On Monday 21 May, Virgin Megastores Oxford Street and Arndale Centre, Manchester will host the biggest anime event ever seen on the high street, including live bands, anime stars, games demos and a very special catwalk display. The event will feature live performances from Japan’s finest bands and fashion-conscious fans will battle it out in a ‘Cosplay’ catwalk competition. There will also be a chance to meet legendary anime voice-actor, David Wittenberg (only at Oxford Street, London) and play the latest Naruto console games. Early bird fans will also be able to pick up some limited-edition Naruto goodie bags.
The event is to celebrate the latest DVD release of hugely popular anime series, NARUTO. The series’ length and popularity is comparable to that of Akira Toriyama’s DRAGON BALL Z, and Volume 7 of the manga has recently won a Quill Award for best graphic novel in North America. In TV Asahi’s (Japanese TV network) latest top 100 Anime Ranking, NARUTO ranked 17th on the list.
Festivities kick off at 4.30pm when fans will get the chance to meet LA-based voice-actor and international anime star, David Wittenberg, who provides the voice for Kakashi Hatake in NARUTO. Winner of ‘Best Actor in a Comedy’ at the 2007 American Anime Awards, his credits also include FINAL FANTASY, AFRO SAMURAI and SAMURAI CHAAMPLOO, to name a few.
Fans will be treated to the very best in modern Japanese music from 6pm, when violin-led female electronic duo, Miami, take to the stage. Following them are John Peel-favourites, Levelload, a Japanese two-piece with songs so heavy they will crush your chest.
In between the bands will be a ‘Cosplay’ catwalk competition, with the winner announced just after Levelload’s set at 7.40pm. ‘Cosplay’ – derived from the English words ‘costume’ and ‘play’ – involves fans creating costumes and dressing as their favourite anime characters. Cosplay is one of the biggest trends in Japan and has now crossed over to the UK where recent events have attracted thousands of fans.
Anime fans will also be able to stay entertained throughout the day by playing the latest in Naruto console games. These games are so new that they haven’t even been fully developed yet. ‘Naruto: Ultimate Ninja’ and ‘Naruto: Uzamaki Chronicles’ (Atari) will be available for PlayStation 2 and an as-yet-untitled Naruto fighting game will be on trial for Xbox 360.
NARUTO UNLEASHED Series 2, Part 1 is released on triple disc DVD with limited edition slip cover on Monday 21 May. To commemorate the occasion, Virgin Megastores will be offering Naruto fans an exclusive collector’s edition including a bonus limited edition Naruto keychain, thanks to Viz Media and GE Animation.
This exclusive edition DVD is only available at Virgin Megastores UK wide and virginmegastores.co.uk from 21 May – numbers are strictly limited.
NB: This is a wristband only event. Wristbands are available on a first come first served basis to personal callers only, from Monday 21 May at the Virgin Megastores in Oxford Street or via website www.narutounleashed.co.uk. 1 wristband per person.