Manifest (convention)
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| Manifest | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Venue | University of Melbourne |
| Location(s) | Victoria |
| Country | Australia |
| Attendance | 3,500 as of Manifest 2006 |
| Major events | Anime Idol competition, AMV contest, art room, auction, cosplay competition, cultural events, Iron Chef AMV competition, karaoke, panels, traders' hall, trivia competition, video games room, and workshops |
| Website | http://www.manifest.org.au |
Manifest, or the Melbourne Anime Festival, is a two and a half day fan convention focusing on the art of anime and manga, East Asian culture, and its fandom held annually in Melbourne, Australia. Manifest has traditionally been held in August at the Parkville campus of the University of Melbourne, but has recently been held in September.
Run by the not-for-profit organisation Manifest Inc. and staffed entirely by volunteers, Manifest is the longest-running Japanese animation convention in Australia. Approximately thirty people make up the Manifest Organisational Committee, meeting on weekends to plan and co-ordinate the event. In addition, more than a hundred individuals volunteer their time on the event weekend to help run the convention.
Manifest 2007 will be held at The University of Melbourne on the weekend for three full days, starting on the morning of Friday 14th of September, going until the evening of the 16th.
In 2007 Manifest has decided to support the AMARANTH group - who will be organising an Anime Ball, on the Thursday evening (13th of September) prior to Manifest's commencement.
History
In 1998, the anime clubs of Melbourne and Swinburne universities (WWWA and SAC, respectively) and the Melbourne Anime Society (MAS) staged a fundraising event for the then-new Monash Anime and Comics Club (MACC), with six hours of anime and a barbecue lunch. The four clubs put together a similar event in 1999 called Anime Marathon '99, adding cosplay and a live band.
Taking inspiration from anime conventions in the US and elsewhere, in 2000 the clubs transformed this event into Australia's first anime convention, and named it Manifest. The convention ran for two days in August, including a cosplay competition, trivia competition, fanfic competition, anime music video (AMV) competition, discussion panels and anime screenings.
The 2001 event added role-playing, a great debate event, and a selection of traders. 2002 saw the addition of an artwork competition, auction and karaoke. 2003 added more artwork competitions, and minor events. The LaTrobe University Anime Society (LUNASY) also became involved in the organisation of the convention.
The increasing size of the convention, and increasingly diverse organisational talent (with members of the community who were not members of the clubs volunteering their time) prompted the formation of the non-profit Manifest Inc., to which the clubs ceded control.
The 2004 event added an Anime Idol competition, Trading Card Game tournament, model painting and Japanese video games. The number of discussion panels had increased over the years, as had the number of screening theatres and traders in the Traders' Hall. 2004 dropped the great debate event and the live band. An unexpected increase in attendee numbers caused the convention to hit an attendance limit imposed by venue size and before the end of the first day many people had been turned away.
In April of 2005, Manifest Inc. staged a small, single day convention called Minifest. This small convention (with approximately 350 attendees) was used as a gesture of gratitude to people who had volunteered during the Manifest 2004 event (these volunteers gained free entry), a training camp to give newer Manifest Organisational Committee members experience before the much larger Manifest event, and as a launch for Manifest 2005 pre-registration. Minifest featured anime screenings, video games and an art room provided by OzTAKU. It did not feature a Traders' Hall.
In 2005 the Manifest event was moved to September to acquire the use of a third building at the University of Melbourne. The date chosen also allowed the convention to expand into Friday and the committee added a half-day of events.
In 2006 Manifest ran from the 22nd to the 24th of September. In the evening of the 23rd of September, Manifest hosted Eminence's performance of Piano Stories IV, a classical concert featuring pieces from anime and video games.
Programming
Typical Manifest programming includes:
- Several screening theatres in which anime is shown on big screens throughout the convention.
- Discussion panels hosted by experts. Two notable panels from 2005 were the Madman Entertainment panel and the long-featured YAOI panel.
- Workshops on subjects such as model and cel painting or how to draw manga.
- A Traders' Hall in which commercial vendors and fan groups set up booths or tables and sell their merchandise.
- The Art Show in which amateur artists may display their artwork.
- Karaoke.
- A trivia competition.
- A range of events showcasing Japanese and East Asian culture. Examples from the Manifest 2005 event include ikebana, origami, taiko drumming and the Chinese boardgame Go.
- A video game room in which attendees may play a variety of console games. In addition to the console room, a room for Dance Dance Revolution play is available and a theatre is reserved for tournaments.
- An "Iron Chef" anime music video competition, in which contestants are given set footage (the "ingredients") and a time limit in which to create an AMV.
- An "Anime Idol" competition, in which contestants aspire to become the "Manifest Idol."
- Cosplay competitions. Many attendees spend most of the convention in costume as their favorite anime, manga, or video game character. The Cosplay competitions (traditionally one on each day of the convention) have been the most popular events at Manifest.
- Cosplay Chess based on Human Chess, which began in 2006 will be back in 2007 and depending on it's popularity may become a Manifest regular event.
Attendees to Manifest receive a membership badge, with those who "pre-register" receiving personalised badges. All attendees receive a showbag, traditionally containing the event Programme Book and "Quick Reference Card" - a single foldable sheet of paper that shows the event schedule and venue map in convenient form.