RIYADH — Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), announced that the 'Anime Town Japan,' the largest anime city in the world, will be launched soon on Boulevard World in the Riyadh Season. The second edition of the Saudi Anime Exhibition, the largest anime expo in the Middle East, which kicked off in the Riyadh Season 2022 on Thursday, concluded on Saturday. The three-day celebration offered fans the chance to tour a world of Japanese anime with more than 30 pavilions featuring the most popular anime characters. The fair also presented visitors with various activities that added to their experience and matched all age groups. The anime city consists of four zones, of which the first zone includes 11 anime exhibitions, with more than 350 entertainment shows on three theaters, and the first area includes Anime Fire Street, six anime exhibitions, three stores, anime food, and more than 25 entertainment experiences. The second zone contains more than six gaming experiences, a popular shopping street, and a mini market, while the third zone includes an Akihabara game center, which is a unique combination of intense rhythm and fast-paced puzzles set in the Electric Town of Tokyo, in addition to an anime exhibition, a Japanese horror house, robots and major parties. The fourth zone Marine Matsuri included four anime fairs, Yokohori Theater and Championships, Yatai Garden, and One-Piece Theatre. Al-Sheikh announced on Saturday an awaited surprise at the Saudi Anime Exhibition, and the largest event on the stage of the Saudi Anime Exhibition. The second edition of the Saudi Anime Exhibition included more than 30 experiences of the best anime shows, and each of them contained entertainment activities designed for anime lovers. General Entertainment Authority CEO Faisal Bafarat said the exhibition was an evidence of the diversity of the Riyadh Season in its third edition. "The success of the exhibition's first edition had resulted in expanding the partnership with the Japanese side." Japanese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Iwai Fumio said he was happy to see the world of anime present and influential in the Kingdom. He recalled the successful experience of the movie "The Journey," which reflected production cooperation between Japan and Saudi Arabia. "The Journey" is a Saudi-Japanese animated film and is a collaboration between Riyadh-based Manga Productions and Tokyo-based Toei Studios. Anime fans flocked in large numbers to the exhibition to discover personalities, competitions, and artistic evenings.
