Although it would probably be the wiser choice to continue with my now-belated first episode impression, I thought I’d take a short breather and write about about my first convention experience back in person (as a panelist, at least), Anime Fusion. If I wait any longer I feel like I’ll start to forget the details, and as someone who feels like it’ll be important to know how things were during this Covid time I’d like to ensure I make my own contributions to that historical record.
Anime Fusion 2021 took place Friday through Sunday, October 22nd – 24th at the Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West (which is actually located in Plymouth, a suburb of Minneapolis). Like most anime conventions, it puts on a mix of programming, including fan-run panels, guest-run panels and events, games, shows, and a dance. There are also a couple of video rooms playing both classic and contemporary anime (the con’s stated mission is to fuse together the old and the new parts of anime fandom into a mix that appeals to all sorts of folks), as well as a dealers room and an artist alley. My primary drive for participating in any anime convention is to run programming – primarily discussion panels focused on specific shows or aspects of anime fandom, as well as presentation-style panels where I pretend like I’m some kind of instructor sharing knowledge and opinions. This year my spouse and I put on 5 panels, the materials for which are available in posts that went up over the course of last weekend.