AniManGaki is back in its seventeenth year with special guests, competitions, and performances galore! The energy, crowd, and passion fully encapsulated this year’s theme “Streets” — wild, fun, and unrestrained. “Streets” is meant to spotlight grassroots creativity, street culture, and the diverse world of ACG through cosplay showcases, art markets, panels, indie games, live music, and more.
So much happened over the three days from 22nd August 2025 to 24th August 2025 — Love and Deepspace landed in Malaysia for their inaugural offline debut in this country. Fans lined up to take photographs with their favourite love interests and could redeem exclusive merchandise on-site.
Not only that, Cheetah — a proudly homegrown brand with over 40 years of history in everyday fashion soft launched their highly anticipated Cheetah | One Piece Collection right here at AniManGaki 2025, with bold, stylish designs featuring the Straw Hat crew for both fans young and old.
Let’s ride through the streets and find out what made AMG 2025 a celebration of the ACG community!
Special Guests
Several special guests graced the event — amongst them singers, artists, and creatives:
- BRADIO
Best known for their hit track Flyers from Death Parade, Japanese funk rock band BRADIO rocked the stage on Saturday night — covering a range of songs which culminated in a live performance of Flyers that got the crowd going wild.
- Lucius Merryweather
This popular VTuber and manga creator, known for insightful and entertaining ACG content, toured the AniManGaki con floor and had a meet and greet session with fans. They could also play against him in Buckshot Roulette over at the VTuber Alley!
- Studio Orange
As an acclaimed Japanese 3DCG animation studio behind titles like Beastars, Trigun Stampede, and Land of the Lustrous — they shared their vast knowledge through panels and signed autographs for adoring fans.
- Aya Hirano
Being the renowned voice actress of Haruhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, as well as having roles in Death Note, Fairy Tail, and more — this singer-songwriter was a force to be reckoned with.
- ChouCho
A Japanese singer best-known for anime hits including Heaven’s Memo Pad, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya, and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest — ChouCho was a shining star that brightened the stage with her presence.
- mit photography
As a celebrated portrait and cosplay photographer, MIT Photography is well known for her powerful visual storytelling. With a career spanning over a decade, MIT has held exhibitions in Tokyo, Taipei, Hanoi, and participated in the Pingyao International Photography Festival in China.
Performances & Competitions
The audience was captivated by the contestants of AniManGaki Idol and Battle of the Bands competitions, and off to the Sidequest Stage were several competitions — including the Pet Cosplay Contest and the Super Smash Bros Ultimate Grand Finale!
The energy was palpable as the roar of the crowd echoed all about, and right beside the Sidequest Stage were the food vendors at Makan Corner. I grabbed a tasty drink and simply soaked up the atmosphere.
Artist & Cosplay Alley
With the Artist Alley featuring over 300 creators, congoers were spoilt for choice — an array of items were being sold: stickers, badges, prints, and more! I wasn’t even sure where to start, but all I knew was that I needed to get as many fanmade items of my internet husbando as I could (RIP to my wallet).
The Cosplay Alley (featuring a total of 120 booths) also featured a Photography Alley where several photographers/studios set up a space for cosplayers to come and have their photos taken. Yours truly did a shoot as well, and the experience was amazing — I’m eager to see the photos. The crowd there was full of creative spirit — cosplayers holding their best poses, assistants making sure the shot was just perfect, and photographers capturing unforgettable moments.
VTuber Alley
A VTuber Alley was beside the Artist Alley and featured many Malaysian VTubers — I could see the boundless creativity that went into the designs of their models. There were also activities with VTubers on the VTuber Stage — including a PvP session against Lucius Merryweather in Buckshot Roulette!
Final Thoughts
I had an absolute blast at AniManGaki 2025 meeting friends new and old alike! Having been a veteran of the convention, it was heartwarming to see the convention grow into what it is now. I hope to be a part of the celebrations for years to come!
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