Introduction
Over the previous three a long time, Otakon has been a fixture of the East Coast anime scene. Numerous followers have walked the halls of its varied venues, to the purpose that youngsters who had attended the con within the ‘90s and early 2000s now return with households of their very own. With every passing 12 months, the conference has prided itself on offering an expertise for everyone.
This 12 months proved to be no totally different. As with earlier occasions, Otakon 2024 was an enormous, vibrant present that would fulfill even probably the most fickle of anime followers with a staggering slate of actions to seize peoples’ imaginations. Panels about Cells At Work! and anime fandom within the Philippines ran alongside marquee occasions like concert events and dwell drawing exhibitions. In the meantime, the Seller’s Room supplied followers an opportunity to seek out that one merchandise that’s eluded them over the previous 12 months, and Artist’s Alley gave them an opportunity to fulfill their favourite fan artists.
Over the conference weekend, we lined the whole size of the Walter E. Washington Conference Heart a number of instances over, and attended practically two dozen occasions, from panels to concert events, to every thing in between, and needed to share our report on our private highlights of the conference.
The Ota-Museum
As a part of their Thirtieth-anniversary festivities, Otakon’s employees introduced their Ota-Museum again in a grand vogue. This 12 months, an enormous, neon-colored tori gate welcomed attendees to a spacious room, bathed in a smooth mild. A path on the ground led attendees on a chronological tour by means of the conference’s historical past.
Every show featured an array of artifacts from a given 12 months’s conventions, which have been lovingly organized. Badges, shirts, and program guides have been arrange alongside plushies, duplicate awards, and different relics. Every show was flanked by poster-sized indicators that highlighted the 12 months’s chairperson, company, and attendance, in addition to a brief trivia blurb.
Close to the exit, the group erected a pair of memorial shows for beloved members of the neighborhood who’re now not with us. The primary commemorated the reminiscence of conference photographer Rob Williams, who handed away earlier this 12 months. Williams’ digicam and several other images he had taken at varied Otakons have been organized in a considerate show that celebrated his work.
The second of those reveals was devoted to Chuck Shandry, who attended the first-ever Otakon, and served as a staffer till he handed away in 2021. Shandry had collected and preserved most of the gadgets on show throughout the better museum. A model was dressed together with his employees shirt, hats, and conference badges, together with his Otakon 1994 badge prominently displayed on the heart.
Whereas strolling by means of the room, it was unimaginable to flee the enormity of the occasion’s affect on fandom tradition. Every show and each signpost served as a reminder that, for generations, Otakon has held a priceless place within the hearts and minds of anime followers throughout the nation.
The Seller’s Room
Within the early hours of the primary day, practically a dozen members of the media met within the Otakon press room, the place a number of staffers awaited our arrival. Inside a couple of minutes, these group members escorted us down, by means of the conference heart’s halls, to the still-closed Seller’s Room. As we walked down the aisles, we couldn’t assist however observe as distributors hurried to place the ending touches on their cubicles earlier than individuals flooded in.
There was a stillness within the air, a surreality that couldn’t be described, as we wandered the empty through-ways, and noticed the quiet cubicles that might quickly be filled with tens of 1000’s of individuals.
As we ended the tour, we have been requested to line up close to the doorway, if we wished to movie the doorway of the primary clients. We positioned ourselves and commenced chatting amongst ourselves, as we waited for the room to open. Two minutes handed, then three, because the anticipation constructed amongst us. The sound of the oncoming crowd instantly swelled, as 1000’s of individuals hurried down the escalators and stairs earlier than us. A gentle murmur shortly changed the silence, as increasingly individuals filed in to discover the pristine cubicles that we had simply handed moments earlier than.
The Seller’s Room would turn out to be a bustling hub for numerous followers over the weekend, with 1000’s of individuals wandering inside at any second. Something a fan may need was on supply for the suitable worth, from toys to Blu-rays, to Japanese rental VHS tapes. And keen followers have been more than pleased to discover all of it, as they pored over merchandise, on the lookout for that uncommon merchandise to fill their collections, or only a new manga to learn on the experience residence.
The empty pockets between aisles and on the fringe of the room served as de facto assembly locations, the place attendees would pause to boast about their hauls, pose for a fast cosplay picture, or simply take a load off and chat for a couple of minutes. For some, although, it grew to become a de facto stage, as a cosplay duo placed on an impromptu efficiency of Wham!’s Careless Whisper.
It was a joyful, chaotic swirl of people who consistently crackled with vitality and life. From its opening moments till closing time, the ocean of keen and excited followers by no means abated.
Cloak, Dagger, Kimono, Katana: Spycraft & Different Soiled Deeds In Anime
For greater than fifteen years, Brian T. Worth has probed the very depths of the anime abyss together with his Unhealthy Anime, Unhealthy! panels. And whereas he introduced his parade of horribles to Otakon this 12 months, he additionally introduced “Cloak, Dagger, Kimono, Katana: Spycraft & Different Soiled Deeds In Anime,” which dove into the realms of sabotage and deception as they seem in anime.
Worth smiled as individuals settled in, and the introductory video from Unhealthy Anime, Unhealthy! 2016 performed as a pre-roll. Because the clock struck 9:30, he picked up the microphone and glanced on the viewers. “In contrast to Unhealthy Anime Unhealthy, which is sweet, clear enjoyable for the whole household,” he remarked, that is meant to be entertaining and academic.” A wave of chuckles rolled by means of the room, as he added, “I do acknowledge the irony of doing a spycraft panel on this metropolis.”
Worth continued, explaining that “Spycraft is mainly criminality with sanction,” noting privateers for instance. He used this to transition into a quick rationalization of phrases like “tradecraft” (methods employed as a part of spycraft), earlier than explaining the weather that make for good tradecraft within the context of leisure.
It was right here that he paused and requested the room what reveals and movies they felt have been good examples of tradecraft in media. The viewers was wanting to oblige, chiming in with solutions that ranged from The Man From U.N.C.L.E. to Burn Discover. One particular person piped up with an excited “007!”
Worth smirked and remarked he had a whole part on Bond. He seemed over the room and requested, “So, how good of a spy is James Bond?” The viewers replied with an emphatic cry of “Horrible!” Worth cried out, “Sure! MI-6 are usually not spies! They’re killers! His Majesty’s Favourite Hitmen!”
This train shaped the premise for the remainder of the panel, as Worth polled the room on aspects of spycraft they have been interested by. The viewers was wanting to oblige, chiming in with examples that ranged from constructing a canopy, to counterintelligence operations, to disguise. Worth would clarify every of those components briefly, earlier than supplementing with a clip from an anime or a outstanding TV work. For instance, when discussing disguises, he queued up a section from Driving Bean during which the character of “Percy” is supposedly murdered in a brutal taking pictures, solely to disclose that the character was a nefarious agent who was carrying a disguise and altering her voice with a modulator.
All through the panel, Worth confirmed a deep data of the subjects at hand, and an eagerness to share his personal pleasure with the viewers, as he delivered explanations with an infectious eagerness. He guided everybody in attendance with a deft hand, as he identified the clear affect of Maurice Binder’s work in clips from Soiled Pair and Learn or Die, or delivered a dissection of an exfiltration sequence within the Crusher Joe OVAs.
All of the whereas, Worth retained the anarchic humorousness that makes “Unhealthy Anime, Unhealthy!” a must-see 12 months after 12 months. Whether or not he was cracking jokes about Netflix sequence Inside Job or snarking about Mission: Inconceivable, Worth’s potential to work a room shone all through the panel.
By the top, it was clear that the viewers was enraptured, and judging by the chatter of individuals leaving, various attendees left with a newfound appreciation for the covert arts.
Since its basis in 2005, boutique writer Discotek Media has earned a level of respect and adoration throughout the American fan neighborhood. Their dogged dedication to high quality has led to the group performing seemingly unimaginable feats to current their library within the highest constancy potential. They’ve scoured the planet for uncommon dub tracks and movie masters, remastered video with experimental know-how, and compiled long-forgotten extras to provide the closest factor potential to an ideal launch of each anime they publish.
Throughout the neighborhood, they’ve earned a status as being the anime world’s equal to The Criterion Assortment, with their huge catalog containing a celebrated choice of titles. Fan favorites like Urusei Yatsura, Venture A-Ko, and Berserk share the limelight with area of interest darlings like Big Gorg, Symphogear, and Sgt. Frog.
As such, it comes as little shock that the phrases “Discotek Day” are sufficient to encourage a degree of pleasure that’s sometimes reserved for Christmas morning amongst a particular cohort of anime followers. For the uninitiated, Discotek Days are the times when the writer pronounces their upcoming launch lineup. The core group, which incorporates Mike Toole, Justin Sevakis, Brady Hartel, and Logan Rebholz, amongst others, have shortly turn out to be the corporate’s de facto faces, as these showcases turn out to be celebrations unto themselves.
It comes as little shock, then, that Discotek Media’s Otakon panel would appeal to a capability crowd, a lot of whom had attended Justin Sevakis’ AnimEigo panel simply moments earlier than. For a lot of in attendance, this was a reunion, as associates and acquaintances chatted and joked round as they waited for the present to start out.
Earlier than lengthy, the display pale to black, because the now-iconic chorus from To Stay & Die in L.A. by Each Night time (feat. Pierce) accompanied a brand new trailer. Followers sat in rapt consideration as clips from Mazinkaiser and Digimon Journey 02 performed in time with the music. Because the teaser reached its finish, the music pale out as Discotek’s motto, “Blu-Rays are eternally, so are the classics” appeared onscreen.
Inside moments, a trailer for a live-action present began to roll. An individual in a blue robotic go well with was posing dramatically, because the subtitle “Area Sheriff Shaider!” popped up. A wave of cheers rolled by means of the room, as the conclusion had begun to set in. For a lot of tokusatsu followers, Metallic Heroes sequence Area Sheriff Shaider was considered unlicensable as a result of it getting used as part of Saban’s V.R. Troopers.
The acquisition set the tone for the night, because the hosts unveiled one shock after one other, all of which have been slated for launch throughout the subsequent few months. And with every new title, the vitality appeared to construct among the many viewers.
The room erupted once they confirmed off Area Pirate Captain Harlock, Kamen Rider V3, and Digimon Journey 02, and applauded as trailers for Magical Lady Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS and Dallos performed in fast succession. Licenses for classics like Area Musketeer Bismark and re-releases for Big Gorg and Nice Trainer Onizuka have been met by enthusiastic applause.
Although it appeared like mere minutes because it started, the panel’s allotted hour was shortly operating out. Toole smirked, although, as he remarked that they’d a few closing surprises.
For the primary, the viewers was instantly reminded of a puzzle, as a trailer that includes a well-known gentleman clad in a high hat rolled. Loud cheers rose up, as people clued in that the writer had managed to rescue Professor Layton and the Everlasting Diva, a 2009 movie based mostly on the Professor Layton video video games. However, greater than that, Discotek had additionally managed to choose up the rights to the English dub.
At this level, only a few minutes remained on the clock, and the group was giving a recap of what was revealed that night. Toole paused with a smile, earlier than remarking that he had simply “yet another factor” for these in attendance. The screens went black as soon as extra, and a well-known Dutch angle shot of a schoolgirl and a blue-haired man, each consuming apples, appeared.
Instantly, confusion took maintain all through the room. “That is Kite,” an individual behind me proclaimed. And, certainly, because the clips performed out, Sawa’s iconic design was unmistakable. On the identical time, individuals have been asking “How?” The title was, so far as anybody in attendance knew, Media Blasters’ child; they have been promoting copies of the Blu-Ray within the Seller’s Room simply hours earlier that day.
The surrealism gave strategy to pleasure, although, as Sevakis, Hartel, and Toole confirmed that they’d certainly licensed Kite, and commenced detailing their restoration course of for the movie. They confirmed that the disc would come with all three variations of the film, prompting applause from these in attendance.
Very like with earlier years, this 12 months’s Discotek Media panel was a block social gathering for followers of a sure age, which allowed outdated associates and new acquaintances to bond over a shared love of the classics.
Galleries
Otamuseum
Seller’s Room
Seller’s Room Opening
