SAN FRANCISCO, CA. Still haven’t satisfied your anime convention fix in 2012 yet? The following conventions are taking place for the rest of the year. Mark your calendars, bring your cameras and make some friends!
Hyper-Con (San Mateo, CA) - San Mateo Events Center, September 7-9, 2012
Yaoi-Con (Long Beach, CA) - Westin Long Beach Hotel, October 12-14, 2012
Anime Destiny (Berkeley, CA) - Martin Luther King Student Union/UC Berkeley, October 13, 2012
Pacific Media Expo (Los Angeles, CA) - Hilton Los Angeles Airport, November 9-11, 2012
AnimeIcon (Monterey, CA) - Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa, November 30-December 2, 2012
CONVENTION TIP: Are you traveling out of town for the convention weekend? Make sure to plan out the travel details of your trip beforehand. Some of the most important things to work out before going to a convention are accommodations, transportation, dining arrangements and money for the bare convention necessities. The more you plan before the convention, the less drama you have to deal with when you’re there.
MONTEREY, CA (Jul. 5, 2012). AnimeIcon has made another change to its event location for its second year convention. Previously announced in our May 11, 2012 article to take place at the Monterey County Fairgrounds, our most recent update from AnimeIcon yesterday states that the convention will now take place at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa located on 1 Old Golf Course Road in Monterey, California. Hotel Reservations can be made through the AnimeIcon Website under the “Accommodations” tab.
AnimeIcon will be taking place on November 30-December 2 and will feature performances by akai SKY, Yukie Dong and Angel Hearts.
SAN JOSE, CA. Northern California retailer Anime V announced in a statement on their website that they will be closing their retail location, citing poor location and a choice not to renew their lease.
“I had hoped that our anchor store would attract traffic to the plaza, but it has not worked out,” states Hugo Wang, owner of Anime V. ”Because of time and cost, the store will be warehoused for the immediate future.”
Anime V will continue its retail operations online through its website at http://www.e-anime.com and will continue to make convention trips, including a booth at FanimeCon in San Jose, California on Memorial Day weekend. Anime V’s final full day of operation will be March 24th and there are no plans for a moving sale despite its migration from its retail store to its warehouses.
Anime V began in 1994 as a part-time catalog mail order operation called Paradigm Enterprises in Berkeley, California. Its first retail location was opened in 1996 on Durant Avenue in Berkeley under the name Paradigm Japanese Animation and kept the name until it changed to Anime V in 2003 after a move to its 2nd Berkeley location on Shattuck Avenue and has retained the name all the way into its final location on Blossom Hill Road in San Jose. In its lifetime, Anime V and Paradigm have been the gathering place for Bay Area anime fans, with special in-store events that included barbecues, swap meets and video game tournaments. In the anime community, Anime V and Paradigm have been prize sponsors at anime conventions and events throughout the United States.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA. Japan Video & Media will be hosting its 13th annual Anime Costume Parade on Sunday, April 22nd as part of the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival’s Grand Parade. According to an announcement posted at Japan Video & Media’s store, the event will include a costume contest to be held at City Hall and a 1.3 mile parade march from City Hall to San Francisco’s Japantown. Pre-Registration to participate in the contest and parade are currently being accepted at Japan Video & Media in-store and by phone by calling the store at (415) 563-5220. Costume contest prizes will be announced at a later time.
Los Angeles, CA (Oct. 15, 2011). Comikaze Expo announces its first large-scale multi-media and pop culture convention at the Los Angeles Convention Center on November 5-6, 2011. Guests include Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee and horror movie vixen Elvira Mistress of the Dark. Anime guests include Hellsing voice actor Stephen Weese, Neon Genesis Evangelion voice actor Spike Spencer, and World of Warcraft and Naruto voice actor Chris Smith. Weekend passes start at $20 with other passes available for Express seating, VIP and Tournament registrations. Source: Comikaze Website (delivr.com/18xay).
Covina, CA (Oct. 15, 2011). Project 760 Productions’ Otaku Bowl will be holding its 2nd Southern California event at the Brunswick Covina Bowl at 1260 W. San Bernardino Avenue in Covina, CA. The $20 registration will include pizza, drinks, bowling shoe rental and up to two hours of bowling. Raffle prizes will be given out to everyone registered at the event provided by Pacific Media Expo and cosplayers are encouraged to dress as their favorite character. Source: Otaku Bowl Website (delivr.com/17hn4).
Los Angeles, CA (Oct. 15, 2011). Pacific Media Expo will be returning to its Los Angeles location at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport on November 11-13, 2011. Guests include Japanese music group ‘D’, dolldelight designer Cyril Lumboy, Tenchi Muyo voice actress Petrea Burchard and Blazblue and K-ON voice actress Christina Vee. Additional events include PMX’s Fashion Swap Meet, Food Truck program and Cosfest masquerade event and an Anime Music Video contest. SOURCE: Pacific Media Expo website (delivr.com/18xbg).
Got something you’d like us to announce? Contact us at [email protected]. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @worldofanime760
CHICAGO, IL (Sept. 26, 2011) - A man was arrested on Sept. 23 and charged for kidnapping, attempted murder and aggravated domestic battery on a woman he met at a local anime convention. According to prosecutors, 22 year-old Sir Wilfred Camaligan and the alleged 20 year-old female victim corresponded through Facebook, met at Anime Central and began living together in July of this year. Local police stated that Camaligan held and tortured the woman at his apartment and refused to let her leave for two months. The woman escaped on Friday when she was allowed to run an errand, where she contacted her mother on a borrowed cell phone who later contacted Chicago police. Camaligan was arrested Friday evening at his apartment and the victim was treated at Resurrection Hospital for her injuries. The bruise-covered victim suffers loss of hearing in one ear and a fractured shoulder blade.
In a Chicago court on Sunday, Judge Adam Bourgeois denied bail to Camaligan on the charges saying, “I don’t think there’s any condition or set of conditions I could set that would protect the community from you.”
Sources: Chicago Sun Times, Anime News Network, Chicago Tribune.
LOS ANGELES, CA (Sept. 24, 2011). Animation, Manga and Music announced a pre-registration contest for their Passport system. According to a press release by Chase Wang on Friday, attendees that register for a Passport will be automatically entered for a drawing to win prizes including tickets to see Miyavi and Dir En Grey in concert. Admission to AM^2’s second year event is still free, but Passports allow its holders to fastrack lines and receive discounts at restaurants, retailers and amusement parks. Source: AM^2 Website (http://delivr.com/191xn).
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Maid Cafe Photo from Spirit of Japantown Festival. Image Credit: CherryTeaGirl
A9ent 760 - Staff Writer
SAN JOSE, CA (Sept. 15, 2011). Japantown Community Congress of San Jose will be hosting its annual Spirit of Japantown Festival on Saturday, October 1st from 10AM to 5PM in San Jose’s Japantown area from 1st to 6th Streets in San Jose. Anime-related programming will include anime viewing rooms and a maid cafe performance sponsored by Fanime Con. Source: Spirit of Japantown Festival (http://delivr.com/18q44).
BERKELEY, CA (Sept. 15, 2011). Cal Animage Alpha will be hosting its annual Anime Destiny convention on October 1st at the Martin Luther King Student Union on the U.C. Berkeley campus. Events will also include a live performance by Kurenai. Source: Cal Animage Anime Destiny Website (http://delivr.com/18q4h).
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Sept. 15, 2011). Japan Video & Media, in association with Japan Center Malls and Japantown Merchants Association will host a 4 hour event on Sunday, October 16th from 1PM to 4PM at the Japantown Peace Plaza. According to the Japan Video & Media website (http://delivr.com/18q3o), events will include a People’s Choice Cosplay Contest and live performances by Mari Watanabe, local performing artist Yukie Dong and an appearance by sentai cosplayer Barry Evans.
BURLINGAME, CA (Sept. 15, 2011) Biseinen-ya will be hosting Yaoi-Con on October 21st to 23rd at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Hotel in Burlingame, CA. The celebration of male beauty and passion in anime & manga will include adult-oriented events such as the Bishounen Auction and Bishounen Bingo along with conventional anime convention programming. Convention attendees must be 18 years or older to register and participate in the event. Source: Yaoi-Con (http://delivr.com/18q5b)
Got something you’d like us to announce? Contact us at [email protected]. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @worldofanime760.
ANAHEIM, CA (Sept. 14, 2011). Southern California’s only free convention in the anime community on Asian music, animation and comics announces their second year for Father’s Day Weekend. With over 8,000+ unique attendees at its 2011 event, Animation, Manga and Music- Also known as AM²- returns to the Anaheim Convention Center on June 15-17, 2012. In a press release by AM² Representative Chase Wang, he states that “Fans are going to be so thrilled with this announcement.”
AM²’s free events will include the Exhibit Hall, Arcade, Summer Festival, Tabletop and Console Gaming and Dance. Admission to the convention is free except for concerts and main events, which will require an event ticket or AM²’s Passport starting at a $25.00 pre-reg price until December 31st. ”…We are proud to bring back this amazing 3 day event that celebrates Japanese music, anime and manga,” exclaims Wang. ”We hope everyone comes down and joins us for this truly amazing and fun fan event!”
