WEB EXCLUSIVE: Anime St Louis convention draws fans of Japanese comics, more
Jeremy Trice
Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: Arts and Entertainment
Fans of anime, video games and manga, which are the Japanese equivalent of comics, showed up dressed as their favorite characters to the Anime St. Louis convention March 28-30 at the Holiday Inn in the Southwest Viking Conference Center.
Naruto, Death Note, Trigun, Inuyasha, Blood Plus, Yu-Gi-Oh, Full Metal Alchemist, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cardcaptor Sakura, Wolf's Rain, Witch Hunter Robin, One Piece, BLEACH, Nero from Devil May Cry 4, Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII, Sora and Leon from the Kingdom Hearts games, and even the mascots for Nintendo, Mario, Sonic, and Shadow the Hedgehog, were among the costumed characters cosplaying, short for costume playing, which is part of a Japanese subculture.
The history of Anime St. Louis itself comes from the fall of Kunicon, a traveling anime convention. In 2006, Anime St. Louis, then known as MiniCon, was held for one day on the campus of Maryville University.
Mini-Con became Anime St. Louis at the suggestion of guest Michael "Piano Squall" Gluck. The convention was hosted by the Maryville Anime Club and its founder, Alisha Bingham, as well as other Maryville student organizations.
Then last year, Anime St. Louis requested to join with ShowMeCon, who agreed to make Anime StL become the official name for the three-day convention. Maryville's Anime Club joined up with Webster University's Anime Society. Anime St. Louis 2007 was held at the Maryville Marriott Hotel.
This year, the theme for Anime St. Louis was "Shinsegumi and waffles, only at Anime St. Louis." According to the Anime St. Louis Web site under the FAQ section, the theme was "a long story about an inside joke."
AStL '08 also featured two different game shows that pertain to anime: Anime Family Feud and Whose Line Is It Anime. According to Nick Frank, Anime St. Louis treasurer and Maryville Anime Club President, "the game shows were great. Family Feud started later but was a lot of fun when it started."
Frank also hosted Who's Line Is It Anime. "I think it was better than last year. We started on time and had such a blast," Frank said.
Naruto, Death Note, Trigun, Inuyasha, Blood Plus, Yu-Gi-Oh, Full Metal Alchemist, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cardcaptor Sakura, Wolf's Rain, Witch Hunter Robin, One Piece, BLEACH, Nero from Devil May Cry 4, Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII, Sora and Leon from the Kingdom Hearts games, and even the mascots for Nintendo, Mario, Sonic, and Shadow the Hedgehog, were among the costumed characters cosplaying, short for costume playing, which is part of a Japanese subculture.
The history of Anime St. Louis itself comes from the fall of Kunicon, a traveling anime convention. In 2006, Anime St. Louis, then known as MiniCon, was held for one day on the campus of Maryville University.
Mini-Con became Anime St. Louis at the suggestion of guest Michael "Piano Squall" Gluck. The convention was hosted by the Maryville Anime Club and its founder, Alisha Bingham, as well as other Maryville student organizations.
Then last year, Anime St. Louis requested to join with ShowMeCon, who agreed to make Anime StL become the official name for the three-day convention. Maryville's Anime Club joined up with Webster University's Anime Society. Anime St. Louis 2007 was held at the Maryville Marriott Hotel.
This year, the theme for Anime St. Louis was "Shinsegumi and waffles, only at Anime St. Louis." According to the Anime St. Louis Web site under the FAQ section, the theme was "a long story about an inside joke."
AStL '08 also featured two different game shows that pertain to anime: Anime Family Feud and Whose Line Is It Anime. According to Nick Frank, Anime St. Louis treasurer and Maryville Anime Club President, "the game shows were great. Family Feud started later but was a lot of fun when it started."
Frank also hosted Who's Line Is It Anime. "I think it was better than last year. We started on time and had such a blast," Frank said.
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