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 Academic Study of Anime,
Manga, and Fandom: For those
interested in fan fiction or need to improve their artistic style of anime influence, it is
wise to study further about Japanese traditional and popular cultures. With panelists
Lawrence Eng, founder of the Anime and Manga
Research Circle, and Sean Leonard, anime
class instructor and president of the MIT Anime Club, curious seekers of intellectual
developments within the anime culture came in to listen about Asian culture studies, anime
as an art form in film, gender roles, and additional resources found in numerous journals
and online resources.
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Maison Ikkoku on DVD with
Scott Merlot: Scott Merlot,
founder of the MIA, discussed the efforts to get Maison Ikkoku onto DVD. Quick recap: Maison
Ikkoku is a romantic comedy about a college student who falls in love with lovely landlord
and who both share the same wacky neighbors. The manga was written and drawn by Rumiko
Takahashi and the anime had character designs by Takada Akemi; a sure win for the hardcore
fans as well as new ones. With this in mind, discussion was well underway about the effect
of fan petitions for Maison Ikkoku.
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Anime Club Summit: An experienced group of anime club
representatives including Richard de Armond, Jakob Heuser, and Rob Miles gathered together
to speak about upcoming Bay Area interests for the fans including Great America trips, BBQs,
cosplay gatherings, anime and manga shopping trips, movies, Cherry Blossom Festivals, and
much more.
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Cel Collector's Meeting: From Fushigi Yugi to Silent Mobius, classic
anime to the bleeding edge, animation cels are still a staple crop for the high interest and
collectibility in the anime fan community. Topics for this workshop included best-known
shops, how to care for cels, proper framing and storage, and personal treasure stories. The
latter part of the panel had members of the audience break out the boxes and start showing
off their glorious anime cels for all the see and share.
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Sera Myu Sailor Moon
Musicals: Hosted by Tristen
Citrine and enough Sera Myu fans to hold a mini-convention, hot topics of discussion
included recent trips, shopping resources, details about the productions, and how to get to
such an stage operatic event in Japan. Highlights of the panel included small clips of
live-action musicals from Utena, Sera Myu, Sentai warriors, and Ninja Yao, as well as
reports on how ANZA and Nao Takagi are doing these days.
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Improvisational Fan
Fiction: Improvisational fan fiction
is a form of writing in which multiple authors take turns to produce chapters of fan fiction
in a week's time. Panelists described this arena as a place to focus on attempting new
things, exploring different combinations and stories, paying homage to anime and video
games, and having a good time. Topics also included online resources, inspirations for
idea-making, being able to communicate drama, jokes, and sticking to a solid approach.
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