Hey everybody, Luke here with Jacob, and we will be previewing Zenkaikon! Zenkaikon is a convention for manga, anime, comics, sci-fi, and games. Find more at https://zenkaikon.com.
Registration, Location, and Dates
The 11th annual Zenkaikon will be held from April 28-30 at the Lancaster County Convention Center. Sadly, the times of the convention are TBD. Remember to sign up by April 17. To come all 3 days will be $60, Saturday and Sunday only will be $50, and just Sunday will be $25.
Events
At Zenkaikon, there is a variety of events to participate in. Read more at https://zenkaikon.com/events.
AMV (Anime music video)
Create and submit your AMV by March 26. AMVs are projects in which you take a popular song and add anime clips to the beat. Rules and requirements are on the website.
Cosplay
A fan favorite, cosplay is a popular trend that features dressing up as your favorite characters. Zenkaikon has many cosplay events including cosplay competitions.
The masquerade is when cosplayers of all divisions perform to win an award. For rules of registration and divisions go to the Zenkaikon website, click on “events”, click on “cosplay”, click on “masquerade” and read the page! Also on the cosplay page you can find out about more cosplay events.
Video Gaming
Zenkaikon will feature many video gaming tournaments, so if you want to prove your gaming skills, then come to Zenkaikon!
Tabletop Gaming
Zenkaikon also features many board and role-playing games for those who prefer the traditional form of entertainment.
Karaoke
Of course, Zenkaikon boasts an open-mic karaoke, as well as a karaoke contest. It must be a anime, J-pop, or Japanese video game song, so the song will most likely be in Japanese. More rules on the website.
L.A.R.P.
“Larping” or “LARP” stands for Live-Action Role Play. You will be playing as your favorite characters from anime and manga in a D&D-esque game.
Carolina Manga Library
Zenkaikon will host the Carolina Manga Library, an organization that boasts over 5,000 different manga and graphic novels. See the website for open times.
Special Guests
Zenkaikon is featuring many special guests, mainly voice actors, but also authors, comedians, and musicians. There will be autograph signings as well, so bring your favorite merchandise. More at https://zenkaikon.com/guests. Here are just a few guests that will be coming.
Ellen Mclain
Known best for her role of Portal’s fan-favorite, GLaDOS, McLain also voices the announcer in Team Fortress 2 and the Combine overwatch in Half-Life 2.
John Patrick Lowrie
McLain’s husband, Lowrie provided voices for Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, a handful of Halo games, and more. He is also the author of the sci-fi novel, Dancing with Eternity.
Sonny Strait
Known for voicing Kuririn (Krillin) in Dragon Ball Z, he also voices Usopp in One Piece, and Maes Hughes in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
One of the most prolific voice actors, McGlynn voiced Nora in Final Fantasy XIII, Connie’s mother in Steven Universe, Julia in Cowboy Bebop, Zabimaru in Bleach, Kurenai in Naruto, and much more. She also directed the famous Naruto series, Cowboy Bebop, Digimon Fusion, and more.
Steve Blum
Blum voices Zabuza and Orochimaru in Naruto, Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop, Vincent Valentine in Final Fantasy VII, and much more. He has appeared in approximately 400 video games and has won the 2012 Guinness World Record for Most Prolific Voice Actor in Video Games.
The Slants
Portland’s The Slants are an all Asian-American dance rock band. They will have the honor of providing live music for Zenkaikon.
Come to Zenkaikon!
Personally, I will most likely only be able to go on Sunday, but if your schedule is open, then mark your calendars. I hope to see you all at Zenkaikon 2017!