Ready for Colorado Anime Fest 2025?

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!

The Gameslave Podcast - S02E05 - COAF 2024 Power Rangers with Tony Oliver

This week we have a panel on the origin and development of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers presented by Tony Oliver at Colorado Anime Fest 2024. Tony Oliver was a co-producer who helped with the initial development and pilot of the series, and continued working on the series through 1999. During this panel, Tony talked about this history and showed some behind the scenes footage of the show in development.

COAF 2024 - Kendo Panel Bonus Videos

I have an extra bonus this week for everyone: a few short videos that I recorded during the kendo demonstration. If you enjoy these, please leave a comment on our YouTube page.

The Gameslave Podcast - S02E04 - COAF 2024 Kendo Demonstration

Hi folks! This week we have a recording of the Ito Dojo’s kendo demonstration at Colorado Anime Fest 2024. This panel was a lot of fun to cover, but I wish I had time to participate as well.

The Gameslave Podcast - S02E03 - Breaths and Efforts Panel with Bridgette Hoffman

Hello again! This week we have a recording of Bridgette Hoffman’s panel on Breaths and Efforts. In both voice acting and ADR, breaths and efforts refers to various non-verbal noises that are included in the voice track. These can include grunts, coughs, sighs, wimpers, and almost any other sounds that people can make that aren’t words. Bridgette talked about here background in voice acting and ADR work, talked about how breaths and efforts are recorded, why they are often recorded separate from the main voice track. Then, she invited attendees to try out breaths and efforts for some improvised scenes. We hope you enjoy learning about breaths and efforts. Have a great week and game on!

The Gameslave Podcast - S02E02 - COAF Opening Ceremonies

Hello listeners! Editing these podcasts is taking a little longer than expected, but I have a good workflow set up now, that should allow me to keep a weekly schedule for the next several weeks.

This week, we have a recording of the COAF Opening Ceremonies, where Ciaran Strange talked about important convention rules and policies and reminded everyone to take care of themselves by regularly eating, sleeping, and showering during the convention weekend. Then, he introduced the chartity partner: Cap For Kids. Lastly, Ciaran introduced the invited guests and talked about panels and programming for the weekend. Enjoy this recording, and we should be back with another episode next week. Have a great week, and game on!

The Gameslave Podcast - S02E01 - COAF 2024 Wrap-Up

Hello fellow fans! We’re back after nearly a year of hiatus. And we’re going to be trying a few new things this year. First, you may notice that this podcast episode is denoted as belonging to “Season 2”. This is mostly for my convenience. Our episode numbers were getting pretty high and it just always felt like a huge pain for me to look up what the last episode number was prior to setting up the next file. Is that a petty reason? Yes, but it makes working on the podcast feel less challenging to me, means I’m more likely to do so.

Next, Crystal is back with me on this episode. The last several conventions that we have attended together have been more focused on her art. That said, I was able to spend about half my time at COAF attending panels and talking with guests, which has given me plenty of things to talk about.

Colorado Anime Fest 2025 - Sunday

The final day of the convention, and this one passed by so quickly. Usually, a convention weekend feels long and packed with too many things to do and a lot of manic energy. But COAF this year has been a much more calm and stable sort of vibe. I've had so much fun splitting time between my Press work and helping Crystal with her table. It has felt like just the right amount of busy. Today, I attended Cieran Strange’s panel about LGBTQIA+ representation in media, interviewed Tony Oliver, and attended the convention feedback panel.

I hope you all have enjoyed my posts this weekend. The podcast episodes should start posting in the next few weeks. Until then, have fun and game on!

Colorado Anime Fest - Saturday

Another day spent here at COAF. I started the day learning about kendo from the Ito Dojo, then went to Tony Oliver's panel about the Power Rangers. After that, I interviewed Bridget Hoffman and then attended her “Back in the Day” panel. Throughout it all I saw lots of folks with great, cute, or funny cosplays. Here's a little preview as well as my notes for the day.

Colorado Anime Fest 2024 - Friday

COAF is back! In spite of heavy snow, anime fans have made their way to the Denver Tech Center to share their love of Japanese animation and culture. I'm here this weekend for two reasons. First, to help Crystal staff her artist table. Second, to record a few panels, take some photos, and interview a few of the guests. All of those recordings and photos will have to wait until I have a chance to select and edit at my computer. For now, enjoy my notes from the panels I attended today.