Jamaica’s appreciation for Asian pop culture will be on show today at Vin’s Oasis, St Andrew, as the Anime Nerds of Jamaica (ANJ) presents Anime Picnic 7.0: The Summer Edition.

The event is scheduled to begin at noon.

“Anime Picnic is at its 10th staging currently. We’ve definitely hit a milestone with this upcoming event. My team has been working really hard on this event from spring to get it ready at the end of summer for our patrons,” Tianna Powell, president of Anime Nerds of Jamaica (ANJ) — event organisers — told the Jamaica Observer.

The primary draw of Anime Picnic has long been its cosplay competition, which sees patrons dressed as their favourite character from comics, video games or movies, show off their design skills to determine who is the best. Their dance competition is also a staple. For this year, Powell said her team has added a few new touches to spice things up.

“We did a survey asking our patrons what they would like to see at Anime Picnic 7.0: The Summer Edition. We try our best to bring more to the table every year, so the Ramen eating and the cosplay relay competitions are new. Also, we have added a video gaming tournament to the slot which is provided by SVG Nation to welcome the E-sport fans,” Powell said.

To expand beyond entertainment Anime Picnic 7.0 dives into the creative sector, bringing on board representatives of the Vocational Training Development Institute (HEART Trust/NTA) who will be at the event showcasing their new 2D and 3D animation programmes.

Asian cuisine will be on offer courtesy of Yummy Café and Tai Tai.

“We are expecting Anime Picnic 7.0 to be great with a good turnout. Our aim is to make our patrons feel extremely full with what we have to give them for this Saturday,” she added.

— Rory Daley