Linus Lam's Coverage of Yaoi-Con 2001

In a sea of anime conventions that pleased every inch of the hungry brain with abundant anime and manga, cosplay, mainstream Guests of Honor, and industry panels, there was still a gap to be filled for those yearning for more interest in the literary areas, and Yaoi-con 2001 most definitely filled that spot. Not to disappoint the fans, steps were taken to make sure no one left dissatisfied as the entire weekend was packed with everything and anything related to YAOI: videos, panels, discussion, Guests of Honor, cosplay, workshops, and even stuff in the Dealer's Room. Everywhere you looked, it was all about YAOI. And that's probably why it remains to be such a special event in the hearts of all the attending members.

Yaoi-Con 2001
Main Events

Donning a wig to get into the yaoi mood, Yaoi-con 2001 emcee Rob Miles took the podium for convention directors Susan and Larissa and introduced the Guests of Honor before the gleeful audience waiting for Yaoi-con to open. Yaoi-con 2001 Guests of Honor were as follows: Higuri You, doujinshi artist for works including "Seimaden", "Canterella", "Zeus" whose inspiration draws upon western history and Greek mythology, enjoys steak and often going out to the movies. Shinjuko Nishiguchi, artist for doujinshis based on "Yoroiden Samurai Troopers" and "Naruto", loves to have her characters wearing loincloths, and hates any kinds of onions. Azura Kurokawa, doujinshi artist whose inspiration is derived from works such as "Bakushingaa", "Aim to be an Ace!", "Football Hawk", and "Song of a Mad Baseball Fan", loves to listen to SMAP and Kinki Kids idol singer groups and has been fascinated with Final Fantasy 7 for the past 4 years. Yonzawa Yoshiro is co-founder and president of the semi-annual Japan Comic Market (Comiket) event held in summer and winter every year (LLNN@Comiket60 report), is author of such works as "Postwar History of Shoujo Manga", "Postwar History of Science Fiction Manga", "The World of Shoujo Manga", and "Comiket Graffiti", and enjoys fishing and listening to 60's pop and rock music. Gilles Poitras is the Director of Information resources at the Exploratorium Museum in San Francisco and sits on the Executive Board of BayNet (Bay Area multinetwork of libraries), is author of such works as "The Anime Companion", "Librarian's Guide to Anime and Manga", and "Anime Essentials", and is a well-known celebrity in and around the Bay Area anime community.

Above and below: Yaoi-con's Cosplay Contest was short and sweet as contestants gathered up for well-received efforts featuring costumes based on Card Captor Sakura, Guilty Gear X, Weiss Kreuz, Final Fantasy 7, Malice Mizer, Fushigi Yugi, Gundam Wing, and Ranma 1/2.

The words of the day: "Corn on the Cob" (you had to be a Yaoi-con attendee to fully realize the joke; hint: come to Yaoi-con 2002!). Yaoi-con 2001 couldn't have been successful without the extremely ardent Yaoi-con staffers and volunteers as well as the Guests and attendees who helped make the weekend a memorable one. Follow-ups towards next year's fan activities included additions of Karaoke, a Dance with Anime and J-Pop, Para Para Paradise or Dance Dance Revolution game machines, and other interests.

Video Programming for Yaoi-con focused on what mattered the most: Yaoi! Titles shown and provided by Phlebas Anime, Scorpion Anime, Urban Vision, Media Blasters, ADV Films, and Central Park Media included "Boku no Sexual Harassment", "Boku no Konomama Kaerinai", "Fujima Orchestra", "Level C", "Weiss Kreuz", "Yami no Matsuei", "Ai no Kusabi", "Bakuretsu Hunters", "Bronze", "Fish in the Trap", "Kaikan Phrase", "Kizuna", "Legend of Arslan", "Night Walker", "Pet Shop of Horrors", "Sakura Wars", "Teacher's Lounge After School", "They Were 11", and many more.

Roll out the red carpet as LLNN managed to round up a few of the amazing Cosplay Contest award winners!


Oh, but Yaoi-con could not be complete without the women having their way with the MAN of the HOUR! Tall, dark, handsome, and complete with bishounen essentials: that sexy vampire look, long locks of hair, and most definitely Asian (those girls just GOTTA have their way this time), a reluctant volunteer turned into stage seducer turned the crowd upside down with naughty antics and the ever-pleasing take-off-the-shirt dance of delight.