Anyway, the guest list was definitely varied. For dub fans there were plenty of voice actors, like Matt Mercer & Richard Epcar, for music fans there were ROOKIEZ is PUNK'D & Luna Haruna, for industry fans there were two members of Studio Trigger (who detailed all of the behind the scenes info on Inferno Cop & Kill la Kill), and for internet fandom there was both Daryl Surat & Gerald Rathkolb from Anime World Order as well as Charles Dunbar from Study of Anime. But enough about that, what did I do at the con?
I started off Friday morning with The Golden Age of Weekly Shonen Jump: A Visual History, which was a 90-minute overview of what titles started the momentum into Jump's 1983-1996 reign over manga & what titles from that era were adapted into anime. Due to some problems beyond my control, I was not listed on the printed schedule, and I literally started with only two (quickly four) con-goers, but by the time I hit the "Golden Age" I started getting more people & overall I think I had a moderate crowd for what was one of the very first panels of the entire con; I'll take it.
Having forgotten to apply for a third panel I took advantage of an open-invitation by Charles Dunbar to join his & Katriel "Kit" Paige's We Con, Therefore We Are, which talked about the concept of "Con Convergence" & how anime fandom & anime cons have changed throughout the years. While I did admittedly feel a little like a "third wheel" throughout the panel, which Kit assured me was normal, overall it was an interesting experience to be a part of what was, essentially, a guest panel at the con. I saw this panel over at Otakon last year, where Charles had Daryl on board, but what makes this panel interesting is that the execution & style really changes depending on who's on board; with Daryl it was a much more passionate panel with a lot of back & forth, but with Kit & I it was more subdued & relatable. Once again, thank you Charles & Kit for welcoming me on board... Maybe one day I'll think about trying it again.
Finally, on Sunday I had Great Anime We'll (Probably) Never Get, a "crash course" that showed anime fans the titles that have missed the licensing train throughout the years &, due to varying reasons, may never actually see a legal release of any sort in North America. While I could have gone far back & talked about the 80s & 90s, I actually ended up with a list that was mostly from within the past 10 years that totaled 17 different titles; there were a handful of 80s & 90s entries, though. This had a full room & everyone was ready to learn about titles that may not have known before. This was easily the most enjoyable panel I had at AnimeNEXT, and I even managed to do something I didn't think was exactly possible: I got Gerald Rathkolb wanting to watch an anime (Hareluya II BØY, in this case). Too bad that anime is really rough to watch in complete due to sub-standard raws; two episodes are portioned (ep 1) on YouTube in okay quality, though (ep 7). I'll have to see if I can help Gerald out with this show one day (and the rest of Ring ni Kakero 1, too)...
Anyway, I covered a ton of titles across both panels, so for those who went to either one & want a reminder of what I showcased, and those who are just curious, here's what I showcased:
The Golden Age of Weekly Shonen Jump: A Visual History:
-Pre-Golden Age, a.k.a. "The Bronze Age"-
Kochikame
Ring ni Kakero 1
Space Adventure Cobra
Kinnikuman
Dr. Slump
Captain Tsubasa
-"The Golden Age"-
Fist of the North Star
Ginga ~Nagareboshi Gin~
Kimagure Orange Road
Baoh
Dragon Ball
City Hunter
Tsuide ni Tonchinkan
Sakigake!! Otokojuku
Saint Seiya
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Moeru! Onii-san
Bastard!!
Jungle Emperor Tar-chan
Rokudenashi BLUES
Magical Taruruuto-kun
Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken
Video Girl Ai
Slam Dunk
Chinyuuki ~Taro to Yukai na Nakama-tachi~
Yu Yu Hakusho
Hareluya II BØY
Ninku
Tottemo! Luckyman
D.N.A.²
Hell Teacher Nube
Captain Tsubasa: World Youth
Rurouni Kenshin
Midori no Makibao
Karakuri Zoushi Ayatsuri Sakon
Level E
Sexy Commando Gaiden: Sugoi yo, Masaru-san!
Great Anime We'll (Probably) Never Get: [Reviews Linked if I Covered Them]
Ring ni Kakero 1
Ginga Densetsu Weed
Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku -The Legend of Koizumi-
Saint Young Men
Combustible Campus Guardress
Niji-Iro Hotaru ~Eien no Natsu Yasumi~
Asura
The Galaxy Railways Season 2
xxxHolic: Kei
One Outs
[2023 UPDATE: I figured I'd strike through the "Great Anime" that we actually did get, for the hell of it.]
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