Otakon 2012, the largest anime convention on the U.S. East Coast, is right around the corner (next weekend, July , and Ink, David Estrella, and I — Ani-Gamers’ Otakon 2012 blogging crew — have got a whole bunch of stuff we’re looking forward to! Yesterday the convention released their online schedule, so we’ve compiled a handy list of the panels we’ll be running and the ones that we’re looking to attend (as usual, our schedules are super-tentative). Check ’em out, and hopefully we’ll catch you down in Baltimore this year! Of course, don’t be afraid to say “hi” if you notice us at the con.
Our Panels
- FANDOM & CRITICISM: THE ART OF ACTIVE VIEWING
- Saturday, 9:00 – 10:00 AM in Panel 5
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As anime and manga fans, how does our fandom affect our ability to judge and reason about our favorite (and least favorite) series? Can we — and should we — think critically about all of the media we consume? Join Evan Minto and Ink from Ani-Gamers and Clarissa from the Anime World Order podcast for an open dialogue about all these questions and many more.
- THE CHANGING FACES OF ANIME
- Saturday, 7:30 – 8:30 PM in Panel 4
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Anime and manga have seen their fair share of different looks and feels throughout the years, but few aspects stand out to fans and non-fans alike in the same way as the faces of their characters. Join Evan Minto of AniGamers.com as he picks apart nearly sixty years of anime character designs, from Astro Boy all the way to Haruhi Suzumiya.
Our Tentative Panel Schedules
EVAN- Friday
- Anime News Network
- Riichi: Japanese Mahjong, Anime, and You (Ogiue Maniax/Dave Cabrera)
- The Aging Otaku: Anime Fandom and Getting Older (Anime Rest Stop)
- Hidetaka Tenjin Q&A
- Video Games as Literature: Towards a New Criticism (Fast Karate)
- When You Wish Upon a Tezuka
- Crunchyroll Industry Panel
- Gen Urobuchi Q&A
- VIZ Media Animation Industry Panel
- New Anime For Older Fans (Reverse Thieves)
- Toonami: A Look Back
- Sports Manga: Olympics Edition (Nigorimasen)
- The Perverted Genius of Go Nagai
- Anime’s Craziest Deaths
Saturday
- Fandom & Criticism: The Art of Active Viewing (Ani-Gamers)
- Anime and Manga Studies: Three Decades In
- The Weirdest Games You’ve Never Played 2
- Sexism in Anime and Fandom
- Aniplex of America Industry Panel
- Mainstream Japanese Cartoons
- Maruyama & MAPPA Q&A
- FUNimation Industry Panel
- The Worst Anime of All Time (Mike Toole)
- The Changing Faces of Anime (Ani-Gamers)
- Lupin the Third: 40+ Years of Heists and Hijinks (Anime World Order)
- The “Art” of Fanservice (Anime World Order)
- Dubs That Time Forgot (Mike Toole)
- Type-Moon: Unlimited Panel Works (Reverse Thieves)
Sunday- Geneon, a FUNimation Retrospective
- Light Novels in Translation (Paul Starr)
- Sentai Filmworks Industry Panel
- Kodansha Comics Industry Panel
- Legal Fansubbing on Viki (Viki Industry Panel)
- Vertical 2012 (Vertical Industry Panel)
INK-
Friday
- From Uguu to Wafuu
- Genshiken: The Next Generation
- The Perveted Genius of Go Nagai
- Anime’s Craziest Deaths
Saturday
- Fandom & Criticism: The Art of Active Viewing (Ani-Gamers)
- Ai Nanoka Q&A
- Anime and Manga Studies: Three Decades In
- Sexism in Anime
- Aniplex of America Industry Panel
- Maruyama & MAPPA Q&A
- FUNimation Industry panel
- Worst Anime of All Time (Mike Toole)
- Moral Philosophy and Madoka Magica
Sunday
- Sentai Filmworks Industry Panel
- Legal Fansubbing on Viki (Viki Industry Panel)
DAVID-
Friday
- Riichi: Japanese Mahjong, Anime, and You
- New Anime For Older Fans (Reverse Thieves).
- MangaGamer: The Now and Future of Visual Novels
Saturday
- Satelight: an Introduction (Satelight animation studio Industry Panel)
- Aniplex of America Industry Panel
- Type-Moon: Unlimited Panel Works
Sunday
- Sentai Filmworks Industry Panel
- Vertical 2012 (Vertical Industry Panel)
How about you guys? Will you be at Otakon 2012? What panels, events, and guests are you looking forward to this year?