Anime/Techno Dance Finale!

Aniwave 2009 will culminate in our first ever dance party finale! The awesomeness starts at 8:00 pm on Sunday, October 25 at the Soapbox Laundro Lounge, located at 255 North Front Street, in Wilmington, NC. Click here for a map of this address.

The Anime/Techno Dance Finale will feature multiple simultaneous projections of Leiji Matsumoto's Interstella 5555 and the music of Daft Punk's album Discovery.

Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem is a feature-length Japanese animated musical film originally released on December 1, 2003. The film is the visual realization of Discovery, an album by Daft Punk. Each track from the album has been animated as an episode in the story of the abduction and rescue of an interstellar pop band. The film was produced by the creators of the Discovery album, along with Toei Animation, under the supervision of Leiji Matsumoto. The film has no dialogue and minimal sound effects.
Admission for the party is free, but we will still be accepting donations for Aniwave. The bar will also be open for those of legal drinking age.

Screening at the Soapbox

The second day of Aniwave '09 will take place at the Soapbox Laundro Lounge, located at 255 North Front Street, in Wilmington, NC. Click here for a map of this address. The date and time for the event is Sunday, October 25, at 1:00 PM. We will show three feature films, followed by an anime/techno dance finale!.

Our first feature presentation is of The Sky Crawlers, directed by Mamoru Oshii and animated by Production I.G. The Sky Crawlers contains some of the best aerial dogfight animation out there, but is in itself not actually an action film. It explores the lives of characters during war-time, and even has them travel to an animated Poland! It is described on the DVD cover as follows...

A group of eternally young fighter pilots known as Kildren experience the sudden loss of innocence as they battle the enemy in astonishing dogfights above the clouds. With his only childhood memory consisting of intense flight training, the fearless teenage pilot Yuichi's dogfights coexist with his struggle to find his missing past. When his beautiful, young female commander Suito is reluctant to discuss the fate of the pilot that Yuichi is replacing--or the strangely perfect condition of that pilot's former aircraft--Yuichi's curiosity becomes heightened.
The Sky Crawlers has a runtime of 121 minutes. It is rated PG-13, and contains violence, sexual content, and smoking.


At 3:15 pm we will show our second feature presentation of Tekkon Kinkreet, directed by Michael Arias and animated by Studio 4°C. The film won several awards, including the Best Film Award at the 2006 Mainichi Film Awards, the Number 1 film of 2006 in the annual "Best of" roundup by the New York Museum of Modern Art's Artforum magazine, 'best original story' and 'best art direction' from the Tokyo International Anime Fair, and the 2008 Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year. As one of the best examples of artistic qualities in anime, it is a perfect fit for Aniwave. It is described on the DVD cover as follows...
In Treasure Town, life can be both gentle and brutal. This is never truer than for our heroes, Black and White, two street urchins who watch over the city, doing battle with an array of old-world Yakuza and alien assassins vying to rule the decaying metropolis.
Tekkon Kinkreet has a runtime of 111 minutes. It is rated R for some violent and disturbing images, and brief sexuality.


The third and final feature of the night, starting at 5:20 pm, is Dead Leaves, directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi and animated by Productin I.G. This film is a bit shorter, yet it packs a punch with a very fast paced and high-energy visual style. It is described on the DVD cover as follows...
Pandy and Retro awaken naked on Earth with no recollection of their past. They embark on a devastating crime spree in search of food, clothing and transportation, but are captured by authorities and sent to the infamous lunar penitentiary named Dead Leaves. While incarcerated, they quickly discover that Dead Leaves is also a top-secret cloning facility, occupied by villainous guards and deformed genetic experiments. Ultra-manic chaos and hyper-violent bedlam ensue as they organize a prison break with the aid of their fellow mutant inmates.
Dead Leaves has a runtime of 50 minutes. It is Rated R for graphic violence, brief nudity and mature content.


The screening will come to an end right after 6:00 pm, at which point we will conclude with a prize giveaway. After a break, the night will then culminate in Aniwave's first Anime/Techno Dance Finale! The party starts at 8:00 pm.

Screening at the Cameron Art Museum

The first screening of Aniwave '09 will take place at the Cameron Art Museum, located at 3201 South 17th Street, in Wilmington, NC. Click here for a map of this address. The date and time for the event is Saturday, October 24, at 2:00 PM. We will show two feature films, with a short break in between.

Our first feature presentation is of
Origin: Spirits of the Past, directed by Keiichi Sugiyama and produced by Gonzo. Origin contains a strong environmental message, and feels especially relevant to our time where such issues are at the forefront of our culture. It is described on the DVD cover as follows...

Ages past, the Forest was awakened and the Moon unleashed a ravenous Beast upon the Earth. Man cowered in fear...

Three hundred years sine and the landscape of the world has been drastically rewritten. The remnants of humanity are divided as never before. Half seek a tenuous coexistence with the Forest, half seek to dominate and subdue that which they cannot understand. Agito, the son of an aged hero, inadvertently sets in motion the destruction of all that is left when he revives the young Toola from her timeless slumber...
Origin has a runtime of 90 minutes. It is rated PG, and contains mild violence.


Our second feature presentation is of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, directed by Mamoru Hosoda and produced by Madhouse. Its story is based on a novel by acclaimed Japanese author Yasutaka Tsutsui, who also wrote the book that Paprika is based on. The film presents us with a heartfelt slice-of-life story, though not without a dose of comedy, about three high school friends. Their lives get complicated when Makoto Konno inexplicably gains the power to travel through time. It is described on the DVD cover as follows...
With her newly discovered ability to literally leap backwards in time, Makoto finds that tests become a piece of cake, embarrassing situations are corrected and she can have her favorite food anytime she wants. Unfortunately her carefree time traveling has adverse effects on the people she cares for. With every successful leap Makoto somehow alters the fate of those around her. This wasn't supposed to happen and as she races back in time to fix everything, she notices that her abilities are not limitless but with every successful jump she's one step closer to discovering the most wonderful secret in her young adult life.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time has a runtime of 98 minutes. It is rated PG-13, and may contain violence, use of alcohol or tobacco, and sensual themes.

Cosplay Picnic & Photo Shoot

The first day of Aniwave for this year will kick off with the Cosplay Picnic at the Cameron Art Museum. The Cosplay Picnic will be held on Saturday, October 24, at 11:00 AM. The Cameron Art Museum is located at 3201 South 17th Street, in Wilmington, NC. Click here for a map of this address.

A Photo Shoot will follow the picnic at 1:00 PM, which should give us enough time to get everyone's picture taken before the anime screening at 2:00 PM.

Come dressed as your favorite anime character, and make sure to bring friends! The more the merrier! And it wouldn't be a picnic without some food, so please bring a snack or dish of your choice (use your best judgment of course). Japanese food is always a great fit for the festival...

Notice: Due to concerns from the Health Department and the persistence of the H1N1, and flu viruses, we must inform you that "store-bought food items are encouraged and preferred if at all possible."

Current List of Food Being Brought:

  • Cake
  • Yakitori
  • Riceballs
  • Chicken Dumplings
  • Green Tea Cake
  • Pocky
  • Cookies
  • Candy Sushi
  • Chips
  • Soda

In order to gauge attendance, and the amount of food we will still need, please register for the picnic. You can register in two ways. First, you can RSVP to the event on Facebook...

RSVP to Cosplay Picnic on Facebook: Event Page

Or send your name, contact information, and food you plan to bring, by using the following contact form...

Send Cosplay Picnic Registration:


Current Registration List:
  1. C. Amezcua (+1)
  2. A. Bell
  3. C. Bell
  4. E. Boswell (+2)
  5. C. Brown (+1)
  6. C. Boulware
  7. P. Calame
  8. K. Camelio
  9. A. Canosa
  10. S. Canosa
  11. A. Castillo
  12. C. Catron
  13. R. Comer
  14. W. Denton
  15. A. Elandt
  16. A. Emery
  17. V. Ewok
  18. M. Ferreri (+4)
  19. S. Fritcher
  20. G. Galgano
  21. K. Gaster
  22. B. Gay
  23. C. Van Gilder
  24. S. Gilley
  25. S. Grissom
  26. R. Hamilton
  27. H. Houston
  28. A. Houvouras
  29. L. Keffer
  30. N. Kisabeth
  31. T. Lang
  32. S. Lynn
  33. K. Mallner
  34. A. Marlow
  35. P. McDonald
  36. B. McKeithan (+2)
  37. K. McLiverty
  38. K. McLung
  39. O. Morales
  40. F. Moreira
  41. N. Murphy
  42. S. Murphy
  43. E. Neale
  44. A. Penny
  45. S. Perry
  46. K. Peterson (+3)
  47. W. Reese
  48. D. Riggs
  49. W. Rooks
  50. K. Russell
  51. T. Russell
  52. C. Ryan
  53. S. Santos
  54. B. Schoonover
  55. C. Schoonover
  56. S. Schoonover
  57. C. Scott
  58. A. Sellers
  59. A. Silverwood
  60. J. Tandy (+4)
  61. S. Tsubame
  62. C. Vo (+5)
  63. N. Watson
  64. A. Westmoreland
  65. N. Wisniowski

Aniwave '09

While I have been working on preparing this year's Aniwave festival, I admit that I have neglected the site with updates. Nevertheless, Aniwave '09 is a GO!

The dates for this year's Aniwave are October 24 and 25. Our confirmed locations are the Cameron Art Museum, and the Soapbox. Stay tuned for more details, which I will post as they get finalized.

Special Thanks

Aniwave would not be possible without the generous support of the following sponsors:

  • The Law Offices of Kathleen Shannon Glancy, P.A. [link]
  • The Cameron Art Museum [link]
  • Digieffects [link]
  • The Soapbox Laundro Lounge [link]
  • Animeigo [link]