Check Out Our Anime Festival Orlando 11 Events!

This Friday is the beginning of Anime Festival Orlando 11, taking place at the Wyndham Orlando Resort on International Drive and Sand Lake Blvd. It's essentially a weekend-long party for anime fans and other geeks and it's action-packed with lots of awesome events!

A whole lot of our club members are involved in the running of the Skies of Orlandia game taking place during the weekend. You can gain XP to level up by going to convention events, doing PVP, games of skill, scavenger hunts, and more! As you level up, you can help out one of four factions(and switch between them during the weekend) to victory at closing ceremonies! More details can be found here.

We are very excited to work on AFO's biggest event, but that's not all! We have a lot of awesome panels as well!

Here is our panel schedule:

Friday

1:00PM - Otaku Survival Guide
2:30PM - How To Play Skies Of Orlandia
3:00PM - Fuzzy's Convention 101
11:30AM - Robotech: The Legacy Continues
9:00PM - True Blue: A Sonic Panel
10:30PM - Kingdom Hearts: Deep Dive

Saturday

12:30PM - How To Make Anime Cool Again
2:00PM - How To Play Skies Of Orlandia
10:00PM - It's MANIME! The Manly Anime Panel!
12:00AM - Rebirth Of Evangelion

Sunday

9:30AM - Guns N Roses: The World Of Baccano!
3:30PM - How Did You Do? Skies Of Orlandia Wrap Up

That's lot of awesome stuff! We hope to see you at our events! Have tons of fun at AFO 11!

Propeller Anime Club to announce first batch of events for Anime Festival Orlando XI!

Calling out all local fans of Japanese Anime!

Propeller Anime Club, one of the strongest growing clubs in Florida focused on the interest and promotion of Japanese Anime, will be hosting a solid lineup of events at this year's Anime Festival Orlando! In its eleventh year, Anime Festival Orlando is Florida's favorite anime convention!

How could that be, you ask? AFO services the local anime community by bringing in well known and interesting industry guests to meet and talk with fans, by hosting fun and interactive game-shows all weekend, by showing some of the best of both new and classic anime in their theater seating viewing rooms, and by having a solid schedule of exciting events throughout the entire convention. That's just the tip of the iceberg! Anime fans do not rest and neither does AFO!

Anime Festival Orlando takes place August 5th through 8th at the Wyndham Orlando Resort on International Drive and Sand Lake Road. If you have not registered to get a pass at AFO, you can do so right now.

We at the Propeller Anime Club will be hosting many events and we'll be involved in the ongoing battle in Skies of Orlandia, an interactive convention experience that attendees of AFO can participate in at any time during he convention. PAC's involvement in the Skies of Orlandia game will be discussed at a later time. For now, we have three awesome events that we'd like to officially announce!


Otaku Survival Guide

Think you’re an Otaku? Don’t know what one really is? Or maybe you’re looking for ways to live in this crazy world as one? Whatever your questions may be, come and find out all the information for your American Otaku lifestyle, and get tips on further delving into your obsession. More...

 
It's MANIME! The Manly Anime Panel!

Grow some hair on your chest and learn what is to be a true man! This one is for fans of series such as Fist of the North Star, Berserk, and other testosterone-filled classics! Both old and new anime of manly proportions shall be covered and you will even learn the gospel that is the Twelve Laws of True Man!  More...

Rebirth of Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion: A mile-stone in anime history, and still one of the greatest anime of all time. Want to know more about it, or maybe you’ve never even heard of it? Whatever your depth into the world of Eva may be, come in and learn all about the original series all the way to the rebuilds. More...


We'll have more events to announce over time! All of which will deal with topics in anime, videogames, or Japanese culture. Our panels are always fun, informative, and entertaining. Those are the essential qualities that the members of the Propeller Anime Club strive to accomplish with their events!

We look forward to seeing you at our events at Anime Festival Orlando XI!

Volunteering at Anime Festival Orlando!

Anime Festival Orlando, Florida's BEST anime convention, will be taking place from August 5-8 of this year. For those of you on Full Sail scheduling, that is the first weekend of your August term. AFO features more bang for your buck than any anime convention in the state with a growing list of fun and interesting industry guests, exciting events, and interactive contests and panels!

One of the major events of Anime Festival Orlando will be the Skies of Orlandia, a weekend long game that hundreds of players will enjoy during the convention. I can't give away any details publicly just yet, but it involves players gaining experience points, leveling up, teaming up for quests, and competing against each other in contests of skill. While they are doing this, they will be aligned to a faction that they will try to help win. These factions will be lead by characters that will perform on stage during several main events.

The Propeller Anime Club has been responsible for running the game Swords of Orlandia at the past two years of AFO. It has been a fun time for both us and the convention attendees. Once again, we shall be a big part in operating the game this year. However, the scope and popularity of the game has grown and we will need more people than ever to help. Not only that, the main reason AFO is so successful every year is because of the quality help we get from volunteers!

So with that, if you are available during AFO weekend, then I ask of your help!

There are three ways you can help at AFO. In doing so, you will get a free weekend pass for the convention.

1. Skies of Orlandia - You will have to be in costume and you will have to interact with hundreds of people every day. There are four factions to represent. The outfits will resemble that of the late 1800s Victorian era with a steampunk flavor. How you get the costumes made is your responsibility. The game will run from that Friday afternoon through Sunday evening, but I will need help setting up on that Thursday throughout the day.
   
   As a member of the Skies of Orlandia staff, you will know the rules of the game and interact with players to help them accomplish aspects of the game and gain experience points and level up. If you are going to be a game character representing a faction, then you must guide your followers to victory. We will also need administrative help for keeping track of how the players are doing and which faction is winning.
   
   Taking a page out of the AFO volunteer playbook, I will need 13 hours of time from each volunteer. To be more specific: I would like 5 hours on Friday, 5 hours on Saturday, and 3 hours on Sunday. The SoO game room is closed on 9pm on Friday and Saturday and will close an hour before opening ceremonies is scheduled to begin. So you are guaranteed to be free on nights(which is when a lot of the best events happen anyways). You are to contact me if you want to volunteer to be on SoO game staff.
   
   
2. Volunteering - There is a lot of help the convention needs. Room setup, security, guest handling, videogame room, video rooms, badge check at doors for events, and helping attendees of the convention. You will be visible regardless of your job and will have to interact with thousands of people. It's not as bad as it sounds; the head of volunteering at AFO is an excellent leader and every volunteer I've talked to has enjoyed the experience.
   
   The learn more about volunteering and to sign up, there is a volunteer section on AFO's website that you should read.
   
   
3. Panelists - Anime Festival Orlando prides itself on having a schedule full of events. The general complaint about AFO is that there is too much to do at the convention and not enough time to do it all! To keep that tradition going, panel submissions are available until May 15th 2010. Entertaining and educating people on anime or something related to the Japanese culture is an important aspect to Anime Festival Orlando's programming.
   
   For this year, doing one panel will get you a weekend pass. It sounds easy but it takes solid effort and time to put together a great panel. Yeah sure, you could throw some bullshit together for an hour and get your free pass but all you end up doing is wasting the time of people who've decided to attend your event. You will not shame the Propeller Anime Club with half-assed panels! Luckily, our track record with panels is excellent and I intend to keep it that way.
   
   Several of us have already submitted panels and they have been approved. As you guys have submitted panels, I would like your panel titles and descriptions so I can put together promotional materials as we get closer to the convention. It will be like how we did it for MegaCon, but better!

That is it for now! Well almost. I will be setting up two meetings in the near future for those wanting more information about working the Skies of Orlandia game. The first one will be this Wednesday(4/28) at 8:15pm and on next Thursday(5/6) at 7:00pm. Both will start at in the lobby of building 3B at Full Sail University. From there, we will find an open room.

Last thing: If you decide to help out Anime Festival Orlando in any way, keep in mind that you are not only representing Anime Festival Orlando, you are also representing the Propeller Anime Club and the local anime community in general. Do your best to do as good of a job as you can at AFO!

MetroCon and Anime Festival Orlando!

Hey guys! MegaCon is long over and there are two more anime conventions in Central Florida to get excited about. They are both in the summer so you have time to save your money!

MetroCon is in Tampa, Florida and will be taking place from July 23rd - 25th at the Tampa Convention Center. There is an official hotel that connects to the convention center and while it is expensive, it is a pretty nice suite.

Notable guests this year are Scott McNeil, Richard Ian Cox, and Kirby Morrow. They are all Ocean Group voice actors so you have heard them in something at some point on Cartoon Network. It's safe to say that there will probably be an Inu Yasha voice actor panel at the convention. July is far away and it is likely more guests will be added. Real guests that worked on anime and not cosplayers or people in the artist alley.

MetroCon's greatest strength are their main events. I highly recommend seeing their Chess Match(the Sunday version is better since they already did it on Saturday), their Fire Shows, and their dances. I haven't been to the Fantasy Masquerade but I've heard good things. Problem is that they have an additional charge beyond the weekend pass, which is why I don't go. They tend to have an enjoyable video game room with lots of dance games and fighting games(they charge for their game tournaments, with half the entry fee going to the cash prize pot).

Anime Festival Orlando will be at the Wyndham Orlando Resort on International Drive and Sandlake Road during August 6th - 8th. It's hard to say this without bias, but AFO is the best anime convention in Central Florida. Every year, the schedule is packed with excellent game shows, anime and live-action showings, some exciting panels, and great guests. Being a convention at a hotel is a wonderful convenience and the convention pass includes all activities and events at the convention.

In addition to all of that, they have an interactive game you can play all weekend at the convention. This year's will be Skies of Orlandia, a sky-pirate/steampunked themed adventure where players will team up and compete in challenges and quests to gain experience and level up to help their side win the great battle going on throughout the weekend! The game is still in planning phases(guess what local anime club is involved) and there will be more details in the future.

The guest list so far has Jason David Frank, Travis Willingham, Tony Oliver, and Rueben Langdon returning, and new to AFO will be Laura Bailey! I can say that more guests will be added in the future so stay tuned. I highly recommend attending Jason David Frank's martial arts class(if he is doing it again). The novelty of learning fighting moves from the Green Ranger is one you cannot pass up!

Both conventions are fun and both do things the other does not. The problem is, both are scheduled two weeks apart this year. This may make it difficult to make a choice between the two. Many of us in the club would recommend AFO without hesitation. It's fun all weekend while MetroCon is only fun in spurts. There is more to do at AFO and if you are an adult, there is also plenty of partying to be had after hours. There are also +18 events at AFO(with I.D. check at the door).

Pre-registration is available for both and if you plan on going to either, do it soon while the prices are as low as they are. They will rise over time. Either way, make sure you show up with cash, deodorant, a toothbrush, swim wear, and most important - your dignity.

An Epic MegaCon time!

Hey everyone, thanks for coming out to MegaCon and checking us out! We did awesome events such as the Ninja Olympics, the Quickdraw! Contest, and the Sunday afternoon Karaoke. We also hosted great panels such as "Anime is Already Dead?", "Rebirth of Evangelion", the "Panel about Everything!", "How to be a Pokemon Master", "It's MANIME! The Manly Anime panel", "Otaku Survival Guide", and "G.I.T.S. - Analysis of Ghost in the Shell".

If you stopped by any of these events, we hope you had lots of fun! We would also like to thank Anime Sushi for letting us host those events and giving us the opprotunity to shine!

Personally, I want to thank Noah, Waldo, Emilio, Jean Louis, Zak, Steven, Veronica, Liam, Tara, Kurt, Brent, AJ, and Roger for stepping up and kicking ass this past weekend! Not only did some host events, but everyone got involved with helping Anime Sushi out behind the scenes and they were more than willing to help out a new friend of ours at the FUNimation booth during MegaCon. I am truly proud of each and every one of you!

I would also like to thank the extended family of the Propeller Anime Club for their contributions during the weekend. Jess, Jared, Shawn, Fuzzy, John, Brandon, Victor, and Brotha Kyo: You guys did awesome and we truly appreciate working with you!

We hope that those of you who found out about us at MegaCon will stay in touch! We are planning to have a meeting on March 28th. We need a lot of rest after MegaCon and some details will be coming soon. I believe that Anime Sushi will be holding a meeting on this Saturday, March 20th. Stay tuned to both of us as we wrap up a great convention and the memories that have come from it!

Once again, thank you all for coming!

MegaCon 2010 this weekend!

After months of preparation and anticipation, MegaCon 2010 will be this weekend at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Propeller Anime Club will be putting on many events in Anime Sushi's anime events track including the Ninja Olympics, Quickdraw! Contest, and Karaoke! We shall be hosting a wide range of panels in addition to our bigger events.

Anime Sushi will be hosting some impressive events that include the state's biggest Anime Costume Contest, the Cyberia anime-themed dance party, Iron Cosplay, the AMV Contest, and their Plants vs Zombies costume contest! They will even be holding a weekend-long Pocky Photo Patrol contest sponsored by Glico!

When we did our Guide to MegaCon 2010, we outlined what to expect at the convention in our introduction. I also wrote an extensive convention survival guide for those new to MegaCon(or still haven't figured out how to have fun at MegaCon yet).

Pre-registration is over, but you can buy your passes at the door. Keep in mind that the lines for registration will be long so come as early as you can so you can have more fun at the convention! If you park at the convention center, it will be $8 a day for their parking.

Anime guests this year include Sonny Strait, Darrel Guilbeau, Cherami Leigh, Chuck Huber, Neil Kaplan, and cosplayer Yaya Han. Some cool media guests showing up will be Levar Burton, James Hong, Billy Dee Williams, Ray Park, Jerry "The King" Lawler, and Nichelle Nichols. There will be lots of awesome comic book guests including George Perez, Alvin Lee, Frank Cho, Tim Townsend, and more!

There are a bevy of anime events lined up for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Try to see as much as you can and check out our events as well!

Main Events Schedule
Special Events Schedule
Workshops & Panels Schedule

As anything can happen leading up to the convention. Schedule and guests are subject to change. Other than that, see you all this weekend and have fun!

Guide to MegaCon 2010: Anime Workshops and Panels

We showed you the Anime Main Events and Anime Special Events happening at MegaCon 2010, now present to you the Anime Event Track's Workshops and Panels! We have a great mix of cosplay workshops, contests, and podcast events that you can check out including Iron Cosplay and the Plants vs. Zombies Costume Contest hosted by Anime Sushi and our Quickdraw! Contest!

Workshops and Panels in room W224C

Friday, March 12th

Armor Construction
1:00pm – 2:00pm in W224C
Hosted by Team Awesome

Alright, you can sew, you can paint, you can hem….now what? Topics discussed will range from armor to appliqué, leather to chain mail, paperclay to grommets, much more. Tutorials, resources and community info will also be made available for those looking to become more involved with local costume enthusiasts. There will be a Q&A session at the end of the panel, so feel free to discuss that dream costume you just can’t figure out how to make!

Pokémon Fight! Fight! Fight!
2:00pm – 3:00pm in W224C
Hosted by Pikabellechu

Gotta to Catch Em’ All!  Join the Pokemon panel with the famous Pikabellechu. Afterwards, join her in the dealer room and get a close look at her award winning Pokemon Volkswagen.

Customizing Resin Horns
3:00pm – 4:00pm in W224C
Hosted by Wonderland Creations

Let out the little devil in you by customizing your own set of horns on hairclips (with elastic for the hair-impaired).  Glitter, flames, feathers, your colors, your taste, your style or lack thereof!

Wig Styling
4:00pm – 5:00pm in W224C
Hosted by Yaya Han
www.yayahan.com

From cutting, styling and dying colors, Yaya Han will show you hands on different techniques in achieving the perfect anime character hair style for your cosplay!

Iron Cosplay Contest
5:00 pm – 7:00pm in W224C
Hosted by Anime Sushi
www.animesushi.com

Like the famous Japanese show, this is a stylized costume making competition featuring accomplished cosplayers in the battle of craftsmanship and speed. What will be the secret ingredient? Who will reign supreme!?

Plants vs. Zombies Costume Contest
7:00pm – 8:00pm in W224C
Hosted by Anime Sushi
www.animesushi.com

Sponsored by PopCap Games! Has MegaCon been overrun by plants or zombies? Come one, come all. Winner won't be getting brains or fertilizer, but official PopCap merchandise!

GunDAMN!
8:00pm – 10:00pm in W224C
Hosted by Mecha Anime HQ
gundamnmahq.blogspot.com

Join the hosts of the podcast, GUNDAMN@MAHQ, for a live recording.  Topics to be discussed, Favorite/Least Favorite Mecha Clichés and Your Ideal Mecha Show.  Each topic discussion will included audience participation and Q&A sessions.

Sunday, March 14th

Kiri-e (Japanese Papercraft)
11:00am – 12:00pm in W224C
Hosted by Wonderland Creations

A traditional Japanese paper art.  Capture tiny figures and scenes on paper for art cards!

MAHQ.net Podcast
12:00pm – 2:00pm in W224C
Hosted by Mecha Anime HQ!
www.MAHQ.net

Join the hosts of the podcast, GUNDAMN@MAHQ, for another live recording and a controversial topic discussion, Live Action Adaptions of Anime.  Audience participation and Q&A sessions will play a key part of this highly charged debate.

Quickdraw! Contest
2:00pm – 4:00pm in W224C
Hosted by the Propeller Anime Club
propelleranimeclub.blogspot.com

Are you an artist who wants to test their skills against others, or do you just want to have a fun time drawing with other artists? The Quickdraw! Contest breaks artists up in groups of novice and advance and has them compete in three different 20 minute drawing sessions for prizes! Come on and show your skills.

Props for Beginners
4:00 pm – 5:00pm in W224C
Hosted by Jaime

Learn the basics of making props to go along with your costumes! There will be a lot of useful information provided by someone very experienced in prop-making!

Guide to MegaCon 2010: Anime Special Events

We showed you the Anime Main Events happening at MegaCon 2010, now present to you the Anime Event Track's Special Events! We have a great mix of events for you to check out that include fun discussions, serious presentations, and karaoke!

Special Events in room W224B

Friday, March 12th

Propeller Anime Potluck
12:00pm – 2:30pm in W224B
Hosted by Propeller Anime Club
propelleranimeclub.blogspot.com

A Megacon-style anime club meeting with the Propeller Anime Club, established in 2006! This will be a different take on the video room, where classic anime (predating Naruto and Inu Yasha) will be shown. Feel free to come in and socialize with the club while watching some great anime!

Anime is Already Dead?
2:30pm – 3:30pm in W224B
Hosted by Kent Ward
propelleranimeclub.blogspot.com

Anime in America boomed with tremendous popularity in the beginning of the last decade and by now the bubble has burst. What happened and who is to blame? What about anime has changed over the past ten years? Is there hope for the Japanese import? The founder of the Propeller Anime Club provides insight into this matter and how it will affect anime fandom in the future.

Sonic the Hedgehog: This is his life!
3:30pm – 4:30pm in W224B
Hosted by Brandon Bernard, John Merced, and Brotha Kyo

We’ve seen him grow in the many years of our childhood, from Sonic the Hedgehog, to Sonic Unleashed. We welcome you to join us in event that is of course, Sonic the Hedgehog. From laughter, to humorous disappointments, we will rejuvenate the young child in you once again.

The Panel about Everything!
4:30pm – 6:00pm in W224B
Hosted by Kent Ward, Larry Furry, and Jessica Roth

Everything you should hear about convention culture will be discussed! Convention survival, how to talk to girls, the dos and don’ts of anime conventions, and all the dark secrets of the anime community will be covered!

WOW Machinima
6:00pm – 7:00pm in W224B
Hosted by Jason Sadeghi
www.animesushi.com

Come see the best World of Warcraft Machinimas ever made! What’s a Machinima? It takes game footage and uses it to recreate funny and/or epic short films! This will be a great event for WOW fans all over!

Cosplay Beauty: From Set to Stage
7:00pm – 8:00pm in W224B
Hosted by Blikku and Yaya Han
www.blikku.com

This panel focuses on cosmetic selection and application methods for various skin tones in both stage and photography environments.  There will be make-up demonstration of methods which include themes such as Lolita, Gothic, Ganguro, Rave, etc.  Instructions will be included for achieving many looks in cosplay related to both genre and character-specific applications. People that are new to make-up can get their start here, while the make-up veterans can also join in and share their knowledge.

One Piece
8:00pm – 9:00pm in W224B
Hosted by Jessica Roth, John Merced, and Spooky Electric

Into One Piece?  This is the panel is for you!  Spend an hour with other devoted fans discussing everything from your favorite characters to the recent events in the manga.

All Things Resident Evil
9:00pm – 10:30pm in W224B
Hosted by Dee & Ann of The Summasault Crew
msvalentine.tk

For almost fifteen years, Resident Evil has thrilled and entertained fans and shows no signs of stopping. With a game recently released for the Wii and new content available for Resident Evil 5 this is a great time for new players and veterans alike. Come to a panel by fans for fans, where will we explore the recent additions to the series and take a look at the future of the games. Be sure to show up early to secure your raffle ticket and stick around after the panel to play both Darkside Chronicles and the new Resident Evil 5 DLC. Cosplay is always encouraged and welcomed!

Saturday, March 13th

How to be a Pokémon Master!
9:00am – 10:00am in W224B
Hosted by Steve Grinder, Zak Wilson, and Naro Lee
propelleranimeclub.blogspot.com

Have you ever wanted to be a Pokémon Master? We’ll teach you how to be the very best, like no one ever was!  This will also be your chance to get all the info you need on Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver, which comes out the next day!

Manga for American Comic Fans
10:00am – 11:00am in W224B
Hosted by Anime World Order
www.animeworldorder.com

If you like comics about superheroes or even indy books and haven’t given manga a fair chance yet, then the crew from Anime World Order will help clear up any misconceptions you have about manga and make some solid recommendations on what to try out based on your tastes.

Kingdom Hearts
11:00am – 12:00pm in W224B
Hosted by Jessica Roth

Kingdom Hearts is widely popular in both the United States and Japan.  Eight years, and six games later, the series is still going strong!  This panel will be about the changes made to the series, its characters, and will end with a (spoiler free?) review of Birth by Sleep.

Sushi Boy’s Quick Fire AMV F&Q
12:00pm – 12:30pm in W224B
Hosted by Sushi Boy
www.animesushi.com

The head judge of Anime Sushi’s 4th Annual AMV Contest will go through everything about making a quality Anime Music Videos!

It’s MANIME! The Manly Anime Panel
12:30pm – 1:30pm W224B
Hosted by Kent Ward and Brotha Kyo
www.kentward.com

Learn what is to be a true man and makes a manly anime! This one is for fans of series like Fist of the North Star, Berserk, and other testosterone-filled classics! Both old and new anime of manly proportions shall be covered and you will even learn the gospel that is the Twelve Laws of True Man!

Otaku Survival Guide
1:30pm – 2:30pm W224B
Hosted by Corey “Waldo” Waldusky and Rogelio Mosqueda
propelleranimeclub.blogspot.com

Think you’re an Otaku? Don’t know what one really is? Or maybe you’re looking for ways to live in this crazy world as one? Whatever your questions may be, come and found out all the information for your American Otaku lifestyle, and get tips on further delving into your obsession.

Sunday, March 14th

Anime Madlibs
11:00am – 12:00pm in W224B
Hosted by Spooky Electric

We’re seriously letting Spooky Electric do an event on his own! You supply the words that he’ll use to fill in the blanks of his hot new anime fan fiction, and then hilarity will ensue!

The World of J-Pop
12:00pm – 1:00pm in W224B
Hosted by Blikku
www.blikku.com

This panel is an introduction to the J-Pop genre and focuses on an array of artists and styles. Discussion of fan bases will be included such as websites, clubs, and J-Pop inspired cosplays.

SEGA: Welcome to the Next Level!
1:00pm – 2:00pm in W224B
Hosted by Brandon Bernard, John Merced, and Brotha Kyo

SEGA, from past to present, to games, and consoles! SEGA has contributed a vast amount of entertainment throughout the many years of its existence, and continues to carry on the legends that it has created. Come join us as we discuss the topics that have made SEGA to what it is now.

The Analysis of G.I.T.S.  –  Ghost In the Shell
2:00pm – 3:00pm in W224B
Hosted by Emilio Lopez-Centellas
propelleranimeclub.blogspot.com

A definitive Ghost in the Shell panel, covering the classic characters, what Public Security Section 9 is and the technology they use, including the Tachikomas and all of the A.I. units. Everything from the manga to the movies and television series will be discussed! Panel sponsored by Manga Entertainment!

Robotech: The Legacy Continues
3:00pm – 4:00pm W224B
Hosted by Larry Furry

One of the oldest giant robot franchises continues on! Robotech expert Larry “Fuzzy” Furry will discuss all things about the sci-fi epic. Panel sponsored by Manga Entertainment!

Karaoke
4:00pm – 6:00pm in W224B
Hosted by Propeller Anime Club
propelleranimeclub.blogspot.com

We’re wrapping up another awesome year at Megacon with some Karaoke! Sing with friends and have a great time! Come in early because it’s first come, first served!

Guide to MegaCon 2010: Karaoke

The Propeller Anime Club will be handling karaoke at MegaCon this year on Sunday, March 14th from 4pm to 6pm in W224B of the Orange County Convention Center. This will be one of the last anime track events at MegaCon this year and a grreat way to wrap up the convention experience. We keep updating our karaoke track list every convention so we will have some new songs in addition to a lot of old favorites!

Here are some guidelines:

Karaoke is first come, first serve. Make sure you show up to the event early and sign up as soon as you can so you can get the chance to sing.

You may sign up for another song only after you have sung your song. We will know if you try to sign up several songs at a time.

We try our best to have as many fun karaoke songs as we can, but it is not guaranteed that we will have everything.

We will not play your CD or hook up your MP3 player. That takes time and we really want to get in as many people singing as possible. What we have is what you get to choose from.

If you smell bad, we will kick you out so that people who have had the decency to shower get more of a chance to sing.

Due to the always high demand of the karaoke event, we have decided to check passes at the door for those who want to participate in the event. We feel that it sucks to turn away people who paid to go to MegaCon because we couldn't fit them in the alloted time provided while those who did not get a pass get to sing.

Propeller Anime Club, Anime Sushi, MegaCon, and the Orange County Convention Center are not responsible for any lost or stolen items that you have left unattended. Please be responsible for your personal belongings.

Karaoke is a fun event, we hope to see you guys there! The vast majority of our songs are in English. It is rather hard to find .cdg karaoke tracks of popular anime and J-Pop songs but we will try. If you have any requests for what tracks for us to acquire, please comment on this post. Try to keep your requests to a few songs, and check back every now and then to see if we got it. I'll simply reply to your comment as soon as progress has been made.

Guide to MegaCon 2010: Quickdraw! Contest

This year's Quickdraw! Contest will be on Sunday, March 14th from 2:00pm to 4:000pm at Megac=Con 2010 in room W224C. We will have three 20 minute sessions that you can participate in! Each session will have a different theme that you will use to create a drawing. We will break up artists into novice and advance categories based on what you think your skill level is. At the end of each session, the judges will pick the top three novice and advance works and then we will announce them at the end of the contest.

Pencils and paper will be supplied by the Propeller Anime Club but you are welcome to bring your own if you wish!

The first place winner of each session - both novice and advance - will get to pick from our prize pile. This will include items like manga, dvds, figures, posters and other anime merchandise. We will scan the the top three entries for each session from both categories and post them online for everyone to see and enjoy!

The Quickdraw! Contest is definitely a great time for artists to get together and create some interesting work and share them with their peers. The contest is fun for everyone and we look forward to seeing you there!

UPDATE: We have recieved word that the Quickdraw! Contest will now take place in W224C! Post has been updated to reflect that!

Guide to Megacon 2010: Ninja Olympics

Do you and your buddies want to become supreme ninja masters? Of course you do! Being a ninja means you get to stand on a mountain top, play guitar, and make people’s heads explode with the sheer power of your awesomeness! The first step in the way of the ninja is to compete in the Ninja Olympics. Test your abilities in events of stealth, cunning, strength, and endurance against other ninja teams!

There will be many challenging events in the Ninja Olympics that your team of three ninjas will participate in, and some even require teamwork to win. Choose your fellow ninjas wisely! The team with best harmony will be the supreme ninja masters who take the golden shuriken home to their ninja village! Not only that, the top ninja teams will win prizes provided the ninja elite of MegaCon!

Basic Rules:

• Sign-ups will begin on Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. and end at 10:50 a.m. and will be held at the Anime Sushi table by room W224.

• Sign-ups are first come, first serve, and only a max of twelve teams can enter. There will be four slots for alternates in the event that a registered team fails to show up to the Ninja Olympics at the event start time.

• Each team will be composed of exactly three members

• Each team will represent a ninja village that they will register a name for

• No participant in the Ninja Olympics shall physically attack another participant or staff member

• Each event in the Ninja Olympics will test some combination of stealth, cunning, strength, endurance, and hand-eye coordination

• Some events will test a ninja team’s ability to work together in harmony

• Each event will have a first, second, and third place team. Overall points will be distributed to winning teams:

• First place – 3 points
• Second place – 2 points
• Third place – 1 point

• After all events in the Ninja Olympics have ended, points for each team will be calculated and then there will be an awards ceremony for the top three teams who be presented with rewards for their victory.

• Propeller Anime Club, Anime Sushi, MegaCon, and the Orange County Convention Center are NOT responsible for any injury in connection to the Ninja Olympics, or during it.

• The Ninjas of the Propeller Anime Club reserve the right to disqualify any unruly or disruptive contestants and will do so without sympathy. Please be courteous and civil.

Tips:

• Since there is physical activity required for the events, you MUST have some basic physical fitness to compete. Can you do a push-up or sit-up? Can you walk at a faster pace for multiple city blocks? If not, then you probably shouldn’t enter the Ninja Olympics.

• Make sure you stretch out before competing to prevent pulling any of your muscles or any other injury.

• Make sure you are properly hydrated for the event.

• Please wear proper footwear for the event. Don't wear sandals, high-heels, or go bare foot.

• The event starts at 11:00 a.m. Make sure that you and your teammates are on time.

• Propeller Anime Club, Anime Sushi, MegaCon, and the Orange County Convention Center will not be responsible for any lost or stolen items. Leave them at your own risk.

• It’s totally cool and encouraged to come to the event dressed as a ninja. However, real ninjas do not wear orange!

The Ninja Olympics will be held at MegaCon 2010 on Sunday, March 14th at 11:00 a.m. in W224 F, G, & H! Event time and location is subject to change. For more information about the Propeller Anime Club and their events at MegaCon, visit their website at http://propelleranimeclub.blogspot.com/. For more information about MegaCon 2010, visit http://www.megaconvention.com/.

Guide to MegaCon 2010: Convention Survival

I have recently introduced MegaCon and what to expect. The convention is pretty cool but it is very big. If you’ve been to a MegaCon or big anime convention before, then you know what to expect and how to prepare. This survival guide is about to get real. All caps will be used when it is necessary.

The first thing you may want to do is get a MegaCon pass. They have day passes and weekend passes. The pass gets you into the Exhibitor’s Hall that has much of what the convention has to offer. You will also need a pass in order to attend anime track events such as the Anime Costume Contest, Cyberia, Karaoke, and other events that we will determine over the next month or so. There may be events from other tracks going on that require you to have a badge. It won’t be known until prior to the convention. In all honesty, if you don’t get a pass to MegaCon and get all huffy when you get turned away from an event, we will not feel sorry for you. Thousands of other people bought a pass; what makes you so special?

You can buy your pass at MegaCon, but the wait in line for that is ridiculously long. I recommend pre-registering if you can. Some people scoff at the pre-registration because you only save a few bucks, but the saving in time is the real benefit. You can pre-register to purchase a pass online.

If you want to get a free pass, volunteering helps. The Anime Events Track needs help with many things, including Thursday setup, Sunday teardown, along with Saturday setup with the Anime Costume Contest and the Cyberia Dance party. There are other events that will probably need volunteer help as well. Contacting me or Anime Sushi is the best way to get connected as a volunteer. We always need good people who are willing to help the anime events succeed!

WEAR DEODORANT, WEAR CLEAN CLOTHES, BRUSH YOUR TEETH, AND BATHE EVERY DAY OF MEGACON! I AM BRINGING THE FEBREEZE CANNON TO MEGACON AND WILL SPRAY YOU WITH IT IF YOU SMELL BAD! YOU WILL FEEL EMBARRASSED AND WILL WANT TO CRY.

Next, bring cash. Lots of it. Most dealers who sell merchandise at Megacon do not accept credit or debit cards. Make sure you keep track of all of your cash and belongings. Putting anything down at MegaCon and turning away for even a short moment will result in your valuables disappearing. You will never see those items again.

Speaking of Dealers, make sure you actually find deals. A lot of sales happen on Sunday, but if you wait until Sunday, that cool thing you saw on Friday may be gone by then. Use your best judgment!

Guests who haven’t done anything in their career in over ten years will expect you to pay at least 30 bucks for their autograph or picture. That is so funny.

There are a lot of cool things to see at MegaCon that you will feel nostalgic about years later. Bring a camera and take lots of pictures.

Make sure you get a convention guide when you get your pass at MegaCon. The guide covers EVERYTHING going on at the convention. This includes when and where all of the events are, where artists, dealers, and guests are located, and other random happenings. Try not to lose your guide because they actually will run out of them by Sunday.

Plan events that you want to go to. Circle or highlight events that you may want to go to and look through the guide every now and then to remind yourself that you wanted to check something out. I don’t want your weekend to suck if you missed It’s MANIME! The Manly Anime panel, because it will.

The convention is all weekend and it’s a 40 minute drive from where the Propeller Anime Club meets. Many of us know to stay in a hotel. That is definitely a good idea. Be sure to do your research on hotels (I recommend one with a refrigerator and microwave) and pick one close to the west building of the Orange County Convention Center. Since parking is about $8 a day at MegaCon, I recommend getting a hotel within walking distance to the convention center. Reserve a hotel as soon as you can because they will sell out closer to the convention!

Pick your hotel roommates wisely. If your potential roommates do drugs and hang out with junkies and you don’t, then it’s not going to work out.

Food sold at MegaCon is expensive and it’s quite a hike to some of the external restaurants. It’s a great idea to bring some snacks and bottled water each day. Try to take at least an hour long break at some point in the convention. There’s a lot of walking, people, noise, and sometimes convention drama. I’d recommend taking a rest break when you start to feel fatigue.

If you are cosplaying at MegaCon, think about the costume you wear. It is CROWDED at MegaCon and your giant wings will not be appreciated by anyone. Also, if you are wearing a costume that shows off a lot of your flesh, you will get a lot of unwanted attention. Be wary of con-scum and creepy photographers. Also, if someone solicits that you pose somewhere naked for them, you should probably report them to convention security.

For the love of all that it is good, don’t wear the same costume every day. It will smell at some point. DON’T MAKE ME WHIP OUT MY FEBREEZE CANNON!

Also, you want to see what kinds of cosplay groups are going down at MegaCon, Cosplay.com has a forum dedicated to the subject. You may get some great photo-ops and might even make some friends!

At MegaCon, there will be thousands of geeks with different personality types and backgrounds. You may make some new friends there. Remember to be yourself (your best self, if possible) and you’ll find some cool people to hang out with. Also, be careful of who you hang out or party with. Some of the people that go to conventions are completely shady and can’t be trusted.

If you are a female, there will be guys that will tell you whatever they think will get your panties off by the end of the night. If they ask you and nobody else you know to a convention after-party, be very careful. Don't do anything you don't want to do.

Likewise, if you are a dude that finds a girl that you may like talking to and spending time with, MAKE SURE YOU KNOW HER AGE! I can’t stress that enough! Especially after last year! Google “Roy Harms arrest” and tell me if I am full of shit!

Kids who are under-aged tend to lie about their age. Note it.

If someone of the gender you prefer is talking to you and being nice THAT DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN THAT THEY WANT TO DATE OR BANG YOU! Seriously, people who think that seriously need to get over themselves. But hey, after a weekend of hanging out, don’t be afraid to ask for a phone number or e-mail so that you may meet again.

If you go to a party, don’t get drunk and drive.

Having alcohol to share after a day at the convention makes you a hero.

Walking around the convention with a “Glomp Me” or “Free Hugs” sign makes you a loser.

Don’t piss off the people who are working at MegaCon, especially the anime event staff. Or else I will break off your arms and shove them up your ass. We all work most of the weekend and the stress builds and wears all of us out. In addition, if we snap at you for no reason, it’s probably not your fault; you just picked a bad time to encounter us. We’re doing our best to entertain you but we aren’t superhuman(well, I am).

Have fun. If you aren’t having fun then you are not doing it right!

There will be a panel at MegaCon in anime events that I will be co-hosting with two other veterans of the anime community that will cover these topics and more on the Friday afternoon. Check us out! Until then, stay tuned to Anime Sushi, Propeller Anime Club, and MegaCon’s website for more updates before the convention!

In the near future, I will talk about cool anime events going on at Megacon 2010. It’s going to be awesome!

Guide to MegaCon 2010: An Introduction

This will be the first of many installments in the guide to MegaCon 2010! The guide will introduce you to what MegaCon is, how to prepare for the convention, and how to enjoy the convention to its fullest.

MegaCon is Florida’s largest geek convention, covering comic books, science fiction, anime, gaming, and anything else considered nerdy! The event takes place from Friday, March 12th to Sunday, March 14th at the West Building of the Orange County Convention Center in Hall D. Thousands of fans will be at the convention along with nearly a hundred entertainment industry guests and lots of merchandise vendors.

The main section of MegaCon is the Exhibitors’ Hall, also known as the Dealers’ Room. The Exhibitors’ Hall will feature many things, including:

• Vendors selling comic book, anime, sci-fi, games, porn, and lots of collectible merchandise
• Anime merchandise includes manga, DVDs, BluRays, figures, statues, music CDs, posters, wallscrolls, hentai, doujinshi, Japanese candy and drinks, and much more.
• An Artist Alley featuring professional comic book artists and aspiring amateurs
• Beating people with padded weapons in "Barbarian Battles" tournaments
• Console videogaming featuring casual play and tournaments
• Autographs and photograph sessions with media guests.
• Lots of people wandering around aimlessly

MegaCon is known by regulars as a “Dealer Room” convention, implying that there is nothing else to do at MegaCon besides buying comic books and anime stuff. Having worked in the anime events track at MegaCon for the past three years, I know that is not the case. One of the main reasons I am writing this guide is so that people are aware that there is far more to do at MegaCon, especially if you are an anime fan. I’m actually tailoring this guide specifically to anime fans(this is an anime club, after all), but hopefully any comic book or sci-fi fans who have stumbled here may find these upcoming articles informative.

Upon entering MegaCon, besides the Exhibitors’ Hall, you will notice that there is a very large amount of cosplay happening. MegaCon is a great place to show off your new costume and get lots of pictures. Many groups are formed and there’s even a giant anime costume contest organized by Anime Sushi every year. Cosplaying is a great way to show off what you are a fan of and an easy way to spot people with similar interests! There’s a dark side to it as well, but I’ll let you guys discover that for yourselves.

Like I mentioned before, there will be a lot of guests at MegaCon this year. There will be many comic -book writers and artists(I look forward to seeing Alvin Lee and Frank Cho the most), has-been pro wrestlers and centerfold models, and plenty of actors and actresses that were big 15 or more years ago. Actually, more than half of MegaCon’s guest list consists of people who haven’t had a spark in their career in a very long time.

The Reading Rainbow guy will be there. You have to be excited.

There will be several anime voice actors at MegaCon this year. The most notable is Sonny Straight, who has performed as Krillin in Dragonball Z, Maes Hughes in Full Metal Alchemist, Usopp in One Piece, Arsene Lupin III in Lupin III, just to name some of his bigger roles. He also has done a tremendous amount of ADR work for Funimation. Chuck Hebber(Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho, Franken Stein from Soul Eater), Cherami Leigh(Soul Eater, Peach Girl, Sgt. Frog), and Darrel Guilbeagh(Code Geass, Zoids Genesis) will also be there. I do not know if there will be more voice actors, though Funimation does an industry panel every year. Voice actors are available for autographs and photos in the exhibition hall and they do panels about their work in the anime events track at MegaCon.

There will be four rooms dedicated to anime fandom and anything Japanese-related at MegaCon. Since the beginning, Anime Sushi has put on much of the anime programming, leading the charge with Florida’s biggest anime costume contest and the Cyberia Dance Party(featuring electro, house, jpop, and glowsticks). They will also be hosting the AMV Contest, Iron Cosplay, and other events that they will announce in the near future!

Other groups have assisted Anime Sushi in providing anime fans with entertainment at the convention and the Propeller Anime Club will be a force at MegaCon for the second year in a row, hosting the Ninja Olympics, Karaoke, the Quickdraw! Contest, and lots of fan panels discussing anime and videogames. The anime events track at MegaCon is excellent yet often not recognized enough by anime goers. Hell, people who know that I’ve been working MegaCon for three years didn’t even know that there were events outside the Exhibition Hall until I recently told them.

Hence, the guide.

This has been just an introduction into what MegaCon has to offer. I will go more in-depth on the events and other fun of MegaCon over the next couple months. MegaCon is a really fun convention if you really try to experience more than just the Exhibitors’ Hall. After you have read the guide, you’ll have a much better idea of what the convention has to offer!