Feature: 9 Celebrities Gathered at Osaka Comic Con 2024 Opening Ceremony

Tokyo and Osaka Comic Con: Since 2016, a pop culture festival providing opportunities for communication with celebrities and artists, exhibition of props used in movies, and interaction among cosplay enthusiasts. In the past, celebrities like Chris Hemsworth and Orlando Bloom gathered, and the 2nd Osaka Comic Con 2024 took place over three days from May 3rd. This time, celebrities such as Norman Reedus, Tom Hiddleston, Daniel Logan, Mads Mikkelsen, Christopher Lloyd, and others participated. Here, we bring you the highlights of the opening ceremony on the first day.

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[Osaka Comic Con Features]

01 Feature: 9 Celebrities Gathered at Osaka Comic Con 2024 Opening Ceremony

02 Interview : [Osaka Comic Con 2024 Ambassador] Takumi Saitoh→Coming Soon

03 Feature: Back to the Future 4!? [Doc vs. Biff] Osaka Comic Con 2024 Celebrity Stage

04 Feature: Marvel’s Loki and Sylvie in Japan! [Tom H. vs. Sophia M.] Osaka Comic Con 2024 Celebrity Stage→Coming Soon

05 Feature: The Walking Dead, Norman R. appears Osaka Comic Con 2024 Celebrity Stage→Coming Soon

06 Feature: 11 Celebrities Gathered at Osaka Comic Con 2024 Grand Finale→Coming Soon

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Takumi Saitoh, a well-known actor and the ambassador of Osaka Comic Con 2024 appeared on stage introduced by the host."I've heard rumors about this incredible excitement. You all have had your lives brightened by pop culture, just like boys and girls who loves movies. I wondered how I could reach the movie industry too, and here I am now. I want to make these three days where we share pop culture, movies, and dreams, the best time, returning to our childhood selves,” said Takumi.

After Takumi’s opening declaration, celebrities make their appearance.

Hollywood Stars Appear

Thomas F. Wilson : Greeted the audience in Japanese with a loud “Konnichiwa (Hello), Osaka!” He held up his camera and took a picture of the crowd, saying "Cheese!" He pointed to the edge of the audience, expressing surprise by saying, "Way over there!" He continued to engage the audience by exciting the right side, then the left side, and finally the center. Pretending to leave the center, he said, "Here... nuh," and then called out "Konnichiwa!" once more, using a gesture to indicate "not bad," which made the audience laugh.

Daniel Logan : Entered with a cheerful “Konnichiwa!” followed by, “Kitekurete arigato. Aishiteru yo, Osaka (Thank you for coming. I love you, Osaka.)”

Temuera Morrison : Bowed politely in all directions, greeting with “Genki, Osaka? Ohkini! (How are you, Osaka? Thank you!)” in the Kansai dialect.

Tom Hiddleston : Smiled and waved to the audience. “Osaka ni korete tottemo ureshi desu. (I’m very happy to be here in Osaka,)” he said, bowing. “I’m pleasure to see you. Thank you for having me.”

Sophia Di Martino : Greeted in fluent Japanese, “Hajimemashite. Omaneki Itadaki arigato gozaimasu. (Nice to meet you. Thank you very much for having me.)”

Norman Reedus : Greeted with “What’s up? Hello, Osaka. Konnichiwa,” bowing coolly.

Mads Mikkelsen : Ran onto the stage, responding to cheers with finger hearts and blowing kisses. “Konnichiwa, Osaka. That’s a lot of you. We promise to do our very best to see you all, but it’s gonna be a little bit fast. Sorry about that already.” he said, adding more kisses and heart gestures.

Peter Weller : Slowly walked in, saying, “Koko ni irarete ureshii. Arigatou gozaimashita. Konnichiwa. (I’m happy to be here. Thank you very much. Hello.)”

Christopher Lloyd : Appeared on stage as Thomas roused the audience. Responding to the cheers, Lloyd looked around the audience and recreated a famous movie line, exclaiming, "Great Scott!”

Watching the celebrities on stage, Takumi expressed his joy by saying, "I am overwhelmed. It feels surreal and dazzling." Noting that many celebrities had returned to the event, he added, "It's because everyone here creates such a welcoming atmosphere that they come back," expressing his gratitude to the audience.

Preparations for the traditional sake barrel breaking (Kagami biraki) began.

Playful Interactions Among Celebrities

Daniel wore the prepared Happi coat on his head, with Thomas helping to fix his messy hair. Tom played by tossing the wooden mallet. Norman took pictures of the audience with his smartphone before pretending to attack Mads with the mallet. Temuera tried to break the barrel with his bare hands. Thomas pretended to hit Christopher on the head, who played along by pretending to be hit. The cheers that erupted at each interaction reflected the fans' excitement. Witnessing these heartwarming interactions among celebrities live is one of the highlights of Comic Con.

Kagami Biraki, the Barrel Breaking

Mads hit the barrel with a jump and force, Norman smashed it like defeating a walker (zombie), and then both posed with hammers for selfies by Norman. Tom and Sophia repeatedly struck the barrel.

Photo Session Highlights

During the photo session, the celebrities posed with the broken barrel. Tom, Sophia, Mads, and Norman reenacted the barrel breaking in slow motion. Norman and Mads took selfies again.

For the group photo, Thomas mischievously put his hands behind Christopher's head. As the audience began to laugh, he gestured for silence with a "shh!" motion. When Christopher sensed something and looked behind him, Thomas feigned innocence. The celebrities' playful and entertaining spirit never ceased to delight the audience.

Post-Ceremony Farewell

As the ceremony ended, the celebrities waved to the audience while exiting, receiving continuous applause and cheers. Temuera, looking wistful, took photos of the audience with his smartphone. Peter also took selfies with the audience in the background and the hammer from the barrel breaking. Tom responded to the cheers with finger hearts. The enthusiastic cheers from the attendees highlighted the high expectations and excitement for the "three days of dreams" at Comic Con.

GREAT NEWS!

Tokyo Comic Con 2024’s schedule is now announced for December 6th to December 8th. For those who missed this event, keep an eye out.

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[Osaka Comic Con Features]

01 Feature: 9 Celebrities Gathered at Osaka Comic Con 2024 Opening Ceremony

02 Interview : [Osaka Comic Con 2024 Ambassador] Takumi Saitoh→Coming Soon

03 Feature: Back to the Future 4!? [Doc vs. Biff] Osaka Comic Con 2024 Celebrity Stage

04 Feature: Marvel’s Loki and Sylvie in Japan! [Tom H. vs. Sophia M.] Osaka Comic Con 2024 Celebrity Stage→Coming Soon

05 Feature: The Walking Dead, Norman R. appears Osaka Comic Con 2024 Celebrity Stage→Coming Soon

06 Feature: 11 Celebrities Gathered at Osaka Comic Con 2024 Grand Finale→Coming Soon

Photo Credit :[Ⓒ2024 Osaka comic con All rights reserved. /Ayaka Ozaki]

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