Hey anime fans, it’s that time again – time to let you know just how nuts I was scheduling myself for panels and events at Anime Detour. As a programming staff member I have an intimate look at the type and volume of panels that are submitted, and often find myself compelled to “fill in the gaps” with my own ideas. I also have some old favorites that return from year-to-year. I also run the AMV Contest… this is my “home” convention, and I go all-out! In any case, this is where you can find me at whatever time of the day. Come up and say hi!
I’d like to give special kudos to my husband, J.C., who has not only put up with my enthusiasm for running panels, but has wholeheartedly joined in on it. Many of our panel ideas this year were his, so please make sure to give him some love, too!
Please note: Panel materials will be posted in a separate post following the convention.
Friday, April 6th
3:30pm – Manga for Grown-Ups – Manga recommendations for older fans, or fans looking for things outside the mainstream. Not a value judgment; I just know that many older/experienced fans have a more difficult time finding things to connect with in the fandom.
5:00pm – The Creative Women in Anime – A presentation about women in the anime industry (focused on directors/writers) with some recommendations for shows they have created or been involved in that you might be familiar with.
6:30pm – Second Chances in Anime – We’re testing out a new panel format, and this is one of three of these “moderated” panels talking about anime wherein the main characters get a chance to repeat parts of their lives (Re: Zero, Tatami Galaxy, Steins;Gate, Erased, etc.), and what makes these stories compelling.
8:00pm – Anime by Numbers Trivia Game – J.C.’s awesome trivia game with all numerical answers. You don’t have to know much or anything about most of the shows to have fun, you just have to be a good guesser/estimator!
11:00pm – Don’t Judge an Anime by its Cover – Our annual game where we show hilarious anime OPs and EDs (both current and classic) and our creative audience members use clues found within them to “describe” the anime they’re associated with. You can win “awesome” prizes if you participate!
Saturday, April 7th
9:00am – AMV Showcase – A showcase of the exhibition entries submitted to the Anime Detour AMV Contest. We’re going to have voting ballots to award an audience favorite this year, so if you’re awake at this hour be sure to stop by!
10:30am – Structural Storytelling – A new presentation J.C. has put together describing how structural elements in anime episodes (OPs, EDs, repeated animated sequences like transformations, etc.) contribute to their storytelling.
12:00pm – AMV Contest – The primary AMV contest in which the entries are judged and eligible for prizes. We got a 90 minute time slot this year!
3:00pm – Heroine’s Journey – A second moderated panel. The idea of the “hero’s journey” (introduced by Joseph Campbell) has, for many years, served as sort of a default standard for what makes a good, compelling story. There is a counterpart, established by Maureen Murdock, that describes the heroine’s journey, which differs as a storytelling standard. We’ll discuss how this concept features in anime.
6:00pm – Anime for Grown-Ups – Recommendations for anime (both old and new) that might appeal to older/adult fans. Again, not a value judgment (I watch and think pretty highly of shows that I wouldn’t feature in this panel) but I know it can be harder for some older fans to connect with anime fandom so this is kind of my way of appealing to those people to stick around.
10:30pm – Devilman Crybaby (18+) – J.C. and I challenged ourselves this year to come up with an 18+ panel (we tend to believe even panels that deal with “adult” subject matter don’t necessarily have to limit themselves to adults, but the higher-ups wanted more “grown-up” content, so here we are) but this show is very violent and sexual, and I also wanted to talk about it because I love Masaaki Yuasa and also this series tore my heart out and stomped all over it. I’m hoping to discuss such stimulating topics like how the series has a cyclical structure, the okay-but-imperfect way it features multiple queer relationships, and how Satan was the main character all along.
Sunday, April 8th
10:30am – Family Fantasy: A New Genre? – A discussion panel focused around shows like Steven Universe and The Eccentric Family that feature supernatural elements but also deal with characters defining/redefining family structure as a dramatic element.
12:00pm – Shiny New Anime – This tends to be our most popular panel for some reason. I am basically an anime-watching and clip-making machine, so I put those (dubious) talents to good use by talking about the anime from the past year we watched and loved, and showing entertaining clips to try to convince others to watch them, too! We always have handouts, too, so you can remember what shows sounded good and keep track of them to watch after you leave.
1:30pm – AMV Awards – This is where we announce the winners for the various categories in the AMV Contest. Stop on by if you’d like to see some of the best entries another time, and cheer on the winners!