Con Name: FanimeCon

Location: San Jose Convention Center, San Jose, Ca

Dates: May 24^th-27^th, 2012

Ticket Costs:

Full Weekend: $65
Friday May 24^th: $35
Saturday May 25^th: $40
Sunday May 26^th: $40
Monday May 27^th: $30
Half Weekend (Sunday & Monday): $55
Children (10 & under): Free with paid membership!

Website: www.fanime.com/

History:

FanimeCon, or Fanime, is an annual anime convention put together by the Anime Resource Group (ARG). With humble beginnings of just a few hundred attendees, Fanime started out at California State University Hayward, in Hayward, Ca, back in 1994. Since then, the convention has moved several times to larger venues, finally calling the San Jose McEnery Convention Center its home since 2004. With over 20,000 attendees last year, the convention continues to grow by leaps and bounds each year. Over the past decade they have had major guests such as FLOW, Fred Gallagher, Ric Meyers, Carl Horn, Seiji Mizushima, and countless other anime voice actors, directors, film stars, and musicians. Fanime is the largest anime convention in Northern California, and perhaps one of the most enjoyable anime conventions on the west coast in previous years.

Major Guests:

• Takahiro Omori
• Yumi Sato
• Gilles Poitras

7!!Kaja Foglio

• Tsuyoshi Nonaka
• Darrel Guilbeau
• Steam Powered Giraffe
• ROOKiEZ is PUNK’D
• James Carrot
• Hiroyuki Yamaga

Major Exhibitors:

• Cyberstep
• Electro Flash Media LLC
• Media Blasters
• Shark Robot LLC
• Whimsic Alley
• Yaya Han
• Yes Anime, Inc

Con Name:

Anime Conji

Location:

Town and Country Resort Hotel

500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego CA, 92108

Dates:

April 12^th-14^th, 2013

Ticket Costs:

3 Day Badges are $45

1 Day Badges will be $25 at onsite registration

Website: http://www.animeconji.org/

History: Anime Conji began as small convention, run by a group of local San Diego fans who had a deep passion for anime culture and volunteered their time, energy, and effort toward putting together a great and unique convention. They had an interest in providing entertainment for like-minded individuals. Their goal was to promote fandom culture as a whole and to foster the subculture of the anime fandom in San Diego and beyond. The convention served as a place to celebrate, share, and appreciate Japanese animation, manga, music, and its associated cultures. Their goal was met with great success as the convention expanded and eventually was taken in by the SPJA, the same organization that runs Anime Expo, California’s biggest anime convention! 2013 will be the fourth Anime Conji, and the first under the SPJA’s purview.

Major Guests:

Rhode Montijo (Writer of Pablo’s Inferno & co-creator of Happy Tree Friends)

Mark Brooks (Director of Metalocalypse, Baton, & the “Fruity Oaty Bar” segment of Serenity)

Asako Yamamoto (Chief Editor for COSMODE’s “COSnap”)

Jessica DiCicco (Voice Actress)

Vampy (Cosplayer)

Carrie Savage (Voice Actress)

And more!

Major Exhibitors:

J-List, Jhouser-Rock ENT, Pop-King Inc, Toy Mandala, Cosplay Wigs USA, Japanime Games, Pop-King Inc, and many many more!

It began as it usually does—with Godzilla rising from the sea. Dark Horse’s first manga, published twenty-five years ago this May, was Kazuhisa Iwata’s adaptation of the 1984 Godzilla movie. It was edited and adapted into English by the founder and president of the company, Mike Richardson, and its vice president of publishing, Randy Stradley. Looking back, the choice seems to pay tribute to the original generation of Japanese pop culture fans in North America, whom they represent. After all, anime’s been on TV here since 1963, but as far back as the 1950s young Americans were thrilling to Japanese kaiju (giant monster) films that were dubbed in English for US theaters, such as Godzilla and Rodan. The tremendous success of the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise (from which Dark Horse’s latest release, Evangelion: Comic Tribute, is out in March) has encouraged some of today’s fans to rediscover the kaiju tradition, which remains an important influence on the work of Evangelion director Hideaki Anno.

That brings us right around to anime, which issue #1 of Godzilla already had a nod to. I noticed the ad on the last page that promoted a Dark Horse comic book series that had begun just the year before entitled Mecha,promising a story “in the tradition of Mobile Suit Gundam.” What struck me is that Dark Horse was saying this in 1988—ten years before Gundam had its first US home video release, and twelve years before anyGundam would be broadcast on TV here. But Mecha’s writer (Randy Stradley once more, with pencils and mecha designs by Harrison Fong) was already building Gundam models back then, and he was confident the kind of fans who read Dark Horse would know what he meant; Randy’s editorial on the inside front cover ofMecha #1 felt free to mention not only Gundam, but Macross, Dunbine, and Orguss as influences. Mecha, in fact, was Dark Horse’s very first comic book to be published in color.

Dark Horse is unusual among North American manga companies for its strong tradition of comic book publishing. But that’s the very tradition that launched manga here—all through the 1980s and ’90s, the standard industry format for manga publishing in English involved putting one or two new chapters out each month as a comic book, and we still publish series such as Oh My Goddess! and Blade of the Immortal that began that way. It may seem a strange way to publish manga now, and yet, it had a certain authenticity to the way manga are published in Japan, where they aren’t released straight to tankobon (graphic novel) format, but are instead serialized chapter by chapter in magazines that have page sizes more similar to American comics than tankobon. When I look back over the space of a quarter century to that first issue of Godzilla, the fact that our first manga looked like our first comic books takes on a special meaning—it symbolizes how they were right alongside each other in our founding years, and how they both remain at the core of our identity as a publisher. You’ll be hearing a lot more about it in this, Dark Horse’s twenty-fifth manga anniversary year.

-Carl Horn, Editor

However, we have even bigger news in the newly revealed solicits for July from Dark Horse. Not only is that the month in which Avatar The Last Airbender: The Search Part Two is set to release, there is new news of a new art book! This time it will be Avatar Korra getting her face, and that of her friends and foes, spread across a 184-page art book, giving fans a look behind the scenes at the designs and art of The Legend of Korra Book One. Dark Horse’s art book for The Last Airbender was a beautiful collection of sketches, concept pieces, storyboards, and more that any Avatar fan must own. Undoubtedly this new Legend of Korra art book will be an even greater addition to fan’s collections. Check out the solicits and a small preview of the Legend of Korra art book down below.

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER – THE SEARCH PART TWO

Gene Luen Yang (W), Michael Dante DiMartino (W), Bryan Konietzko (W), and Gurihiru (A/Cover)

In search of their long-lost mother, Fire Lord Zuko and his deadly and insane sister Azula have brought Avatar Aang and his friends into a mysterious forest, but what they discover within may be more than they can face. Will they too be lost in these woods forever?

• Perfect companion to Legend of Korra!

• The official continuation of Airbender from its creators.

On sale July 10 for $10.99. FC, 80 pages, TPB, 6″ x 9″

THE LEGEND OF KORRA: THE ART OF THE ANIMATED SERIES

BOOK ONE – AIR

Michael Dante DiMartino (W) and Bryan Konietzko (W/Cover)

This handsome hardcover contains hundreds of pieces of never-before-seen artwork created during the development of Season 1 of The Legend of Korra. With captions from Mike and Bryan throughout, this is an intimate look inside the creative process that brought the mystical world of bending and a new generation of heroes to life!

• Captions by creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko!

• Follow-up to smash hit animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender!

• Never-before-seen artwork!

On sale July 24 for $34.99. FC, 184 pages, HC, 9″ x 12″

So what is Max Steel? It’s rather more of who is Max Steel than what, as Max Steel is the ultimate aspirational teen hero with a secret. The story revolves around the trials and tribulations of a teenaged boy named Maxwell McGrath and his out-of-this world alien companion, Steel. Both have super strengths and powers, Max with Turbo energy and Steel with alien intellect. Steel gives Maxwell the ability to harness his power while merging his own to create one unified super force, Max Steel. When they combine forces to create Max Steel, the ultimate superhero is unleashed- unlocking their inner heroes.

Max Steel is to be a new boy’s entertainment franchise developed by Mattel, spanning toys, publishing, and consumer products. It is very much Mattel’s response to the popular Bandai license on Ben 10. In addition to the new OEL manga series, a new Max Steel CGI animated series is to be co-produced with Fremantle Media Enterprises, premiering in the U.S. on Disney XD March 25th of this year.  If this all sounds rather familiar it is because it should be. Max Steel first appeared around 14 years ago from Mattel, also as a comic and animated TV series. The series, which focused on 19-year old Josh McGrath, was about a young sports star who fought villains with the aid of nanotechnology based super powers. It even had Tony Hawk doing regular voice acting for it. Sadly, but not surprisingly, the series failed and Mattel has been just dying to put the title to use once again. The new series, which looks like Tron mixed with Ben10, might just be Mattel’s saving grace for the title and figures, finally leaving that look that even the 90′s regretted.

Bringing the new OEL manga series to life is long time comic writer, B. Clay Moore (Hawaiian Dick, JSA Liberty Files: The Whistling Skull), and up-and-coming artist Jan Wijngaard (Twisted Dark). Beth Kawasaki, Senior Editorial Director at VIZ Kids, described the series as a fun and action-packed adventure, adding “Max and his sidekick, Steel, embark on all sorts of adventures as they battle evil forces and monstrous villains while balancing school, first dates and homework. Our latest original graphic novel property will add an exciting new dimension to the MAX STEEL franchise. Max and Steel will soon discover that facing challenges together is always better than facing them alone and the power of two is always greater than the power of one!” This may not be the next Megatokyo, Ninja High School, or Dramacon, but it’s certainly a small start in the right direction of reviving the possibility of Viz and other manga companies releasing OEL series in the manga style and format.

For more information on Fanime 2013, registration, etc, check out the Fanime website, at www.fanime.com, on Thursday, January 24th at noon. If you have questions or need more information before that, your best bet is their Facebook page, which you can view by clicking here. Fanime 2013 and Clockwork Alchemy 2 will take place May 24th-27th at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center and DoubleTree Hotel in San Jose, Ca.

Con Name: Anime Los Angeles

Location: Los Angeles Airport Marriott, Los Angeles, Ca

Dates: January 4^th through 6^th, 2013

Ticket Costs:

$60 for full weekend

$35 for single day

Website: http://www.animelosangeles.org/

History: This will be Anime Los Angeles’ 9^th year running. The convention started out in January 2005 at the Airtel Plaza Hotel, in Van Nuys, California. It was created and is run by “Hazel” Chaz Boston Baden, a well known figure in the anime convention community. From its start the equally well known Tadao “Mr. Shake-Hands Man” Tomomatsu has been the convention’s toastmaster, as he continues to be this year. Interestingly enough, Anime LA has had a Live Journal since a year before its humble beginnings and may be one of the few geek conventions to still keep an active Live Journal, which you can find at http://animelosangeles.livejournal.com talk about devotion to a social network!

The Jump Theme Park will feature areas based on the worlds of Naruto, Dragon Ball, and One Piece, even though all 3 series have left the height of their popularity. But this is not all that is to be offered at the park, as the pictures Bandai has provided show. Above is the announcement image, stating “In summer of 2013, the Jump Theme Park appears! In the Ikebukuro Sunshine City”. For those not familiar with it, Sunshine City is one of the oldest building complexes in the city, located in East Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo. It is also the site of Namco Namja Town, another indoor theme park run by the same company and currently under remodeling until next month. Namja Town will be one floor below the Jump Theme Park, which is designed to be much larger. The Jump park will contain 3 lands devoted to specific Shonen Jump franchises, a Naruto area, a Dragon Ball area, and a One Piece area, as well as an area titled Heroes Arena. Heroes Arena will feature classic Jump characters fans can interact with (played by employees wearing large character suits, like one might find at Disneyland). Beyond these main areas there will also be an ‘Amusement Area’, a ‘Food Court Area’, and a ‘Character Shop’. Check out the map below, which defines each area well enough that even non-Japanese speaking fans will likely be able to figure it out. The red area is the Heroes Arena, pink is the Amusement Area, Orange the food court, and yellow would be the shops.

Information is somewhat sparse at the moment, but check back closer to next summer for more details, and hopefully some great photos when the new Jump Theme Park opens.

In the film, the lone mercenary Guts travels a land where a hundred-year-old war is taking place. His ferocity and ability to kill enemies attracts the attention of Griffith, leader of the mercenary group “The Band of the Hawk,” and Guts is recruited to the unit. Thanks to their continued victories on the battlefield, the bond between Guts and Griffith deepens, but despite all their success, Guts begins to question his reasons for fighting for Griffith’s dream. Unknown to Guts, this unyielding dream is about to bestow a horrible fate on them both.

Viz brings back seasoned Berserk voice actors Marc Diraison (Guts), Carolyn Keranen (Casca), and Kevin T. Collins (Griffith) to voice their original roles in the new movie, which held rave reviews after its Neon Alley airing. “The foreboding medieval action epic that first thrilled North American audiences as an acclaimed graphic novel series delivers a whole new level of excitement with its debut as an anime feature film,” says Brian Ige, Vice President of Animation at Viz. “With its engrossing plot, multi-faceted characters, and highly detailed kinetic battle sequences, which are phenomenally well-staged and animated, this film is a definite must-see for anime fans everywhere.” And while the aforementioned manga is still being released by Dark Horse, Viz released the DVD and Blu-ray of Golden Age Arc I: The Egg of the King today, available in all good anime carrying stores. The DVD and Blu-ray both feature the film dubbed and subtitled in Japanese, appease fans of either group, and includes special features like the production art gallery. Check out English dubbed trailer for the film below and then swing by a store near you to pick up your copy!