Zenkaikon V Press Kit March 18-20, 2011 Valley Forge Convention Center King of Prussia, PA Event Overview Description Zenkaikon, an annual convention celebrating Japanese animation (anime), comics (manga), and pop culture, is returning to Valley Forge for its fifth anniversary event. It features a variety of programming including anime and live action screenings, discussion panels, workshops, costume competitions, concerts by musical guests, game shows, video and table-top gaming, vendors, artists and more. Japanese goth band Rose Noire will be making their U.S. debut at the convention. Other guests for Zenkaikon V include voice actor and musican Vic Mignogna (FullMetal Alchemist, Vampire Knight), voice actor Todd Haberkorn (Ouran High School Host Club, Hetalia: Axis Powers), New York band Gelatine, standup comedian “Uncle Yo”, author CJ Henderson, webcomic artist Onezumi, and more. www.zenkaikon.com Location Valley Forge Convention Center and Scanticon Hotel & Conference Center 1160 First Avenue King of Prussia, PA 19406 Dates Friday, March 18, 2011, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, March 19, 2011, 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday, March 20, 2011, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost Friday $25, Saturday $35, Sunday $25, Three Day $55 Contact Kristyn Souder Head of Communications (267) 536-9566 [email protected] Page 1 of 8 Background History and Mission Zenkaikon was founded in 2006 by the merging of two local events, Kosaikon – an anime convention held at Villanova University – and Zentrancon – an anime and science fiction convention held on the University of Pennsylvania campus. Kosaikon held its first event in 2003, where 75 individuals came together to celebrate their interest in Japanese animation. Zentrancon's debut convention took place in October 2005, when 350 people came to Philadelphia to watch anime and science fiction screenings, meet celebrity guests, and participate in video gaming. The decision to merge was originally proposed as both conventions wanted to expand, and realized that, together, they could create an exciting annual event for anime fans in the Philadelphia area. Thus, in 2006, Zentrancon became Zenkaikon, and moved to the larger venue of the Valley Forge Scanticon Hotel and Conference Center in King of Prussia, PA, where it welcomed approximately 450 attendees in its first year. By 2008, attendance had nearly tripled. Having outgrown its previous venue, Zenkaikon moved into the Radisson Hotel Valley Forge, where it welcomed a sold-out attendance of 1988 individuals in 2009. This year will mark the convention’s fifth at the Valley Forge Convention Center Complex, when it will again expand into the combined space of the Valley Forge Convention Center and Scanticon Conference Center. With registration numbers already higher than last year, the staff of Zenkaikon looks forward to another successful event. Zenkaikon is staffed completely by volunteers, who want to share their appreciation for Japanese popular culture with the Philadelphia region. Last year, there were over 250 anime conventions around the world, with the top ten U.S. conventions attracting over 150 thousand attendees. While Zenkaikon is still small compared to the largest conventions, its staff hopes that by growing each year, they can build an event that will be an integral part of culture in the region for many years to come. Page 2 of 8 Selected Event Descriptions Anime Music Video (AMV) Contest Amateur video editors submit their best compilation of anime and video game clips set to popular music. At a screening, attendees are given ballots to vote for the submissions in a number of categories including Romantic, Dramatic, Action, Upbeat, and Comedy. The winners are shown at an encore screening. Artist Alley Amateur and professional artists showcase their work and original merchandise. Artist Alley merchandise traditionally includes prints, comics, models, paintings, clothing, and novelty crafts. Attendees may browse their wares, purchase items for sale, or request commissions. Concerts Rose Noire will be presenting concerts on Saturday and Sunday of the convention. Gelatine will be holding concerts on Friday and Sunday. Cosplay Ball Attendees don their finest garb or prettiest formal costumes for a formal dance featuring a live band. The first hour of the event includes a lesson in “set dancing” techniques by an instructor. Cosplay Masquerade One of the most popular events at anime conventions features costumed attendees presenting short skits based on their characters. A panel of judges evaluates the skits, as well as the craftsmanship of the costumes, and then announces the winners. Dealer Room Commercial vendors offer a variety of Japanese and general “geek”-themed merchandise including anime and live action DVDs, comics, video games, clothing, figurines, collectables, and more. Page 3 of 8 Game Shows Anime-themed versions of several popular game shows will bring excitement and prizes to the convention. Planned games include Anime Farkle, Anime Press Your Luck, Anime Stop the Music, and a special round of Anime Password with guests Vic Mignogna and Todd Haberkorn. Live Action Role Playing (LARP) A LARP is an interactive game where attendees act out the roles of their favorite anime and manga characters. The game runs the course of the weekend, with an overarching plot and scheduled events. Karaoke Attendees sing their hearts out to their favorite anime and Japanese pop tunes. Times are scheduled for both competitions and open play. Panels & Workshops Guests and attendees will present a variety of intriguing and entertaining panels and workshops throughout the convention. Just a few examples of over sixty scheduled panels include “How To Take Over the World with Your Webcomic”, “Living as an Otaku in Japan”, “Millinery 101”, and “Castles, Forests and Bath Houses: The Magical Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki.” Video Gaming A wide variety of consoles and games are available for attendees to enjoy throughout the convention. Gaming tournaments allow attendees to compete for prizes. Page 4 of 8 Guest Biographies Biographies provided by guests or their agents. Gelatine (Band) Gelatine is one of the most consistently entertaining bands in New York. They're a rock band who seem to mix influences of classical, Japanese traditional, metal, and cartoons, into a rowdy and enjoyable listening experience. As for their ability to play their instruments, they're technically quite impressive, but their secret weapon is Seiko, their lead singer. She has appeared on stage in diapers, as a bandaged schoolgirl, as a military officer, and currently designs her own outfits. She puts an amazing amount of energy into each performance, surprising and delighting with self-created dance routines, and a variety of moves which range from sexy, to provocative, and lately often give the impression that she has regressed to the state of a hyperactive five-year-old. Rose Noire (Band) Rose Noire was formed by Louie (Vocal) and Jill (Violin), when they were the students of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. They are free from predefined genres and concepts and compose their own world in the image of their own existence and music. Their music is based on Classical Music, but adds the variety of other genres, like Rock, R&B, Club music, Industrial, Electronica and so on. In 2007, they received the ZOOM award at the SONY-ZOOM DEMO tape competition. Rose Noire will be making their US concert debut at Zenkaikon through Tainted Reality. Todd Haberkorn (Voice Actor) Todd Haberkorn is a proud member of the anime community and continues to be its humble servant by way of English dubbing. Haberkorn received his BFA in acting from Southern Methodist University and continues to work professionally, primarily in Texas and surrounding states, as an actor, director, producer, and writer. Catch Todd's voice as lead roles in Sgt. Frog as Keroro, Suzuka as Yamato, Ghost Hunt as Naru, Claymore as Raki, xxxHolic as Watanuki, D. Gray Man as Allen Walker, Sands of Destruction as Kyrie, Soul Eater as Death the Kid, and soon Axis Powers Hetalia as Italy. A few Page 5 of 8 supporting roles include Itsuki in Shuffle, Ichimoruken in Hell Girl, Firo in Baccano!, Kono in Darker Than Black, Hikaru in Ouran High School Host Club and Khoza in One Piece. When not in the booth, Todd is a producer with his company, Out of the Office Productions. Also, check out his weekly podcast with Leah Clark called Popcast Weekly (popcastweekly.com). Todd is represented by The Horne Agency. Vic Mignogna (Voice Actor) While Vic has been acting for stage and screen since he was eight years old, he started his career in anime about ten years ago as Vega in Streetfighter II. Since then, Vic has been in more than a hundred and fifty shows and video games. He is known for such roles as Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist, Tamaki Suou in Ouran High School Host Club, Fai in Tsubasa Chronicle, Dark in DN Angel, Kurz in Full Metal Panic, Broly in Dragonball Z, Kougaijji in Saiyuki, Ikkaku in Bleach, Yukito in Air, Takanaga in Wallflower, Tatsu in Peacemaker, Luciano in Code Geass, Virgil Walsh in Trinity Blood, Hikaru in Macross, and many more. Currently, Vic is excited to be playing Zero in Vampire Knight, Death Scythe in Soul Eater, and the lead role of Yoshimori in Cartoon Network's Kekkaishi. He is back in the role of Edward in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Vic has also voiced roles in a large number of video games including Soul Calibur, Disgaea, Persona III, Project Sylpheed, Dragonball Z, Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist and more. Even before his voice acting career, Vic has been a professional music composer / singer / producer who has written and produced hundreds of songs for TV, radio and CD. He sings the themes for shows such as One Piece and Dragonball Z GT, and has produced several CDs of his own original music.