Anime Revolution 2015 kicked off today at Canada Place in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia and I was lucky enough to be in attendance. Brought together by a team of dedicated fans, this year marks the 4th annual event and it has already tripled in size to an estimated 20,000 attendees looking to enjoy anime, manga, games, voice actors, artists, and cosplay. And even though it was a bit rainy, it didn’t stop these dedicated con-goers and cosplayers from getting to the celebration!

Since the convention is located in Vancouver (about 3 hrs north of Seattle), it has become an incredible convergence of Canadian, American and Japanese fans from all over the West Coast; as well as several guests, vendors and industry representatives straight from Japan! This year’s Japanese guests of honor include Yuu Asakawa (Fate/Stay Night, Volcaloid), Nobuyuki Hiyama (Gurren Lagann, Kill La Kill), Minami Takahashi (Shokugeki no Soma, Hi☆sCoool! セハガール), and Japanese singer Kotoko. Fans will also be pleased to see an incredible lineup of North American voice talent including Sugar Lyn Beard (Beyblade, Sailor Moon), Grant George (Fate / Zero, Kill La Kill), Jessica Gee George (Fire Emblem, Sailor Moon), Laura Bailey (Fruits Basket, Full Metal Alchemist), Travis Willingham (Full Metal Alchemist, One Piece), Richard Ian Cox (Inuyasha, Mobile Suit Gundam 00), and Dean Redman (Black Lagoon, Iron Man: Armored Adventures). Personally, I was really excited to see both Japanese and North American voice cast members from Trigger’s excellent Kill La Kill!

The opening ceremonies got things started this morning with a staff-made anime & cosplay music videos and a stellar performance from the convention’s very own Maid Cafe Dancers. I tried to wait in line for their famous Maid Cafe later in the day, but unfortunately haven’t yet been able to make it between panels and other events. Nevertheless, it was a treat to see them put together a couple of fabulously choreographed dances for the opening ceremonies!

Master of Ceremonies Dean Redman let us in on some of this years events including their first rendition of Voice Actor Idol (which, if you’re brave enough to compete in, you can sign up last minute to do a cold-read!). Fan-favorite events include the Cosplay Contest, 18+ Swimsuit Contest, Anime Music Video (AMV) Contest, Worst Cosplay Contest, annual Dance Rave Spectacular and concerts.

If you’re in attendance, you’ll also want to make time for some of the fan panels – in particular some of the following which I haven’t seen at that many conventions: Adventures in Anime on Canadian TV, Cosplay Horror Stories (18+), The Floor is Lava (how parkour informs pop culture), and Mystery Science Fiction (18+ anime-style). I will admit that I also took some time to stop over at the Dance Dance Revolution tournament because I haven’t seen one since 2004 and it made me feel nostalgic.

Well, that’s all for me today, but stick around for more anime coverage and continue scrolling for some of my cosplay photo picks from today’s convention! 

Editor’s note: Due to my hectic work schedule, this was the first anime convention I’ve been able to attend in a very long time, and it was a wonderful treat for me to be surrounded by such a friendly and positive group of fans that share a passion for Japanese animation, manga, games, and music. The convention staff went out of their way to be helpful, the venue was clean and big enough to handle the crowd, and everyone seemed to be having an all-around great time. I want to thank everyone I met/photographed and the staff for making this a great convention! 

Welcome back to Anime News Update, your source for what is happening in the Anime industry today.

Every two weeks Gax-bot dives into what is happening in the Japanese animation Industry and talks about new releases, upcoming shows, Japanese pop culture and sometimes the stuff of nightmares that only Anime can offer…

But lets hope that’s not this week. (it is…)

In this Episode

• New Gundam, Anime (Gundam Iron Blood Orphans)

• Yugioh 20th Anniversary Movie

• Monster Musume Hug Pillow…
• Evangelion Smartphone Committee

Last week we watched and wrote about “The Pirates of Dark Water,” a high quality but largely underappreciated cartoon. This week we’re continuing that theme with Universal’s high concept sci-fi animated series “Exosquad.”

“Exosquad” Created by Jeff Segal; Written by Mark Edward Edens and Michael Edens; Starring Lisa Ann Beley, Robby Benson, Michael Benyaer, Garry Chalk, Michael Donovan, Janyse Jaud, David Kaye, Richard Newman, John Payne, and Teryl Rothery; Run time: 20 minutes; Originally aired September 11, 1993.

“Exosquad” derives its name from mechanical exoskeletons, called Exo-Frames or colloquially E-Frames, piloted by the series’ main protagonists. As explained in the show’s opening sequence these suits allowed human beings to explore and colonize Venus and Mars jumpstarting humanities colonization of the solar system.

The series begins decades after the colonization of Mars and Venus, known along with Earth as The Homeworlds. Fifty years has passed since an interplanetary civil war between the descendants of humanity and a race of artificially created super humans known as Neosapiens.  The Neosapiens were engineered to be stronger and more adept to the hostile conditions of non-Earth environments and were used largely as a slave workforce in the terraforming process. Understandably unhappy with the way they had been treated by the humans, the Neosapiens rebelled but were swiftly and definitively quelled. However, in the course of the rebellion some progress was made in regard to the relationship between the two factions and a shaky alliance was forged.

Humans and Neosapiens aren’t the only players on the interplanetary board. Like Australia of old, human criminals were banished to out planets and over time formed pirate clans that capture and scavenge Homeworld vessels and wreak havoc on humanity in space. These pirates provide the initial conflict of the series and the Exosquad is dispatched in force to quell them once and for all.

Seeing an opportunity with the human’s main military force dispatched to the outer reaches of the solar system, Phaeton, the Neosapien Governor of Mars plans a new rebellion and captures the three undefended Homeworlds with little effort needed. What follows in the 52 aired episodes is a complex second civil war between humanity and the Neosapien rebellion.

Japanese animation has been exploring these types of high concept stories for decades but something similar was exceedingly rare in U.S. animation at the time and is largely still absent today. “Exosquad” succeeded in providing an example of a high concept, smart series during a time when toy sales were more important than quality so it comes as no shock that the series was a direct response to Japanese anime.

While most shows, whether live action or animated, usually take at least several episodes and sometimes a season or more to develop a complex story with interesting characters and plot devices, it’s clear from the start that “Exosquad” had a thought out and coherent history that is evident without being spoon fed.

The exploration of the war between humanity and the Neosapiens seems to be a clear analogy for real world historical wars. The series’ executive producer, Will Meugniot, compared anime series “Mobile Suit Gundam” to the Pacific Theater of World War II and stated that most of the people working on “Exosquad” were fans of the Gundam and modeled their own series on the European Theater with specific events of the Neosapien rebellion being modeled after battles in Okinawa, Berlin, and The Battle of the Bulge.

While reception of “Exosquad” was generally positive and sometimes incredibly flattering, it was a victim of circumstance as U.S. animation was in a state of flux with many companies being bought out by larger networks. The show was ultimately moved to a 4 a.m. time slot which caused a steep decline in ratings and ultimately its cancellation.

The second and final season ended with the defeat of Phaeton and the Neosapiens and the freeing of Earth. A new antagonist is introduced when a fleet of alien vessels appear and the third season would have explored a war between humanity and this unknown alien force, complicated by the existing threats of Phaeton and the pirate clans. Sadly this portion of the story was never realized. There was talk of a feature length movie as well as a spin-off series but by then “Exosquad” had met its true match not in space but in the board room.

The franchise scraped out a meager existence for a few more years in the form of a comic book by Topps, a board game, and a game for Sega Genesis after which the concept was abandoned completely. While it’s disheartening that “Exosquad” didn’t receive the support it deserved and hasn’t remained highly regarded in the halls of nostalgia, it’s promising that it happened at all and gives hope that perhaps we can return to this type of programming someday. 

Welcome back to Anime News Update, your source for what is happening in the Anime industry today.

Every two weeks Gax-bot dives into what is happening in the Japanese animation Industry and talks about new releases, upcoming shows, Japanese pop culture and sometimes the stuff of nightmares only Anime can offer…

But lets hope that’s not this week.

In this Episode

• Paramount Announcements a Live Action Beyblade Movie

• Hetalia World Twinkl

Welcome back to Anime News Update, your source for what is happening in the Anime industry today.

Every two weeks Gax-bot dives into what is happening in the Japanese animation Industry and talks about new releases, upcoming shows, Japanese pop culture and sometimes the stuff of nightmares only Anime can offer…

But lets hope that’s not this week.

In this Episode

• New Black Jack Anime Announced

• More Information on the Digimon Tie Anime

Welcome back to Anime News Update, your source for what is happening in the Anime industry today.

Every two weeks Gax-bot dives into what is happening in the Japanese animation Industry and talks about New Releases, Upcoming Shows, Japanese Pop Culture and sometimes the stuff of nightmares only Anime can offer. But lets hope that’s not this week…

In this Episode

• New Devilman Anime Announced

• Live Action Death Note TV Drama Announced

• Countdown to New Evangelion Razor Commercial

Youtube user OtaKing77077 ahs uploaded an almost 8 minute version of his stunning “Star Wars” style anime. It’s crafted lovingly in the style of 80s anime in a way that makes me ache for this show.

It’s all the best things about “Robotech,” but it’s “Star Wars.”

It’s got everything. Female TIE pilots. Great action sequences. Preposterously great cell shaded animation.

We need more of this immediately.

Fierce cooking, specialty dishes, the quest to be the most awesome chef, an all-out food war, and a lot of gratuitous-magical-girl-style nudity is what we should expect from the upcoming ‘Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma.’ Could this be the Iron Chef X Hell’s Kitchen X Shonen parody we’ve been waiting for!?

Based on the manga of the same name, the show will follow the story of young protagonist Sōma Yukihara – whom even the completely uninitiated won’t be surprised to find is on a quest to become a full-time chef more legendary than his own father. Like many Shonen anime of similar themes, he’s gotten himself into an extremely selective school (culinary academy) in which only around 10% of the students end up graduating – somewhat explaining the “war” bit of the title.

Will it be good? Wellll I’m a bit skeptical, but if I’ve learned anything from parody anime of the past, it’s that they can sometimes be complete gems like ‘Excel Saga’ and ‘Hetalia,’ or unbearable and facepalm-worthy flops like ‘Shinesman.’ (Don’t worry, I still found ‘Shinesman’ hilarious despite how much of a failure it was). Tropes abound and wordplay jokes to spare, we can stay tuned for more and hope that the show might make it’s way to North America after it premiers in Japan this April as a part of Warner Bros Anime’s Spring lineup. 

This is my first year at Anime Banzai and it has been a learning experience for me. My exposure to anime and manga is minimal at best. I’m familiar with “Black Butler,” “Attack on Titan,” and of course “Pokémon” but most of the cosplay and references at the con have gone over my head. Banzai has been an opportunity to immerse myself in a culture that is alien to me and find out if there is anything that interests me.

The thing that has stuck out most over the last couple of days has been the level of excitement and engagement the fans have exhibited. It goes above anything I’ve seen at any other convention. Perhaps it’s an element of this fan base or maybe it’s just a characterization of a niche market. Either way, the fans here are more energized about their collective hobby then at your more generalized geek related conventions and that’s refreshing.

The other thing that has become apparent is that I’m overdressed, in as much as the average amount of body coverage has been at about 22% give or take (except for the furries). Anime characters apparently have a bad relationship with garments.

Perhaps the most notable thing I’ve learned about this niche is that unlike other geeky subcultures, they have incorporated video games like no one else. The game room is the hoppingest place in the joint and for good reason. Where else can you see Ash and a Titan (I’m showing my limited character knowledge here) face off in a “Dance Dance Revolution” battle?

Obviously not Ash or a Titan but you get the point. 
Photo by Brandigirlio

The game room is like a miniature arcade filled with a couple dozen cabinets all set to free play. This is worth the price of admission alone. It’s like ten year old Neverbot’s dream to walk into an arcade and not have to worry about how many quarters are left in my pocket. Aside from the three variations of DDR there are classic games like “TMNT” and “Dr. Wario.” Not to mention the fact that the Nintendo DS to attendee ratio is off the charts. You could do nothing else but collect street passes all day if that’s your cup o’ proverbial tea. You could drown in a sea of portable gaming consoles.

I wonder what it is about anime that so seamlessly incorporates video games into the culture. Is it the fact that there are more “Pokémon” games than stars in the sky? Maybe. More probably it’s the fact that anime fans seemingly enjoy all things related to Asian culture and they have absolutely had their hands in gaming from the start.

Whatever the reason, this weekend has offered an experience more different from your average con than I expected, and different is good. Today is the last day of Anime Banzai so if you haven’t made it down yet, start packing your things and meet me there. I’ll be playing the weird hand version of DDR… badly.  

If you missed out on the fun Friday or if you were planning on attending for the weekend, here is a sampling of the cosplayers from Day 1. There is still a deviantArt meet up for tomorrow as well as plenty of live podcast recordings. One of the most popular podcasts in geekdom, and possibly the most popular podcast in Utah, “The Geekshow Podcast” will be recording Day 2 in the Zephyr room from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM. There will be autograph signing later in the afternoon, comic book and Manga lessons from professionals in the industry and then partying all night long in the Eclipse Expo room for the Informal Dance. If that younger crowd isn’t your scene, feel free to stop by and enjoy the convention’s local bar. The party will be exceptional, so don’t miss out.

Photo: Brandigirlio

Photo: Brandigirlio

Photo: Brandigirlio

Photo: Brandigirlio

Photo: Brandigirlio

Photo: Brandigirlio

Photo: Brandigirlio

Photo: Brandigirlio

Photo: Brandigirlio

Photo: Brandigirlio

Photo: Brandigirlio