Anime Evolution is sponsoring a one-day event called J-Fest on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010, at Douglas College in New Westminster. Registration for Anime Evolution 2010 will be available, along with cosplay tutorials, gaming, videos, panels, artists and more! J-Fest only costs $10 to enter and runs from 10:30 am PST until 7:30 pm PST. Douglas College is one block north of the New Westminster SkyTrain station.
Conventions
Yes, there are people out there who dress up based their favourite anime or manga characters. And yes, I am one of them.
Naruto Shippuden Jacket at Hot Topic
Frederick • September 23rd, 2009 • Cosplay
Naruto Shippuden Jacket
For the Naruto fan, Hot Topic is now selling the Shippuden version of the blond ninja’s jacket.
Ripple Junction, manufacturer of tees based on anime, cartoons and movies, has faithfully recreated the jacket using a blend of black and orange cotton/polyester fabric. The familiar red spiral is embroidered on the back with another smaller gray spiral on the upper left sleeve. The smaller spiral has two vertical pieces of brown fabric on each side, with a stem of orange plastic on the right side. It looks a little strange, but when you glance at the actual jacket in the series, it makes sense (I have no clue what its purpose is for though).
Unlike the previous style that the younger Naruto wore, there are exterior pockets on both sides, but no MP3 player pocket on the inside.
The jacket is pretty comfortable, but not really warm when I put it to the test this morning. The cool Vancouver weather let me know to wear something warmer underneath.
All in all, it’s a really nice jacket. You can buy it in most Hot Topic stores or online.
Anime Evolution 2010 dates and venue
Frederick • September 22nd, 2009 • ConventionsThe dates and location for Anime Evolution 2010 have been released. The convention will be held on August 13th to 15th, 2010 at the University of British Columbia.
The date change was done to accommodate other conventions in neighbouring provinces and states, while the decision to return to the university was made due to room setup and configuration issues.
Personally, I liked the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre due to its location and proximity to public transit, food and accommodation. The bonus: everything under one roof with air conditioning! Wearing a jacket and wig in summer is not fun. However, beauty is skin deep and while it looks nice on the outside, the convention staff ran into some situations with room setup and other things.
Registration is not open at the moment and is expected to begin later this year.
Sakura-con 2010 Pre-registration
Frederick • August 23rd, 2009 • Conventions
Sakura-con 2009
The Pacific Northwest’s leading Japanese culture and animation festival, Sakura-con, is celebrating their twelfth year on April 2nd to 4th, 2010 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in downtown Seattle.
Pre-registration has already started for the 2010 event, so head over to the Sakura-con web site to take advantage of the low prices (beats having to stand in line with cash, debit or a credit card). Prices are $40 USD until September 30th, 2009, before it increases to $45 USD.
See you there!
San Japan 2.x
Frederick • August 22nd, 2009 • Conventions, CosplayTexas is known for its size, cowboys, oil, big belt buckles, the heat, the Alamo, Big Tex and so on. But for anime fans, Texas also has its conventions and lots of them. At the invitation of a friend, I was invited to come down and attend San Japan 2.x in San Antonio to get a feel of what it’s like to be in the heart of convention country. Pictures are available on Gallery.
Anime Central the Thirteenth
Frederick • August 11th, 2009 • Conventions
Anime Central 2009
Anime Central returns to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Centre in Rosemont, Illinois May 14th to 16th, 2010. This will be the thirteenth incarnation of the convention, so they’re going with a different theme this time: the macabre side of anime and manga. As some people consider thirteen to be an unlucky number, Anime Central will be showcasing everything that is creepy, spooky, shocking and unnatural in the anime and manga world.
Pre-registration begins on September 1st, so line up and take advantage of the low prices. Visit the Anime Central web site for more details, prices, schedules and guest line-ups.
Anime Evolution 2009
Frederick • June 15th, 2009 • Conventions, Cosplay, PhotographyA recap of Anime Evolution 2009 from June 12th to 14th at the Vancouver Convention Centre in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. Pictures are now available on Gallery.
The Convention Checklist
Frederick • June 10th, 2009 • ConventionsNever been to an anime convention before? Unsure of what you’ll need? Or are you a returning otaku and need a final check list before going out? We got you covered.
Anime Evolution 2009 (preview)
Frederick • June 5th, 2009 • Conventions
Vancouver Convention Centre
With just under a week left, Anime Evolution is getting ready for its seventh year and its first time being held at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Instead of being held under the famous white sails of Canada Place, anime fans get to strut their stuff in the new $883.2 million expansion just west of the existing facility.
The convention is being held June 12th – 14th and is expected to draw in close to 5,000 fans. Con-goers who have pre-registered can stop by Thursday from 4 PM to 9 PM to pick up their badges. For those who missed pre-registration, or care to pay up front, will be able to visit registration between the 8 AM to 9 PM on Friday, 8 AM to 8 PM on Saturday, and 8 AM to 2 PM on Sunday. Prices are available on the Anime Evolution web site.
Come on down and party all weekend while taking in the sights and sounds as throngs of anime fans take over Vancouver’s waterfront. See you there!
Anime Central 2009
Frederick • May 18th, 2009 • Conventions, Cosplay
Anime Central 2009
I’m back from my trip to Chicago after attending Anime Central 2009. I took quite a few pictures and some video, but didn’t visit any panels and missed the Naruto photoshoots. Overall it was an interesting year, the dealers room was spectacular, and there were some really awesome costumes around. As usual, I missed the Roy cosplayer (I think it was the same one from last year), but all in all, it was pretty good.
I’ll have the photos uploaded shortly. There’s about 260 I have to sort through before they’re posted.
