‘Animenia: Parallel Universes’ is born out of sheer discovery and local pride. Delighting audiences at Tropicana Gardens Mall Convention Centre on July 27, 2024, this ACG music festival features a fusion orchestra of rock, pop and jazz delivered through show-stopping anime, J-hits and more! Did we mention that a 30-piece orchestral group will be there for this first iteration?
By NABILA AZLAN
Renowned Malaysian music producer and composer Sharon Paul does not foresee putting together an ACG (Anime, Comics and Games) festival being on her 2024 bingo card – yet Animenia pushes through!
Sharon, who is synonymous with film scoring, as well as producing pop and ballad hits for Malaysia’s best, such as Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza, Misha Omar, Jaclyn Victor and Ernie Zakri has yet to realize the beauty of anime OSTs – until she first listens to songs Gurenje from Demon Slayer and Akuma No Ko from Attack On Titan. Speaking about the happy accident, she says, “Animenia is actually inspired by my 11-year-old son, Rayyan.” They were driving around for a meal when her son asked to connect his music to the Bluetooth radio – when they got to the music from Studio Ghibli’s film Howl’s Moving Castle, she could feel tears coming out from being so moved by the music!
Determined to share her love the wonderful melody and orchestration of the songs related to anime, this cements Sharon’s debut in producing a show of the sort. Equipped with decades’ worth of experience in the local music scene, she draws from the idea that ACG tunes could be fused with traditional sounds, for example the erhu and guzheng. Animenia’s first edition, titled Parallel Universes is a collaboration with musical maven Raja Farouk Live. Bringing in the heat, JROCK.my is supplying superb J-hits to the venue!
The show, accompanied by a 30-piece orchestra, is an event not to be missed by anime fans but also those who are up for some cool musical discoveries! Featuring well-known and loved titles from manga, TV series and movies alike, namely Naruto Shippuden, Fullmetal Alchemist, Jujutsu Kaisen, Your Name, Demon Slayer, Kaguya Sama: Love Is War, Chainsaw Man, One Piece and Initial D, this first showing of Animenia with a fuse of local tradition is not something you see often. “This is the first time we’re doing this,” says Sharon, “Infusing orchestral elements with ethnic instruments.”
A part of the swing group with pop, rock and electronic sensibilities called FAZZ, Raja Farouk is in his element – providing a fusion fest with ACG, which he holds dearly, as its centre. The artist notes at the press conference on July 17: “[At Animenia] you will be seeing us playing one hour and thirty minutes’ worth of music nonstop. The way most orchestras flow is up and down, as they are presented as a piece – but [drawing from my rock band roots] we’re simply going to talk less and play as much as we can!”
He added, “The show includes a full on tribute to [manga slash anime series] Attack On Titan – played from their most recent song all the way to its first opener for nostalgia’s sake, followed by theme music from various anime especially those from the anthological Final Fantasy and action role-playing game Genshin Impact.”
According to Sharon, while Animenia is open to enthusiasts and anime lovers across all ages, it is built with the youth in mind. If you are in for the show – come in cosplay if you’d like!
Recalling his initial discussions with Sharon in producing Animenia, Raja Farouk adds, “Here in Malaysia, we have [all sorts of amazing acts and this includes] local names who practice singing Japanese, also anime and gaming-tied music. So I thought, why not stop at an orchestra? We form a music festival and invite everyone that has been around this niche market. Speaking with the viewpoint of a member in the ACG community, it is a delight to see this niche coming into the mainstream market’s light.”
14 performers, one stage as well as a fusion orchestra – a full day with amazing ACG treats! Animenia features new and old names like Rina-Hime, Erul Samah, Ignight, Za Shinsei, Delphine, Tato Queen, Yonlynn and many more.
Animenia: Parallel Universes is brought to life by Musicwerks Studio, a grant recipient of Dana Kandungan Digital by the Malaysian Government, managed via MyCreative Ventures. It will be staged at Tropicana Gardens Mall Convention Centre on Saturday, July 27, 2024. Tickets are priced at RM98 (RM88 for children) and can be purchased here. Bulk purchases are available.
This article is an updated version of Animenia 2024 is where orchestral concert meets cosplay
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