Anime Matsuri 2008 is a two-year-old convention based in Houston, Texas, run by Emotiongear, the parent company to Anime Matsuri, Showdown Championships, and Import Reactor. Ever since its conception in 2007, Matsuri has strived to set itself apart from other anime conventions by taking events from its child companies and implementing them into Matsuri, such
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Twenty characters, two nonconsecutive centuries, one giant story.1711 – A shipload of alchemists sailing on the Advenna Avis summon a devil that gives them the Grand Panacea, the prevention and cure to every human ailment – including death. Where the elixir and the immortals wind up after that is anyone’s guess…1930 – The Prohibition is in full swing, and the transcontinental train The Flying Pussyfoot…..
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Anime Expo. There really isn’t any way to describe the biggest anime convention outside of Japan to someone who hasn’t been there before. No matter how prepared you think you are, unless you’ve been smack-dab in the center of the organized chaos affectionately referred to as AX, you’ll be blown away. The 16th Anime Expo completely took over the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 3rd to the 6th. This was AX’s first year…….
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Anime Boston was (not-so) affectionately referred to as Line-Con 2008 this year, and I’d have to agree. As this was my first year attending Anime Boston, I had to take it on the word of staff and other attendees that last year’s registration and pre-registration lines weren’t the 10-hour monstrosities that wound throughout the halls this year. While the pre-reg line didn’t quite reach the 10 hours that the regular registration line did, my friend and I did
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For yet another year, Baltimore hosted the largest Japanese animation fan convention on the East Coast, Otakon, on July 20th through the 22nd at the Baltimore Convention Center (BCC). The attendance topped 20,000 eager participants for the fourth straight year, a testament to the con’s staying power and the loyalty of the fans. As always, there were many different things to see and experience, ranging from industry panels where companies……..
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Oni-Con 2007 marks my second Oni-Con attendance, my first being in their inaugural year of 2004. Right off the bat, the improvements of Oni-Con from their first year to their fourth were very evident. Everything was top notch in their new venue, the George R. Brown Convention Center, which was more than spacious enough for the task. However, while the improvements were amazing, there were also some major let-downs this time around.
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This September 2007, my husband Kyle and I attended our fourth year at Nan Desu Kan (or, commonly known as NDK). NDK has been hosted at the Denver Tech Marriott Hotel for the past two years now. It’s always a pretty popular convention, and was claimed this year to have been the best in the region. We always have a good time at this con, and because it was really my first time staying the whole weekend I’d have to say that it was……
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July 2007 marked my sixth consecutive Anime Expo (AX), which was an unusual year for several reasons. It was the first time in five years that the con was held at Long Beach Convention Center, rather than the more spacious Anaheim Convention Center, since the Shriners took over the ACC for Fourth of July weekend. It was my first year at AX without my usual convention companion, who is in Germany for the summer.
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I’ll admit, I didn’t really do a lot of actual congoing at Otakon this year. Between the lengthy commute to and from the hotel, various misadventures with Le Bread‘s car, and more time spent socializing and wandering around Baltimore, I found little time to actually go to any events. There were two, however particular standout events: the Voice Actors Uncut panel the attendance of which came with a veritable nondisclosure agreement)……
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Every year, Baltimore denizens welcome (whether they like it or not) thousands of screaming, sometimes rabid, otaku to the largest anime convention on the East Coast: Otakon. This year, Anime Secrets was able to send a few intrepid field agents along with the flood to the Baltimore Convention Center (BCC) to cover this annual three day orgy of cosplaying, impulse spending and Japanese culture. The experience was unforgettable, for a myriad of different reasons and…….
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