Status Active Country Australia Most recent 20–21 August 2016 | Location(s) Sydney, Australia Inaugurated 2007 | |
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Genre Anime, Japanese culture Venue Rosehill Gardens Racecourse | ||
SMASH! Sydney Manga and Anime Show (typically abbreviated to SMASH!) is an annual Japanese popular culture convention held in Sydney, Australia and organised by SMASH Inc, a non-profit volunteer-run association. The convention has been run annually since 2007.
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SMASH! began as an art-focused event but has broadened its scope to include all areas of Japanese popular culture. It was the first Australian anime convention to host a Japanese voice actor, the first to host a Japanese anime director, the first to hold a maid cafe and the first to hold the national final for the Gunpla Builders World Cup.
History
SMASH! was conceived by Katie Huang, an artist and illustrator living and working in Sydney. The event was originally called ComicWorld Sydney and was more closely modelled on the Comic World events held in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. As the number of people involved in organising the event increased, the focus broadened and the name was changed to SMASH! Sydney Manga and Anime Show.
Organisation
SMASH! is run by SMASH Inc, a non-profit association incorporated in New South Wales. SMASH Inc is controlled by a board elected each year by the members of the association. The board in turn selects a management team responsible for the planning and day-to-day conduct of the convention as well as a staff of volunteers organised into various departments. The board, management and staff total more than 50 people.
Mascots
The convention features two mascots, a boy, Cyrus, and a girl, Skadi. The mascots were designed in 2007 by Sai Nitivoranant and have been drawn by numerous artists, including guests of the convention, Tan Kit Mun, Alexandra Szweryn and Shaun Healey.