Posted on 2nd January 2026 by

Animangapop: Behind the Scenes

The interviews

In this short series we take a look behind the curtain at some of the people who make the magic happen. These people give huge chunks of their spare time to bring these shows to life all around the country and are dedicated in making sure they put on the best show they possibly can, making sure everyone has a fabulous time and leave them wanting to attend Animangapop again. So without further ado, let’s say hello to… Joe.

Hello Joe, thank you for taking the time to sit down and answer some questions.

Can you tell us what your role here is at Animangapop?

I’m the Crew Manager at Animangapop. My role focuses on coordinating our crew during the events, managing new volunteer applications, filling in the gaps and making sure our crew are fed! On show days, I’m here, there and everywhere all depending on where I’m needed.

How did you get involved with Animangapop and have long have you been here?

I got involved with Animangapop after often visiting VOCAFEST, after attending AMP events I decided to volunteer initially at Animangapop Liverpool. Shortly after, the crew manager position opened up and I was happy to broaden my role. I’ve been fortunate to work with our current crew for a year now!

What is one of your favourite tasks and why?

One of my favourite parts of the role is when monitoring our venues during the events; being able to see the full picture of all the attendees coming together to enjoy and express passion for the same mediums and art. This is very prevalent in our more local locations and it’s constantly amazing to see large turnouts and passion from smaller locations.

What is the one task that is a grind but needs to be done?

Set-up and set-down. Lift with your legs not your back.

It’s very satisfying when it’s finished though.

If you had to pick one memorable thing that has happened in the last 10 years of AMP, what is it?

In recent years, seeing Animangapop’s growth and expansion into more areas around the country has been memorable with each new location. Seeing a new environment and safe-space being created where people can join together and express their joys and passions together will forever be memorable.

Animangapop embraces all forms of Japanese POP-Culture. What is your favourite part of Japanese culture and why?

I really enjoy Vocaloid music and culture. Seeing thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people create music through the same voice is something unique and it’s been amazing to see the community constantly expanding and more loved with each day. It incorporates the best parts of the Japanese visual artistic mediums with the musical ones. It’s great!

What is your Favourite Anime?

Any character driven shows! NANA and Toradora! are a couple of my favourites!. I also really enjoy some of the more action driven shows such as Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo.

Tell us one funny thing that has happened to you at an Animangapop event in the past?

Probably having to gradually take an entire convention’s worth of equipment up elevators at Animangapop Bristol. Everyone was racing to use the only two elevators and sometimes the doors would open on another floor for the people staying there to look at crew members with a bunch of equipment and decide to take the stairs.

Thank you for time time on this Joe, we know you are super busy with Shows.

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