Wow, is it already that time of year again? AnimeNEXT, my “hometown con,” is right around the corner, and Ink and I will be down in Somerset, NJ once again to cover the con and run some panels. But it’s not just us — a bunch of other cool Internet folks will be in town, including the Anime News Network’s Mike Toole, All Geeks Considered‘s Vinnie Averello (who’s in charge of panels for the con), the Reverse Thieves‘s Alain Mendez, the indomitable Charles Dunbar [EDIT: Sadly, Charles will NOT be at AnimeNEXT. For some reason I assumed he would be], stand-up comedian and ex-Ani-Gamer Uncle Yo, manga podcaster Xan Spiraken, and many, many more!
There are lots of great panels at AnimeNEXT this year (and some that look to be pretty lame, but don’t tell Vinnie I said that), and mixed in are two of my own. First is “The Beautiful Backgrounds of Anime,” at 5:00 PM on Friday in Panel 4. If you liked my panel “The Changing Faces of Anime” about character designs, you’ll probably like this one as well, as it’s about the overlooked art of anime backgrounds. Then on Saturday at 9:30 PM in Panel 2, I’m hosting “Panel Lightning Round,” in which five panelists that I’ve selected get up for ten minutes each to talk about a subject of their choosing. It’s a little experimental, but it should be a lot of fun. Want more info on what Ink and I will be doing at the con? Check out our detailed schedules after the break. Schedule conflicts will be resolved on the fly during the con. If you do manage to catch us around the con, don’t be afraid to say hi!
Evan: Friday
|
When |
Where |
What |
|
10:00 to 11:00 am |
Panel 1 |
Toonami: The Celebration of a Generation |
|
11:00 am to 12:00 pm |
Panel 1 |
Lost in Adaptation |
|
12:00 to 1:00 pm |
Panel 3 |
Female Stereotypes in Shojo and Josei Manga |
|
1:00 to 2:00 pm |
Panel 2 |
Directing an Anime |
|
2:00 to 3:00 pm |
Panel 1 |
Philosophy of Pokémon |
|
3:00 to 4:00 pm |
Panel 4 |
Anime Pilots & Precursors |
|
5:00 to 6:00 pm |
Panel 4 |
The Beautiful Backgrounds of Anime (by Evan Minto) |
|
6:00 to 7:00 pm |
Panel 1 |
Mike Toole’s Bad Anime by Great Directors |
|
7:00 to 8:00 pm |
Panel 1 |
Uncle Yo’s Anime One-Night Stands |
|
7:00 to 8:00 pm |
Panel 4 |
Awesome Animation Not from Japan |
|
7:00 to 9:30 pm |
Main Video |
Mystery of Mamo with Mike Toole Intro |
|
8:30 to 10:00 pm |
Panel 3 |
AnimeNEXT Jeopardy |
|
9:00 to 10:00 pm |
Panel 1 |
Vertical Industry Panel |
|
9:30 to 10:30 pm |
Main |
Moon Stream Concert |
|
11:00 pm to 1:00 am |
Panel 2 |
Insane Manga Challenge: Adult Edition 2.0 (by Spiraken) |
|
11:00 pm to 1:00 am |
Panel 4 |
These are a Few of Our Favorite Scenes (by Walter Amos & friends) |
Saturday
|
When |
Where |
What |
|
10:00 to 11:00 am |
Panel B |
Complete History of Manga |
|
11:30 am to 12:30 pm |
Panel 1 |
Mike Toole’s Anime Cult Classics |
|
1:00 to 2:00 pm |
Panel 4 |
American Comics for Manga Fans |
|
1:00 to 2:00 pm |
Panel 5 |
Anime Clubs 101 |
|
1:00 to 2:00 pm |
Panel A |
Evolution of American Anime |
|
1:00 to 2:00 pm |
Panel 3 |
JRPGs and Why They’re Great |
|
2:30 to 4:00 pm |
Panel 2 |
Insane Manga Challenge Strikes Back |
|
3:00 to 4:00 pm |
Panel A | Aniplex Industry Panel |
| 4:00 to 5:00 pm | Panel A | Hiro Usuda: How to Draw Manga |
| 4:00 to 5:00 pm | Panel B | Mike Toole’s Dubs that Time Forgot |
| 5:00 to 6:00 pm | Panel 1 | A Visual History of Weekly Shonen Jump: Obscurities & Oddities |
| 5:00 to 6:00 pm | Panel A | Sayo Yamamoto Animation Panel |
| 6:00 to 7:00 pm | Panel B | Into the Witch’s Barrier: Superflat Influences on Puella Magi Madoka Magica |
| 6:00 to 7:00 pm | Panel 2 | Post-Apocalypse Manga: Surviving the Wasteland (by Spiraken) |
| 6:00 to 7:00 pm | Panel 5 | Science of Anime |
| 6:30 to 8:00 pm | Panel A | Uncle Yo’s Standup for Geeks |
| 7:00 to 8:00 pm | Panel 4 | Shoujo Manga for Men |
| 8:00 to 9:00 pm | Panel 3 | Manga: Licensing, Acquisitions, and Publishing |
| 9:00 to 10:00 pm | Panel 3 | The 156,804,000 Yen Panel: Being a Better Otaku Through Hayate (by Al Mendez) |
| 9:30 to 10:30 pm | Panel 2 | Panel Lightning Round |
Sunday
|
When |
Where |
What |
|
10:00 to 11:00 am |
Panel 3 |
Collecting Original Japanese Animation Art |
|
10:00 to 11:00 am |
Panel 1 |
Indie Gaming Panel |
|
10:00 to 11:00 am |
Panel 4 |
Jojo’s Posing School |
|
11:00 am to 12:00 pm |
Panel 4 |
10 Years of Anime Fandom: A Retrospective |
|
12:00 to 1:00 pm |
Panel A |
Sayo Yamamoto |
|
1:00 to 2:00 pm |
Panel 2 |
Teachers in Manga: A Hazardous Occupation |
|
1:00 to 2:00 pm |
Panel 1 |
What’s Old Is New Again |
|
2:00 to 3:00 pm |
Panel 2 |
Hiro Usuda: Realistic Character Designs |
Ink: Friday
|
When |
Where |
What |
|
10:45 to ? am |
Autographs |
Sake Panel Sign-ups!!! (Info Desk) |
|
11:00 am to 12:00 pm |
Panel 2 |
Samurai Stereotypes in Historical Fiction Anime & Manga |
|
12:00 to 1:00 pm |
Panel 3 |
Female Stereotypes in Shojo and Josei Manga |
|
1:00 to 2:00 pm |
Panel 2 |
Directing an Anime |
|
3:00 to 4:00 pm |
Panel 5 |
Respect and Positivity in Cosplay |
|
5:00 to 6:00 pm |
Panel 4 |
The Beautiful Backgrounds of Anime (by Evan Minto) |
|
5:00 to 6:30 pm |
Panel 3 |
World War Two in Anime |
|
6:00 to 7:00 pm |
Panel 1 |
Mike Toole’s Bad Anime by Great Directors |
|
9:00 to 10:00 pm |
Panel 1 |
Vertical Industry Panel |
|
9:30 to 10:30 pm |
Main |
Moon Stream Concert |
|
11:00 pm to 1:00 am |
Panel 2 |
Insane Manga Challenge: Adult Edition 2.0 (by Spiraken) |
|
11:00 pm to 1:00 am |
Panel 4 |
These are a Few of Our Favorite Scenes (by Walter Amos & friends) |
Saturday
|
When |
Where |
What |
|
9:00 to ? am |
Autographs |
Sake Panel Sign-ups!!! (Info Desk) |
|
10:00 to 11:30 am |
Panel 2 |
Anime Under the Radar |
|
11:00 am to 12:00 pm |
Panel 3 |
Tales of the Strange (Visual Novels) |
|
12:00 to 1:00 pm |
Panel 4 |
Disabilities in Manga |
|
1:00 to 2:00 pm |
Panel A |
Evolution of American Anime |
|
3:00 to 4:00 pm |
Panel B |
Knotz Your Everyday Panel |
|
4:00 to 5:00 pm |
Panel B |
Mike Toole’s Dubs That Time Forgot |
|
5:00 to 6:00 pm |
Panel A |
Sayo Yamamoto Animation Panel |
|
6:00 to 7:00 pm |
Panel 3 |
The Burning Blood Animes of Masami Kurumada |
|
8:30 to 9:30 pm |
Panel B |
Mike Pollock’s Virtual Drunk Tank |
|
9:30 to 10:30 pm |
Panel Lightning Round (by Evan Minto) |
Sunday
|
When |
Where |
What |
|
10:00 to 11:00 am |
Panel 4 |
Jojo’s Posing School |
|
11:00 am to 12:00 pm |
Panel 4 |
10 Years of Anime Fandom: A Retrospective |
|
12:00 to 1:00 pm |
Panel A |
Sayo Yamamoto |
|
1:00 to 2:00 pm |
Autographs |
Sayo Yamamoto, Hiroshi Shimizu |
|
1:00 to 2:00 pm |
Panel 1 |
What’s Old Is New |
|
2:00 to 3:00 pm |
Panel 2 |
Hiro Usuda: Realistic Character Designs |