By The Eva Monkey on Thursday, August 3rd, 2017
Hi everyone, I just wanted to give a quick update because next week is Otakon. This year is a special one, not only is it the first time that Otakon is being held in Washington DC, but it’s also the first time that I will be a featured presenter. So needless to say, I’m a bit excited. If you’re going to be there, I wanted to give you a heads up for what you can expect from me.
First, let’s take a look at the panels that I’ll be presenting:
As usual, I’ll be doing an Evangelion panel. As this year’s theme is “spies”, I put together a panel entitled “Evangelion’s Ryohji Kaji, International Man of Mystery”. Ryohji Kaji. Was he a double agent, or a triple agent? Was he ultimately responsible for the bloodbath that was the JSSDF siege of Nerv Headquarters? Did he have his own agenda? We’ll take look at Ryohji Kaji, across Evangelion’s canon, supplementary materials, spin-offs, and fandom.
I’m also a fan of Steven Universe, so in my panel entitled “Steven Universe: A Closer Look”, we’ll explore how the show has been described as a pastiche of magical girl anime such as Utena and Sailor Moon, and how it features influence from and homages to the likes of Evangelion, Akira, and Initial D. We’ll take a close look at the many influences in Steven Universe that appeal to western anime fans.
Next is “The Life & Works of Satoshi Kon”. Satoshi Kon was a unique talent that was tragically lost much too early. We’ll reflect back on his life, and his directorial works such as Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, and Tokyo Godfathers, as well as the impact that he had on the anime industry and its fandom.
I will also be presenting some workshops again this year.
First, I will once again be conducting “Getting Started with Fuse Beads”. Fuse beads are a form of pixel art where small plastic beads are placed on a grid to form an image and then melted together with a household iron. If you’ve ever thought about getting into fuse beads, it’s actually really easy, and this workshop will provide attendees with everything needed to get started.
Finally, I am conducting a “Panelist Bootcamp”, where I will be drawing upon my many years of experience in attending conventions, presenting panels at conventions, and staffing in panels departments. I’ll be sharing a broad picture of the panels ecosystem, how to assemble a panel, what tools to use, how to be an effective presenter, and how to improve upon your presentation skills.
That’s everything. it will once again be a busy year for me as a presenter, so if you’re going to be at Otakon this year, please consider attending one of my panels or workshops, and feel free to say hello. I always enjoy meeting new people and sharing my interests with others at fan conventions. Thanks for watching, and I hope to see you there.