It would seem that Ani-Gamers is once again on the road, this time to Baltimore’s resident anime convention (and one of the largest in the country), Otakon. But this is no normal convention. No, because this year I will be rooming with BakaTanuki and Lwelyk (along with Internet Heroes the Reverse Thieves and many others), while Ink and Uncle Yo will be off handling their own sleeping arrangements. Yes, friends, that is FIVE Ani-Gamers writers at one convention. If you ever wanted to get our autograph and then punch us in the face for thinking anybody wanted our autograph, there has never been a better chance!
Oh yeah, and we’ll have lots of coverage, too! There are press conferences to attend, panels to write up, and podcasts to record, not to mention a final con report to write. If you can’t get to the convention, please do your best to enjoy it through our coverage. Think about it this way: At least you won’t have to listen to teenagers screaming “buttscratchers!” in your ear for three days.
Just to get the word out before the break, I want to let everybody know that I will be running my character designs panel, “The Changing Faces of Anime,” after its positive reception at AnimeNEXT 2010, and Uncle Yo will be performing his stand-up comedy as well as his new “Embracing the Robot Apocalypse” panel and “Anime One-Night Stands.” Below, I’ve included tentative itineraries for Ink, Uncle Yo and myself. If I get itineraries from the other bloggers, I’ll be sure to post them in here. [EDIT 1: Added Evan Krell (BakaTanuki)’s schedule after the break.]
We begin with Ink’s schedule, which is nicely organized and shows a sense of focus and thoughtfulness greatly envied by his editor-in-chief.
Friday
| When | What | Where |
| 9–10 am | What’s the Point of Anime Intro & Ending Themes? | Panel 6 |
| 11 am–12 pm | La Corda D’Oro Primo | Video 1 |
| 12–1:30 pm | Madhouse Panel | Panel 2 |
| 2–4 pm | Bamboo Blade | Video 2 |
| 4:30–5:30 pm | Anime, Lost in Translation | Panel 1 |
| 5–6 pm | Dead Like Us: Shinigami and the Japanese Idea of Death | Panel 4 |
| 6–7:30 pm | Funimation Industry Panel | Panel 3 |
| 6:30–7:30 pm | Japan: The Most Convenient Place on Earth | Panel 4 |
| 7:30–8:30 pm | Bad Anime, Bad!! | Panel 5 |
| 9:30–10:30 pm | Modern Mythology: Mythic Elements in Anime & Video Games | Panel 4 |
| 10:30 pm–11 am | Voice Actors After Dark! | Panel 3 |
| 11 pm–12 am | Portrait of a Fujoshi: The Psychology of Ogiue Chika | Panel 4 |
| 12–1 am | Anime One-Night Stands | Panel 1 |
Saturday
| When | What | Where |
| 9–10 am | Experiments in the Anime Industry: noitaminA | Panel 4 |
| 9:30–10:30 am | The Changing Faces of Anime | Panel 1 |
| 12:30–1:30 pm | Anime in Academia | Panel 1 |
| 1:30–2:30 pm | Bouncing Through the Years: A Gainax Panel | Panel 4 |
| 6–7 pm | 10 Anime You’ve Never Heard of but Must See! | Panel 5 |
| 8–9 pm | Genshiken 2 | Video 5 |
| 9–10:30 pm | Bandai After Dark | Panel 5 |
| 10:30–11 pm | Japanese Folklore: Kitsune, Oni and Yuurei, Oh My! | Panel 4 |
| 11 pm–12 am | Feminism, Fandom, and Fanservice | Panel 1 |
| 12–1 am | Sailor Moon’s Influence on the World of Hentai – Filthy Edition | Panel 2 |
Sunday
| When | What | Where |
| 9–10 am | I “Squeeee!” for Shoujo | Panel 1 |
| 12 pm–1:30 pm | Japanese Directors & Producers Panel | Panel 6 |
| 1:30–2:30 pm | Dubs that Time Forgot | Panel 2 |
On the other hand, my list is full of overlapping panels and missing a number of panels I don’t know I’m going to yet. I tried my best to include only the ones I’m sure I’ll be at, but this is obviously still very tentative. (If a panel has an asterisk [*] next to it, I might not be there for the whole time, if I go at all.)
Friday
| When | What | Where |
| 9–10 am | What’s the Point of Anime Intro & Ending Themes? | Panel 6 |
| 12-1 pm | Anime Journalism: The Story Behind The Story | Panel 5 |
| 3-4 pm | Hetalia Mock UN Summit | Panel 3 |
| 4:30-6 pm | Aniplex Panel * | Panel 5 |
| 6-7 pm | You Don’t Like Moe — And Here’s Why! | Panel 5 |
| 7:30-8:30 pm | Bad Anime Bad!! * | Panel 5 |
| 8-9 pm | Gundam Unicorn | Video 5 |
| 9:30-10:30 pm | Modern Mythology: Mythic Elements in Anime and Video Games | Panel 4 |
| 11 pm-12 am | Portrait of a Fujoshi: The Psychology of Ogiue Chika | Panel 4 |
| 12:30-1:30 am | The History of Hentai * | Panel 2 |
Saturday
| When | What | Where |
| 9:30-10:30 am | The Changing Faces of Anime (THIS IS MY PANEL. ONLY TRUE HEROES MAY ATTEND.) |
Panel 1 |
| 11:30 am-2 pm | Welcome to the SPACE SHOW (premiere) | HD Theater |
| 2-3 pm | Podcasting for your Fandom | Panel 1 |
| 6-7 pm | 10 Anime You’ve Never Heard of but Must See! | Panel 5 |
| 7:30-8:30 pm | The Otakon 2010 Gundam Experience: Life Beyond 30 | Panel 5 |
| 8:30-9:30 | Uncle Yo: Otaku Stand-up Comedy | Panel 3 |
| 10:00-1:00 | Saturday Night Fan Parodies | Video 5 |
| 11:00-12:00 | Feminism, Fandom, and Fanservice * | Panel 1 |
Sunday
| When | What | Where |
| 12 pm–1:30 pm | Japanese Directors & Producers Panel | Panel 6 |
| 1:30–2:30 pm | Dubs that Time Forgot | Panel 2 |
Meanwhile, Uncle Yo, also on a mission to rub my lack of coherent scheduling ability in my face, provides us with a succinct list of only the events he will actually be performing/speaking at. Nice going!
| When | What | Where |
| Fri 6-7 pm | Embracing the Robot Take-Over | Panel 6 |
| Fri 12-1 am | Anime One-Night Stands | Panel 1 |
| Sat 8:30-9:30 pm | Uncle Yo: Otaku Stand-up Comedy | Panel 3 |
Here’s a last-minute addition: Evan Krell (a.k.a. BakaTanuki)’s schedule. This is still very tentative, he tells me, but you can look for him hanging with the other cool Ani-Gamers bros throughout Otakon.
Friday
| 10:30 am-12 pm | Vertical, Inc. Featuring Felipe Smith | Panel 2 |
| 12-1:30 pm | Madhouse Panel | Panel 2 |
| 1:30-2:30 pm | VOCALOID: Hatsune Miku & co. sing for you! * | Panel 2 |
| 3-4:30 pm | Takamasa Sakurai Panel | Panel 2 |
| 4:30-6 pm | Aniplex | Panel 5 |
| 6–7:30 pm | Funimation Industry Panel | Panel 3 |
Saturday
| 9–10 am | Experiments in the Anime Industry: noitaminA | Panel 4 |
| 11:30 am-2 pm | Welcome to the SPACE SHOW (premiere) | HD Theater |
| 9-10 pm | The Life and Times of Akiyuki Shinbo (if I can brave it) | Panel 4 |
| 9:30-10:30 pm | Touhou Project | Panel 1 |
| 6-7 pm | 10 Anime You’ve Never Heard of but Must See! | Panel 5 |
Sunday
| 9–10 am | I “Squeeee!” for Shoujo | Panel 1 |
| 12:30-1:30 pm | Castles, Forests, and Bath Houses: The Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki | Panel 5 |
Click here for more of our Otakon 2010 coverage
