Anime con are increasingly becoming popular in the US and other western countries. These events focus primarily on showcasing anime (Japanese drawings), manga (Japanese comics) and other aspects of Japanese culture. They are also famed for their cosplay activities; indeed, no other type of convention comes close to anime con when it comes to the number of attendants participating in cosplay! Anime con are very important because they accord distributors, studios and publishers a platform to display and market their latest merchandise that include posters, clothing, books DVDs, and others. Are you looking to attend an anime con soon? Are you looking to register for one this year? Let us sample some of the top 10 anime con in the US that could help you realise your dream.
You cannot talk of the top 10 anime con without mentioning The Conbust 2012, slated for the 30th of March to the 1st of April, 2012. This Science Fiction Convention - with anime, fantasy and gaming - is organized every spring by students at Smith College in Northampton, Massachussets. The three day event seeks to offer fans of various geekdoms the chance to gather and enjoy their interests together. It will feature a lot of anime drawings, panels, workshops and movies; this year, it especially aims to celebrate the work of women in the male dominated geekdom genre.
From April 6 - 8, 2012, you can catch up with the Anime Matsuri - another one of the top ten anime con in the US - which will be held at the woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre in Woodlands, Texas. This event promises to be a lot of fun for the whole family. This year, it aims at giving the industry members a chance to meet with their fans and gather feedback on their products and services.
The Zekaikon, to be held May 11 - 12, 2012, has been an annual event since 2006. It will be hosted by the Greater Philadelphia Expo Centre at Oaks. It will feature video screenings, special guests, concerts, dances, panels, gamings, cosplay dealers, artists, and much more! Plan to attend this one if you are in the Philadelphia area. In June (22 - 24) you can catch up with the Seishun - Con, Atlanta's summer anime convention; it will provide panels on a variety of topics from a brief history of giant robot anime, to information about the newest industry trends. These two also make the US top 10 anime con list.
The Chiisaicon comes in July (6 - 8) and will be held at the Paroquet Springs Conference Centre in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. It is relatively small but very promising and thus it makes the top 10 anime con list, for its sheer determination. Then in August, brace yourself for the Anime World Chicago whose venue will be the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont, Illinois. It will feature fan favourite guests, thrilling game tournaments, spectacular cosplay and fashion events, and art that has so far been described as 'wall - worthy' by the organizers. Plan to attend either of these two events if you can.
The AnimeFest runs from August 31st to September 3rd 2012 at the Sheraton Downtown Hotel in Dallas, Texas. At this anime con, you can buy merchandise and revel in all that is anime. And the Mechacon (September 7 -9 at Hilton New Orleans Riverside in New Orleans, LA) brings together anime, Transformers and Japanese culture. Catch them. Closing the last two positions in the top 10 anime con list, are the Hawaii Entertainment Expo (October 20 - 20) and the Pacific Media Expo (November 9 - 11) to be held at Aloha Tower Marketplace in Honolulu, Hawaii and the Hilton Los Angeles Airport in California, respectively.
