Australia's biggest and original Japanese pop culture festival, Animania is hosting its ninth celebration of Japanese animation and graphic novels in 2010.

WORLD COSPLAY SUMMIT (WCS) - NAGOYA, JAPAN

Various cosplayers (costume players) from around the world will compete for best costume and best skit that pays homage to their favourite Japanese pop-culture personality. Pre-selections will be held across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide to compete on the international stage in Nagoya, Japan. Special guests will include a WCS judge from Japan and the previous winning teams from Singapore and Australia.

DAY FESTIVALS - SYDNEY, MELBOURNE, BRISBANE AND ADELAIDE

Day festivals will begin in March 2010 with classic features such as anime screenings, origami workshops, sketch competitions, karaoke, video games and stalls offering everything from DVDs and books, to plush dolls and figurines.

View local artistry, support community groups and student clubs, or take part in competitions such as Kamikazi, The Game Show (formerly Olympia) - a take on Japan's wacky game show genre, with free giveaways!

ANIMANIA WEEKEND FESTIVAL - AUSTRALIAN TECHNOLOGY PARK, SYDNEY

Animania's massive weekend-long event in September will triple in size to offer everything from the day festivals, plus more.

Explore traditional and modern Japanese culture, from hands-on workshops to the craft of Asian Ball Jointed Dolls. Join Industry professionals and academics in a series of seminars and discussion panels, or simply enjoy the open dance lessons, interactive games, martial arts demonstrations, and the Cosplay competition!

The annual food fair will feature exotic bites such as takoyaki (fried octopus balls) and green tea pancakes. Also, for the first time, a maid café will introduce a taste of wacky Tokyo culture to locals.

FESTIVAL DATES 2010:

Sydney - March 20
Melbourne - April 10
Brisbane - May 1
Sydney - September 11-12
Adelaide - October 2
Brisbane - October 30

For more information visit animania.net.au

ABOUT ANIMANIA:

Animania Festival is Australia's largest anime and manga event, attracting thousands of fans locally, from interstate and overseas. Animania was the first animation festival to be held in NSW, with its inaugural event in 2002 attracting over 500 people. Today, it is a celebration of all aspects of Japanese pop culture and cultural diversity.