M e c haC o n VII August 26-28, 2011 New Orleans Welcome to our seventh annual MechaCon! We’re glad you’re here to help us celebrate our second year in the Big Easy! Our first year in New Orleans was amazing, and we’re gearing up for this one to be even better. We’d like to thank each and every one of you for sticking with us through our growing pains as we made the move from Lafayette to New Orleans last year. No matter where the convention takes place, the spirit of MechaCon, its attendees, fans, guests, and friends all seem to come together and allow us to escape into the world of cosplay, pocky, and giant battle robots for one magical weekend each year. If this is your first MechaCon or your seventh, we wholeheartedly thank you for your support and hope that you have the time of your life at MechaCon VII. We’ve got a lot in store for you this year as our event continues to grow! This year’s Dealer’s Room is double the size of last year’s, with even more merchandise available for you to peruse. This year’s Electronic Gaming Room will feature TWELVE MechCorps Battletech Pods, along with a variety of arcade and console games provided by Zero Limits Arcade. If table-top gaming is your thing, don’t miss part three of our ongoing Star Wars: The Sith Prophecies meta-scenario. This year also has more musical events than MechaCon has ever had before. For attendees who have purchased dinner reservations, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn wil be performing with Lisa Furukawa and Leon Monroe at our 2011 Formal / Semi-formal Dinner & Opening Ceremonies on Friday night. Also, don’t miss our Black Butler themed Formal Cosplay-Optional Ball featuring the music of the electrifying string quartet, Virtuosa! On Saturday morning, be sure to catch Lisa Furukawa’s special brunch-time concert. Then, you have to make sure you don’t miss Johnny Yong Bosch’s band Eyeshine performing on Saturday night, followed by the MechaCon House Party hosted by DJ Wildfire and special guest DJ Angular Bliss! In between all of that, don’t forget to check out this year’s Cosplay Competition, Cosplay Chess, all of the voice actor signings, tons of panels, our AMV Contest, and a Charity Auction to benefit the NOLA Japan Quake Fund. Please come to the auction and bid generously to help our friends in Japan. There is a lot of content this year, so don’t forget to take breaks, eat, sleep, and practice good hygiene. Together, we hope this will be the best MechaCon yet!. – Team MechaCon a word from the sennin “Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.” - Coach Pat Riley MechaCon VII... yes, seven... lucky number seven... Our move from Lafayette to New Orleans last year has provided MechaCon the opportunity to grow in ways we never could before. As a part of this continual growth, we have made our home at a new facility, here on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River. So is number seven lucky for us? So far, so good. Our change in facilities to the Hilton New Orleans Riverside gives MechaCon the options we need to keep growing and expanding for years to come. We’re excited about all this great hotel has to offer our attendees during the course of the weekend... from the world-famous Drago’s Seafood Restaurant to our very own MechaMall! Yep, you read that right... a MechaMall. Connected to the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, you can find a stairway that will lead you down into the Riverwalk Marketplace. Aside from being a fantastic retail shopping destination, the Riverwalk Marketplace offers a full food court with some great New Orleans dishes as well as an indoor version of the world-renowned Café du Monde! So don’t forget to take some time out from the convention to eat this weekend! And be absolutely sure to try Café du Monde’s world-famous café au lait and beignets. After all... ya gotta eat, so ya owe it to yourself to eat well! We are extremely happy to offer you so much more this year than we ever have before, including a much larger... well... a much larger EVERYTHING! If bigger is better, then this year is our best yet! In continually working to create a better convention experience for all of our attendees year after year, we continue to strive for excellence. We’re especially proud of the event we’re offering you this year and sincerely hope you love every minute of it. – Jon Russo & Peter Bares Sennin Productions, LLC footnotes Organizer’s Plea Please be on your best behavior and respect hotel property. We ask that you treat the Hilton New Orleans Riverside as your home away from home. If you deface hotel property in any way, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Attendees of some other Anime Conventions in the past have been less than respectful to the convention facilities and hotel, and this type of behavior has given Anime Conventions a bad name. Please do your part to help change that stigma and show that anime conventions can be classy, too. The continued success of this convention is crucial to whether or not there will be future MechaCons. We sincerely appreciate you doing your part to help ensure that the hotel, convention facilities and your fellow attendees are treated with the utmost respect! A MechaCon Tradition Team MechaCon is excited to welcome back Harmony Gold and the ROBOTECH Convention Tour to our 2011 convention. Since 2006, MechaCon has proudly included the ROBOTECH Convention Tour as part of our standard programming. Though, it occurs to us that some of our younger attendees may have no idea what this classic anime space opera is all about, so... in a nutshell... ROBOTECH is a sweeping science-fiction anime epic of humans defending their homeworld against alien domination. The saga is told through the eyes of characters caught up in a series of wars that erupts when a mysterious spacecraft crash-lands on Earth at the turn of the millenium. The secrets of alien knowledge aboard this vessel were unlocked, leading to the development of “Robotechnology” and the creation of a vast arsenal of robotic “mecha” to defend the Earth against the alien threats that would eventually strike to lay claim to the mysterious power source known as “protoculture.” And now you know! So, go check it out already!! convention floors Hilton New Orleans Riverside – 1st Floor Hilton New Orleans Riverside – 2nd Floor Main Schedule (Panel schedule located on page 21.) On Thursday, August 25th, MechaCon’s convention pre-registration packet pick-up will open at 6pm and remain open until 9pm. At-door registrations will NOT be taken on Thursday. Aside from Registration, convention floor remains closed. Friday, August 26th The following is the schedule for Friday’s convention areas and events. At-door registrations will be taken at 11:30 a.m. 9:00am - Registration pre-reg packet pick-up opens (1st Floor) 11:30am - At-door registration opens (1st Floor) 1:00pm - Convention areas open Dealers room opens (2nd Floor) to GoldPass registrants only to all attendees 1:30pm - Dealers room opens (2nd Floor) 2:00pm - GoldPass Guided Tour Main Events (1st Floor) Hetalia: Ask a Nation panel Tertiary Events (1st Floor) 4:00pm - The Best There Is at What We Do: An Insight into Being Wolverine Q&A w/ Steve Blum & Scott McNeil Secondary Events (1st Floor) 5:30pm - Seating begins for Opening Ceremonies & Formal/Semi-formal Dinner and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn concert Main Events (1st Floor) (reserved seating only) 6:00pm - Opening Ceremonies Main Events (1st Floor) (reserved seating only) Media Blasters! panel Secondary Events (1st Floor) 7:00pm - Dealers Room closes (2nd Floor) Mary Elizabeth McGlynn performs Main Events (1st Floor) (reserved seating only) 8:00pm - GoldPass Meet-n-Greet with Guests Tertiary Events (1st Floor) Ballroom Dancing panel Secondary Events (1st Floor) Registration desk closes (1st Floor) 9:00pm - MechaCon Formal & Cosplay-Optional Ball 11:00am - Voice-Acting in 2011 Main Events (1st Floor) Evangelion 2.22 movie screening Secondary Events (1st Floor) 1:00am - MechaCon Formal & Cosplay-Optional Ball closes Saturday, August 27th The following is the schedule for Saturday’s convention areas and events. At-door registrations will be taken at 9 am. 9:00am - Registration desk opens (1st Floor) 10:00am - Seating begins for Lisa Furukawa concert Secondary Events (1st Floor) Q&A w/ Steve Blum, Johnny Yong Bosch, Samantha Inoue-Harte, Kyle Hebert, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Scott McNeil, Daran Norris & J. Michael Tatum Main Events (1st Floor) 1:00pm - Cosplay participants meeting Main Events (1st Floor) Voice Actor Signing Secondary Events (1st Floor) 2:30pm - Seating begins for Cosplay Main Events (1st Floor) 3:00pm - Cosplay Competition Main Events (1st Floor) Video Games Tournament Secondary Events (1st Floor) 7:00pm - Dealers Room closes (2nd Floor) Trigun: Badlands Rumble screening Secondary Events (1st Floor) 8:00pm - Registration desk closes (1st Floor) 8:30pm - Eyeshine concert Immediately following Trigun: Badlands Rumble Main Events (1st Floor) 10:00pm - Vocaloids! Secondary Events (1st Floor) 11:00pm - MechaCon House Party Main Events (1st Floor) TMI w/ Amelie & Friends panel Secondary Events (1st Floor) (18+ ONLY) 2:00am - MechaCon House Party closes Sunday, August 28th The following is the schedule for Sunday’s convention areas and events. At-door registrations will be taken at 9 am. 9:00am - Registration desk opens (1st Floor) 10:00am - Dealers room opens (2nd Floor) to GoldPass registrants only Summer Wars movie screening Secondary Events (1st Floor) Seating begins for Cosplay Chess Cosplay Chess Q&A w/ Johnny Yong Bosch, Kyle Hebert, Scott McNeil & J. Michael Tatum Tertiary Events (1st Floor) Tertiary Events (1st Floor) 10:30am - Dealers room opens (2nd Floor) to all attendees Tertiary Events (1st Floor) 11:00am - Is Voice Acting a Good Career Choice? Main Events (1st Floor) 12:00pm - Transformers: The Movie 25th Anniversary movie screening Secondary Events (1st Floor) 1:00pm - AMV Contest begins Main Events (1st Floor) Voice Actor Signing to GoldPass registrants only 10:30am - Lisa Furukawa concert Secondary Events (1st Floor) 2:00pm - Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (Uncut) movie screening Secondary Events (1st Floor) 3:00pm - MechaCon Charity Auction Dealers room opens (2nd Floor) Dealers room opens (2nd Floor) to all attendees benefitting NOLA Japan Quake Fund Main Events (1st Floor) 5:00pm - All convention areas close guests of honor Steve Blum With literally hundreds of voice-over credits to his name, voice-over veteran STEVE BLUM is best known as the voice of Spike Spiegel from COWBOY BEBOP; Vincent Valentine from FINAL FANTASY VII; Leeron from GURREN LAGANN; Wolverine from several incarnations of X-MEN (animated movies, games, the WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN TV Series and THE SUPER HERO SQUAD SHOW); Tom (the robot host) from Cartoon Network’s TOONAMI; Green Goblin from the SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN series; Heatblast, Vilgax and Ghostfreak from BEN 10; Grunt from MASS EFFECT 2; Tank Dempsey from CALL OF DUTY; Oghren from DRAGONAGE, the voice of 7-11, dozens of Digimon and a gigantic list of other characters from anime, video games, TV and film. Currently he’s working on the new super-charged CGI series TRANSFORMERS: PRIME, playing the delusional but deadly Decepticon, Starscream!! Johnny Yong Bosch Johnny got his start fighting giant bugs as Adam Park, the Black Ranger on MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS. It is a role that he would play for three and a half seasons on TV, two motion pictures and two special guest appearances in future POWER RANGERS seasons. After POWER RANGERS, he became very involved in voice acting work for various anime titles; usually landing the lead role. His first major voice acting role was Vash the Stampede in TRIGUN. He would later go on to play the voices of Kaneda in AKIRA, Ichigo Kurosaki in BLEACH, Renton in EUREKA SEVEN, Claus in LAST EXILE, Clair in HEAT GUY J, Sakaki in WITCH HUNTER ROBIN, Mike in PLEASE TWINS, Albert in THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, Kiba in WOLF’S RAIN, Itsuki in THE MELANCHOLY OF HAURHI SUZUMIYA, and Lelouch Lamperouge in CODE GEASS. Johnny’s voice can also be heard in numerous video games such as the main characters of Nero in DEVIL MAY CRY 4 and Bumblebee in TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTRON. When Johnny is not voice acting, he is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of his band Eyeshine. Team MechaCon is extremely pleased to present Eyeshine as our MechaCon 2011 Musical Guest! Samantha Inoue-Harte Sami has been working in the film industry since 1997 as a producer, animator, director, actress, and makeup FX artist. She’s worked as an actor in SIN CITY, OFFICE SPACE, PLANET TERROR, BEATDOWN, MACHETE, IDIOCRACY, NATIONAL LAMPOON’S THE STONED AGE, TRUE GRIT, TEETH, and several others. Her FX makeup work can be seen in TEETH. Her voice can be heard in over 40 different animated and game titles including: DC UNIVERSE ONLINE, ASCENSION (a working title Hack & Slash game), SAMURAI X, NEW FIST OF THE NORTHSTAR, TRINITY BLOOD, NEGIMA, FINAL FANTASY UNLIMITED as the Chocobo, GATCHAMAN, SAKURA WARS, GETTER ROBO, MAZINKAISER, TEKKEN THE MOTION PICTURE, NADIA THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER, and many more for FUNimation Entertainment, A.D. Vision Films, New Generation Pictures, and Sony. Her animation clients include SpikeTV, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Disney. She has worked as a producer on original anime content in partnership with several anime studios where she has done concept art, story development, IP acquisitions, scriptwriting, and all other things relating to the creation of an original anime series or an animated feature. Kyle Hebert Kyle is a Los Angeles-based anime and video game voice actor whose credits include Ryu in STREET FIGHTER IV, Kiba in NARUTO, Aizen & Ganju in BLEACH, all the male voices in X-MEN ARCADE and Kamina in GURREN LAGANN. He is best known as the Narrator & teen Gohan from DRAGONBALL Z. Other notable roles include Masamune in SOUL EATER, Kazukiyo Soga in OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB, Vato Falman in FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, Richter Abend in TALES OF SYMPHONIA and Dias, Arumat & Crow in STAR OCEAN. Kyle also provides voices in numerous video games including FINAL FANTASY XIII, WORLD OF WARCRAFT, DEVIL MAY CRY 4, DYNASTY WARRIORS, and JAMES CAMERON’S AVATAR. Mary Elizabeth McGlynn As an actress, Mary Elizabeth portrayed Major Motoko Kusanagi in GHOST IN THE SHELL: INNOCENCE, SOLID STATE SOCIETY and STAND ALONE COMPLEX, for which she won the American Anime Award for Best Actress. You can also hear her as Sei in ALPHA PROTOCOL and Nora in FINAL FANTASY XIII. Some of her other popular roles are Cornelia in CODE GEAS. Kurenai from NARUTO, Julia from COWBOY BEBOP, Helba and Bordeau from .HACK, Jagura from WOLF’S RAIN and Caroline from VAMPIRE HUNTER D. As a director, she is currently directing STITCH! for The Disney Channel and the ADR on the feature animated film DINO MOM as well as directing NARUTO: SHIPPUDEN for Disney XD. She has directed the four NARUTO movies as well as the NARUTO series for which she received the 2008 SPJA Award for Best Director. Among her many other directing credits are COWBOY BEBOP the series, COWBOY BEBOP - THE MOVIE, WOLF’S RAIN and the movie APPLESEED. For the gaming world, she directed Samuel L. Jackson and Ron Perlman as well as the rest of the original cast in the AFRO SAMURAI game. She also directed the entire cast of iCARLY for their interactive game. In addition, she has directed the voice work for SOUL CALIBUR LEGENDS, RESIDENT EVIL: UMBRELLA CHRONICLES, DEVIL MAY CRY 3, 3.5 & 4, SPYHUNTER, the NARUTO: CLASH OF NINJA and ULTIMATE NINJA series, as well being second director for KUNG FU PANDA. Mary Elizabeth has also had the great honor of singing the music of Akira Yamaoka for the movies JULIA X and SILENT HILL as well as the games: SILENT HILL 3, 4, 5, ORIGINS and SILENT HILL: SHATTERED MEMORIES which she also co-directed. We’re excited to welcome Mary Elizabeth as the special musical guest for our MechaCon 2011 Formal / Semi-formal Dinner & Opening Ceremonies. Scott McNeil Spanning over two decades and including almost 9500 episodes, Scott’s voice career began with THE NEW ADVENTURES OF HE-MAN in 1988. He is perhaps best known as Duo Maxwell in GUNDAM WING; Koga, in INUYASHA; Piccolo (the first) and many others in DRAGON BALL Z; Dinobot, Rattrap, Waspinator, and Silverbolt in TRANSFORMERS: BEAST WARS; and Wolverine in X-MEN: EVOLUTION; as well as Hohenheim Elric in FULL METAL ALCHEMIST; and many, many more anime, domestic animation and video game titles. Equally successful in film and television, Scott has starred in feature films as well as guest-starred on numerous television series and features, including SUPERNATURAL, SANCTUARY, HIGHLANDER, THE OUTER LIMITS and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, to name a few. Currently, Scott is working on a bunch of new roles, including work in JOHNNY TEST, L.O.S.E., HERO 108, 1001 TALES OF THE ARABIAN NIGHTS, numerous video games and a number of “Top Secret” anime titles. guests of honor Daran Norris DARAN NORRIS has voiced hundreds of cartoon episodes, most notably providing the voices of Cosmo, Dad, and Jorgen (and more!) on the Nickelodeon series FAIRLY ODD PARENTS. Currently, Daran is voicing Chief, Chameleon, and Francisco on Nick’s new animated series TUFF PUPPY, as well as the decipticon Knockout in the Hub’s new show TRANSFORMERS PRIME. Feature film roles include Spottswoode in TEAM AMERICA, and Louie the pigeon in BOLT. Daran is also a busy on-camera actor: series regular as Gordy on NED’S DECLASSIFIED, Cliff McCormack on VERONICA MARS, and currently recurring as the bearded maintenance man Bhudda Bob on Nickelodeon’s smash-hit BIG TIME RUSH. Daran’s favorite role anime role(so far) is Vincent Volaju in the COWBOY BEBOP movie. He has also voiced roles in NARUTO, DIGIMON and MON COLLE KNIGHTS, to name just a few. J. Michael Tatum This reclusive fanboy-turned-voice actor/writer/ADR director was discovered by FUNimation ADR director Christopher Bevins, who cast him as Rikichi in 2005’s SAMURAI 7. Aside from being cast as Scar in FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD, he is most notably recognized as Kyoya Otori in the hit English-language dub of OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB and more recently as Sebastian Michaelis in BLACK BUTLER. Other characters he’s played include: Doumeki in XXXHOLIC, Jiro Mochizuki in BLACK BLOOD BROTHERS, Isaac Dian in BACCANO!, God Eneru in the new dub of ONE PIECE, Komui Lee in D-GRAY MAN, Dororo in SGT. FROG and the titular loveable savage of HEROIC AGE… not to mention Lawrence in SPICE AND WOLF, among many others. In late 2007 he officially branched out into ADR directing and adaptive scriptwriting for FUNimation. His ADR directing credits to date include AQUARION, JYU-OH-SEI, ROMEO X JULIET, BIG WINDUP and RIN, while his writing credits include substantial work on OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB, HEROIC AGE and BLASSREITER. Clover (Cosplay Guest) CLOVER (aka. “Cherry”) has been a jack-of-all-trades costumer, experienced performance artist, and committed community organizer in the industry for over a decade. This Texan native has been designing, replicating costumes, and staffing conventions since a very young age, but made her first guest appearance in 2003 as host and panelist at Numa Rei No Con in Metairie, Louisiana. Along the way, she’s spread her wealth of knowledge to likeminded artists through workshops, panels, and demonstrations and placed at multiple costume contests across the United States, including receiving Best of Show Runner-Up at Anime Expo. From costume construction to theatrical performance, Clover has tried to make a difference in the community by being involved with many conventions and organizations over the years. She is sure to help you find the information you need to achieve your goals in costuming and take the time to help teach you about any subject you may need help with! Check out Clover at various panels and demonstrations alongside MechaCon’s knowledgeable cosplay staff over the weekend and feel free to ask any questions your geeky heart desires! INDUSTRY GUESts Jonathan Klein - New Generation Pictures JONATHAN KLEIN is the Vice-President and co-owner of New Generation Pictures, Inc. His company produces the English language versions of some of the most popular anime and video games in the U.S. and Japan, including such popular anime as; HELLSING, Â HELLSING ULTIMATE, GUN X SWORD, KAMICHU, R.O.D THE TV, IKKI TOUSEN, NIEA UNDER 7, 3X3 EYES and many other titles. In addition, he has been the director of the English language versions of such anime titles as ERGO-PROXY, HAIBANE RENMEI, TEXHNOLYZE, MELODY OF OBLIVION and PARANOIA AGENT. Jonathan is also the co-founder of Anime Charity Auctions, an organization dedicated to help raise money for worthwhile charitable causes. Anime Charity Auctions donates rare and unusual autographed items from anime and video games to be auctioned off for non-profit charities sponsored by various anime & science fiction conventions. Kevin McKeever - Harmony Gold A graduate of the Lighting Design program at Emerson College in Boston, Kevin has been working in the entertainment industry for nearly 15 years. His television production credits include JACKASS, KIDS SAY THE DARNEDEST THINGS, GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS, KRYPTON FACTOR, FARMCLUB.COM and THE 60’S as well as various television commercials. His film credits include MYSTERY MEN, FOR LOVE OF THE GAME and BILLY FRANKENSTEIN. With production of the sequel to ROBOTECH: THE SHADOW CHRONICLES well underway, team MechaCon is excited to see what ROBOTECH goodness Kevin will bring to whet fans’ appetites! musical guests Eyeshine EYESHINE is a four piece, “edge rock” band originating in West Hills, California. When we booked this group, Team MechaCon asked for a bio and was sent the following: Members left-to-right: Ji Ho, Johnny, Maurice and Crystal. “We should probably add something cool in this bio about ‘how promising we sound’ but we’d be lying. Maybe you should just come check us out and let us know what you think. If we suck, please don’t throw tomatoes - we prefer a bag of Peanut M&M’s, Skittles, Hot Cheetos or Money (unmarked). Hopefully you’ll like us and want to be our BFF.” Lisa Furukawa LISA FURUKAWA is a singer-songwriter and pianist originally from Tokyo, Japan. She has released 4 albums of original songs as an independent artist on Yume and Ferocidi. Utilizing her skills as a classical and folk music composer, Lisa has been creating new arrangements of numerous anime theme songs for cultural events and conventions since 2005. She has performed primarily Yoko Kanno’s music among others, as well as original songs infused with lush piano arrangements and electronica. A versatile singer, Lisa draws from her Scottish and Japanese folk roots to create a fusion of contemporary heart-felt ballads. Lisa’s soulful song “IKIRU” has been recognized worldwide. Lisa has translated numerous songs into Japanese and English, and has translated promotional materials for Studio Ghibli. She is currently working on a formal release of her children’s album and book, “The Adventures of Chibi Nekochan”. Leon Monroe Leon Monroe is a singer, guitar and bass player in the Chapel Hill, NC alt/indie/rock band Doombunny set to release their latest record this fall. Leon was also a founding member of The Hurt “whose songs deal with tense relationships, natural and industrial perils, and reflect a cranky, working-class perspective that offers an interesting contrast to the pablum served up by today’s current wave of typical modern rock”- John Plymale. Also performing at MechaCon this year is Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (See page 7). Mary Elizabeth, accompanied by Lisa Furukawa and Leon Monroe, is our special musical guest for the MechaCon 2011 Formal / Semi-formal Dinner & Opening Ceremonies. Mary Elizabeth has had the great honor of singing the music of Akira Yamaoka for the movies JULIA X and SILENT HILL as well as the games: SILENT HILL 3, 4, 5, ORIGINS and SILENT HILL: SHATTERED MEMORIES which she also co-directed. MechaCon is truly fortunate to have her perform here with us. featured artisits Robby Musso Robby Musso is a native New Orleanian artist with a lifelong passion for comics, toys, animation, and giant robots. He is best known for his work on popular comic titles such as Transformers and Speed Racer for IDW Publishing and Fun Publications. In addition to drawing comics and sequential art, he has also worked officially with Hasbro Toys, providing pre-production art for several of their flagship toylines including Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Star Wars. Robby’s enthusiasm for the mech/robot genre has also been the inspiration for many of his personal, original fan creations, most notably his own Transformers fan character “Rex”, as well as the Speed Racer-inspired variable racing machines “Mech-5” and the “Cyber-Star”. For more information, please visit Robby Musso on Facebook and MySpace, and also on deviantArt as username “REX-203”. Amelie Belcher Amelie “Ami-Chan” Belcher was born in Baton-Bloody-BoringRouge, Louisiana where the combination of chemical plant fumes and river water did major damage to her fragile little mind at an early age. By all accounts, she started drawing at the age of five (when she figured out that the pencil goes on the paper and not up your nose) and didn’t stop drawing until she ran out of paper... twenty years later. Amelie taught high school art for four years, but lost interest in teaching when it started cutting into her drinking time. She now travels the country selling her award-winning art, doing one-of-a-kind commissions for congoers, giving the best damn panels on earth, and being paid tribute to by her army of fans known as the “Ami Army” in the form of Pocky and manga. Known as “the angriest chick on the net,” she is the creator of the popular web comic “The Real Life Adventures of Amelie” at Cordeval.com which is read by desperately bored people all around the world. Shelley Minnnis - Sanford Shelley Minnis is an artist and Fine Art Consumer Specialist at Sanford. She works with Prismacolor products exploring processes and techniques. For the past 13 years she has worked with Prismacolor as a product specialist and travels in the western half of the US calling on universities and art/design centers and lots of conventions! electronic gaming What would an anime convention be without the hottest in electronic gaming, both the latest and greatest as well as old school? Operating all day and all night, our electronic gaming room doesn’t fail to deliver! This year, we’re proud to announce your electronic gaming needs will be fullfilled by our friends from Featured arcade games: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time Street Fighter: 3rd Strike Gauntlet Legends X-men: The Arcade Game Featured console games include: Wii Super Smash Bros. Brawl PS3 Hatsune Miku: Dreamy Theater LittleBigPlanet Xbox 360 Halo Reach PS2 Arcana Heart Guilty Gear MechaCon presents a new tradition: Con-goer in a Reasonably Priced Car Time trials featuring the TOP GEAR Test Track Gran Tourismo 5 on Playstation 3 Tournaments Want to test your mettle? MechaCon’s gaming tournaments may be just the thing for you! Rules and sign-up will be held in the Game Room till one hour before the tournament. Slots are limited, so sign up early. For tournament slot count and availability, inquire in the Game Room. All Electronic Gaming Tournaments: $10 entry fee Begins at 10:30am on Saturday, August 27th Evo Championship Series rules apply Finals will be at 3pm on Saturday afternoon in the Secondary Events room Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition Xbox 360 Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Xbox 360 Blazblue Continuum Shift 2 Playstation 3 Mortal Kombat Playstation 3 Registration for all four tournaments will be in the game room all day Friday and Saturday until the tournaments begin. Detailed tournament rules will be available in the game room. Every moment counts as you control a thirty-foot tall, 75-ton walking tank, blasting your way to victory. Enjoy the hunt for prey in a futuristic wasteland from inside MechCorps’ BattleMech Cockpit Simulator Pods. During MechaCon, go up against ELEVEN live and up to an additional twelve AI opponents in team or free-forall mayhem. BattleTech is not hide and seek, it’s seek and destroy. A short training session will get you ready for battle. Afterwards, you can talk smack while enjoying a mission review video of your battle and comparing your scoresheet to the other pilots in your mission. fandom central Artists Alley A. Amelie Belcher 1. MONsta Productions 2. Alison & Courtney Delaney 3. Toadily Handmade 4. La Vie en Rose Designs 5. Shi Wolf Works 6. Sempai & Kouhai 7. Vinnie D. Creations 8. Ani Pirates 9. Dierling 10. Bubble Baubles 11. Roland Billingsley 12. Warhound Art Studio 13. Adorkable Design (Table 1) 14. Adorkable Design (Table 2) 15. Meg & Maddi 16. Pleasantly Strange 17. Minty Mix 18. Cirque Du Slaughter Studios Industry Alley IA1 & IA2 Convention Alley C01. UltimaCon C02. CoastCon C03. LouisiANIME FanTables F01. LA 501st - Bast Alpha Garrison F02. Dagobah Base / Rebel Legion F03. Red Stick Rebellion B. Robby Musso 19. Studio Birdseed 20. Cellar Skylight 21. Scuttlebutt Ink 22. Deculture! 23. Bat Cat 24. Sunshine in a Bag 25. Narcci 26. Semi Sweet 27. Reeves Illustration & Design 28. Dreamgear Studios 29. Bandi Studios 30. Cosplay Hospital, Frostyshark & Lo 31. No Style Studios 32. Papaya Arts 33. YumYum Creations 34. Amanda Fontenot 35. ArtcLuna Studios 36. Zyeph Crecia Art IA3 Lisa Furukawa C04. CyPhaCon C05. Anime Matsuri C07. IKKiCON F05. Steampunk Americans F04. NOLAnime Kidz F06. Operation Anime Storm C. 37. Fleur de Lis Online Studios 38. Nizzy Stairu 39. Supernae and Meemee Koe: Double Trouble 40. Simple Group 41. Maxx Merch 42. Kittiye’s Kreations 43. Awesome Sauce #1 44. Awesome Sauce #2 45. Angelic Hostility 46. Winking Needle 47. Bazook Inc. 48. The Tako Taco Sisters 49. Hoshikko Ink 50. Pokefied 51. The Smallest Giraffe 52. Saratonin Studios (Table 1) 53. Saratonin Studios (Table 2) IA4 C08. CONtraflow C09. Oni-Con C10. BayouCon F07. D20 Girls F08. Louisiana Ghostbusters panel schedule Friday, August 26th 2:00pm - Hetalia: Ask a Nation Presented by Alicia Watson • Tertiary Events Prismacolor Techniques for the Manga Artist Cosplay 101: An Intro to Cosplay Presented by Shelly Minnis • Panel Room 1 Presented by Clover • Panel Room 2 3:00pm - A Black Butler Affair Presented by Digital Illusions • Panel Room 2 4:00pm - The Best There Is At What We Do: An Insight into Being Wolverine Presented by Scott McNeil & Steve Blum • Secondary Events Gothic Lolita Fashion 101 Presented by NOLA Lolitas • Panel Room 1 Intro to Independent Filmmaking Presented by Kevin McKeever • Panel Room 2 5:00pm - Cosplay Beauty School : Wigs, Make-Up, & Hair Presented by Clover • Panel Room 2 6:00pm - Media Blasters! Presented by Media Blasters • Secondary Events Operation Anime Storm Presented by Marc Skidmore • Panel Room 1 Make-up & Make-up FX Presented by Changeling FX • Panel Room 2 7:00pm - Asian Ball Joint Dolls Presented by Louisiana Resin • Panel Room 1 Cosplay Etiquette & Survival 101 Presented by The Closest Thing Cosplay • Panel Room 2 8:00pm - Ballroom Dancing Presented by David Adams • Secondary Events Durarara!! Fan Panel! Presented by Ash Ferry • Panel Room 2 9:00pm - Robotech Archeology Presented by Kevin McKeever • Panel Room 1 Early-bird Signing With Mary Elizabeth McGlynn & Daran Norris • Panel Room 2 10:00pm - MechaCon’s Mech: How the G.E.A.R.E was Born Presented by Robby Musso • Panel Room 1 Saturday, August 27th 9:00am - Angel Wings Creation Tutorial Presented by Saratonin Studios • Panel Room 1 Sewing for Cosplay Presented by Louisiana Resin • Panel Room 2 10:00am - Cosplay Crash Course Presented by Amanda ‘Awai-chan’ Tabary • Panel Room 1 Stepping Stones: A Crash Course in how to learn about animation! Presented by Amy Myatt • Panel Room 2 11:00am - Voice-Acting in 2011 Q&A With Steve Blum, Johnny Yong Bosch, Samantha Inoue-Harte, Kyle Hebert, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Scott McNeil, Daran Norris & J. Michael Tatum • Main Events How I Broke into the Anime Industry Presented by Kevin McKeever • Panel Room 1 Make-Up for Cosplay Presented by Louisiana Resin • Panel Room 2 12:00pm - Cosplay Live!: A Guide to Skits & Performing Presented by Clover • Panel Room 1 Fireside Chat III: Son of Fireside Presented by Ai no Shinobi • Panel Room 2 1:00pm - New Generation Pictures Presented by Jonathan Klein • Panel Room 1 War Stories from the Conventions Presented by Kevin McKeever • Panel Room 2 2:00pm - Silent Era Anime Screening Presented by Samantha Inoue-Harte • Panel Room 1 Japan Through Blue Eyes Presented by Doug Tassin • Panel Room 2 3:00pm - Japanese WWII Propaganda Presented by Amy Myatt • Panel Room 1 Directing Video Games & Anime Presented by Jonathan Klein • Panel Room 2 4:00pm - Webcomics: Anyone Can Do It! Presented by Meaghann Everett • Panel Room 1 5:00pm - Shark Tank Workshop Presented by Samantha Inoue-Harte • Panel Room 1 History of Western Influence on Anime Presented by Amy Myatt • Panel Room 2 6:00pm - Figure Collecting Presented by Amber Theriot • Panel Room 2 7:00pm - Elegant Gothic Aristocrat & Lolita Fashion Q & A Presented by Kelli Sarre • Panel Room 1 From Fanboy to Professional Presented by Jonathan Klein • Panel Room 2 8:00pm - Final Fantasy VII Fan Panel Presented by Olivia Colton • Panel Room 1 9:00pm - K-Pop Luv <3 Presented by Ai no Shinobi • Panel Room 1 Prop & Armor Building Q&A Presented by Changeling FX • Panel Room 2 12:00pm - Robotech Free-for-All Presented by Kevin McKeever • Panel Room 1 Vacuuform Tutorial & Demonstration • Secondary Events Sex, Politics & the Financial Apocalypse (18+) 11:00pm - How to Create an AMV Presented by Taylor Domingue • Secondary Events Sunday, August 28th 9:00pm - Make-up & Make-up FX Presented by Changeling FX • Panel Room 2 10:00am - Street Fighter & Beyond Presented by Jonathan Klein • Panel Room 1 Advanced Cosplay Techniques Presented by Clover • Panel Room 2 11:00am - Is Voice Acting a Good Career Choice? Q&A With Johnny Yong Bosch, Kyle Hebert, • Panel Room 1 11:30pm - TMI w/ Amelie & Friends (18+) Presented by Amelie Belcher & D Scott McNeil & J. Michael Tatum • Main Events Presented by Samantha Inoue-Harte • Panel Room 2 10:00pm - Vocaloids Presented by Digital Illusions Presented by Kevin McKeever • Panel Room 1 Anime Industry Q & A Presented by Clover • Panel Room 2 1:00pm - Intro into the Arts of Steampunk Presented by Patrick Duhe • Panel Room 1 So You Want to Work in Anime & Video games But Can’t Voice Act! Presented by Jonathan Klein • Panel Room 2 2:00pm - How NOT to Draw Presented by Amelie • Panel Room 1 Do Anime Conventions Have a Future? Presented by Kevin McKeever • Panel Room 2 3:00pm - Are Mecha the Way of the Future? Presented by Marc Skidmore • Panel Room 1 Get to Know Your MechaCon DJ Presented by DJ Wildfire • Panel Room 2 4:00pm - Painting Ukyio-E: Japan’s Influence on Western Art Presented by Amy Myatt • Panel Room 1 Directing & Producing Anime Q&A Presented by Samantha Inoue-Harte • Panel Room 2 panels & presentations Informative panels have always been and continue to be in high demand at anime events around the world. MechaCon has gathered a variety of panels on many different subjects for attendees to experience and enjoy! Hetalia: Ask a Nation Make-up & Make-up FX Prismacolor Techniques for the Manga Artist Asian Ball Joint Dolls Nations from Hetalia gather for a Q&A session in the Big Easy. Fans will be able to ask any of their favorite nation questions that come to their minds. You have questions? They have answers. Presented by Alicia Watson Join Shelley Minnis for a Prismacolor product overview with a focus on techniques to apply to Manga art. Come see lots of great ways to enhance your work and receive super Prismacolor samples and awesome doorprizes!!! Presented by Shelly Minnis Come with Questions leave with answers on make-up and Make-up FX used by professionals. Well be talking about different products, alternate uses for products, and tricks to help you achieve that perfect Prom Queen Zombie look. Presented by Changeling FX Cute collectible or soul stealing nightmare? Enter the world of Asian Ball-Jointed dolls with this panel geared towards owners, new and old. We’ll talk about the history behind these dolls and what makes them so popular. Presented by Louisiana Resin Cosplay 101: An Intro to Cosplay Cosplay Etiquette & Survival 101 The Best There Is At What We Do: An Insight into Being Wolverine Ballroom Dancing New to cosplay? Trying to get the basics down? This will be a general panel about all aspects of cosplay and craftsmanship. We’ll be talking about how to get started, patterns, sewing, wigs, make-up, where to get materials, and more! Presented by Clover Hey, bub! Come and join the voices of Wolverine from the popular X-Men: Evolution and Wolverine and the X-Men TV series as they discuss their experiences in bringing animated and video game versions of Wolverine to you! Presented by Steve Blum & Scott McNeil Whether you’re a cosplay veteran or a first timer, this panel has something for everyone. This informative panel will include comical demonstrations and convention horror stories from both veterans and first timers to create the most enjoyable con experience for everyone. Presented by The Closest Thing Cosplay Planning to attend the Formal Cosplay-Optional Ball? From beginner to experienced this panel is a quick introduction and practice session introducing ballroom dance. DJ Wildfire will be teaching some basic ballroom dance moves. Presented by David Adams Gothic Lolita Fashion 101 Durarara!! Fan Panel! Introduction to Independent Filmmaking Join Harmony Gold’s Kevin McKeever as he takes a look at the colorful history of the Robotech franchise. Presented by Kevin McKeever The cupcake rufflebutts are back! In this classroom-style panel we will talk about the origins of the fashion, the difference between the many substyles of Gothic Lolita, where to shop for the clothes and how to coordinate a gorgeous outfit. Whether you’re a curious beginner or seasoned fashionista, please join us and share in the love of frills and lace! Presented by NOLA Lolitas Join industry veteran Kevin McKeever as he shows you the ins and outs of getting a career started in the world of indy filmmaking! Presented by Kevin McKeever Kung Fuuuuu~! Come and Join MechaCon’s resident Ninja as he gives you a peek into some of his favorite martial arts. An introduction to several martial arts, reviewing history, technique, and demonstration. Wing Chun (Chinese Kung Fu), Hapkido (Korean Grappling/Striking), Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) and Pekiti-Tirsia Kali (Filipino Stick/Knife Fighting). Presented by Ai no Shinobi Durarara!! It’s a great anime filled with mystery, drama, romance and even some comedy! What’s up with the girl with a yellow helmet with cat ears?! Who’s that creeper in the fur coat? It will all be explained in this panel. Come in, and ask the whacky characters of the series your questions and requests! Presented by Ash Ferry : Archeology Angel Wings Creation Tutorial This panel shows several ways to construct a framework for wings out of clothes hangers and other easy to acquire materials, and how to carry it through construction into a pair of medium-sized wings. We’ll show you how its done, with pictures and wings in various stages of completion to examine. We’ll also tell you where to get feathers and other materials. Presented by Saratonin Studios MechaCon’s Mech: How the G.E.A.R.E was Born Sewing for Cosplay Join artist Robby Musso as he showcases how he and Team MechaCon developed Jett and Zee’s mech, the G.E.A.R.E.! Presented by Robby Musso Looking to make the outfit you saw in that new movie/show/anime? This panel will give you an introduction to the techniques used to create an outfit any cosplayer would be proud to wear! Presented by Louisiana Resin Operation Anime Storm Cosplay Crash Course Operation Anime Storm is a program providing our anime fans in the military with the anime and manga they want to see. Do you have a friend or family in the military? Come to the panel and see how you can help make the deployments of our service-otaku better. Presented by Marc Skidmore Cosplay Crash Course features a brief introduction to the history of cosplay, basics of sewing your own costumes, where to buy and where not to buy, make-up techniques and hints, and a few do’s and don’ts of cosplay. Cosplayers of all levels are invited to attend and discuss what has worked for them in the past, what do’s and don’ts they’ve discovered, and experiences in cosplay. Presented by Amanda ‘Awai-chan’ Tabary Silent Era Anime screening A rare screening of archival animations from the dawn of Anime with translations and audio commentary by Sami. Presented by Samantha Inoue-Harte Stepping Stones: A Crash Course in how to learn about animation! Want to learn animation? No idea where to even begin? This lecture will put you in the right direction where you can learn the skills needed to take you where you want to go! Presented by Amy Myatt Voice-Acting in 2011 Q&A Japan through Blue Eyes Ever wondered what it’s like to be an exchange student or work in Japan? Well, you’re in luck! Doug Tassin has spent 4 of the past 6 years in Japan both as a student and as an elementary school English instructor. If you’re looking for a panel discussing everything Japan, from ramen to participating in a Sumo tournament to the dreaded kancho to going into a naked hot spring as the only foreigner, look no further! Doug will open it up with a short presentation about his experiences, how you can get to Japan yourself, etc and then open it up to the audience to field whatever questions you may have! Presented by Doug Tassin Webcomics: Anyone Can Do It! Join MechaCon’s voice-acting guests as they discuss how the voice-over industry has changed over the years. With Steve Blum, Johnny Yong Bosch, Samantha InoueHarte, Kyle Hebert, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Scott McNeil, Daran Norris & J. Michael Tatum Ever wanted to make a webcomic? Think it’s too hard? Think you’ll suck at it? This panel will show you none of that is true! Learn the basic ins and outs of making your own webcomic. Presented by Meaghann Everett How I Broke Into the Anime Industry Western Suns in Japanese Animation: Who knew that Astroboy was inspired by Disney? Or that South Park is referenced inFLCL? Learn about western influences in Japanese animation! Presented by Amy Myatt How does one man go from a small town in New England to working on one of the world’s top anime franchises? Here is where you will find out. Presented by Kevin McKeever Make-Up for Cosplay You’ve got the perfect costume, learn how to pull it all together with the perfect make-up too! We’ll discuss tips, techniques and tools that you can use to make your cosplay make-up even better! Presented by Louisiana Resin Fireside Chat III: Son of Fireside Continuing the tradition of the Fireside Chat, Ai no Shinobi once again welcomes you to an evening filled with stories and insights about the nature of personal growth and achieving your goals. Neither touchy-feely or politically correct, AnS gets down to the nitty gritty of what it takes to become the person you really are and not what others expect of you. Presented by Ai no Shinobi New Generation Pictures Learn about the current & future projects from the company that produced the English language versions of anime like Hellsing Ultimate & Ergo Proxy and video games such as Street Fighter IV, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and several of the Final Fantasy titles. Presented by Jonathan Klein War Stories from the Conventions Do you think touring around anime conventions is easy, glamorous and luxurious? If you think so you are in for a shock as Kevin McKeever tells you about the good, the bad and funny of life touring around anime conventions! Presented by Kevin McKeever Atomic Sun: Japanese Propaganda During WWII While we can have fun during this lecture, please keep in mind that this may contain sensitive material. It will be informative. A great way to learn about Japan’s propaganda engine during its war against the west. Presented by Amy Myatt Directing for Video Games & Anime Explaining the details involved with the skills and techniques needed to direct many of your favorite anime and video games with Jonathan Klein (Producer/Director of such video games as Street Fighter IV, Final Fantasy IV, Star Ocean, Time Crisis and such anime as Hellsing Ultimate, Ergo Proxy, Paranoia Agent, Haibane Renmei and many others). Presented by Jonathan Klein History of Western Influence on Anime Figure Collecting A panel for current and want-to-be collectors alike! We will discuss many things, including- Where to buy online, using a middleman, spotting bootlegs, and how to store/display your stuff. Bring your figures, a camera, and a pen in case you make friends! Presented by Amber Theriot Elegant Gothic Aristocrat & Lolita Fashion Q & A The ladies and gentlemen of NOLA Lolitas are here to answer your questions about EGA and EGL fashion! Whether you’re a curious beginner with a lot of questions or a seasoned fashionista with a lot to offer, please join us for discussions in this Q&A panel. Presented by Kelli Sarré From Fanboy to Professional Join Jonathan Klein as he explains his career journey from Anime Otaku to Industry Professional, as a the Vice President of New Generation Pictures and the Producer/Director//Writer for the English language versions of some of the most popular anime and video games out there. Presented by Jonathan Klein Final Fantasy VII Fan Panel Join Tifa and Yuffie as they reminisce about the game that defined a generation; Final Fantasy VII and its compilation! This panel discusses the games, characters, music, graphics, gameplay, and story of what is commonly hailed as one of the greatest video games of all time. Presented by Olivia Colton K-Pop Luv <3 A celebration of the Korean wave of popular music. A discussion and sampling of the recent craze to hit the fandom, including artists such as Shinee, Girls’ Generation, Se7en, Big Bang, Super Junior, 2ne1, and much more! Come by to talk about your favorite K-boy/K-girl or just groove to some of the jams that will be spun. Presented by Ai no Shinobi Prop & Armor Building Q&A Get the answers to all of your prop and armor making questions, given to you by the special effects gurus at Changeling FX. Using tried and true techniques, they go into details on how to improve your costumes. Presented by Changeling FX (Continued) panels & presentations (Continued from previous page) Shark Tank Workshop A good pitch is worth its weight in gold. This panel will introduce the audience to the fine art of Pitching. If you have an idea for an amazing anime series, you have to eventually pitch your idea to either an anime studio, a distributor, or an investor. The audience will be shown examples of pre-existing pitch documents. Individuals from the audience will then present their ideas to the rest of the audience. A constructive criticism of each pitch will be given. Presented by Samantha Inoue-Harte Vocaloids! Ever dream of having your favorite Vocaloids in a live performance? This panel features a variety of English & Japanese Vocaloid cosplayers dancing and singing to memorable songs, both Vocaloid and non-Vocaloid related and a variety of popular party games! Presented by Digital Illusions How to Create an AMV Ever wonder what it would take to turn that image in your head of the perfect AMV into reality? Taylor shows you the basic steps to move you on your way to doing just that! Presented by Taylor Domingue Street Fighter & Beyond A look at the history and resurgence of the Street Fighter fighting game series and the future of fighting video games, with the English Language Producer & the stars of Street Fighter IV & Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Presented by Jonathan Klein Is Voice Acting a Good Career Choice? Ready to quit your day job and become a voice actor? Before you take that plunge, pause for a moment to join us as we discuss the bumpy road to a career in voice acting. Q&A with Johnny Yong Bosch, Kyle Hebert, Scott McNeil & J. Michael Tatum Free-For-All How NOT to Draw with Amelie Join Amelie as she humorously demonstrates all the common sketch book mistakes of newbies, and then demonstrates the correct way to draw. A crowd pleaser every time! Presented by Amelie Belcher Are Mecha the Way of the Future? Do mecha have a future? Are mobile suits the next revolution in warfare? Will labors change the way we build our cities? This panel will try to show the pros and cons of the potential revolution of mecha compared to the evolution of current vehicles. This presentation will compare mecha and conventional vehicles to let you decide. Presented by Marc Skidmore Get to Know Your MechaCon DJ Have you ever wondered what a DJ does exactly? What about that feeling they get when they’re on stage playing the music? Or how about just wanting to know a little about the DJ’s themselves and how they started? DJ Wildfire and DJ Angular Bliss are here to answer any questions you may have about DJ’ing, the MechaCon House Party, or just any question you can think of! Presented by DJ Wildfire Painting Ukyio-E: Japan’s Influence on Western Art Have fun learning about European art in this lecture that encompasses the influence that Japan had on famous painters. Presented by Amy Myatt Directing & Producing Anime Q&A For anyone who has ever wanted to create their own anime feature or series. This panel will answer questions like: How do I get funding? What is distribution? I have an awesome idea but why won’t anyone take me seriously? What does a producer or director do? I have an idea for a 52 episode anime but now what do I do? Presented by Samantha Inoue-Harte And more... The following panels were submitted without any descriptions: Did you miss Saturday’s panel? Do you still have questions about the past, present or future of Robotech? Here’s is your chance as Harmony Gold’s Kevin McKeever opens the floor to fans in a town hall-style discussion. Presented by Kevin McKeever A Black Butler Affair Intro into the Arts of Steampunk Vacuuform Tutorial & Demonstration Presented by Digital Illusions Media Blasters! Presented by Media Blasters Advanced Cosplay Techniques Presented by Clover Steampunk Americans will be giving a glimpse into the world of Steampunk and the Victorian Science Fiction inspirations that fire up the boilers of our Steampunk fantasies. Presented by Patrick Duhe Presented by Clover So You Want to Work in Anime & Video games - But Can’t Voice Act! Presented by Clover Explore the career opportunities available in anime & video games for those who aren’t interested in being a voice actor with Jonathan Klein; Producer/Director//Writer for the English language versions of some of the most popular anime and video games out there. Presented by Jonathan Klein Do Anime Conventions Have a Future? Oil is over $90 USD per barrel, airlines are raising fares while cutting services, inflation is on the rise, the economy is slowing, unemployment is at historic highs and disposable income is on the decline. Can anime conventions survive, let alone grow, in this environment? Join Robotech.com’s marketing coordinator Kevin McKeever for an in depth look at these issues and the surprising answer. Presented by Kevin McKeever Cosplay Live!: A Guide to Skits & Performing Presented by Clover Cosplay Beauty School: Wigs, Make-Up, & Hair TMI w/ Amelie & Friends (18+) Join Amelie Belcher, Count D and friends as they discuss any and everything in this no-holds-barred 18+ only panel. Presented by Amelie Belcher & D Sex, Politics, and the Financial Apocalypse (18+) By day Kevin McKeever is a mild mannered marketing coordinator for the Robotech franchise, or as he likes to call it his “Bruce Wayne job”. But in his spare time he has his “Batman Job” that often takes him into the worlds of dating, politics and financial meltdowns. Here is where you will get the real (and often funny) stories of what he does when he is not working with giant transforming robots. Presented by Kevin McKeever SLEEPING SAMURAI is a company based around bringing Interactive Entertainment to conventions. They supply hand made foam weapons, made to simulate actual weapons with as much historical accuracy as possible. These weapons are created entirely by the staff of Sleeping Samurai. Most all of the weapons they create are Asian-inspired. They do have some European inspired weapons, though. So, whether you are looking for a foam Katana or a foam Hammer, you should find what you need in their wide array of weapons. Custom orders are always welcome! Sleeping Samurai was established in 2007 and since then they have brought their expertise in the field of Interactive Entertainment to dozens of shows across the U.S. Not only do they offer you the chance to participate in the foam battles themselves but they also hold instructional panels, historical panels, choreographed fight routine panels, training sessions and much more. Foam weapon tournaments, exhibition matches and LARPing games are just a few types of battles that they organize and supervise at conventions. Tournament winners receive their pick of one free item from their inventory. Foam weapons, parasols, hand fans, necklaces, prayer stones and sensual oils are just a few of the items that they carry. Panel #1 • Friday 6:00pm • In the Sleeping Samurai exhibition area Stance & Strike Training (Beginner) Come join us for this basic course in how to hold, stand and strike with a Katana (foam versions will be provided). This Beginner course is a great way for people of all ages to learn the basics of Katana use. Presented by Hosted by Ark Angel (Owner of Sleeping Samurai) Panel #2 • Saturday 11:00am • In the Sleeping Samurai exhibition area Stance & Strike Training (Intermediate) Come join us for this intermediate course in how to stand, move and strike with a Katana (foam versions will be provided). This Intermediate course is a great way for people of all ages to learn the a more advanced way of using a Katana. Presented by Hosted by Ark Angel (Owner of Sleeping Samurai) Panel #3 • Sunday 11:00am • In the Sleeping Samurai exhibition area Stance & Strike Training (Advanced) We hope you join us for our third and final training course in how to stand, move and strike with a Katana (foam versions will be provided). This training course is only for those who joined us for the beginner and intermediate classes. If you did not have the chance to join us for the other classes, don’t worry because we would still love to have you come watch and learn all you can! For more information, please visit us in the Sleeping Samurai Battle Room. Presented by Hosted by Ark Angel (Owner of Sleeping Samurai) table-top gaming schedule Come learn a new game like Munchkin or Vampire: The Masquerade. Come experience RPGs such as Earthdawn, or Dungeons & Dragons. Naturally, we have ccg tournaments for you to show off your deck-building skills. And last, but definitely not least, our epic, unique Star Wars Meta Scenario, The Sith Prophecies continues to roll on! Friday, August 26th Gaming Room 1 1:00pm - Go & Shogi DemoS 7:00pm - Go tournament 11:00pm - Room Closes Gaming Room 2 1:00pm - Free Play 2:00pm - Earthdawn RPG Gaming Room 3 Miniatures - session 1 DEMO 7:00pm - Star Wars: The Sith Prophecies RPG - Session 1 10:00pm - Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition Eberron: Chalice of Shadows Gaming Room 4 Gaming Room 2 3:00pm - Arkham Horror miniatures Demo Gaming Room 3 10:00am - Go & Shogi DemoS 7:00pm - Shogi tournament 12:00am - Zombies!!! / Humans!!! board games 2:00am - Room Closes 1:00pm - Free Play 2:00pm - Star Wars: The Sith Prophecies 5:00pm - Monsterpocalypse lionheart - Session 1 10:00pm - Free Play 11:00pm - Room Closes Gaming Room 1 10:00am - Munchkin Fu / Munchkin Fu 2 DEMO 12:00pm - Earthdawn RPG The Ogre’s Choice - SESSION 2 3:00pm - Ninja Burger Demo 4:00pm - Warmachine / Hordes Miniatures demo 5:00pm - Ninja Burger Demo 6:00pm - Shadowrun RPG lionheart - Session 2 9:00pm - Vampire: The Masquerade 12:00am - Room Closes The Ogre’s Choice - SESSION 1 7:00pm - Shadowrun RPG Saturday, August 27th 1:00pm - Free Play 2:00pm - Munchkin demo & Tournament 6:00pm - Warhammer 40K miniatures dEMO 11:00pm - Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition Arts 12:00am - Don’t Rest Your Head RPG THROUGH A BROKEN MIRROR 3:00am - Free Play 10:00am - Monsterpocalypse Tournament 4:00pm - Star Wars: The Sith Prophecies RPG - Session 2 7:00pm - Star Wars: The Sith Prophecies Miniatures - session 2 (tHE mAIN eVENT) 9:00pm - Star Wars: The Sith Prophecies RPG - Session 3 Gaming Room 4 1:00am - Free Play 10:00am - Yu-Gi-Oh! SEALED DECK tournament 2:00pm - Shogi Informative panel 3:00pm - Yu-Gi-Oh! ConstructeD DECK tournament 7:00pm - Go Informative panel 8:00pm - Magic: The Gathering ConstructeD DECK tournament Sunday, August 28th Gaming Room 1 10:00am - Go & Shogi DemoS 5:00pm - Gaming Room 1 closes Gaming Room 2 10:00am - Monsterpocalypse miniatures Demo 12:00pm - Shadowrun RPG lionheart - Session 3 3:00pm - Munchkin Fu demo 5:00pm - Gaming Room 2 closes Gaming Room 3 12:00am - Star Wars Miniatures lagniappe Gaming Room 3 (continued) 2:00am - Free Play 10:00am - Star Wars: The Sith Prophecies Miniatures - session 3 11:00am - Dragon Age RPG THE DALISH CURSE 2:00pm - Star Wars: The Sith Prophecies RPG - Session 4 5:00pm - Gaming Room 3 closes Gaming Room 4 12:00am - Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition crafts 2:00am - Free Play 10:00am - Pathfinder RPG RATS OF NUOTHEO 1:00pm - Magic: The Gathering sealeD DECK tournament 5:00pm - Gaming Room 4 closes Since 2005, MechaCon’s Table-top Gaming department has brought you the best in table-top gaming including TCGs, CCGs, RPGs, board games, classic Japanese games and more! And this year, the tradition continues! Take a break from the craziness of the rest of the convention by taking a load off and enjoying a casual game, or just come to watch! This year, we’re proud to announce the halfway point of our STAR WARS meta-scenario. Starting in 2009 and continuing until 2014, our 2011 episode of our STAR WARS meta-scenario is STAR WARS: The Sith Prophecies Episode III, A Fading Hope. Drop by our gaming rooms on the 2nd floor and check it out!!! table-top gaming This year, MechaCon’s Tabletop Gaming Department has its most jammed packed schedule ever! Come learn a new game like Munchkin or Arkham Horror. Come experience RPGs such as the new Dragon Age RPG and Dungeons & Dragons. Naturally, we have CCG tournaments for you to compete in. And last, but definitely not least, our epic, unique Star Wars Meta-scenario, The Sith Prophecies enters its third year! This year’s events include, (but are not limited to): Customizable/Trading Card Games Of course, MechaCon will give you the opportunity to show off your deck-building skills and trounce your opponent with TCG tournaments, (the sealed deck tournaments will be handled by the good folks from +1 Gaming). This year, we will have the following games: and the Tofu Tonfa. Garb yourself in the Hong Kong Sarong. Slay foes like the Sex Gaki, Clamera, and Genghis Cong... and take their stuff! The team of Origins-Award-winning designer Steve Jackson and mad cartoonist Greg Hyland (Ninja Burger, Munchkin Fu) are back again for Monky Business. It’s got 110 evil and overpowered cards, plus two blanks to create your own. And of course, like all Munchkin sets, it’s completely compatible with the original Munchkin and all its supplements and spinoffs, including Star Munchkin, Munchkin Bites! and Munchkin Cthulhu. Magic - The Gathering Ninja Burger From Wizards of the Coast The Magic: The Gathering game, created by Richard Garfield, established the Trading Card Game category in 1993. Today, it continues to offer a fan base of more than 6 million players the opportunity to play both socially and competitively through leagues, tournaments and in-store events. MTG is the world’s best trading card game, and we support it with our best efforts. Yu-Gi-Oh! From Konami In this game, two players duel each other using a variety of Monster, Spell, and Trap Cards to defeat their opponent’s monsters and be the first to drop the other’s Life Points to 0. From Steve Jackson Games (Presented by Steven Rosenthal) Now you can join the elite Ninja Burger delivery team! You will learn to deliver tasty burgers and fries anywhere. You will bring honor to your franchise. Failure is not an option. Based on the popular website at www.ninjaburger.com, this hilarious card game pits you against your fellow trainees in a new Ninja Burger store. Learn the secrets of stealth, swordsmanship, and customer service. Fight for honor, respect, big tips, and that coveted promotion! Miniatures Non-Trading Card Games And of course, the ever popular Munchkin is back, as well as a couple of other great games from Steve Jackson Games. This year, MechaCon gives you the chance to experience what it’s like to command a powerful army as it sweeps aside all before it, as we will have demos for the games Warhammer 40K and Warmachine/Hordes. Also, we’ll give you the opportunity to rampage across a city, smashing everything in your path, as we’ll have demos and a tournament for the always fun Monsterpocalypse. Munchkin Monsterpocalypse From Steve Jackson Games (Presented by Steven Rosenthal) Go down in the dungeon. Kill everything you meet. Backstab your friends and steal their stuff. Grab the treasure and run. Admit it. You love it. This award-winning card game, designed by Steve Jackson, captures the essence of the dungeon experience... with none of that stupid roleplaying stuff. You and your friends compete to kill monsters and grab magic items. And what magic items! Don the Horny Helmet and the Boots of ButtKicking. Wield the Staff of Napalm... or maybe the Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment. Start by slaughtering the Potted Plant and the Drooling Slime, and work your way up to the Plutonium Dragon... And it’s illustrated by John Kovalic! Fast-playing and silly, Munchkin can reduce any roleplaying group to hysteria. And, while they’re laughing, you can steal their stuff. Munchkin Fu From Steve Jackson Games (Presented by Steven Rosenthal) If you loved Munchkin... look out. Here they come again. “I’m a Ninja with the Dragon Tooth Katana!” “I’m a Monk with the Sai of Spleen Mangling. Fear my Drunken Monkey Kung Fu!” “I’m a Yakuza with a gun. Run away!” The Munchkins are back! Now the game is chop-socky Hong Kong action. The characters are Samurai, Ninja, Yakuza, and Monks. The foes are mooks, demons, and assorted bad guys from all the worst martial arts films you’ve ever seen. Collect treasures and learn new styles to build up your character’s powers. Kill the monsters, take their stuff, and be the first one to 10th level! Munchkin Fu 2 From Steve Jackson Games (Presented by Steven Rosenthal) Munchkin Fu won the Origins “Gamer’s Choice Award” for the Best Card Game of 2003. How do you follow something like that? With more mooks, more mayhem, more monsters, more munchkins, more monks – especially more monks – in Munchkin Fu 2 – Monky Business! Learn new styles like Kong Fu, Fee Fi Fo Fu, Sna Fu, and the ever-perilous Stomach Fu! Pick up dangerous new weapons like the Auspicious Ivory Gutting Hook From Privateer Press (Presented by Jeremy and Josh Gremillion) This is Monsterpocalypse, a fast-moving, action-packed strategy game played with high-quality collectible miniatures portraying the most fearsome giant monsters on Earth! Each battle takes place in a city that you and your opponent construct by placing buildings on a city map. Players choose their forces from their respective collections of figures and then battle one another with giant monsters and supporting units such as tanks, flying vehicles, and all manner of creatures. When the battle begins, you command your monster and lead your units into the city to hunt down and destroy your opponent’s monster. To accomplish your mission, your monster and units each have weapons and abilities that are activated by special dice. The last monster standing wins the game! Warhammer 40,000 From Games Workshop (Presented by David Giles and William Hebert) The aim of every person who plays Warhammer 40000 is to pit their force of miniatures against other players across war-torn futuristic battlefields. Win or lose, all battles are entertaining challenges in which you try to out-think and out-play your opponent, taking advantage of what good luck comes your way, but ultimately relying upon sound tactics to win the day. Warmachine From Privateer Press (Presented by David Giles & Will Hebert) Warmachine is a fast-paced and aggressive 30mm tabletop miniatures battle game set in the steam-powered fantasy world of the Iron Kingdoms. Players take on the role of elite soldier-sorcerers known as warcasters. Though warcasters are formidable combatants on their own, their true strength lies in their magical ability to control and coordinate mighty warjacks – massive steam-powered combat automatons that are the pinnacle of military might in the Iron Kingdoms. Players collect, assemble, and paint fantastically detailed models representing the varied warriors, machines, and creatures in their armies. This is steam-powered miniatures combat, and your tabletop will never be the same! Hordes From Privateer Press (Presented by David Giles and William Hebert) Set in the wilds of the Iron Kingdoms, Hordes is Warmachine’s feral twin. In this award-winning, fast-paced, 30mm tabletop miniatures game, players jump into the action controlling powerful battle-wizards known as warlocks. Warlocks are formidable combatants in their own right, but their true strength is drawn from their synergy with packs of savage warbeasts that allow them to contend on equal footing with the greatest modern armies of the Iron Kingdoms. Players collect, assemble, and paint fantastically detailed models representing the varied warriors, minions, and beasts in their hordes. This is monstrous miniatures combat, and your tabletop will never be the same! Board Games This year, MechaCon has more board games than ever before! We even, for the first time ever, have a room dedicated to Asian board games, that will feature all day long demos of the games Go and Shogi, as well as tournaments for both games. This year’s board game lineup is as follows: Arkham Horror From Fantasy Flight Games (Presented by Michael “Q” Ahlf) Players can select from 16 unique playable investigator characters, each with unique abilities, and will square off against the diabolical servants of 8 Ancient Ones, including Ithaqua, Hastur, and the terrible Cthulhu! No fan of the Cthulhu Mythos will want to miss the opportunity to acquire this classic Call of Cthulhu board game! Arkham Horror is a cooperative game for 1-8 players ages 12 and up, and can be played in 2-3 hours. Beginners’ Rules Demo Monsters have invaded the City of Arkham - will the investigators find the clues, kill the monsters, and close the gates in time? Or will Azathoth awaken and eat them all? A custom Arkham Horror scenario designed to introduce new players to the rules of this classic horror board game based on the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. Zombies!!! From Twilight Creations (Presented by Eric De Las Casas) Zombies!!! puts you in the middle of the action as you try to escape the ever advancing zombie horde. Players must use a combination of wits and brawn to be the first to the heliport and certain escape. The only problem is, the zombies are everywhere, they appear to be very hungry and your opponents would really prefer if you didn’t escape. Humans!!! From Twilight Creations (Presented by Eric De Las Casas) This time you are playing the zombies and trying to infect as many people in town as possible. This game will be able to be played with Zombies!!! - some players playing humans and some players playing zombies. Go (Presented by Eric De Las Casas, Marcus Hughes & Michael Lee) Go, for many centuries, has intrigued and entertained players with its simple rules and complex game play. In the game, two players face off, placing pieces called stones on a board, with the goal of trying to capture as much territory as possible. However, due to the game’s great depth of strategy, that goal is not as easy to achieve as it might seem. Shogi (Presented by Eric De Las Casas, Marcus Hughes & Michael Lee) This chess-like game has been enjoyed for centuries. Just like in chess, two players square off, trying to capture their opponent’s king. But, with some different pieces, and some additional rules, this game can prove to be far more complex and harder to master. Role-playing Games As always, MechaCon has a small army of GM’s ready, willing, and eager to run RPG’s for our loyal con goers, including Shadowrun and Vampire: The Masquerade. Just exactly what games shall we have this year? Read on and see: Dragon Age RPG THE DALISH CURSE (Presented by Karrie Tyler) It is harvest season in Ferelden. For the village of Vintiver it is the most important and joyous time of the year. After a misunderstanding between the villagers and passing Dalish Elves, a great evil threatens to destroy the village. Is it truly an Elvish curse? Or is there something more sinister preying upon the people? Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Ed. Eberron: CHALICE OF SHADOWS (Presented by Isaac Myatt) The virtuous Church Of the Silver Flame seeks adventurers for a dangerous quest, with wealth and glory to those with enough bravery and skill! A powerful and dangerous artifact was left in the nation of Cyre, abandoned as twisted and unknown magics warped it into the dreaded Mournland. The Silver Flame seeks to reclaim it before other forces discover it and bend its power to their own desires, and have contracted with a party of adventurers to accompany one of their priests on the expedition. In a land where magic fails, that seems to hate life itself, can you lead them to their prize... before it’s too late? Earthdawn 3rd Ed. THE OGRE’S CHOICE (Presented by David Giles) Some adepts speak of the ogre’s choice: a decision forced on a hero between two often equally horrific options. It is the ultimate test of character, as the hero must not only survive the choice, but accept the dire consequences of his actions. A band of adepts arriving in the caravan city of Darranis are faced with such a choice when they find a close friend accused by a Theran agent of Horror corruption. When the agent approaches the band with an offer to reconsider his testimony if they help him sabotage a meeting between a Throalic ambassador and the captain of a Serpent River crew, they must decide if their friend’s life is worth the chaos the Theran wishes to inflict. Or might there be a way to avoid the choice? Pathfinder RATS OF NUOTHEO (Presented by Isaac Myatt) Be the first of a new breed of hero! The rats of the great city of Nuotheo have begun awakening, their new-found intelligence driving them to form a society of their own in a world several sizes too big for them. Heroes are needed to fight for the survival of the city’s newest citizens against forces that seek to drive the rats back down into their holes, as well as against traps, cats, and other more normal threats. They may be small, but they will not fall! Join the struggle today! Shadowrun 4th Ed. LIONHEART (Presented by David Giles) The Ten Thousand Lions, a growing Triad organization operating out of the Kowloon City district of Hong Kong, has been dealt a terrible blow – several sacred scrolls belonging to their incense master, the organization’s spiritual leader, have been stolen, and their mystical connection to him and many members of the triad’s leadership may put the entire organization in jeopardy. The incensed master’s apprentice has gathered a team to help search for the scrolls and punish the thieves, but the clock is ticking, and there is more to the story than anyone knows as the apprentice and his companions are driven to confront the mysterious and sinister Tong of the Black Scorpion. Join our team of brave shadowrunners as they fight their way through the streets of Hong Kong in pursuit of justice... or at least a decent paycheck. (Continued) table-top gaming (Continued from previous page) Vampire: The Masquerade (Presented by Scott White) A tenuous alliance of Kindred from four clans represent the interest of Elders, Anarchs, and neutral leaning factions. This newly formed coterie is soon tasked with investigating the atrocities of a deranged Anarch as well as the masquerade breaches of a renowned Elder. They may well clash over one decisive course, or truly pool their resources and talents to unravel both mysteries. And, as part of our Midnight Madness block, we give you: Don’t Rest Your Head Don’t Rest Your Head (Presented by David Giles) Deep in the shadows, between the cracks, a city of dark madness lies behind the world that we know. Creatures of Nightmare stalk the streets, ruling cruelly over unfortunates who have slipped through the cracks and become lost, many of whom don’t even see the insanity around them. Only the Awake, the select few who have, through insomnia, earned a glimpse of the chaos behind our Dreaming City, can stand against the Nightmares. Tonight, a band of the Awake are thrown together during the dreaded Thirteenth Hour, the time in which the Mad City becomes unmoored from reality, and the passages to the sane Dreaming City close. Forced to run or fight for their lives, they must place their trust in complete strangers, whose desires and goals may be very different from their own... Dungeons & Dragons 4th Ed. ARTS (Presented by Dom Ducote) Isolation can be a boon – but when strange events leave the members of an airborne boarding school for young nobles in High Dale ill, only aid from outside can offer a solution. Can the PCs solve this discretely and in time? A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in the Dalelands for characters levels 1-4. Characters will be provided, or you can make your own and bring them to the game. CRAFTS (Presented by Dom Ducote) Westgate, the City of Coin is a haven for all races and creeds. But now the Docks and Moonside districts hide something more sinister, an affliction that threatens to spread to all corners of the city if it is not dealt with in its infancy. With madness and agony the result, it is up to the PCs to discover and eradicate the cause. A Living Forgotten Realms adventure set in the Dragon Coast for character levels 1-4. Characters will be provided, or you can make your own and bring them to the game. If you played in the Friday night game you may bring that character. Star wars Meta-Scenario Last, but most certainly not least, our epic Star Wars Minis/RPG scenario, The Sith Prophecies marches on, entering its third year! Hear me... When the darkness has extinguished the light, a warrior who fights in secret shall seek the Legacy of Urtzek. If he obtains it, he will rule all. Hear me... The Galaxy has sunk into a new dark age. But even in this time, prophetic words still carry power. They have the potential to set into motion a chain of events that can change everything. Team MechaCon is proud to present: Star wars The Sith Prophecies: Episode III – A Fading Hope For the crew of the ship Orrineswa, these are not easy times, but they get by anyway they can, legally or illegally. But when they are approached by the powerful Strugato Commonwealth, a dangerous yet lucrative opportunity arises that they cannot refuse. Will they strike it rich or be stricken down? Come join us and help determine their fate at this year’s MechaCon! Even in darkness, prophecy is powerful! Star wars Miniatures From Wizards of the Coast (Presented by Seth Segura and William Hebert) The Star Wars Miniatures line features hundreds of ready-to-play miniatures from the Star Wars universe. Star wars RPG From Wizards of the Coast (Presented by Stuart Keller) Take on the role of the heroes of the Star Wars universe and fight against the forces of evil! You might play a Duros smuggler, a Wookiee copilot, a human Jedi, or any of countless possibilities. dancing MechaCon Formal Cosplay-Optional Ball When: Friday at 9:00 pm Where: MechaCon’s Main Events Room Who can attend: Any registered MechaCon attendee Attire: Black Tie Optional / Formal Cosplay Optional This special event is Black Tie Optional / Formal Cosplay-Optional. What that means is that this is a classy event where tuxedos and evening gowns are encouraged as well as formal cosplay. This year’s formal ball will follow our dinner on the evening of August 26th. Virtuosa The musical entertainment for this year’s ball will be the classicallytrained, all girl string quartet, VIRTUOSA. Virtuosa plays classical and pop arrangements to high-energy dance beats, creating a sonic texture and presentation that’s out of this world! You’ve never heard violins rock this hard. This string quartet is sure to make this year’s ball an unforgettable experience. Whether you want to cut a rug or socialize with our Black Butler ball hosts and other con-goers, we are sure you will have a good time! Here are a few guidelines to abide by to keep the spirit of the event intact: • Men (or crossplayers) should be in a tuxedo or a suit. A jacket and tie is acceptable. Shoes must be dress shoes or similarly appropriate. • Women (or crossplayers) should be in an evening gown or cocktail dress. Skirts / dresses should be at least knee length or longer. Footwear must be dressy or similarly appropriate. • Formal kimonos and other formal Asian wear are allowed. • No bare feet. • No casual clothes; including but not limited to t-shirts, sneakers, jeans, etc. The MechaCon Formal • Hats should be removed indoors. Cosplay-Optional Ball • Absolutely no weapons of any kind, prop or otherwise. will close at 1:00 am. • Era, International culture, or Fantasy formal are invited. MechaCon House Party When: Saturday at 11:00 pm Where: MechaCon’s Main Events Room Who can attend: Any registered MechaCon attendee Attire: Something comfortable and breatheable The MechaCon House Party will close at 2:00 am. The MechaCon House Party returns with MechaCon’s own DJ Wildfire! Once again, DJ Wildfire will be on stage spinning your favorite dance mixes. So head on down to Main Events and get ready to dance ‘til you drop as MechaCon’s DJ Wildfire keeps the beats rolling through the night and on into the morning. DJ Wildfire (House DJ) DJ Wildfire has been regularly hosting MechaCon’s House Party since our first convention in 2005. DJ Wildfire brings intensity and precision with his Rane mixer and pair of Technics to the House Party stage. With his fresh style and constant mixing and sampling innovation, we know DJ Wildfire will make this year’s MechaCon House Party the party to attend. So get ready to dance and enjoy a night you will not forget. DJ Angular Bliss (Guest DJ) At age 17, Angular Bliss began his journey into the world of Electronic Music. Learning the different genres in and out, he experimented and mastered with every type of DJ equipment he could possibly get his hands on. Now, after 10 years in the scene, he is currently mixing, and has begun producing cutting edge House/Electro/Progressive beats that pump that high energy vibe straight to your core. He won 2nd place at the “WMC 2008 DJ spin-off” hosted in Miami. By doing so, this catapulted his career into the mixing prodigy he is. He has played in some of the biggest venues including Fur Night Club in Washington DC. Right now he is using Ableton with Pioneer DJ’s latest CDJ’s, and mixers. Video rooms Friday, August 26th Video Room 1 Video Room 2 12:00am - Highschool of the Dead Episodes #1-6 • Sentai Filmworks • TV-MA 1:00pm - Katanagatari – Episode #1 2:45am - Mazinkaiser SKL – Episodes #1-3 2:00pm - Table-top Gaming Presentation 2:15pm - Katanagatari – Episode #2 4:15am - Monster – Episodes #1-5 NIS America • Ages 13+ NIS America • Ages 13+ 3:15pm - Angel Beats – Episodes #1-5 Sentai Filmworks • TV-14 5:30pm - Detroit Metal City New People Entertainment • Ages 13+ 7:30pm - Durarara!! – Episodes #1-7 Aniplex • TV-14 10:30pm - Eden of the East – Episodes #1-6 Funimation • TV-MA Video Room 2 1:00pm - Lost Universe – Episodes #1-6 The Right Stuf • Ages 13+ 3:30pm - 20th Century Boys: Beginning of the End New People Entertainment • Ages 13+ 6:00pm - Rental Magica – Episodes #1-3 The Right Stuf • Ages 13+ 7:30pm - El Hazzard – Episodes #1-6 The Right Stuf • Ages 13+ 10:15pm - Antique Bakery – Episodes #1-4 The Right Stuf • Ages 13+ Saturday, August 27th Video Room 1 1:00am - Gurren Lagann: Childhood’s End Aniplex • Ages 13+ Media Blasters • Ages 16+ Viz • TV-MA 6:30am - Yawara! – Episodes #1-7 Animeigo • Ages 13+ 9:30am - Bleach – Episodes #59-63 Viz • TV-14 11:45am - Baka & Test – Episodes #1-7 Funimation • TV-14 2:45pm - Angel Beats – Episodes #6-10 Sentai Filmworks • TV-14 5:00pm - Strawberry Panic – Episodes #1-6 Media Blasters • Ages 13+ 7:45pm - Our Home’s Fox Deity Episodes #1-4 • NIS America • Ages 13+ 9:30pm - Eden of the East - Episodes #7-11 Funimation • TV-MA 11:45pm - Sound of the Sky - Episodes #1-2 The Right Stuf • Ages 16+ Sunday, August 28th Video Room 1 12:00am - Eden of the East: King of Eden Funimation • Ages 17+ 1:30am - Eden of the East: Paradise Lost Funimation • Ages 17+ 3:00am - Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-Chan Complete Series • Media Blasters • Ages 16+ 6:00am - Pandora Hearts – Episodes #1-4 NIS America • Ages 16+ 3:15am - Urusei Yatsura – Episodes #1-4 7:45am - Maria Watches Over Us 5:00am - Shin-Chan – Episodes #53-58 9:30am - Gao-Gai-Gar – Episodes #1-5 Animeigo • Ages 13+ Funimation • TV-MA 7:45am - Spice and Wolf – Episodes #00-5 2nd Season • Animeigo • Ages 13+ 10:30pm - Bubblegum Crisis – Episodes #1-4 Animeigo • Ages 13+ 1:00pm - 20th Century Boys: The Last Hope New People Entertainment • Ages 13+ 3:30pm - Wagnaria!! – Episodes #1-4 NIS America, Ages 13+ 5:15pm - Rideback – Episodes #1-6 Funimation • TV-14 8:00pm - ToRaDoRa! – Episodes #1-4 NIS America, Ages 13+ 9:45pm - Monster – Episodes #6-10 Viz • TV-MA Episodes #1-4 • The Right Stuf • Ages 13+ Media Blasters • Ages 7+ 11:45am - Angel Beats – Episodes #11-14 Sentai Filmworks • TV-14 1:45pm - Ah My Goddess – Episodes #1-5 Media Blasters • Ages 13+ 3:50pm - Naruto: Shippuden Episodes #31-32 • Viz • TV-14 5:00pm - Video Room 1 closes Video Room 2 12:45am - Highschool of the Dead Episodes #7-12 • Sentai Filmworks • TV-MA 3:30am - Nana – Episodes #23-26 Viz, TV-MA 5:15am - Gurren Lagann: The Lights in the Sky Are Stars Aniplex • Ages 13+ 7:00am - Drop Funimation • Not Rated 9:00am - Black Butler – Episodes #1-6 Funimation • TV-14 11:45am - Arakawa Under the Bridge Episodes #1-4 • NIS America • Ages 13+ Ratings Anime covers all sides of the entertainment audience, so the anime rating system was created. In a lot of ways, this is the most successful of all rating systems, as it not only gives a recommended age, but also lists the content in the film and parental guidance warning. TV-Y7: Ages 7 and up. TV-PG: Sometimes contains a little violence. 13+: Contains a little mild language and violence. TV-14: Used often in darker anime dealing with catastrophe and violence, as well as crime or murder. 15+: Comedy anime with this rating sometimes has excessive fan-service, which includes scantily clad beautiful women or men. 16+: This is the most common rating among mature anime. Harsh language is usually the reason. A few of these anime have nudity, perhaps mild fan-service, brief violence, and sometimes bloody endings. 17+: This anime is the closest to adult. It has everything from violence to excessive nudity, but no sex. 1:30pm - 20th Century Boys: Redemption TV-MA: Unlike 17+, this anime has sex, in the soft-core type, but generally it’s the excessive violence and language that gives the MA rating. 5:00pm - Video Room 2 closes 18+: This category is reserved for Hentai and films with graphic sex. New People Entertainment • Ages 13+ Charity Auction A Worthy Cause MechaCon is proud to announce this year’s charity auction will be benefitting NOLA Japan Quake Fund. We are fortunate to have as our celebrity auctioneer, none other than JONATHAN KLEIN. Mr. Klein is the Vice-President and co-owner of New Generation Pictures, Inc., based in Beverly Hills. His company produces the English language versions of some of the most popular anime and video games in the United States and Japan. Besides anime, Jonathan has also directed many video game projects for Square Enix, Capcom, Namco & other companies. Beyond working as producer and director, Jonathan’s responsibilities also include scriptwriting, script adaptation and even working behind the microphone as a voice actor in anime & video games. For more information on Mr. Klein, please see his bio on page 9 of this book. In addition to Jonathan’s work in Anime & Video games he is the co-founder of Anime Charity Auctions, an organization dedicated to helping raise money for worthwhile charitable causes. Anime Charity Auctions donates rare and unusual autographed items from anime and video games to be auctioned off at various anime & science fiction conventions. All the proceeds raised from the auction are donated to the not-for-profit charity that the convention sponsors. MechaCon is extremely proud to be graced this year with such donations. Our Charity Auction items are on display at the Convention Information desk outside of the Dealers Room on the 2nd floor. Stop by and check out all the great items up for auction. About NOLA Japan Quake Fund Following the devastating March 11th earthquake and subsequent tsunami and nuclear crisis, the members of the Japanese community in the Greater New Orleans region, like so many others, felt compelled to aid the victims of this heartbreaking disaster. Having survived Hurricane Katrina, the people of our community share a special bond with the people in Japan whose lives will be forever changed by this disaster. The NOLA Japan Quake Fund Coalition’s hope is that we can assist the Japanese in their time of need, just as they did for us following Katrina. As a unified voice, the members of jetaaNOLA, the Japan Club of New Orleans, the Japan Society of New Orleans, the Japanese Garden Foundation of New Orleans, and the Ikebana International Chapter 97, advised by Donna Fraiche, Honorary Consul General of Japan for New Orleans, have established the NOLA Japan Quake Fund. The delivery of these funds is designed to be as strategic as possible, with the lowest possible overhead. Please give to the the NOLA Japan Quake Fund today. This fund is administered by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the region’s oldest and most established community foundation, and all donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. www.nolajapanquakefund.org industry support MechaCon extends its heartfelt thanks to the following donors of prizes and general swag for our event. It is with the support of these companies that we are able to continue providing you, the attendees, with such a great annual event! Hilton New Orleans Riverside – 2nd Floor – Hilton Exhibition Center dealers room attendee conduct MechaCon Rules of Conduct (An Overview) These Activities are NOT Allowed at MechaCon: • Loitering in the halls – DEFINITELY NO sleeping in the halls • Engaging in disruptive behavior that disturbs the public or staff • Making a threat of physical or verbal harassment to a member or members of the public or MechaCon staff • Any act that could result in substantial risk or harm to any persons or property • Sexual misconduct such as, but not limited to indecent exposure, offensive touching, or any form of sexual harassment • The selling of any merchandise out of the hotel rooms, hallways, or outside the hotel under any circumstance. We value our dealers and artists, and merchandise is only to be sold, in any form, within the DEALERS room or the ARTISTS ALLEY • Engaging in any activity prohibited by Louisiana and/or City of New Orleans law • Brandishing any weapon that has not been PEACE BONDED. This includes removing a sword from its casing, or swinging a weapon around. All registered or unregistered weapons need to follow the laws of New Orleans ordinances • Distribution of any form of literature without the written permission by the MechaCon organizers MechaCon reserves the right to enforce these rules, and anyone violating them will be asked to leave and their convention badge will be revoked. There will be absolutely no refunds given in the case of any revocation of a paid convention badge due to breaking the convention rules, no matter the reason for the infraction. If the person or persons being asked to leave the convention resist being escorted off the premesis by MechaCon personnel, local police will be called in to remove the person or persons from the hotel and/or adjoining areas. Hate Symbols are NOT allowed at MechaCon Recently, a disturbing trend has developed in the anime fandom that we felt the need to address. Due to the popularity of several anime, manga and J-pop artists using symbols and uniforms from Nazi Germany, there have been some cosplayers at other conventions who seem to think that openly wearing swastikas and other hate symbols is ‘cool’. There have even been instances of groups at other conventions performing Nazi salutes. The Staff of MechaCon shares the sorrow of literally millions of Jewish, Polish, Gypsy and other families who lost children, brothers, sisters, husbands and wives to the evil of the Nazi regime and has the utmost respect for the men and women of our armed forces, who have put their lives on the line to ensure the freedom and civil liberties upon which this country was founded. We WILL NOT, under any circumstances, allow the symbols of these atrocities, or hate symbols of any kind, to be worn or displayed at MechaCon. We reserve the right to ask you to remove any such symbol, or to remove you from the convention floor should you refuse to do so. We do not dispute your right under the First Amendment to express your views by wearing a swastika out in public; MechaCon, however, is a private event, to which we welcome members of every race, creed, religion and orientation. We want everyone to feel comfortable at our event, and these symbols are offensive to many and outright insulting to some, and as such are in direct opposition to the spirit of community and family that MechaCon has tried to engender in our attendees. Any symbol that can be characterized as a hate symbol should not be worn at MechaCon. This includes the swastika. We realize that the swastika originated as a Buddhist symbol and was adopted by Nazi Germany. This does not change the fact that, after years of use as a representation of the Nazi’s attempt at ethnic cleansing by the murder of millions, the swastika is known the world over as a symbol of hatred. It has, unfortunately, taken on a new meaning, and has fallen out of use by most Buddhists. Further, it is absurd to suggest that it is being used for its original Buddhist symbolism while attaching it to a Nazi uniform or other WWII period costume. Other unacceptable symbols are the “SS” thunderbolts, the noose, “HFFH” symbols, and any other symbol that is widely accepted as a symbol of oppression, hatred or violence towards a specific group of people. Again, we want everyone to feel comfortable at MechaCon and have an enjoyable experience. MechaCon is not the proper venue for political or moral debate, and we reserve the right to remove anyone participating in conduct that may be offensive to our staff, guests or other attendees. Please be aware of and courteous towards the feelings of your fellow con-goers. Just because something is not offensive to you, doesn’t mean it is not offensive and hurtful to others. We appreciate your help in keeping MechaCon a peaceful, fun environment. your stay at the hilton Hilton New Orleans Riverside Two Poydras Street New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 USA Phone: 1-504-561-0500 Fax: 1-504-568-1721 Web: NewOrleansRiversideHotel.com About the Hotel Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, adjacent to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and Riverwalk Marketplace. Three blocks from the French Quarter. Within walking distance to the Central Business District, IMAX Theatre, Aquarium of the Americas, Harrah’s Casino and National World War II Museum. Only 13 miles from the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. MechaCon is being held on the first and second levels of the hotel’s meeting space. As a host to a majority of New Orleans’ major meetings, the Hilton New Orleans Riverside has 130,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space in classically opulent design featuring a French influence. MechaCon’s floors are just a short escalator or elevator ride apart. Cosplayers, please be careful when riding the escalators! Please be mindful of your costume pieces. We don’t want anyone to get hurt. Hotel Features The Hilton New Orleans Riverside, a full service luxury complex, is actually a “city within itself” with a redesigned front desk and guest service area to increase efficiency and enhance service; featuring “BoardEZ” computers to print boarding passes which are adjacent to their full service business center. The lobby also includes River Blends Café, proudly serving Starbucks ®, featuring coffee and pastries or start your day off at Le Croissant Express which features the “Hilton Breakfast”. SPIRITS Bar is located on the main floor of the hotel and features the smooth libation “Delta Breeze” that can compliment many of the menu offerings. Self Parking: $32.00 USD Per Night Valet Parking: $38.00 USD Per Night Self-Parking for hotel guests staying in the MechaCon room block: $10.00 USD per night. Inquire with the hotel for details. The Riverwalk Marketplace From beignets and café au lait, to Mardi Gras masks and spices, to pralines, postcards, and a food court... MechaCon has its very own MechaMall attached to our hotel this year! The Riverwalk Marketplace is conveniently connected to the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. Don’t forget to check it out! MechaCon policies MechaCon’s Intent The primary purpose of MechaCon is to provide a fun and safe experience for as wide-range of attendees as possible. Our intention is to bring a balance of Japanese traditional and pop culture to Louisiana through Anime and western animation appreciation. Hotel Staff and MechaCon Please remember that you are a guest of the hotel, and that there are other guests utilizing the same facilities. Please remember to be courteous and do not disturb other guests with excessive noise levels. If the hotel staff requests that you quiet down or stop a certain behavior, please do so. If you do not, your badge will be confiscated. We are all here to have a good time, so by acting responsibly, we can continue to bring events such as an Anime convention to New Orleans. Hands-Off Policy MechaCon has a strict hands-off policy regarding its mascots, staff, and attendees. This means that no attendee is to make physical contact with any member of MechaCon staff, Hilton staff, or other convention attendees without first getting permission from the person he / she wishes to make contact with. This includes, but is not limited to, unwarranted “glomping”, touching, embracing, or hanging-on. All attendees are expected to be familiar with this policy. Security Policy MechaCon security is based on a “three-strikes” rule. Strike One: Attendee is given a verbal warning and informed of the policy being violated. Strike Two: Attendee Badge is pulled for one hour and is escorted from convention function space. Attendee may pick up their badge at the Security Desk after one hour. A State issued photo ID, or student ID must be presented at the Security Desk to reclaim your badge. If underaged, a parent or guardian must accompany you to reclaim your badge. Strike Three: Badge is pulled for the duration of the remainder of the Convention. If a badge is pulled, the attendee can appeal the circumstances to the Security Chief and the Director of Operations during the Convention. The Security Manager or Director of Operations will decide that evening (the day the badge was pulled) whether or not to reinstate the MechaCon Convention Attendee’s badge privileges. Strikes can be issued for the following reasons but are not limited to: Harassment reports, disorderly conduct/ disruption of the convention and/or the hotel, violation of any convention polices as stated in this document, avoiding a Security Staffer trying to speak with you about a policy violation, or flight from a Security Staffer after a policy violation has been declared but before the issue is resolved, or violations of Convention Rules of Conduct. There is NO time limit between strikes. Example, an attendee who harasses another attendee, runs when the Security Staffer arrives to deal with the matter, and then disrupts the convention in the process of getting away can earn three strikes. MechaCon Security reserves the right to revoke MechaCon Attendee Membership and eject anyone from the convention floor at any time without a refund. Weapons Policy Items that could be used as a weapon must be peacebonded at our Security Desk. Even if your weapon is a prop, please check in with our security desk to have it inspected and approved to be on the floor. All bladed items must be kept in their sheaths at all times in public/function areas. Ammunition for Gun replica or other replica projectile weapons will not be allowed anywhere on the floor at any time. If you are found brandishing and otherwise acting irresponsibly with a replica weapon in public/function areas, your registration may be immediately revoked. As for fantasy or costume weapons, if we cannot tell it’s fake from 10 feet away, you should not bring it. Notice to Parents If you’re not staying in our hotel, please don’t leave your children here overnight without someone legally responsible for them. We are NOT a babysitting service. We also require a way to reach you in case of an emergency. You will be held responsible (legally and financially) for any damages incurred by your child or charge to hotel and/or MechaCon property. Any criminal damages and/or activity will be met with criminal charges, as well as a permanent ban from ALL future Sennin Productions, LLC events. All attendees are subject to the laws and ordinances set forth by Federal, State, Parish, and City Governments. The ratings of programming available at the convention vary. Due to differences in international rating structures, some adult situations may occur in some titles. Whenever possible, we have indicated these shows on the programming schedule to aid in our patrons viewing choices, but parental guidance is ALWAYS recommended. Notice to Students & Minors We expect you to behave yourselves so we don’t have to call your parents. Your behavior is what’s important, not your age. You and your parent(s)/legal guardian will be held responsible (legally and financially) for damages incurred by you to hotel and/or MechaCon property. Any criminal damages and/or activity will be met with criminal charges, as well as a permanent ban from ALL future Sennin Productions, LLC events. All attendees are subject to the laws and ordinances set forth by Federal, State, Parish, and City Governments. Notice to Adult Attendees ALL attendees are expected to conduct themselves respectably. You will be held responsible (legally and financially) for damages incurred by you to hotel and/ or MechaCon property. Any criminal damages and/or activity will be met with criminal charges, as well as a permanent ban from ALL future Sennin Productions, LLC events. All attendees are subject to the laws and ordinances set forth by Federal, State, Parish, and City Governments. guest autographs Acknowledgements Convention Organizers Peter Bares – Sennin Productions, LLC Jon Russo – Sennin Productions, LLC Senior Staff 2011 Cover Art Courtesy of Robby Musso A special thanks to Robby Musso for his incredible cover, T-shirt and promotional character art. Hunter Domingue – Floor Manager James “Stoney” Potter – Table-top Gaming Coordinator Melanie Russo – Registration Coordinator / Ad Sales / Artist Alley Coordinator Staff Danny Carter – Security Chief Cole Clark – Chief of Operations Justin David – Mascot Department Manager / Cosplay Support Brandon Delcambre – Panels Coordinator David Doerr – Overnight Ops Manager David Giles – Table-top Gaming Jonathan Hidalgo – Industry Liaison / Video Rooms Coordinator Gary Navo – Electronic Gaming & Tournaments Coordinator James Parker – Volunteer Coordinator John Parker – Main Events Coordinator / Dock Manager Kiera Rowland – GoldPass Liaison Mascots Sherry Savage – Registration Amber Theriot – Special Events Jacqui Perry - JETT Haniel Thibeaux – Security Leslie Williford - ZEE Matt Traylor – Stage Director Abby Williford – Guest Relations Coordinator Support Staff Bobbie Adams – Artists Alley Liaison Donnelise Bruney – Cosplay Brad Daigle – A/V Support Taylor Domingue – Staff Videographer Dominique Ducote – Table-top Gaming Jared Frazer – Volunteer Support Jason Graham – GoldPass Support William Hebert – Table-top Gaming Matt Leviticus Holman – Operations Stu Keller – Table-top Gaming Tonia LaJaunie – Registration Callina McMillan – Special Events Rebecca Rathbun – Cosplay Chess Ashley-Marie Robichaux – Guest Relations Seth Segura – Table-top Gaming Event Facilitators Guest Liaisons Eliot Altman Seth Daudey Larry Furry Mike Ganier Denice Naquin Jeanne Ory Logan Pelafigue Blake Rebouche Videographers Andrea Evans William McFarlain Matt Roberts A special thanks to Amelie Belcher for the adorably cute chibi art of Jett and Zee found in this program book. David Adams / DJ Wildfire – MechaCon House Party Clover – MC for Cosplay Competition Rebecca Rathbun & Jessica Reese – Cosplay Chess Facilitators Matt Traylor – AMV Contest Abby Williford – MC for Opening Ceremonies & Formal / Semi-formal Dinner Silly Butlers Productions – Hosts for Formal Cosplay-Optional Ball Copyright © 2011 by Sennin Productions, L.L.C., Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.A.
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