In the past couple of years AnimeRadio.de in collaboration with Emania Media Service has successfully held the Anime Festival event and after a successful edition in Kassel’s Kongress Palais last year, German anime fans are once again getting a new edition from the 4th to the 6th of October. Aside from a dealer room, cosplayers and an anime movie theatre there will also be a selection of guests and several of them will also be holding performances during the weekend. Find out which 5 musical acts you shouldn’t miss out on at Anime Festival Kassel 2024.
Situasion
When people think about idol groups they usually think of a group with cheerful energetic girls that try to appeal with cute motions and upbeat songs. The Japanese five-member group Situasion does things a little bit differently by mixing intense electronic beats, strong movements and sharp vocals they manage to give an intense, artistic performance. Where other idol groups might help you relax after a hard week of work, Situasion helps you unwind by making you want to jump up and down with their music. Their performances during the convention are part of their The Final Day Tour in Germany and even if you only visit the event on one of the three days you should be able to catch one of their concerts as they perform on all three days with a show at 18:00 on the Friday, 16:10 on the Saturday and 13:50 on the Sunday with an autograph session after each show. Aside from that, there will also be one “Final Day” on the Monday after the event at 20:00 in Berlin’s Samurai Museum.
Kohei
Prefer to kick it back with some J-Pop or J-Rock? Japanese singer-songwriter Kohei from Mishima City blends the soft vocals from J-Pop with the howling guitar riffs from J-Rock to serve his audience an energetic mix of Japanese music. After moving to Europe in 2019 Kohei had a strong desire to introduce J-Pop and J-Rock to European audiences, during his shows he takes the time to explain the meaning and background behind his songs as his goal is to communicate with people all around the world through music. There will be a performance on Friday at 19:20 and Saturday at 17:10 with signing sessions right after the show.
Upiko
If you enjoy a powerful range of vocals, beautiful vibrato & guitar accompaniment then Upiko might be right up your alley. The Japanese singer-songwriter managed to create a huge wave with videos of her live performances in Shinjuku, while ensnaring her audience with her original song Crow, where she tells a story about a crow getting left behind while relating it to her experience as a human. When you listen to her sing you can experience the intense emotion behind the story, almost as if you’re experiencing it right in front of you. Saturday evening you will have the chance to immerse yourself in her performance at 19:10, on Sunday at 12:30 and there will be signing sessions on the Friday and after both shows.
Kontrollverlust
For those who grew up with anime dubbed in German, various opening songs of the shows they used to watch might be close to their hearts and that nostalgia is exactly what Kontrollverlust appeals to. They have covers for all kinds of anime like Digimon, One Piece & Captain Tsubasa while also covering a variety of rock & pop-punk songs. If you wish to rock it out with some nostalgic tracks make sure to check them out Friday at 13:40 or Saturday evening at 20:30.
Anime Allstars in Concert
When an anime gets dubbed in German they will generally also hire one or more of the voice actors to dub the opening songs for the show. As such Anime Allstars in Concert is a collaborative effort between Ron van Lankeren, Tina Frank & Conny Kreitmeier that are ready to crank up German anime watchers their nostalgia by playing hits from Pokémon, Digimon, One Piece, Detective Conan, Inuyasha & many more.
Experience the three of them live on Saturday in the Festival hall at 12:40 or Sunday at 10:40 for a mini-concert, Q&A panel followed by a signing session right after.
Other Guests
Aside from amazing musicians, bands and voice actors there will also be some professional cosplayers appearing as guests such as Japanese guest Reika Arikawa known for her amazing work in making beautiful male anime and game characters come to life while making every part of the costume herself. Next up we have the cosplay duo Hiko & Momo from Taiwan who will be helping out with judging cosplayers during the Show Your Cosplay event, on Saturday they will be there in Oshi no Ko cosplays with a stage performance followed by a Q&A and autograph session and Spy x Family cosplays with a cosplay panel on Sunday. Last but not least, make sure not to miss out on Maho Film’s exclusive premiere of Blue Miburo with lead character designer Yuko Oba and animation producer Mayuka Kawasumi on Saturday. Maho Film Studio will also be hosting a panel on Friday with Mayuka Kawasumi and a live drawing session on Sunday with Yuko Oba. If you wish to score autographs from them there will be a session on all three days.
With all of these Artists, Musicians, Cosplayers and Industry Professionals there should be something to experience for everyone so be sure to keep an eye on the program schedule to visit your favourite concert or guest. Tickets for the event can be found on the official homepage.
