Category: Events

AnimeNEXT 2016: Guests

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hisui_icon_4040_round While I liked several things about Somerset it was hardly a major destination city. You rarely hear people overseas making elaborate plans to visit the first Marconi Wireless Station. The real draw for guests was the fact that NYC is not that far away. Atlantic City on the other hand acts as far more of a singular draw to guests. It might not be Vegas but the allure of gambling can draw some names that might over wise pass the convention by. I can’t say how many of the guests were here because of that but  AnimeNEXT 2016 has a fairly impressive lineup that is distinctly worth talking about.

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AnimeNEXT 2016: General Impressions

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hisui_icon_4040_round AnimeNEXT has moved several times since it started. I remember the incredible convenience of the Meadowlands Exposition Center and the apprehension  of the move to the Garden State Exhibit Center. In the end the move was let the convention grow into one of the major players in the community of East coast anime conventions. In fact that growth eventually meant that even the Garden State Exhibit Center was far too small for what  AnimeNEXT would become. The last few years have felt like ten pounds of convention in an eight pound bag. While it was clear that a move was needed again the same anxieties popped up again. Would the new venue be too far away? Would the area be conducive to the convention? Would the fans make the move with the event? Will we somehow be able to see Kenjiro Hata as a guest at an American convention?

I know these were just questions I was wondering. I also ran into people at both Castle Point Anime Convention, Anime Fan Fest, and the Internet who were all asking the same questions. I heard equal amounts of trepidation, enthusiasm, and apathy. But all of the talk was just idle speculation mixed with more than a little emphasis on self-interested perspectives. The real test would come with the first weekend in Atlantic City. Now that I am back from AnimeNext 2016 I can help decide if the move was good idea or a bit of a misstep.

OK, most people were not asking about Kenjiro Hata but you get my point.

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HAMACON 7: He Was Invited to be a Guest by a J-Pop K-Town Dude

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hisui_icon_4040_round As everyone knows the best way to start any post about being a guest at a convention is with an obscure reference to the 1991 cartoon about Stanley Burrell getting magical shoes to fight crime. That is what gets the clicks.

If the Hamacon staff is regretting their decisions at this moment I fully understand.

If you were unaware I will be guest at Hamacon 2016 in Huntsville, Alabama at the Von Braun Center South Hall. I will be on 5 separate panels 4 of which will just be your truly. If you ever just want to see me do our best panels without Kate making them better then this is your chance.

I have panels! Attend them if you can!
Friday at 04:00 pm: I Hate Sports: A Sports Anime Panel
Saturday at 11:00 am: Your New Favorite Manga
Saturday at 02:30 pm: State of the Anime Industry
Saturday at 06:30 pm: Epic Grail Battles of History
Sunday at 01:00 pm: New Anime for Older Fans

My Tentative schedule:
Friday
12:00 pm: Force Of WIll: The best Indie Japanese Card Game You Aren’t Playing!
01:00 pm: Request an Anime Suggestion
03:00 pm: Daicon Spirit: Past and Future
04:00 pm: I Hate Sports: A Sports Anime Panel
05:00 pm: Opening Ceremonies
06:00 pm: A Toast To Manga: Drinking Manga
07:30 pm: Idol Panels LIVE
09:00 pm: Live WIth Junko Fujiyama
10:00 pm: The Pain Train

Saturday 
10:00 am: Sci Fi AI
11:00 am: Your New Favorite Manga
12:00 pm: Heaven or Hell! Guilty Gear Panel
01:00 pm: Hamacon Presents: THE OMAKEDOME
02:30 pm: State of the Anime Industry
03:30 pm: Vertical Industry Panel
05:30 pm: STAND PROUD: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
06:30 pm: Epic Grail Battles of History
08:30 pm: Hakuoki’s Shinsengumi Bachelors
09:30 pm: The Twisted World of Junji Ito
10:30 pm: Surrealism In Anime

Sunday
10:00 am: I Can Panelist! And So Can You
11:00 am:  Hot Dads of Anime
12:00 pm: Sailor Moon Panel
01:00 pm: New Anime for Older Fans
02:00 pm: Anime to Watch in 2016
03:00 pm: Korean Comics, Games, And Animation
04:00 pm: Tokusatsu and You
05:00 pm: Closing Ceremonies