Japan Expo, 20 years of fun facts: 18th Impact

On July 6-9, 2017, Japan Expo celebrated the 10th anniversary of Japanese animation: a perfect opportunity for Japan Expo to highlight this aspect of Japanese pop culture that has always been at the heart of the festival. The 18th Impact launched screenings in the evenings with the premiere of Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!.

Among the guests, three major figures of The Legend of Zelda attended: Eiji AONUMA, producer, Satoru TAKIZAWA, the artistic director of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Yusuke NAKANO, the illustrator of the "Ganon Fight". 

Japan Expo decided to organize a huge event for the hundredth anniversary of Japanese animation. Named Anime 100, it included exhibits, conferences, and screenings to celebrate major artists, sometimes forgotten, who worked on cellulos. The initiative is regarded as one of the biggest projects launched by Japan Expo. It even had an influence in Japan, as explained by Jean-François Dufour, president of the festival: "After telling us they wouldn’t do anything, an animation association in Japan also created an event there. Talking to everyone about it over there got things started."

4 days · 238,241 attendees · 82 events for Anime 100 · 13 major artists of Japanese animation · 50th anniversary of Lupin the Third · 13 countries participating in the ECG finals · 840 sqm for the arts and crafts exhibit Wabi Sabi · 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy

In 2018, Japan Expo welcomed an unexpected guest, the rapper and hip hop artist Maître Gims​​​​​​: ​​​​​follow our news for more information a few days!