MangaNEXT is the little brother to the now well-established mid-sized AnimeNEXT. Much of the same staff heads both so the feel is similar just not on such a grand scale. This is the smallest con I attend nowadays, but in many ways it helps give me a better perspective on fandom as it resembles the myriad of small conventions sprawled across the U.S. that doesn’t reside on the coasts. After taking a break the year previous, the future of MangaNEXT was unclear but with a new location and old Halloween dates, it fluttered back to life.

MangaNEXT is a rather unique little convention that focuses on the manga side of things unlike every other convention you will go to in the U.S. that focuses on anime. There is still a decent amount of anime related programming during the convention but the normal ratio between anime and manga is the switched.  While I was glad to see the convention come back after not taking place last year I do have to say that it seems much less organized that it has been in the last two times I have been to the convention. We only went on Saturday but I feel it gave us some good insight into the heart of the convention.

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MangaNEXT is a unique convention as it is one of the few convention sin the U.S. entirely devoted to manga. Although it is a smaller convention with an overwhelming emphasis on manga which is often the neglected sibling when compared to anime at most conventions. I am really looking forward to the MangaCast panel.  When Ed Chavez talks about manga you can’t help but learn something while getting wrapped up in his infectious love of the medium. It guarantee it will be the can’t miss panel of the convention. The Mecha: A Love Letter and 50 Manga Recommendations panels look very interesting as well. We are doing a panel called The Best Manga you Never Read on Saturday at 9:30PM. If you join us after dinner we will be talking about manga that are all in one way or another in a state of limbo that might be able to be revived if there is enough support from manga readers. Come see our picks for great manga that we think could be saved. We will only be able to attend on Saturday but if you are checking out the convention and you see us then say hello. It is always great to talk to a reader and fellow fan. Other than that is anyone is going on Friday and Sunday I would love to hear about the 80s Manga for the Modern Manga Reader panel, the History of Manga panel, and the Japanese Manga publishers panel. They all look interesting and I am curious how informative they are.

MangaNEXT is a baby of a convention, and certainly the smallest I have the pleasure of attending, but it packs a nice batch of things over the weekend. I know having it Halloween weekend has become their signature thing and I’m sure the cosplayers are more than happy with that arrangement. This time around I’ll only have time for Saturday events, but perhaps as the convention grows going on all three days will become more tempting. I’m glad to see Ed Chavez in attendance as well and  not just in his official capacity for Vertical Inc. Besides that, Saturday will be spent popping in and out of a lot of panels I imagine. I’m very curious about the U.S. Comics for Manga Fans panel as a fan of both already. Don’t forgot to come see our panel Saturday night! This is a convention where I always feel I learn a little something and of course it is more intimate than most that I attend.