VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES A TRIO OF EXCITING NEW MANGA AND ART BOOK ACQUISITIONS

GOODNIGHT PUNPUN, BLANC ET NOIR Art Book, And New Shojo Manga Series THE HEIRESS AND THE CHAUFFEUR Announced For Spring 2016 Release
San Francisco, CA, July 27, 2015 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America continues to expand its extensive manga (graphic novel) catalog and gives fans and readers a sneak peek at a trio of notable new titles scheduled to launch during the Spring of 2016.

VIZ Media Announces #Otakon 2014 Activities and Retail Roster!

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES SHOW PROGRAMMING,
PANEL EVENTS, SPECIAL GUESTS AND
CONVENTION EXCLUSIVES FOR 2014 OTAKON

VIZ Media Returns To One Of The Largest Pop Culture Fan Events
On The East Coast With SAILOR MOON DAY, Exclusive Meet &
Greet Autograph Session, And Special Convention Retail Items

San Francisco, CA, August 4, 2014 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, has announced an array of special activities and exclusive retail items to be offered as part of the company’s presence at the 2014 OTAKON convention.

Otakon 2013 – Cosplay + 2

I do not know who she’s cosplaying as, but her feet! Look at those perfect cat paws on her feet! x3 They look so well done!

Lolita Fashion at Otakon 2013

Lolita adorning a Korean brand dress. She must be the 3rd person that I have seen wear this distinctive design. The colors are so pretty! I researched online to see what brand sold this dress. Even though I figured out which brand the design is from, unfortunately, I am a couple years too late. (T_T)

Otakon 2013 Dealers Room

A Kyoko Sakura with bat wings. There was a Madoka, Sayaka and Mami winged versions too. I think Mami was the first to be sold out followed by Madoka and Sayaka.

Media Report: Otakon 2013 Sunday Happenings

Eric Maruscak posing with the completion of his Otakon theme chalk art.

Otakon 2013 Sword Art Online Gathering

At Otakon, Saturday was the Sword Art Online (SAO) fan gathering. Similar to the Madoka Magica gathering, I learned about this on a cosplay forum and then on Facebook for the status changes. I believe that originally, the gathering was supposed to happen at an earlier time and at a different location. The change was due to schedule conflict relating to another SAO event (might have been a panel).

Cosplaying Adventures as Silica

Today’s post will be about my Saturday experience as Silica from Sword Art Online (SAO). The experience was not quite the same as when I was Homura. For one thing, I was cosplaying by myself, second, there was WAY less people requesting a photo and third, it was not an easy outfit to put on. (-_-); All right, so let’s begin with the morning of.

Media Report: Otakon 2013 Saturday Happenings

In the early evening, the crowd outside was bustling.

Otakon 2013 Madoka Magica Fan Gathering

This was the first photo shoot gathering that I have ever participated in. My friend, who was cosplaying as Kyoko, discovered this shoot on a cosplay forum and we included it as part of our Friday itinerary. This was completely fan organized: run by fans, for fans.

Cristina Vee Signing at Otakon 2013

At last year's Otakon, I got autographs from the voice actors for Madoka, Sayaka and Kyoko. All I was missing were Mami and Homura. At the time, I thought to myself, I probably would not be able to get the other voice actors' signature in the future. Especially since companies tend to stop promoting a series after a certain time. I would be pretty lucky to get Homura and Mami's signature. Lo' and behold! Otakon announced a name that looked familiar to me: Cristina Vee. I had to double check the name and realized it was the voice actress for Homura Akemi!

Cosplaying Adventures as Homura Akemi

At Otakon, I was Homura Akemi from Puella Magi Madoka Magica on Friday, while Saturday I was Ayano Keiko a.k.a. Silica from Sword Art Online. I have to say it was quite the experience: getting ready the morning of and having photos taken…quite often, which was unexpected!

Media Report: Otakon 2013 Friday Happenings

This was the congestion that I encountered TRYING to reach the indoor fountain in the early afternoon. OMG, what in the world happened? Literally, this bottleneck was so tight that we were moving inch by inch. It was not easy going back the other way either…

Thursday at Otakon 2013

Badge designs that you could choose from

During a convention that is on a weekend, Thursday is the best day to GO to a convention. Why? Because one gets to relax before the chaos begins on Friday. It is the perfect time to unpack, walk around the neighborhood and pick up one’s badge.

Ultimate Lolita Fashion Show 2012

Before the Show Started

Some of the Lolita models practicing their walk backstage.

Otakon Isn't Perfect

As big and popular as Otakon is, no convention is perfect and flaws do existence. Every convention has that and all they can do is learn and try to amend and/or improve it.

Volunteer Appearance

The volunteer staff members were easy to spot, because they each wore a black Otakon shirt. However, the non-staff volunteers were dress down and some were in cosplay. I am not even sure if they had special name tags because all I saw were badges around everyone’s neck that looked like the tickets to the con. It would have been useful if the volunteers had a color theme that would help identify them as such, like having them wear yellow shirts and/or have each of them wear a sticker name tag that says “Otakon Volunteer” on their shirt. Unfortunately, they blended in with the rest of us. Having something visible and uniformed amongst the non-staff volunteers would make it easier to spot them out. If I cannot find a person in black, I would not have known WHO to ask for help to get help from a staff member.

Cosplay at Otakon 2012

Homura Akemi from Puella Magi Madoka Magica!

Grab Bags at Otakon 2012

Your plan is to go to Otakon and have fun. Then you have so much fun that you want to bring something back with you as a keepsake. Some of us take pictures while others keep their badges and a program guide. However, what happens if that is not enough?

Hunting in the Otakon 2012 Dealers Room

The 123,000 sq. ft of Dealers Room space was an anime/manga dream mall. I love the fact that there was a large dedicated space for such merchandise and products. Where else can I find a variety or even items that I have never seen before? Since the room does not have a non-competitive environment, it was time to hunt for the lowest price and bargain for what I wanted to buy!

Overview of Otakon 2012

Outdoors

This is my first encounter with the Baltimore Convention Center while driving by in the blazing heat. Thank goodness for air condition! What you see here on your left is the Hilton Baltimore pedestrian skybridge connecting to the convention building and a portion of the front entrance exterior.