July 30- Aug 1 2010

Over the past weekend there were a lot of people who went to Otakon in Baltimore, MD. But for those who couldn’t make it and were near New York City, there was a new event which took place in SoHo called Ani-Mini-Con.  This new event was brought together by a couple of anime fans named Kim and Alexandra. Using their resources and contacts they were able to put together the event and get use of the  SoHo Gallery for Digital Art as a venue.  Though the location is an art gallery, it also welcomes cultural and entertainment events.

The three-day long schedule was ambitious for a small even just starting up.  On Friday, which we weren’t able to attend, we were told from the attendees of that day that there was a reception and cosplay contest. Afterward, they had fun doing some anime improv during the night and just hung out.

For Saturday they scheduled three panelists and a musical event in the evening.   First up was Misako Rocks! who’s been to many of the other events in the area.  For this event she told her life story as part of a promotion for her new book based on events in her life,  Rock and Roll Love.   She told us how she became interested in America and came over as an exchange student.   Eventually she became an artist and went to Japan to receive the Woman of the Year award 2010 from Nikkei Woman, a Japanese magazine. It’s always great to see how artists grew up.

Next up was Brian Mah. Brian is based out of Washington DC and has worked in both graphic design and animation. He spoke about his work and his time in Japan. He offered advice for those interested in studying or working in Japan. He also spoke about his work as an animator, showing us how animators traditionally worked on animation along with some of the differences between the Japanese and western animation work flows.

Last to talk was Dane Robinson. He spoke about Mr. Bricks, a Heavy Metal Murder Musical, which he worked on the soundtrack for. While not exactly related to anime, it was interesting seeing something completely different. It was mentioned how it might have some similar aspects to Japanese horror films, but we really don’t follow enough of that genre to make a conclusion.

At night, there was a musical performance by Alexandra on the Violin. She spoke about music and how musical pieces are worked into anime.

For Sunday the event was a Victorian, Gothic and Lolita Tea Party featuring the Soho Host Club. They brought in tables to serve tea in more of a host environment. In correspondence before the con, I learned the organizers of the convention also came up with the idea of creating a host group loosely based off the anime Ouran Host Club. Over the weekend all the members were active, being hosts and interacting with everyone. I spoke to one of the gentlemen and said one of the group’s goals is to eventually host at more events.

As a start-up, this event did fairly well. Everyone showed up not knowing what to expect. This event bought in people around the neighborhood and showed them a little about Japanese culture. I do hope in the future the organizers are able work off this experience and have more events. The speakers were excellent and I hope they are able to get more in the future.