Community Corner
Cosplay, Midnight Rave, Zombie Run and More at Upcoming Anime Convention
The sixth Annual Kin-Yoobi Con, which was originally founded by Tri-City locals, will be held in Newark next weekend.
The sixth annual anime convention will be take place on Aug. 11-12. And for the first time since it's inception, this year’s convention will be held at .
Originally held at Chabot Community College in Hayward, the two-day event will feature a weekend of cosplay (dressing up in costumes), karaoke contests, fan dubbing and guest panels right around the corner.
Kin-Yoobi Con Coordinator Neal Trotter took the time to answer a few questions regarding Kin-Yoobi Con's history and what to expect this year:
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Q: This is the sixth year of Kin-Yoobi Con. How was the idea for the convention originally conceived and why did you guys decide to pursue it?
A: Our company (Game-Zone Recreation) started out as a gaming and anime college club. Members of the club gravitated toward either gaming or anime. The members primarily into anime decided it would be a good idea to try and start an anime convention. At the time, I knew little about anime conventions although I was the club president so I allowed the members primarily into anime to organize and coordinate it. The anime members did not have strong experience in event coordination so the idea was beginning to fade. But me and other gaming members saw the potential of the idea to flourish if managed right so we took the lead positions organizing the convention. That happened during early and mid 2007. July 2007 was our first Kin-Yoobi Con.
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Q: With the fact that a majority of the founders and event organizers reside right here in the Tri-City area where anime is popular amongst quite a large demographic, has that had an effect at all in terms of reaching out to people who could possibly be interested in attending it?
A: That has had a major contribution to the success of our convention. There is a huge demand not only in the Tri-City area but in the overall San Francisco Bay Area for venues were anime and gaming fans can express their passion for anime and games as well as connect with other fans. Anime and gaming has become a phenomenon on the rise and they are not going anywhere anytime soon.
Q: How does Kin-Yoobi Con differ from other anime conventions and in what ways is it similar as well?
A: We offer the staples that all other anime conventions have, such as Cosplay competitions, panel discussions, guest appearances, and anime showings. These are all must haves for successful anime conventions. What makes us different is that we have a diverse array of other unique events that are themed off of gaming and anime, like various game shows, carnivals, a charity dating auction, scavanger hunts, video game tournaments, and fashion shows.
Q: What can an attendee expect at this year’s con (panels, activities, guests, etc.)?
A: This year is going to [be] overwhelming for an attendee (in a good way). This is because we have a multitude of events and activities happening at the same time, throughout the whole day. At any given time a stage event like a gameshow can be happening, as well as a panel, a video game tournament, an anime showing, several carnival games, a table top game tournament, as well as any fan driven activities, all happening at the same time. It's a good idea for an attendee to make a personalized schedule before arriving, or at least preview the convention programming schedule to be prepared for all the fun. In terms of guests, we have returning voice actor, Robert Axelrod, whose best known as playing Power Ranger arch nemesis, Lord Zedd, as well as veteran voice actor, Vic Mignogna, whose done countless popular voices in anime including protagonist, Edward Elric, in “Full Metal Alchemist.”
Q: How would you convince someone to go to Kin-Yoobi Con?
A: Kin-Yoobi Con 2012 has a unique and abundant array of anime and game themed events and activities. You'll have fun whether you're a hardcore fan or just someone curious and want to learn about games and anime. Kin-Yoobi Con is developed to provide fun and entertainment for all levels of gamers and anime fans. Ultimately the convention is a celebration of creativity, using fun and entertainment as the celebratory tools.
For more information regarding Kin-Yoobi Con, visit http://kinyoobicon.com and like them on their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/kinyoobicon.
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