Tokyo International Anime Fair 2012, Days 2-3

Yep, still nothing... Not even the weekend days of this year's much decayed and boycotted Tokyo International Anime Fair weren't any more rewarding, in terms of anime news, than its inaugural day. The once-mighty TAF has anti-climaxed on a particularly pathetic note, thanks to Gen Urobuchi (writer of Madoka Magica), who delivered a rather sarcastic speech when he accepted his award for Best Screenplay at the event.



An awkward moment, indeed, both for the event as a whole, and for its chairman in particular - Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara, the most vocal pusher for that dystopian "nonexistent youths" bill hinted at by Urobuchi.

But even without this little bit of drama, the event continues to erode with each passing day, as fewer and fewer visitors were counted on Friday and Saturday, compared to 2010 (there was no TAF in 2011, due to the big ol' quake). According to the official numbers, attendance dropped by 38% on Saturday (the first day open to the general public), compared to the corresponding day in 2010.

Not to mention that the Chinese exhibitors seem to have bred like rabbits, reaching a whole quarter of the exhibiting companies this year, in part due to a 32% decrease in the number of Japanese exhibitors.

If this sorry state of affairs continues on Sunday, I won't even bother wasting any more time on it. Clearly, the real fun this year will be had at next weekend's counter-TAF event, the brand new and shiny Anime Contents Expo (ACE) - taking place on March 31 and April 1.