Taipei, Jan. 27 (CNA) The 2023 Taipei International Comics and Animation Festival kicked off on Friday, featuring appearances from international production teams and voice actors from popular anime series.

Fans of the popular Japanese anime "Spy x Family" will be able to meet the series' production team at the festival at Hall 1 of the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Hall, where voice actors for the hit Japanese anime series "Chainsaw Man" are also making an appearance.

In attendance was noted cosplayer and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lai Pin-yu (賴品妤), who said she was an anime and comic book fan and felt "at home" at the event, which is also an occasion for Taiwan's anime and comic series to be discovered and generate profits.

Avid anime fans queued up for entry before 5 a.m., well before the gates opened at 10 a.m., and packed the venue in less than 30 minutes.

Anime agent Muse Communication told CNA that merchandise sales increased by 20 percent to 30 percent compared to last year, and that attendees tended to shop at booths where they could meet the artists in person.

The event's organizer, the Taiwan-based Chinese Animation & Comic Publishers Association (CACPA), said that there are 95 exhibitors this year spread out across 520 booths.

Thanks to the improving COVID-19 situation in Taiwan, the turnout could return to pre-pandemic levels this year, said Kao Shih-chuang (高世樁), secretary-general of the CACPA, who added that the five-day show could attract more than 450,000 visitors.