaii Ambassador Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s live Q&A session drew almost a full house of fans at the Rosemont Ball Room in the Hyatt Regency O’Hare.
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, also known as KPP, has been captivating audiences around the world with her unique and colorful style, which was inspired by Harajuku fashion and Japanese pop culture.
She was born in 1993 and made her debut in 2011 with a music video “PonPonPon.” The video was published on YouTube and immediately gained world fans, and she released hit music videos one after another.
She had already made four successful world tours between 2012 and 2018, and in April 2021, she made her appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the biggest music festival, in the U.S.
This year, she was on the fifth world tour “POPPP” for the first time in five years, and had performed in New York and Los Angeles before she came to ACen. She was going to perform in Barcelona, Madrid, Paris and London after ACen.
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Q&A Session
Q: You visited Chicago 10 years ago. How do you feel returning to Chicago?
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu at Live Q&A Session in 2023 Anime Central
KPP: I had a live performance yesterday in Chicago, and the audience was very excited about the show. I was delighted that everyone was singing with me.
Q: Have you walked around the convention venues? What do you think about the convention?
KPP: Yes, I took a walk around there. I was very happy to see everyone was enjoying cosplaying with their own fashion. I found a rabbit mask there and bought it. I think I’m going to wear it in the next live performance.
Q: You had performances in New York and Los Angeles for the first time in five years. How do you feel to be able to share your performances with so many people again?
KPP: I was worrying about if my fans were O.K. during the five years including the COVID-19 pandemic period. I was also worrying about if they could come to see me, but both lives turned out very exciting. I felt I was really connected and so honored, so blessed to have such an experience. So thank you guys so much for waiting. Thank you!
Q: This year, you have a very interesting show. Tell us about the inspiration behind this world tour. I noticed at the intro, that there was a mention about sustainability and diversity, which you talk about a little bit.
KPP: The title of the tour is “POPPP,” and you can pronounce it as “Pop.” People often say, “Kyary is pop,” but I’ve never thought about myself as a pop-like person. So this time I wanted to try to express myself as a pop-like person in this tour.
And now, I became 30 years old, and I call it “Level 3,” so I put three Ps in the title.
Regarding a sustainable environment, I’m concerned about the future natural conditions. And then I love dresses, and an idea came to me that I wanted to enjoy wearing environment-friendly dresses.
I employed recycled fabrics and made this dress. It’s the best costume which is very light and easy to move to perform. I regret that I didn’t recognize the quality of recycled dress materials. It’s the best of the best skirt. Can you see it?
Q: I heard that a 90% of your costumes in this tour are made of recycled materials. Can you tell us how this year’s tour is different from the previous one in Japan and what new production and style are achieved this year?
KPP: Basically KPP team members are the same, but one difference is that we employed five teenage dancers this year. Do you know why? There was an incident that a dancer got sick and couldn’t perform on the Coachella stage. I thought it was impossible for me to perform alone on the stage, but when I stood there, I was very delighted and felt so great. I got a positive feeling that I could do anything in the future, I could challenge anything, and I have nothing to worry about.
I think performing in front of a worldwide audience is absolutely my treasure experience. So I think it’s better to bring many more dancers to introduce their performances on the stage.
Q: How was the Coachella Festival last year in April?
KPP: I had postponed it until last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so I wasn’t sure if I could join the festival, but it turned out to be a great show.
My stage location was on the opposite side of Billie Eilish’s, and it was a midnight show. So I wondered if the people at the festival could come to see me, but there was no worry. A lot of people came and cheered me up. It was one of the unforgettable memories in my life.
One more memorable experience was a long-distance drive. I was packed in a car for a long time to reach the festival venue. I was amazed to see how big America was.
Q: How did you feel about the response from the cloud in your show?
KPP: I was watching the audience from my stage. They came from diverse countries and were singing and dancing together. I felt the scene was like a symbol of world peace and thought if people wanted to sing and dance with my music, wars wouldn’t happen. It was a very impressive scene.
Q: You developed an international fan base very early in your career, and during the pandemic, you celebrated the 10th anniversary. How do you feel being able to attract so many people all over the world, and how did you improve your approach to music performances?
KPP: I love to perform live concerts overseas because the audience cheers me up, and their voice makes me very excited, never leaves my ears, and inspires my heart. On the other hand, Japanese audiences are mostly shy.
I don’t really speak much English language, so I’m practicing it. Recently, I’ve been playing the role of a freshman witch is a NHK’s child program “Eigo de asobo, Meet the World.” I learned this English, “What colors do you like?”
Q: You look like an Ambassador for Japan, especially, for Harajuku culture. How do you inspire solidarity among many people who look for Japanese culture?
KPP: I am very delighted that I was officially named “Harajuku Kawaii Ambassador” by the Shibuya ward.
My life consists of two parts. I was born as an ordinary girl, but when I was a freshman in high school, I encountered Harajuku where I was allowed to wear dresses whatever I liked to express myself. It was a shocking experience like being hit by lightning. Since then I’ve worn bright coloring dresses and explored my own fashion. After my debut, I’ve been able to talk with the audience, and I feel thankfulness and gratefulness to Harajuku.
Such a great town of Harajuku, however, was hit by the pandemic, and my favorite store shuttered. So I’m thinking about what I can do to pay back for everything that Harajuku is giving to me.
Q: During your 10 years of career, you consistently worked with Yasutaka Nakata, Producer of your albums. Why would you like to work with a single collaborator on your music for such a long time?
KPP: Since I was a high school student, I loved to listen to music by “CAPSULE,” which was organized by Mr. Yasutaka Nakata, and “Perfume” produced by Yasutaka san. I never thought that I could work with Yasutaka san and make my debut. I feel like I’m still dreaming.
So, since my debut, my music has been always produced by Yasutaka san. I love all his compositions and lyrics, so I’m very happy to sing his pieces. I often say if Yasutaka san disappears from this world, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu wouldn’t exist anymore. I’m not going to continue my music with other producers, so I feel we are inseparable, and he is the best partner for me.
Q: Do you have your favorite piece?
KPP: Dodonpa is a piece in my album “Candy Candy,” and it starts with my voice percussion, tick, tick, tick. It was a tough piece with no breathtaking pause, but I could overcome the difficulty while I was singing it. It was really a challenging piece, but it’s a really comfortable one in which you can enjoy rhythm and imitative sound. I think the piece is expressing my recent feelings.
“Candy Candy” is a challenging album for me, and I was wondering if the overseas audience could give me a good response because I hadn’t introduced such challenging music to them. However, the audience seemed to be comfortable with the piece even though they never listened to it before. So recently, I’ve been actively performing the challenging pieces.
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (R) and Moe Shop (L)
Q: This year, you have Moe Shop’s performance as an opening act in the tour. He is a French DJ and Tokyo-based electronic artist who has fused J-pop and club music in his own, unique way.
KPP: I heard that the opening act was common in overseas live concerts, so I was wondering if I should have somebody. When I heard Moe san’s music, it was super cool, and I thought Moe san and I would be able to conquer the world if we went on the world tour together. We’ve already had lives in New York and Los Angeles, and Moe san was very popular among the American audience. I’m thankful for Moe san because we had a lot of people in our lives.
Q: Do you have any message to your parents or somebody in the world?
KPP: Oh, aren’t you sleepy?
I’m going back to Tokyo tomorrow. Thank you for being here and listening to my talks. Thank you!