The Furumachi and Bandai areas are in the heart of Niigata. This area is a cultural centre for young people, and the 'Gatfest' event is an event that turns the area into an anime/manga centre. This event has become well-known to anime and manga fans. This year it will be held on 18 and 19 October.
This is the fifth time the event has been held under the name 'Gatfusu', and it seems to be a much more powerful event compared to previous years. We asked Mr Imaruoka, a member of the organising committee (Niigata City Cultural Policy Division), about the contents of the event at the Niigata City Manga House, one of the venues for the day's events.
Niigata City Manga no Ie (Niigata City Manga House), where this interview took place.
Bringing together previously dispersed anime and manga related events
Executive committee member: Mr Imaruoka, Niigata City Cultural Policy Division.
-What kind of event is the 'Gatfusu'?
Mr Imaruoka: There are three anime and manga related events - the Niigata Manga Grand Prix Festival, the Niigata International Anime and Manga Festival and the Cosplay Gataket - which were previously held separately. Rather than holding them dispersed, we decided to merge them into one event in the form of 'Gatfest' in 2010 in order to attract more people to the festival.
This year's event will be held in two main areas: the Bandai Area and the Furumachi Area. In the Bandai Area, there will be a Ghost in the Shell Large Original Art Exhibition, a talk live and autograph session by director Kenji Kamiyama, and a cosplay experience corner. In the Furumachi area, Kenichi Nomoto, known as a 'god' in the plastic modelling world, will give a 'parent-child plastic modelling lecture', and there will also be a cosplay parade, a live Nico Nico Douga broadcast by Yurika Takagi, a painted car festival, etc. In 2010 and 2011, the festival was held in February, but because it was 'a bit cold', we decided to hold it again in February. The festival was held in February in 2010 and 2011, but this time it was held in October because it was "a bit cold" (laughs).
February in Niigata is certainly a tough time of year... (laughs) This year's event will be held in mid-October, so it seems like an easy time of year to participate.
Mr Imaruoka: I think we are now able to hold the event at a better time, as we are gaining more recognition and attracting more visitors each time.
Niigata City is nationally renowned as a place where anime and manga are very popular. What is the connection with this area?
Mr Imaruoka: Niigata is famous for having produced a great many manga artists and animation creators. For example, the Niigata City Manga House holds exhibitions of Fujio Akatsuka, Motoei Shinzawa, Koichi Endo and Mineo Mayo in one place as a 'gag manga artist special'. The fact that a single facility can be set up just for the genre of gag manga is very impressive! We have received comments such as "It's great that a single facility can be set up just for the gag manga genre! There are many other manga artists here, including Mizushima Shinji, Takahashi Rumiko and Watsuki Nobuhiro of 'Rurouni Kenshin' fame. In addition, there are many anime creators who have come from here, such as Hiroyuki Yamaga, president of GAINAX, and Kazuya Tsurumaki, director of Evangelion.
-That's great!
Mr Imaruoka: Niigata is a land of such 'creators' and an irreplaceable asset for us citizens. I want to spread this to more and more people! We want to spread it to more and more people! It is the policy of Niigata City to support this.
Revitalise it as an industry.
Q: You mentioned that the city of Niigata would like to support the project. Could you tell us more about how the administration is specifically involved in the 'Gatfusu' project?
Mr Imaruoka: Niigata City is participating as part of the organising committee (secretariat), and we are taking the stance that we will work with the private sector, such as JAM and Gataket, to promote anime and manga jointly with the public and private sectors. Niigata City has a long history and expertise in running the 'Manga Grand Prix' contest since 1988. In addition, since 2011, the city has formulated the 'Manga/Anime Utilising Town Development Concept'. This is an attempt to revitalise manga and anime in terms of industry, and is a joint move by industry, academia, government and the private sector to boost the industry.
In Niigata, there are currently Niigata Studios, an offshoot of the animation production companies Production I.G (*1) and Magic Bus (*2). By collaborating with these production companies on 'Gat Fuzu', we hope to actively promote the fact that it is possible to work in manga and anime in Niigata. In addition, many shops in the Furumachi and Bandai areas have cooperated with us in the form of 'Machinaka Service Cooperation Shops'. We would like to create a platform for businesses and shops that are not directly related to manga and anime to make use of manga and anime. Gatafuess is one of the opportunities to do this.
Production I.G. was mentioned, but there is also a 'Ghost in the Shell' event in the Bandai area this time.
Mr Imaruoka: Production I.G. has been very cooperative with us this time, and in the Bandai area "Niigata City Manga & Anime Information Centre Planning Exhibition Room" will hold the "Ghost in the Shell: Large Original Art Exhibition"; on the 19th, an autograph session by director Kenji Kamiyama (*3) will be held, and a "Real Riddle Solving Game" in collaboration with the anime work "Psycho-Pass" will also be held. A 'Real Mystery Solving Game' in collaboration with the anime work 'Psycho-Pass' will also be held.
Q: In some aspects, the government has acted as a catalyst to make the collaboration happen?
Mr Imaruoka: I cooperate with the government in the hope that when the private sector is working alone, it is difficult to establish connections, and that new movements can be created by the government acting as an intermediary.
Editor's note:
(*1) Production I.G: Animation production company. Representative works include Ghost in the Shell S.A.C, Patlabor 2 and Psycho-Pass.
(*2) MAGIC BUS: Animation production and planning company. Representative works include COBRA THE ANIMATION.
(*3) Kenji Kamiyama: Animation director. Representative works include Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. and Eden of the East.
The main attraction of Vol. 5 is the 'stage event'.
Q: This is the fifth time the event has been held, what are the highlights and how does it differ from previous editions?
Mr Imaruoka: The highlight of this year's event is the 'stage event'. We are planning to have so many guests this year. Just from the first announcement, we have Yoyoko Ishida, who is from Niigata City and will play the role of this year's Gatuffes ambassador, Iori Nomizu, who plays Sasa Dangoro, Maho Matsunaga, who plays Hanano Furumachi, Rika Matsumoto, who plays Satoshi in Pokemon, Daisuke Sakaguchi, Ryo Hirohashi, who are voice actors from Niigata and The Sketchbook will perform.
-Wow! That's so gorgeous (laughs)!
Mr Imaruoka: Many people with a connection to Niigata will perform. We also have anime singers who sing famous anime songs and sound directors. In the past, only two or three people have appeared at most at the Gat Fuß, but this time there will be so many people that you can enjoy a whole day just at the stage events. This year's event is divided into two stages: the Dangoro Stage (in front of BP2, free stage) in the Bandai area and the Furumachi Stage (in the Furumachi-dori 5-bancho Paraca parking lot, pay stage) in the Furumachi area. Various people will perform on these stages, so it will be a great opportunity for anime lovers.
*For the latest information on the performers, click here.
Save as much as ¥5,000 if you use it all up! Save money with the "Gatfus Support Ticket".
-The events are held in Furumachi, Bandai and various other places, but is there such a thing as a 'one-day pass'?
Mr Imaruoka: This time, we are offering a 'Gatfusu Support Ticket'. It allows you to participate in paid events & get a discount, so you can enjoy the stages at a discount. For example, the 'Furumachi Stage' is a 500 yen per stage event, but with this you can see all stages for 500 yen. In addition, more than 30 shops have cooperated with us as 'Machinaka Service Cooperation Shops' and you can receive various services. The card will be on sale from 5 October at Niigata City Manga no Ie and other places, so please be sure to buy one.
Free shuttle bus service on the day of the event. Route guidance is also available via a navigation app.
I'm looking at the venue map now, and I see that the event will be held over quite a wide area..! I wonder if I'll be able to make it all the way round (laughs).
Mr Imaruoka: From this year, you can use the 'Regional Navigation App Niigata Furumachi' to guide you to venues and search for routes. It provides easy-to-understand navigation, such as bus departure and arrival locations and the location of 'Machinaka Service Shops'. Free shuttle buses will also be available on the day of the event to connect the event locations. On board the buses, you will hear sightseeing information about Niigata City provided by Hanano Furumachi (voice: Yuka Nanri) and Sasadangoro (voice: Iori Nomizu), so please take advantage of this as well.
Linked to the navigation app 'Niigata Furumachi'.
⇒ " Gatafu Vol. 5" x "Regional Navigation Niigata Furu Machi".
The 'Blue Train' runs from Osaka to Niigata for the 'Gat Fußu'!
Q: I had the impression that Gatfest was a 'festival for anime and manga enthusiasts', but are there any events that can be enjoyed by people who are not familiar with anime and manga?
Mr Imaruoka: The free stage in the Bandai area, the Dangoro Stage, is an open-air space that people can enjoy as they walk by. It's not a 'closed space for those who like to enjoy themselves', but a place where people can enjoy themselves openly and freely. There is also a manga called 'Karechi', which is set in the era of the old Japanese National Railways. In this work, a train called the "Blue Train" appears, and this time there is a special project called "Karechi x Gafusu-go" in which the Blue Train actually runs from Osaka to Niigata, which is attracting the attention of not only manga fans but also railway fans.
Eh! A blue train will run just for this event! That's amazing... (laughs). So-called 'iron geeks' must be going crazy... (laughs).
Mr Imaruoka: Yes, it's amazing (laughs). In terms of collaboration with fields other than anime and manga, this year's event is even more spectacular than ever before. There will also be other events that can be enjoyed casually, such as manga and drawing classes for parents and children, plastic modelling courses, and cosplay events will be held everywhere. It is fun just to watch the cosplayers, and you can even take photos with them. Just walking around and getting a feel for the atmosphere can be enjoyable.
-I am very much looking forward to it. Thank you very much for your time today.
After the interview.
As the interview progressed, I felt that Mr Imaruoka himself really likes anime and manga. I could clearly sense that he wants to promote anime and manga more and more, and that he wants more people to know about them. It's amazing that you can realise such a wide range of event content in a regional city. is one word to describe it. I felt that the organisers are definitely made up of people who love anime and manga, and that is why the event is getting more powerful every time it is held. More than 50,000 people visited the previous edition!
Information on events and stage performers that could not be introduced this time will be updated on the official website from time to time. Wait for the day of the event while gathering information!
Events
[Reference link.
- Official website of Gattefus => click here.
- Gatfus Vol. 5" x "Regional Navigation Niigata Furumachi" => here.
- Hanano Furumachi & Sasa Dangoro official website ⇒ here
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