Project Fandom at Kawaii-Kon 2014

Hey, guys! What’s up? Matthew here with a recap of the anime convention of the pacific; Kawaii-Kon 2014! This one was a doozy, folks, as it made it to the big ten, the great One-Oh, double digits-just about any number of ways you could say it, most likely it’s already been said.

Last year, when I had attended Kawaii-Kon, it was mostly for pleasure. This was the first time I was going as a correspondent for Project Fandom, and I have to be honest; a vacation full of fun disguised as a business trip? Sign me the hell up! Granted I had made plans to attend Kawaii-Kon prior to this.

The ten year anniversary of this convention was nothing short of grand. They pulled some of the biggest names in the voice acting business both from Japan and here in the states. Believe me when I tell you I felt like a fledgling geek again hearing Darkwing Duck and Dagget bickering on stage while the voice of Korra had to keep them apart. Richard Horvitz, Jim Cummings, and Janet Varney were there, and it was beautiful. Masako Nozawa is a Japanese voice actor who has been a part of the biggest animes known. Her resume includes, but isn’t limited to: Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Astroboy, One Piece, and the list goes on. Rounding out the list of Japanese guests: Ayumi Fujimura, Tetsuya Kakihara, Hironobu Kageyama, Yoko Ishida, and Misako Aoki.

With the talent from the states, the heavy hitters included Micheal Sinterniklaas, known for voicing Leonardo in the TMNT series; as well as Dean Venture, from The Venture Brothers; Quinton Flynn, famous for his role as Axel from Kingdom Hearts; and Kon, from Bleach. But the one that most of the attendees knew by heart was none other than Vic Mignogna. That man is truly a man of the convention; a genuine person and not afraid to take one more picture with a fan after he’d finished his autograph session.

In the three days that the convention lasted, I saw the masses of Attack on Titan cosplayers. I think I saw about every variation of Levi, Eren, and Hanji. Not too many titans, though that wasn’t surprising. However, I do know who the identity of the only female titan was. Speaking of cosplayers, I did get the chance to meet and take a picture with guest cosplayer, Leah Rose! Another kind and genuine person who humored me when I asked to take a selfie with her.

The panels this year were numerous. Unfortunately, some of them were lackluster, due to last minute cancellation and the fire sale of time slots. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t able to find a couple panels that were worth going to. I was in and out of the voice acting panels. As a person who’d like to get into that field, that was definitely a learning experience that was nothing short of fun. Some that I missed were the cosplay lingerie showcase and the galactic senate.

But before I knew it, the convention was finished and I had a new bag with a bunch of convention swag. I’ve been going to this convention for three years now, and I have to be honest; this one might’ve been one of the better ones, if only for having my geek family with me there. While attending the convention, I was able to spend time with my newborn nephew. You bet your fandom that I’m making sure he’s got roots in the geek community. I mean come on, his parents named him Luke.

So check out the pictures I was able to snap, and hey! If you were in attendance as well, link your own pictures in the comments below!