UPDATED: Anime Limited Announces CloudMatsuri Virtual Convention!

While anime fans across the country will no doubt be disappointed by the postponement of the May main-stay MCM London Comic Con, the distributor Anime Limited has announced that they’ll still be bringing their usual goodness to fans even while we stay at home, with the CloudMatsuri virtual convention!

CloudMatsuri will take place over the weekend of 30 – 31st May 2020 and will be streamed via YouTube for free. Anime Limited have also announced a range of guests who will be discussing their careers and work, including people behind recent hits like BEASTARS and Keep Your Hands Off Eizuouken! Plus, those who know their UK industry may be interested in experiencing a conversation between Anime Limited El Presidente Andrew Partridge, and Manga Entertainment UK’s CEO Jerome Mazandarani! You can even submit questions on Twitter with the hashtag #AskJerandrew, before Monday! The list of virtual panels and events, is as follows:

Saturday 30th May

• 2pm: Anime Limited panel, featuring Marketing Manager Andy Hanley and Marketing Executive Jeremy Graves.
• 3pm: Introducing Screen Anime: Anime Limited President Andrew Partridge discusses the new virtual film festival, and take your questions!
• 4pm: Manga UK One Piece: Stampede dub cast panel and Q&A, with voice actors Christopher Sabat (Roronoa Zoro) and Patrick Seitz (Franky)
• 5pm: Studio Orange panel, featuring Eiji Inomoto, Founder and CEO of Studio Orange, and Kiyotaki Waki, a producer whose work includes Beastars.
• 6pm: BEASTARS panel featuring the director Shinichi Matsumi, and producer Hyuntae Kim.
• 7pm: Interview with Eunyoung Choi, in her first public appearance as President of Science SARU, the studio behind Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
• 8pm: Crunchyroll Industry Panel
• 9pm: Crunchyroll Presents: Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! panel, featuring Eunyoung Choi, as well as the first episode’s animation director Naoyuki Asano, and Abel Gongora, the man behind the series’ popular opening theme!

Sunday 31st May

• 2pm: Anime Panel & Quiz, featuring Stephanie Ijoma (@Nnesaga), Jay-Ann Lopez (@BLACKGIRLGAMERS), Tundun Folani (@Tudzdotexe), Timi Ofarn (@TheNerdCouncil_), Chris Abdullahi (@CallMePrime_) and WSTRN’s Haile (@HaileWSTRN).
• 3pm: Fireside chat with Anime Limited’s Andrew Partridge, and Manga UK’s Jerome Mazandarani.
• 4pm: Manga Planet & Futekiya Panel, focusing on the digital manga platforms Manga Planet & Futekiya with Emma Hanashiro (Editor-in-Chief) and Gladys Angala (Producer).
• 5pm: Koei Tecmo Europe Presents Fairy Tail, featuring brand new gameplay from the upcoming RPG game.
• 6pm: Interview with Shuzo Shiota, President and Founder of Polygon Pictures (AJIN: Demi-Human, Knights of Sidonia).
• 7pm: Polygon Pictures: From Transformers to Levius: Jack Liang discusses their new show Levius, their involvement in Transformers, and their global reach.
• 8pm: Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris Panel, featuring the game’s producer, Kosuke Futami.
• 8:30pm: Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme vs. Maxiboost ON Panel, featuring the game’s producer Akihito Chiba.
• 9pm: Evangelion: How to Build a Brand, featuring, Yasuhiro Kamimura, CEO of merchandising company Groundworks, Co. Ltd, and newly appointed CEO of Gainax.

Manga UK will also be continuing their tradition of holding convention fundraisers by raising money for NHS Charities Together, with prizes offered by themselves, Anime Limited, and Koei Tecmo Games. The raffles will be drawn live at 4:50pm on Sunday. To enter the raffle, simply donate £2 or more here. The list of potential prizes, is as follows:

First Prize:
• Dragon Ball Z Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Set including all 9 Seasons, art book and Goku figure!
• 1 x Funimation digital code for 1 month free premium
• 1 x £25 voucher for Anime Limited’s online shop
• 1 x Koei Tecmo digital code for Attack on Titan 2: Final Battle (TBC)
• Dragonball Super World Collectable Diorama vol. 1 – Goku Black & SSGSS Son Goku from @thetokudealer

Second Prize:
• All of our My Hero Academia releases to date on your choice of DVD or Blu-ray!
• 1 x Funimation digital code for 1 month premium
• 1 x £25 voucher for Anime Limited’s online shop
• 1 x Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger Ryusoul Set 01 from @thetokudealer

Third Prize:
• The Isekai Bundle: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Part 1, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord and Saga of Tanya the Evil on our choice of DVD or Blu-ray!
• 1 x Funimation digital code for 1 month free premium
• Rider Kick’s Figure Kamen Rider Zi-O Decade Armor from @thetokudealer

and more prizes to be confirmed.

Koei Tecmo Games will also be joining CloudMatsuri to showcase exclusive gameplay of their Fairy Tail RPG, which will be launching on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC on 25 June 2020. The merchandising company atsuko, who will be giving viewers a first look at some of their goods, which you’ll be able to order during the event. The streaming service Crunchyroll are also an official partner of the event.

You can keep up to date on the latest news and announcements about CloudMatsuri on their website https://www.cloudmatsuri.com/.