Yes, you read the title correctly. I think that both Moana and Gurren Lagann exist in the same universe. Why do I think that?
First things first: SPOILER WARNINGS for the following:
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: an 18 year old anime
Moana: a 9 year old movie
Moana 2: This one is just a few months old, this one is acceptable
I missed it last year, but this year I get to go back to Colorado Anime Fest! Happening again at the Marriot Tech Center hotel on March 21-23, they continue the road to try and be one of the best anime conventions in the region. So what can be expected?
First and foremost, to be included. One of the core tenants of COAF is for people to be accepted and welcome. They want people to enjoy the cosplay, the panels and the Maid Cafe. They want people to browse the exhibitor hall and not feel judged for their fandom (which you should never be). And foremost, they want you safe, which is reflected by the zero tolerance policy for bullying or harassment.
Now that you know you are welcome, what are you actually going to do? If you want to look for yourself you can see the whole schedule here. As for contests there are a few. You have the traditional AMV and Cosplay contests. They have also introduced a Voice Acting contest run by Dorah Fine who has been a number of shows and video games. Speaking of video games there will be hosted tournaments in the gaming room (Evergreen DEF).
For the adults in the room you can grab a drink at the Anime Bar, the Cosplay Cabaret, and a host of other 18+ panels that start a little after 10 PM. For the parents bringing their kids you can head with them to the Blue Bell room for child friendly events and you might even meet a Snorlax!
After missing a year I am really looking forward to this convention. It has grown from the little convention at the Renaissance that looked like it was trying to imitate a big brother to its own thing entirely. Here is having a great weekend!
Happy National (International) Anime Day! Initially celebrated in Tokyo 37 years ago in 1975 this is the day to celebrate all that is Anime. The best ways to do this are to watch an anime movie, stream a series, or read a new / favorite Manga. Or if you are in the Denver Metro area you can also go to Colorado Anime Fest which starts today!
Whatever you choose to do, enjoy the day!
After two years of delays, Colorado Anime Fest is finally going to have it’s 5th year! To give reference to how long it has been, I have had a daughter since the last COAF and she is now walking and almost talking. Now what can all you anime fans expect at COAF this year!
Read MoreTomorrow the Colorado geek convention season restarts! NDK is going to be at the Gaylord of the Rockies Friday - Sunday. Before we all gather I did want to give some people reminders of what to expect at the new location.
1) Masks are required for the convention. Given the crowd I look forward to all your geeky face wear.
2) There are plans for a number of food trucks to come to the hotel. So if the restaurants are a bit much you can eat outside! And don’t skip meals, that is bad for your health and could cause you to miss more then a single panel. Plus no one likes a hangry attendee.
3) Parking at the hotel will run $18.95 per day for con attendees. This is cheaper then Spot Hero at $22.00 per day (I just looked before typing this up) but is more expensive then some surrounding locations. There is also the option to park at the 61st & Pena RTD station (or just take the light rail) and use the shuttle that runs every 30 minutes on the 15 and 45 of each hour. Also, don’t park in the surrounding neighborhood. You will get towed and then you will wish you paid for parking.
4) The weather is forecast is low to mid 80’s and sunny. DRINK WATER. You don’t want to be the person that faints from heat stroke. Seriously.
5) People can be gross, and there will be a lot of them. Keep some hand sanitizer in your bag.
6) You have heard to a million times but now, but if you feel sick, stay home. Being patient 0 at the con this year could have much more serious consequences then normal. You don’t want to be the person responsible for 1/4 of all cosplayers in Colorado being in the hospital next week.
And that is all I have. I look forward to seeing people at NDK this year, and for many years to come.
Believe it or not, NDK 2021 is happening in less then a month! The premier Rocky Mountain anime convention will be September 3rd to 5th and will be the first anime convention in in the Denver Metro area since the pandemic started over a year ago. The event will also be held for the first time at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center. Given the move to the new location there were many questions that we had. Fortunately with the help of NDK Press Coordinator were able to get our questions answered by Amanda Liebermann, Executive Director of NDK and CFO of the RMAA.
Read MoreThis took me much longer to get done this year then normal, but I have finally got the Cosplay Contest photos ready for posting. The full gallery can be found here, so enjoy!
Wow, I’ve had a busy but very fun week here. After all, last weekend was Nan Desu Kan, so I have a huge pile of audio to work through and post to the post feed. Speaking of podcasts, I posted two new episodes already this week. Did you catch them? Other than that, my Tuesday night dinner group has decided to start watching old anime. For each of us, there are several shows that we didn’t watch when they originally aired. In each case, at least one other person in the group would insist that the show was essential. And, I’ve been making some effort to get back into seasonal anime. So, let’s talk about some anime, eh?
Read MoreHi folks! I had a great vacation and was back ready to work. Then promptly got smashed by all the work waiting for me when I got back to the office on Tuesday. It’s been a long week. And, on top of that I forgot to get the podcast episodes set to autopost to the main feed the way I had intended. So, I’m a week behind posting the podcasts now, even though I went through the effort of editing them. Anyways, you can start listening them now. Now then, what have I been doing? Lots of little things I guess. Let’s start.
Read MoreAt this year’s Colorado Anime Fest I had the wonderful opportunity to view and photograph the cosplay judging process. For me this was a definitive first and gave me a whole new insight into the hard work and detail that goes into these costumes, some that I would never have noticed before.
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