The Gameslave Podcast - History of Nan Desu Kan

Here is our first piece of audio from Nan Desu Kan 2022: a panel featuring the history of NDK with Dr. Alisa Freedman, Guy Davis, and special guest Kevin McKeever.

This year marks the 25th Nan Desu Kan. The convention has been held annually since 1997, with the exception of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented gatherings of large groups of people. In light of this Dr. Alisa Freedman, Professor of Japanese Literature, Cultural Studies, and Gender at the University of Oregon, and Guy Davis, the NDK historian, and member of the Board of Directors of the Rocky Mountain Anime Association, convened a panel to discuss the history of NDK as it relates to the wider history of anime in North America. They were joined partway through by Kevin McKeever of Harmony Gold (localizer and publisher of Robotech and Macross). The panel presented background on the origins of NDK, the early history of anime localization in the US, and how the convention evolved in its early years alongside the anime market. Near the end of the panel, there was a question and answer period that included discussion about what the future of NDK may look like.