Sakuracon 2012 may be billed as an anime convention, but everyone there knows it’s all about the cosplay! This merely part 1 of our 4 part gallery series!
Dragon Age, Bakemonogatari and Fate/Zero to Premier at Sakura-Con
April 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Sakura-con has listed the major anime properties that will premier next week at the convention. First is Bakemonogatari, the story of a recovering vampire who ends up solving all manner of paranormal mysteries, but mostly ones surrounding the girls at his highschool.
Fate/Zero is the prequel to the light novel and game series Fate/stay Night, where seven magi summon seven holy spirits to do battle over the power of the holy grail.
Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker is an anime adaptation of the BioWare franchise of the same name. A conspiracy threatens to tear apart the ancient Templar Order, and a Seeker named Cassandra Pentaghast, is the only one who can stop it. The feature-length film contain’s one of Gackt’s latest singles, “Until the Last Day”.
Source: Sakura-Con
Sakuracon Fashion Police?!
March 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment
A very odd piece of advertising came through my google alerts the other day. Some dude or production company is looking for
…two female spokesmodels / on-camera talent that have no problem walking up to and interviewing people around the convention. Think of Joan Rivers at the Oscars, you ask people where they are from, what they are dressed as, etc. This would be a great gig for two friends that would like to attend the event, and make some money while having a great time!
Costume is not required but you will need to at least dress up for the affair. Preferably, I am hoping to have at least one person who can speak fluent Japanese. The finished production will be a series of shorts that will be aired on-line, and hopefully picked up by Japanese television.
I will pay for your admission to the event, plus food and drinks, plus $50 cash for each day we shoot. We will be working for no more than 4 hours each day, so this is a quick fun and easy way to be a part of this event!
My first thought is that even for $50 day, this guy needs to manage his expectations. No one speaking fluent Japanese is going to roll out of bed for less than union scale. Second of all, while Joan Rivers at the Oscars sounds like fun, you also might end up with Joan Rivers who rips celebrities a new one each week on Fashion Police (which I do watch on a regular basis). That kind of humour is gold when your talking about an ingenue chickie wearing a $20,000 dress she didn’t pay for, but not so much when you’re talking to a broke college student who spent 72 hours on her own palatial ball gown. And then there’s the issue that this is a craigslist ad. So what do you think, internet? Is this the beginnings of a cosplay documentary that the whole family will enjoy, or is it simply code for an escort service?
Source:Craigslist
Aka-con relived on The Mike Toole Show
March 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Mike Toole over at the Anime News Network has written a blog post full of Anime convention war stories. You know the kind, long line-ups, sparse guest lists, and barely there budgets? He brings up one convention in particular that keeps coming up in these war stories. Vancouver’s first attempt at an anime convention: Aka-con.
The thing was, Aka-Kon had a rough time taking care of their guests; they had a decent list of visitors, but not a whole lot of cash, so some of the arriving voice actors and artists found themselves on the hook for shuttle fares, meals, and appallingly, even hotel rooms. One pal in particular told me of a Friday night guest dinner where the poor guest relations chief was only given $50 from the con’s war chest to entertain the guests, who had to foot their own bills.
You’d think after all the drama of Anime Evolution that Vancouver would be able to live that debacle down, but I you just can’t beat embezzlement, drug scandals, and a crazy scheme to fund a convention through the sales of an original anime porno. Oh well.
Source:Anime News Network.
Moi dix Mois and Obitsu coming to Sakura-Con
March 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Sakura-con has two new Japanese guests for us today. The first is Moi dix Mois, which is “a sound project featuring the lyrics, composition, and programming” of Mana, fashion designer and former lead Singer of Malice Mizer. In short, it’s pretty boys meets large guitars meets larger hair equals music that is not bad for killing vampires to.
Next we have OBITSU, manufacturer of the Obitsu Kewpie doll and many other ball jointed doll products. Perfect for DEVOURING YOUR SOUL just before you head in to the Moi dix Mois concert!
Source: Sakura-con
Kotatsu 2012 Cosplay Gallery
February 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The National Nikkei Museum & Heritage Centre opened its doors Saturday and Sunday to Kotatsu, a decidedly anime cure for the mid-winter blues hosted by the fine folks at Irlevents. There were vendors, panels, DDR, karaoke and most importantly, cosplayers! Hit the jump link for our full gallery!
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Sakura-Con Releases 15th anniversary plush
February 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment
2012 marks Sakura-con’s 15th anniversary, and they’ve decided to mark the occasion by releasing a commemorative plush! Hokusai the Narwhal is designed by Speckled Owl Studio and is based on this year’s winning Mascot design. This huggable Jedi of the Sea will be available at the Sakura-con Merchandise Booth on the 4th floor of the Washington Convention Center. A heftier version of the plush will be auctioned off over the course of the convention with all proceeds benefitting the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Source: Sakura-Con
Sakura-con Announces welcomes Kanon Wakeshima, Kawajiri Yoshiaki, et. al
February 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Sakura-con has announced five more Japanese guests of honour this week. The new additions include Kanon Wakeshima, the Celloist/Singer responsible for the ending themes “Sand Castle” and “Still Doll” for the Vampire Knight anime series, Kawajiri Yoshiaki, the celebrated director of Ninja Scroll and Vampire Hunter D:Bloodlust, Atsuhiro Iwakami, producer of Puella Madoka Magica, Katsushi Ota, the editor of the literary magazines Faust and Kodansha Box, and Gen Urobochi, writer of the Fate Stay/Night Light Novels.
Source: Japanator.com.
Carpenter’s Union Protests Sakuracon
February 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment
This odd scene came in courtesy of 4chan, and if it weren’t for the supporting documentation (see gallery) I would have assumed it was another photoshop.
Apparently, the contractor responsible for the booths at Sakura-con, DWA Trade Show and Exposition Services, is in the middle of a labor dispute with the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters. According to the union,
DWA does not meet area labor standards on all of their projects, including providing or fully paying for family health care and pension, for all of their carpenter craft employees on all of their jobs
It’s pretty bizarre a Union go after an employer’s customers rather than the employer itself. Then again, Sakura-con is a high profile event, so the sign probably makes for a more effective protest. Sakura-con publicity had this to say about the situation.
Our position is that we are willing to hear out their copmplaints, but they have done next to nothing to explain themselves. They finally sent us a letter just a couple of weeks ago, far too late for us to make a change. We told them last year to contact us early before we make any hiring decisions, not weeks before out event when we can’t really do anything to make a change.
It seems this union is using our well respected, 100% volunteer, 501c3 non-profit event to garner more publicity for themselves more than they seem to be serious about working with us. It’s very disappointing. They are giving out a personal cell phone number on their flyers and unfairly maligning us to the public.
Anime Evolution Returns!
February 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment
I’m not quite sure how it happened, but Anime Evolution has returned! According to the official website, the ownership of the convention was turned over from the former corporate entity to an official BC non-profit society. This means that Anime Evolution will be able to have partnerships with other conventions, like Sakuracon and Anime Expo. For now, they will be focusing on restoring their forums, honouring pre-sold attendee passes for Anime Evolution 2011, and running events in 2012. There will be a booth at Kotatsu on February 25th. What form will the new convention take? Where will it be held? More importantly, what is their relationship with Anime Revolution? Are the two conventions related, or are we headed for the Anime Convention Walk-off of the century? Keep an eye on this space for more info!
Source: Anime Evolution Website
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