Kuwait Anime Club volunteered in the Japanese Section at Comic Con Kuwait 2018 from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
We arrived one day before the event but the funny thing is that we had set things up on the wrong side of the Japanese Section and had to arrive early the day after to reset everything.
The shifts were challenging but extremely fun for everyone. The amount of laughs that were had and memories made motivated us to plan to volunteer and participate in more conventions and events in the future.
Nine volunteers from Kuwait Anime Club managed the following booths:
Tanabata
Razan and a volunteer from the embassy managed this booth in which attendees were able to write their wishes and tie them on bamboo plants.
Yukata
Norah and Jana from Kuwait Anime Club managed this booth in which attendees were able to try on authentic yukata.
Photography
Hasan and Mohammad Alkhaldi from Kuwait Anime Club managed this booth in which attendees were able to take photographs with face-in-hole props designed and provided by Kuwait Anime Club.
Kakigori
The president of the club Mashaan Almashaan and Kuwait Anime Club member Mohammad Alessa managed this booth in which ice was shaved and served with three different flavors in the Japanese traditional way.
Fishing
Munira and Ameer from Kuwait Anime Club managed this booth in which attendees were able to play a fishing game and win prizes if they win.
Kuwait Anime Club organized a halloween event in Kuwait City where attendees enjoyed pizza, playing video games, and spooky music. The club looks forward to organizing more events that help connect members of the community in Kuwait.
The ambassador of Japan in Kuwait his excellency Mr. Takashi Ashiki invited the president of Kuwait Anime Club and the club’s team to dinner at Kei restaurant in the J. W. Marriott. In the meeting future collaborations between the embassy and the club were discussed as well Japan’s history in Kuwait and the region.
In our effort to showcase Kuwait’s talents in the local comic, gaming, and anime community and in educating the public about pop culture we interviewed Nina Berry, a capable artist with amazing imagination and thousands of followers on social media.
Nina Berry isn’t only a popular figure in the local pop culture community but also a successful businesswoman who does paid commissions.
During the president’s visit to Japan in August of 2016 pictures, videos, tips, and recommendations about the country were published in the club’s Instagram account. Questions and inquiries by followers were answered directly from the source, giving them a deeper insight into Japan, its culture, and what it has to offer.
Today the club had one of it’s regular meetings. In these meetings members gather over coffee or food to discuss anime, gaming, comics, and pop culture in general. Socialization is the essence of every club and so are these meetings. People you meet here you could have never met anywhere else or in any other way, and that’s what makes these meetings special.
Every year around this time the Middle East Film & Comic Convention takes places in Dubai, UAE. This time the club attends the convention and reports to its followers on Instagram the experience and the loot available for them to take back home.
The club interviewed cosplayers Hadeel and Pufachi for Bazaar magazine in the club’s continuous effort to promote pop culture and support the talents in the local pop culture community.
The club organized a manga drawing workshop in collaboration with Sirdab Lab and a local artist by the name of Fatmah Alawadi in an effort to support local artists like Fatmah and engage the local community in pop culture.
The club attended PLAMO convention and reported to its followers on Instagram about the convention. While local conventions are smaller in size than MEFCC in Dubai they remain an important hub for networking and socializing for the local geek community.
The club set up a booth in the Student Association Carnival at the Gulf University for Science & Technology in which it hosted a local artist in its effort to support local talents in the pop culture and geek community.
Today the club had it’s first ever meeting. It was an open invitation for all of our followers on Instagram. Those who attended were around 15. We met up at Shake Shack in the Avenues and talked about anime and gaming until it was time to head back home.