Hello, friends. Apologies for the lack of updates over the past couple of weeks. Those of you who know me are already aware that this time of year is “crunch time” for Anime Detour, a local anime convention to which I devote a great deal of blood, sweat, and tears. I’m both a volunteer staff member, as well as a panelist (to the extreme!). Seriously, someone please make me stop (just kidding, please don’t). Below is a run-down of my schedule for those of you who are attending (or even if you’re not – maybe you’re just curious). As usual, I’ll be posting panel materials and such after the convention is over, so stay tuned for that!
Friday, March 29th:
2pm, Greenway A: Manga for Grown-ups – An annual recommendation panel during which I talk about some of the great manga out there that’s either aimed at a mature crowd, or which can (and should) be appreciated by adults. “For Grown-ups” is not meant to be an overall quality assessment (I watch and read things that are more “juvenile” all the time), but I do like to keep older fans in the fandom, and this is one way I try to do that – by feverishly trying to convince them that manga and anime aren’t all just about teenagers and their teenage problems (and that sometimes, those teenage problems can still speak to our lives anyway).
5pm, Greenway B/C: Anime for Kids – A repeat of a panel we put on at CONvergence last summer. It’s meant partly as a resource for parents to understand what their kids are into, as well as a way to recommend anime that is fun and fulfilling for kids (of many ages) and parents to watch together.
6:30pm, Greenway B/C: Anime Blogging 101 – My personal attempt to relay the joys of blogging about anime and help out those who are interested in starting up an anime blog of their own. I have something like 12 years of blogging experience (in various forms), and I would love to pass along some of that to others who are waiting in the wings.
9:30pm, Lake Superior B: Anime by Numbers Trivia Game – My husband J.C.’s long-running anime trivia game, during which I run the computer program. All the answers are numbers-based and almost impossible to have memorized, so the game is open to just about anyone. It helps if you’re a good guesser! As usual, there are prizes.
11pm, Lake Superior B: AMV Showcase – I run the AMV Contest for the convention (in addition to my general programming staff and panelist responsibilities). This is the AMV exhibition showcase, for all the AMVs that didn’t fit into the main AMV contest time slot for various reasons.
Saturday, March 30th:
10am, Nicollet Ballroom: AMV Contest – This is the showing of the AMVs that were judged as part of the main AMV Contest for the convention.
12pm, Lakeshore C: Visual Storytelling: Camera – The latest in a series of panels focusing on the craft of anime. This session looks at how camera work (zooms, pans, camera angles) contributes to the language of anime storytelling.
3pm, Lake Superior B: Anime for Grown-Ups – Much like “Manga for Grown-Ups,” this is a selection of anime (old and new) that might have appeal for older or more experienced fans of the medium.
4:30pm, Regency Room: Pressure on Athletes – This is one of the convention’s “moderated panels” (the subject is proposed by us, and others with expertise sign up to present) which focuses on the pressure experienced by athletes, and whether this is adequately portrayed in various sports anime (the theme of the convention this year is focused on sports, so this is what prompted the idea). I am not directly involved in this panel, but J.C. is moderating it.
7:30pm, Lake Superior A: Women in Anime – A panel focused on girls and women in anime. I’ll discuss the traits and aspects I look for in female characters and why I connect to those, as well as ways of looking at and analyzing different characters and their portrayals. I came up with this panel because I saw it done very poorly at another convention; I’m also generally dissatisfied with the discourse surrounding female characters in anime and wanted to take my own stab at it.
10:30pm, Greenway F/G/H: Don’t Judge an Anime by its Cover – We show you funny/weird/amusing anime openings, and you tell us what the anime is about based only on that minimal amount of information. There are prizes!
Sunday, March 31st:
10:30am, Lake Superior B: AMV Contest Awards – We give the awards to the winners in the AMV contest, and then watch them again!
1pm, Greenway F/G/H: Shiny New Anime – We were given an extra half-hour this year to talk about our favorite anime from the past year! We’ll show clips, talk at length about why we love these shows, and hopefully keep the audience excited about all the wonderful anime there is to see out there!
…and then I return home to collapse on the floor until next year.
If you’re a Twin Cities local, I hope to see you at the con!