#Anime Cons

[zancorvid]

Ranger Power - Chainsaw Man  @ SakuraCon 24 (Sat 03/30)

#chainsaw man #csm power #chainsaw man power #power #sakuracon #sakura con #sakura con 2024 #sakuracon 2024 #sakuracon24 #sakura con 24 #sakuracon2024 #anime cons

[cosplayinamerica]

Anime conventions and their Yamato roots

by Dave Merrill

“Conventional” (ha ha) wisdom says that the first American convention devoted to Japanese animation was Project A-Kon 1990 in Dallas, Texas. This prototypical event was instigated by a group of Texas anime fans gathered under the banner of Star Blazers’“Earth Defense Command,” a Space Battleship Yamato fan club that grew to embrace all of Japanese animation. As of this writing, Project A-Kon is preparing for its 20th show.

But was A-Kon the first anime convention in North America? No. Not even close. For years, we’d seen references and offhand comments about a “YamatoCon” that was held in the Dallas area years earlier. Were these references true? Our crack team of researchers donned their explorer togs, dusted off their pith helmets, and began the harrowing search for enlightenment. Well, to be honest we sent some emails. Here’s what we found…

The first YamatoCon – that is to say, the first American fan convention devoted to Japanese animation – was held on August 13, 1983 at the Harvey Hotel in Dallas Texas. This one-day affair was the brainchild of Mark Hernandez, Don Magness, and Bobb Waller, each of whom had experience in the Dallas comics/SF fandom community and each of whom put up their own hard-earned cash to make YamatoConhappen. Scheduled the next-to-last weekend before school started, Mark Hernandez remembers the planning being as simple as getting commitments from dealers, finding a venue, and setting a date. Yes, it really is that easy to start a convention.

Programming consisted of the first 26 episodes of Star Blazersrecorded off TV, shown in continuous order (minus commercials, of course) and a bonus Yamato film. This 13-hour Journey to Iscandar (“It was a long day,” says Mark) was a primary attraction at YamatoCon, 1983 being a time when VCRs and blank VHS tape were expensive, collections of Star Blazers on video were hard to come by, and the experience of watching Star Blazers outside the morning or afternoon UHF timeslot was a draw in and of itself.

Star Blazers on video wasn’t the only activity, of course. Like other conventions past and future, YamatoCon had a dealers room consisting of 22 tables of for-sale memorabilia. It might sound small by the standards of 25 years later, but we must remember that anime merchandise of the day – what was available in the States, anyway – hadn’t achieved the tidal wave proportions it would reach in the wake of Robotech, to say nothing of the total saturation of the post-Pokemon, post-Sailor Moon years. Anime merchandise in 1983 consisted chiefly of books and model kits. Roman Albums, Anime Comics, black and white manga volumes, the occasional manga weekly, and other publications streaming from Japan in the wake of the Yamato Boom battled for the anime fan dollar alongside model kits from Yamato, Crusher Joe and My Youth In Arcadia…not to mention the endless ranks of giant robot kits from unseen shows like Mobile Suit Gundam, Dougram, Ideon, and something called Macross.Along with the remnants of late 70s super-robot merchandise sold here as Shogun Warriors, the anime con dealers room in the early 1980s was far from barren. In fact, I still waste my money on that sort of stuff.

Also available at YamatoCon were copies of Mark Hernandez and Don Magness’s Star Blazers fanzine Argo Notes. Future EDC officer/contributor, fan artist and “Between Galaxies” author Logan Darklighter won the model contest with, naturally, a Yamatomodel. It proved to be a pivotal day in Texas anime fandom. Approximately 100 attendees and 8 dealers made the show an unqualified success. Don remembers it this way: “I remember we got to the hotel early and set up the rooms, then went out to breakfast. When we got back, there were 3 young men sitting on the front steps, one of them had a convention flyer. Mark asked if they were there for the con, and they said they were. We went inside and out of their hearing range and had a little celebration. 3 people had come! We had no idea that the place would soon be packed.”

A showing of 100 might not sound like a lot in today’s numbers (“that was about 100 more than we expected,” said Don). However, when considered against the attendance at general SF conventions in 1983 – a time when your absolute largest cons MIGHT draw five or six thousand attendees and your typical Dallas or Atlanta comic book show maxed out at three – YamatoCon‘s ability to nail down that many dealers and customers is commendable.

The show’s importance went beyond the one day; people across Texas and indeed, across fandom as a whole, who were unable to attend or who heard about it after the fact were spurred into action by the mere fact of YamatoCon‘s existence. That such a thing could happen – that Americans could organize and hold a successful anime convention – was both revelation and reassurance. Anime fandom was going to be more than just a video room grudgingly tacked onto the local Star Trek show or a half-page of merchandise in the back of the latest issue of Fangoria.

READ THE REST HERE https://ourstarblazers.com/vault/317/

#Fandom history #anime fandom history #convention history #con history #anime cons #Yamato Con

[robotlyra]

Anime conventions always give me a contact high that get me going "everyone loves my fashion accessories and i am great at rhythm games and i have fifty boyfriends who are all hot cartoon characters life is magical and everyone should be able to have a good time like this"

#anime cons

[anna-neko]

When I say am an oldtaku, that is in no way or shape a lie. Not even an exaggeration anymore

how old is this nerd? Old enuff to show up in someone's VHS footage** of an anime con trip

they did a live-stream of some tapes, while digitizing it ... and ... damn! Just, holy fuck

Seeing so many long-forgotten yet still familiar faces, like heeeey this person lives in a whole diff state now. This one does professional advertising. This person not only is a serious adult, but is married with a child!

.... and then u see yourself. In full teen awkwardness, proud of your lil cosplay

**it ain't just ancient, its a literal miracle. The poor cassette was warping with both age & mold. Amazed we could even watch it

#i call myself oldtaku for a reason #nerd culture #fandom history #cosplay history #early anime con culture #anime cons #oldtaku cosplayers shout out! #damn what even is time #cosplay #Anime Weekend Atlanta

[youmafest]

After being forced by Youmacon to take his videos down, MegaZakari's video reviews of Youmacon 2023 are back online!

#youmacon 2023 #youmacon #megazakari #youmafail #anime cons #Youtube

[chrimsonfoxdon]

‼️NEW VLOG IS UP‼️

Whew, so sorry this took me so long to finish!! Motivation has been evading me this month. ANYWAY, please enjoy and thanks for sharing!!

🔗⬇️

#artist alley #anime st Pete #anime st Pete 2023 #anime convention #anime cons #Youtube

[lifewithchronicpain]

Going to anime conventions all around the country to cosplay and see friends was truly a great time in my life and I miss it so much. I still hope to go to a comic con now and again, and I still want to make costumes. For instance, I thought it would be really cool to attempt an Ursula costume given my current weight. It’s just that even if I somehow manage to save up to make a costume and attend a con, I don’t have the stamina for them anymore. Maybe if I brought my wheelchair (I bought a cheap hospital one in case of emergencies) but it would be such a hassle just to get it there.

The worst part is I have this reoccurring dream where I keep trying to get to a con before it ends but something constantly stops me. I had one last night because this weekend is Anime Boston, which I also used to staff at very high levels. I actually ran registration for 3 years.

Some of the best experiences I’ve ever had were at cons, and I made so many friends that I still have to this day. Disability completely robbed me of ever having that again. :c

I miss these days so much sometimes it hurts

#disability #chronic pain #spoonies #spoonie problems #conventions #anime cons #anime convention #cosplay

[precurememes]

Its been two years...two years since the coof and I was glad to be back at an Anime Con for so long.  Now to make up grounds for next year.

#animenyc #precure #anime cons #vendors #masks #mandates suck #japanese music #80s music #city pop #hajime isayama #attack on titan #delicious party precure

[lllsaslll]

Find Choker Daddy E and I in the exhibit hall of Anime Corpus Christi! Booth E13 ☺️✨

#animecc23 #animecorpuschristi #anime cons #artist alley #selfie #me #elvis #elvis ita bag #texas cons #goth daddy elvis #choker daddy elvis

[lillikoifish]

Anime Weekend Atlanta makes custom badges every year, this year they look like leaves or pinecones!

#anime weekend atlanta #awa #anime cons #im covering up my name lol

[zancorvid]

Yami Yugi/Yugi itabag (belongs to @zombieisok) @ SakuraCon 24

#yami yugi #yugioh #millenniumpuzzle #yu gi oh #duel monsters #yugioh duel monsters #yugi muto #yugioh dm #itabag #itabags #ita bag #ita bags #sakura con #sakuracon #sakuracon 2024 #sakura con 2024 #sakuracon2024 #sakuracon 24 #sakuracon24 #artist table #artist alley #anime cons #anime convention

[hopeymchope]

I haven't posted about attending a local anime con in quite a few years now. But every time I go to one, I'm always on the lookout for representation from my faves — merch or cosplay or artwork or something based on Danganronpa, Future Diary, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, etc. Those are probably still my biggest three faves after all these years.

AS SUCH: Above are pics of Danganronpa merch/art/crafts/etc that I found for sale on the vendor floor this year! I also saw two DR cosplayers (a Toko and a Mondo).

All told, this was a better showing than usual! DR representation in booths had been shrinking at my area's primary anime con ever since 2017, but we suddenly have a resurgence on our hands courtesy of this brand-new secondary anime con in town. (Yeah, this show — "Planet Anime" — was a brand-new thing this year.)

Weirdly, I found PMMM/Magia Record representation to be at an all-time low for my city's cons. Zero cosplay and - for real - only FOUR pieces of merch total at all booths combined. Given that we're on the cusp of an all-new movie AND still in the midst of multiple manga, that seemed odd to me. And for the first time, I found literally zero Future Diary/Mirai Nikki representation. Actually, nothing from mangaka Sakae Esuno of ANY kind. Which = sadness, but I guess this day had to come eventually. (Since I was only present at one day out of the three-day convention, I'll take it on faith that there was probably a Yuno cosplayer out there somewhere — that's always been a constant at these events. I felt your lingering presence, my friend... whoever you are. :P)

There was no sign of ANY love for Master Detective Archives: Rain Code just yet! I suppose it IS only a few months since it came out, though. Maybe next time... or maybe it needs some more adaptions/merch?

I did find a lot of artwork/crafts for sale related to Fire Emblem, which you'd think would be satisfying given my recent passion for "Engage." But unfortunately, literally none of what I saw was related to Engage... or any game/character in the franchise other than Three Houses. It was WALL-TO-WALL Three Houses stuff and NOTHING else. (Unless you count Smash Bros art that happened to have the FE fighters in it.)

These shows are always CHOCKABLOCK with stuff for whatever is the massively popular anime of the moment. And if you know me, you know I don't usually care about the popular anime of the moment. :P So yeeeaaah. I'm always there desperately hunting down the stuff I love hidden in the cracks between all the things I DON'T love. Because the whole place was FULL of merch and cosplay and artwork for stuff like Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen and the still-huge My Hero Academia; stuff like that. SO: Anime I found either off-putting or kinda bland or which eventually drove me away over time (respectively, in that order).

#planet anime #planet anime 2023 #anime conventions #anime con #anime cons #danganronpa merch #danganronpa #myself #navel gazing

[puddingemoji]

If anyone who saw me at AnimeNYC on Saturday (I was there from around 2PM-8PM) recognizes this Riamu from any of my recent uploads/the photo below in this post and has pics/vids of or with me- please send them!!!

Here though tumblr chat works, or DM me on my ig (https://www.instagram.com/7j8m/) !!! I’d love to see anything anyone has <3333

Forgot to bring my ‘social media business cards’ to hand out this year... so people who interacted with me have no contact info of mine, and i have no way to find them either <///3

#anime nyc #animenyc #anyc #anime nyc 2022 #anime nyc 22 #anyc22 #anyc2022 #anyc 22 #anyc 2022 #animenyc 2022 #animenyc 22 #anime new york city #anime new york city 2022 #anime convention #anime conventions #anime con #anime cons #con #cons #conventions #convention #riamu #riamu yumemi #cosplay #cosplayer #cosplayers #imas #im@s #idolmaster #idolm@ster

[anna-neko]

...sorry, every1 probly sick of this, but I still cannot wrap my brain around this very simple fact - when am remembered**

Just.... be me. Pop onto a Twitch to watch some ancient nerdy VHS stream (it was being digitized, and the person threw the gates wide open)

Now important note here: dunno about you kids and your carefully created "brand" on socials (what with adding "official" or "the" etc).... but back in da day of AOL/AIM you picked a weeb-name and that is forever ya damn name on everything since!

so anyway! I pop in, and my screen-name on there is some benign nonsense Them: hey there , welcome Me: <<< ---- anna Them: Annanekochan?! oh shiz me: the one and only!

That very specific combination of letters ain't been used since recorded history doesn't go back that far at least 2002 and holy fuck dude, you remembered me?!?!?! From that freakin long ago!??!!? was ready to straight up start bawling at my screen Is this how the Soap Opera grandmas feel when they are suddenly called by ages-long-abandoned nickname?

Like sure, the East Coast cosplay scene was way smaller then, but even by those numbers the fact am remembered is absolutely making me full of feels over here

**not like, "oh saw you last year" but seriously, we talkin decade+ timelines here. People met me ahlf a lifetime ago and somehow still recall? Positive nerd stories? BLESS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

anyway, perhaps some more history-inclined have heard legends of Man-Faye, or Sailor Bubba .... but are you deep-cut lore enuff to have heard of SAILOR BACON! (or a Dan Hibiki cosplayer snortin pixie-sticks. It was a dumb goof that one time)

#i call myself oldtaku for a reason #cosplay #fandom history #cosplay history #early anime con culture #anime cons #oldtaku cosplayers shout out! #damn what even is time #this idiot has a very fragile delicate ego and damn did teh refill meter just fill up for a week

[lithefider]

https://twitter.com/AnimeNEXT/status/1662097103999365121?t=9BrTSJIJYE7zzKiksfxxjg&s=19

GAME SHOWS APPLICATIONS are up!!!

Animenext is back baby, can't wait! 🤩

Links to the forms are on the tweet. 🫶

#animenext #animenext2023 #cosplay dating game #anime cons

[sunnycanwrite]

to all my fellow nerds that go to conventions. If so someone makes you uncomfortable say something. If they grab you, even in what seems like an innocent way without permission sat something. You are most likely not the first person they have made uncomfortable. Not the first person they might go in to harrass. It's better to say something than let them get away. To pretend that they don't make you uncomfortable.

Cons are supposed to be fun, but that doesn't mean you aren't going to run into shitty people. I learned that an unwanted tap on the shoulder, will lead to unwanted texts, than more touches on the hands or wrists, or worse and even if it never gets further that that, its something to mention. Tell con staff, tell your friends, perhaps even tell a vendor.

Be safe, watch out for yourself. But most importantly have fun.

#Comic cons #Cons #Conventions #Anime cons #Nerd cons #Safety #Personal safety #Cosplay safety #DC #Marvel #Starwars #Anime #dc comics #cosplay #cosplayer