Madman Anime Festival 2017: Anime festival special guests announced

Cosplayers of Australia unite as the Madman Anime Festival 2017 is set for Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne. Celebrating its second year, the first cosplay event in Australia will be taking take place in two weeks on March 4 and 5.

Australian anime publisher Madman Entertainment introduced the anime-oriented convention last year. Known as #MadFest on social media, the festival held in 2016 had fans demanding that it comes to the west coast. For that reason, the Madman Anime Festival 2017 is expected to be bigger and eventful. The anime convention will be held in three cities -- Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne -- instead of just one.

The Madman Anime Festival event will kick off at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on March 4 and 5. Big names in the anime world will grace festivities at the event, per the event sponsor Madman Entertainment.

The event sponsor has confirmed long-time favourite male English voice actor Crispin Freeman. He will be heading to Australia to join anime fans in Perth. Although a full event schedule is yet to be announced, it is expected to include panels for best cosplay, freebies as well as possible autograph opportunities. The tickets for Perth and Brisbane events are already available for purchase. The day pass costs $40 while the two-day pass is sold at $60. VIP tickets are available for $290 with a lot of perks.

Crispin Freeman has had a long history in anime and videogame voice acting. He is known for his role as the “Bad *ss Freakin’ Overlord” Zetta in Nippon Ichi Software America’s English localisation of “Makai Kingdom” for PS2. He also runs a voice acting blog/podcast and holds classes in Los Angeles and online.

More announcements are to come as the event in Perth comes nearer. According to Capsule Computers, guests traveling to Australia for the Madman Anime Festival Perth 2017 include Erica Mendez (voice of Ryuko Matoi in “Kill la Kill”), Angie (“Cosplay Star”) and Knitemaya (“Cosplay Star”).

Knitemaya has a long-running experience in sewing cosplay outfits. He is well-known for cosplaying a number of anime characters including bishounen characters. Furthermore, he is skilled in the use of make-up. According to reports, he is to appear in the #MadFest with other cosplay guests and will help judge cosplay competitions. Anime and cosplay fans will be able to take photos with him. Furthermore, they will be able to buy some of his merchandise during the event.