One thing I really don't like about anime cons...

[rygoody]

Is that their anime cons and not animation cons. Anime certainly deserves all the credit and attention it gets for being some of the first largely produced animation to target adult audiences. Which was a breath of fresh air back in the day, so it is understandable that cons have developed the way they have as being asian only. But you know, now there are American animators doing non-childish stuff as well that is largley popular.  It'd really be cool if guest speakers from american made series from Adult Swim or Comedy Central were invited to come and give presentations. It almost seems like their is a prejudice towards non-asian animators at cons. I mean, in the AMV contest for kcon having something like less than 90% of asian made animation would disqualify you, which just seemed kind of odd.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't most anime fans also fans of animation in general? I watch any animated shows I enjoy watching, I don't watch them because their asian, I wish cons had this same idea.

[Dark-hobo]

here's a tip, you are looking too deep into this. You are seeing discrimination where is there none. The cons have to appeal to their core demographic. It is simply that majority of the people like asian anime more than english animation. And rightfully so. English animation has earned a reputation for being childish. And rarely is it not so. Also Adult Swim frequently appears at anime cons just most of them are on the east coast due to them being located in atlanta. But they do appear at large west coast cons every once in awhile, like they made an appearance at sakura con a Little while ago.

[pinkrandomattack]

yeah, i think that the main poit of an anime conventin is thats its...you know anime.  which refers specifically to japanese animation (wierd cause its a french word, but probably just japanese abreviation).  i mean i even find it kinda odd that at anime conventions they have webcomic guys like greg dean and the pa guys come.  dont get me wrong i think its totaly cool, id like it if more webcomic peoples came to anime cons. but the people i want to see arent coming to the west coast for something like the mediorcre sized cons that we have over here (that arent down in california).  like i woudl freak the **** out if jennie breeden would come out to kumori or sakuracon,  but some people just dont have the drive to up it from where ever they are, which happens to be far far from here.  effort=outcome.  cause they usually are selling something too and dont want to waist money unless they are going to have an assbackward good time.


but i digress. ... there is a little non-anime at anime cons,  and there are other cons for all the other nerdythings.  i need to go to more....my area shoudl suply!

[Radien]

Well, what can ya say... it's all about the demand. If there were more mature animation in America, then more non-kids would be fans. Anime is having its influence simply by showing that mature animation can exist. However, America still seems to think that the only kind of mature animation out there is satire. (like Simpsons, Family Guy, Beavis and Butthead, you name it)

There are still a lot of animation fans at anime conventions, though. You're still perfectly in line if you want to encourage that there be more American animation. However, it's likely that the focus will be "pioneers" of the field, rather than establised titans like Disney and Dreamworks (much as I love Dreamworks).

After all, if an American is creating animation, then it's not technically anime... but talented artists aren't going to stop working just because of that. They'll just owe some thanks to what inspired them. And anime conventions often support them.

but some people just dont have the drive to up it from where ever they are, which happens to be far far from here.  effort=outcome.  cause they usually are selling something too and dont want to waist money unless they are going to have an assbackward good time.

The guests we have depends partially (or largely?) upon the amount of money the con is willing to offer to cover travel expenses.

For instance, a "Guest" might get a complimentary pre-registration. They might get a paid hotel room, too, but they'd have to pay for transporation on their own. A "Guest of Honor," however, will additionally receive complimentary round-trip airfare, and usually tickets for a few of their travelmates, as well.

If you ask some well-known artists why they aren't going to be guests at X convention, they might say "we're waiting until someone invites us!"

[superjaz]

oregon has the same thing going on with book signings there have been book tours for authors i would love to go but the closest it would come is LA or somthing, (which why it so cool bruce campbell lives in oregon cuz when he had book tour he stopped by   )

[Luana-neko]

If I remember right, most cons are technically japanese culture cons, with anime being the main aspect of that culture that is focused on... So it makes sense to request more aspects of japanese culture to be shown at cons, but not so much to go the other direction and ask for distinctly american animations. It even makes sense to include american webcomics when those comics have anime influences... If you're looking for cons with focus on american animation, go to a con like San Diego's Comic Con.

[rasetsutaisho]

i dont know guys...

when i make a con (*plans are in the works... heh*) if i can get who ever makes adult swim to show up im tottaly doing it...

but the fact is they're probably all arogant and have a money pit, complete with a voldo cosplayer doing weird crap in it...

just kidding...

but i tottaly understand what the first poster was saying... its all just a matter of what would really bring ppl in...

[MistressLegato]

People cosplayed Teen Titans at 2004 Kumori.  I , personally, am a HUGE Japanimation fan and I dislike the style in which most American Cartoons are drawn and a lot of the content is . . . not what I want to watch.

Comic cons pretty much have the American stuff covered.

I prefer my anime con to be about Japanese stuff.

That's just me, maybe

[TomtheFanboy]

OK, dude.

If you want more american stuff at a convetniongo to a Comic Con.

There's basically three big conventions types.
Sfi-fi
Anime
and comics.

There's others sure but If you say "Anime Convention", Comic Con, or Trek convention, then everyone knows what to expect.

Kumoricon is a "Japanese Animation and Culture" convention. There are cons for other things outthere, you just have tolook for them outside of the anime culture.

Oh, and yes, the Adult Swim guys do go to comic-cons.

[Keyta-Kun]

the Adult swim guys go to comic-cons?!?  :shock:  Now I've got yet more cons to attend...Anyway prejudiced baaaad get along, gooooood!! No fighting!!

[@random]

I mean, in the AMV contest for kcon having something like less than 90% of asian made animation would disqualify you, which just seemed kind of odd.

I have to weigh in heavily on the side of the "Ameranime sucks moldy cheese" crowd, I'll admit. But I'm really surprised about the AMV contest. Anyone know why this would have been a requirement?

[modab]

Our convention is definitely geared towards Anime, from Japan. But I believe that the line between Japanese and non-Japanese animation is greatly blurring. Lots of anime inbetweens or even key frames are done in Korea. American companies now sponsor a substantial percentage of anime. In the manga world, companies like Tokyopop are publishing manga from Korea, and are increasingly publishing American or European works. A comic book like Megatokyo, completely American, is routinely sold as a "Japanese-style" comic book, and placed in the manga section. As well it should be. American animation projects like the Batman series, or Megas XLR, take distinct flavor from Japanese styles.

So what does this mean for Kumoricon? It means that I believe we will increasingly look for, support, and show more non-Japanese animated works. I am a fan of all animation, Pixar, Ghibli, Aardman, whatever. When we were originally working on Kumoricon 2004, Dreamworks was initially thinking of getting a vendor booth at our con, to promote Shrek and Shark Tale. Our goal is not only to give anime fans anime, but things *like* anime that they would also enjoy, whether it's web-comics, or video games, or rpgs, Japanese culture/food, or other animated works!

[Nyco27]

I know that we've had both Teen Titans cosplayers and invader zim cosplayers.

Invader Zim in the art show in 04.

And an Invader Zim fanfic competition.

Furthermore, american animation is much more accessable to us, anime can be a bit harder to find and that's part of what the con is all about.

And lastly, you want american content then come up with a panel or event and email me. I'd love to have a panel examining the difference between american and japanese style animation and art.

Nyco

[staze]

we're getting there.  How many people were wearing Brain Slugs?  there are ideas on the table for this next year that would bring a larger amount of American/Non-Japanese presence to the con... but at this point, we can't really say one way or the other.  

it's interesting, because Sci-Fi cons started out Sci-Fi, and are ever increasing their quota of Anime Type stuff (Cascadia con?  not necessarily a Sci-Fi con, but still), and Anime Cons are slowing growing to encompass more non-anime type stuff.  

It really is all about the demand.  And the staff.  Anime cons are run by people that like anime.  So we naturally gear toward what we like, just as someone who loves rap is going to naturally play rap at a party.  If people really want to see an Animation Tract at Kumoricon 2006, please, volunteer to lead the effort!  We're not bias, or racist, or anything like that... we just do what we know, and people come.  

Thanks!

[Bow-]

People cosplayed Teen Titans at 2004 Kumori.  I , personally, am a HUGE Japanimation fan and I dislike the style in which most American Cartoons are drawn and a lot of the content is . . . not what I want to watch.

Comic cons pretty much have the American stuff covered.

I prefer my anime con to be about Japanese stuff.

That's just me, maybe

I agree. If I hear " american" and "animation" in the same sentence, I generally run screaming

[rasetsutaisho]

you know... i fiigure a lot of people get this feeling... theres a lot of different things that ppl who like anime are typicaly into... and at anime conventions you dont quite get to see a full spectrum of the things you like such as

comedy (like adult swim and what not)
martial arts
sports? (im thinking it'd be kinda cool is anime fans and otaku made up their own sports and held tournaments for them. like most conventions have an 'anime dating game' but it'd be REALLY cool to see a con have 'ANIME DATING ELIMINATION CHALENGE!!' (im hoping some of you guys watch beat takeshi's castle, or extreme elimination chalenge))
boffing! (boffing would be soooooooo awesome)


i hate to say it but i notice every time i go to a con it always seems that i'm not really intrested i the majority of panels n, and then theres the gaming rooms, video rooms, and dealer room which are cool, and then theres the people (people everywhere! omg!) but theres not much physical activity...

but then again i realize cons are usualy put on on a volunteir base, no body get paid (usualy) i mean i've run a how to draw anime panel before... and it was fricken hard! and im also sakura cons chief bodyguard... so i know about how it takes a lot to put these things together, and have them run smoothly, and theres always a ton of regulations and crap....

so what im thinking... is people should really get involved... and come up ith things they think would be cool to do... at sakura con making a panel isnt all that hard... you just need a catchy name for the panel and tell ppl what you wanna do...









im not really sure where im going with this anymore.... im kinda rambling... but i think you guys get it... i figure theres probably little groups and things at kumori con (like the goggle squad?) ppl in groups have a lot of power... if you guys were to sit down and get serious (kinda like that manga 'genshiken') you could do some cool stuff....

[cstrife]

Hey eveybody, I am really glad to see this topic come up. It seems like every year appealing to an anime audience should be getting easier. With the influx of more and more artists and voice actors the guest pool is huge. But the aspect that is hard for me as a relations person deal with is the great Japanese/American divide. I dont want Kumori to come out being a niche convention.
So, how do we not alienate our convention from our fans? I think our idea of having our con goers help choose our guests is a good idea. I think that the interest will change from year to year. Some years we may lean more towards Japanese animators and more of a Japanese themed con. Maybe the next year more of an American themed but still Japanese flavored con.
In the end I think Kumoricon will continue to be a fan driven convention and I would like to see how it changes in the future.

[MistressLegato]

I would absolutely HATE it if our con got overrun with American stuff.  I believe firmly that ANIME cons are based around JAPANESE games, animation, etc.  Yeah, there is some K-Rock, or Korean or Chinese animation and some Teen Titans cosplay and that's cool.

But I just don't want to see any of it taking over the core focus of what I go to the con for!

[rasetsutaisho]

I would absolutely HATE it if our con got overrun with American stuff.  I believe firmly that ANIME cons are based around JAPANESE games, animation, etc.  Yeah, there is some K-Rock, or Korean or Chinese animation and some Teen Titans cosplay and that's cool.

But I just don't want to see any of it taking over the core focus of what I go to the con for!

i know what yer saying... i think cons would really benifit from having a lot more japanese/general asian flavored things, but at the same time i think conventions should really be open to all sorts of things... like, im always surprized how i'll see a bunch of ppl from and anime convention at a renfaire, but i never see any one dress up in renfaire clothes at a con... its not like ppl would make fun of you or something....

it really seems like running a con is an intense balancing act while theres a big wind storm of fads and oppinions going on around you... i know from sticking around at sakura con for the 'assault and flatery' you will never please evryone. something crazy always happens it wouldnt be a proper con if it didnt. i was actualy looking at sakura cons assault and flatery part of the forum and noticed theres was both a thread for complaints about there being too much badge checking and another thread with complaints about there not being enough badge checking... and both had valid points

i think really what most ppl dont realize though is exactly what the relations guy above is saying... people power the con, if more ppl come forth to power up things awesome stuff would happen all the time, but i think alot off pple are just content 'staying down on their knees' as trent reznor would say...

these days alot of ppl like to whine
they like to complain
and the enjoy hating things
but in the end i think they'd still come to kumori con
and if they dont they usualy feel like they missed out on something big
so they end up coming next year

[Xaam]

I understand where you two are coming from about wanting a firm base in all things Asian rather than being overrun with American culture. A good deal of the appeal of anime comes from the enchanting way it shows you a culture you've never seen before.

But at the same time, I would rather base a convention's substance on content than the place it's items come from. If the American sweater they could sell at a booth is just plain better or sturdier or comes in more sizes....I'd rather have it than a Japanese sweater for sale.

I think that having a convention about anime pretty much ensures that it will be impossible to eliminate the Asain aspect of the convention.

Understand, I am not championing the idea that we should bring in All-American everything, but while I'm browsing through the convention, I'd much rather eat a hot dog and fries than fish paste! :wink:

[superjaz]

i still think if you were talking about an american cartoon , k-con would be the last place that some one would diss you for it because think of it like this, a good share of us are older and we still like cartoons,
american japanses i think we all know that patrnizing tone of "oh you still watch cartoons ? how nice..."

[rasetsutaisho]

i still think if you were talking about an american cartoon , k-con would be the last place that some one would diss you for it because think of it like this, a gppd share of us are older and we still like cartoons,
american japanses i think we alkl know that patrnizing tone of "oh you still watch cartoons ? how nice..."

keikon?

[superjaz]

i still think if you were talking about an american cartoon , k-con would be the last place that some one would diss you for it because think of it like this, a gppd share of us are older and we still like cartoons,
american japanses i think we alkl know that patrnizing tone of "oh you still watch cartoons ? how nice..."

keikon?

k-con=kumoricon

[Nyco27]

Here's an idea, (it's a little out there I know) but if there is something you want to see more of at con, run it yourself! Kumoricon's stance has always been "by the fans, for the fans." If you want to see something happen at K-con it's great you let us know, but we have limited staff, and even more limited panelists resources. If you're brave enough to try being a panelists please PM or email me at programming@kumoricon.org.

Thanks,
Nyco

[Dustin]

I do like animation from other countries aswell, not just Japan. However, when I think of american animation, plotless stuff like Bugs Bunny and The Road Runner come up.

I'm sorry, but I just feel my intelligence is being insulted trying to see a coyote trying to catch a road runner for the billionth time, using some ACME product that we all know, in the end, is going to fail.

I watch anime because the plot is usually something interesting. I love a good story, and most anime are very plot driven. Most american cartoons while I was growing up just didn't have that. They also had no order, by the end of each episode everything is the same as when it started so the episodes could be watched in any order. I always hated that.

I think americans are starting to wise up that kids are not stupid. They need to be entertained in a manner that both verifies their intelligence, while also recognizing that they're still young, and some things are not yet suitable for their age.

Anime, in a way, is everything american animation should have been from the beginning. Yet we, as a nation, saw animation as nothing more than a medium for comedic purposes, not to be taken seriously. Nothing animated would ever be taken seriously for along time, unless it had Walt Dinsey's name slapped all over it.

From the outset the japanese knew it was a medium that could be put to good use, they chose to recognize it, while we ignored it. However, this fact is changing in today's world, and I love that. I'll still watch american stuff if I believe it's worth it. However, I usually only watch american based stuff for comedy purposes, because I still believe anime has much better plots. The worst anime I ever saw, was just about equal with some of the stuff I have seen on the american animation scene, and thats really saying something.

I think because of this, I will always enjoy the plots of anime more. The last american animation I saw was Madagascar (Since its CGI some people will contest that this is not animation, but I lable CGI in with animation, personally), and honestly, the plot was lackluster. If it had not been for the comedy of the penguins, I would have walked out on the film alltogether. This is the kind of plot americans come up with. Talking zoo animals escaping captivity to go to the wild. I could compare that with almost any anime and still think the anime's plot is better. Even the japanese would see this plot and think its weird. Not that there aren't any anime with talking animals, sure there are, but thats beside the point I am trying to make.

I guess after all that ranting, the point I am trying to make is this:
While I believe fans of other animation aside from anime are OK to come to anime cons, I believe that they should cosplay anime, and anime and animation from other countries should be kept seperate. While this is indeed discriminatory, I believe its also OK if these fans wish to get together at the con and have, like, a room party or something.

I'm not saying they can't enjoy it, I am just saying keep it seperate from the anime con. Most anime cons are about the japanese culture in general, as has been stated by others. I think these should be kept seperate to respect the differences. They have conventions for that kind of stuff, aswell, this just isn't one of them.

[Pie Row Maniac]

Despite it all, it WAS pretty funny when Joe from Bakazoku went as Harry Potter though...

[Eternal Yamcha]

But at the same time, I would rather base a convention's substance on content than the place it's items come from. If the American sweater they could sell at a booth is just plain better or sturdier or comes in more sizes....I'd rather have it than a Japanese sweater for sale.

Honestly I don't see how it's needed. K-Con has been going for what? 3 years now and has only grown every year? This is without having to add in a bunch of American/Other style animation.

Personally, I go to K-Con because it's an exclusively anime convention. I am surrounded by American animation on a daily basis... And in some cases (*coughs* Spongebobsquarepants *cough cough*) am assaulted by it constantly. Not saying there isn't great American animation out there (Futurama anyone?) It's just nice to indulge myself in animation that isn't American.

I see no reason why we need to add non-anime into the convention more than we already have. But I believe that having a panel on something along the lines of Family Guy (just an example) wouldn't be bad... As long as it doesn't over-run the anime aspect of K-Con.

[rasetsutaisho]

Here's an idea, (it's a little out there I know) but if there is something you want to see more of at con, run it yourself! Kumoricon's stance has always been "by the fans, for the fans." If you want to see something happen at K-con it's great you let us know, but we have limited staff, and even more limited panelists resources. If you're brave enough to try being a panelists please PM or email me at programming@kumoricon.org.

Thanks,
Nyco

jezz you make running a panel sound like its soul calibur or something....

its not that hard... unless you get in over your head... but thats when you get a group of ppl to run a panel

[Nyco27]

You'd be suprized by the number of people that are afraid to run a panel. I know it's not that hard, I've been doing it for years, I just wanted to add some pazas to it all. Also there's talk of a cheaper fair for panelists (including those who've already signed up or who have already registered) so there's another little incentive.

Nyco

[MistressLegato]

You'd be suprized by the number of people that are afraid to run a panel. I know it's not that hard, I've been doing it for years, I just wanted to add some pazas to it all. Also there's talk of a cheaper fair for panelists (including those who've already signed up or who have already registered) so there's another little incentive.

Nyco

Depressing tidbit: Arlene and I ran an interesting panel last year.  TWO people showed up -_-

[Misuteru]

Depressing tidbit: Arlene and I ran an interesting panel last year.  TWO people showed up -_-

Ouch, I thought about running a panel.....though i ditched it when i realised i had nothing worthwhile to hold a panel about.

[Radien]

boffing! (boffing would be soooooooo awesome)

<snip>

theres not much physical activity...

It's true that anime is more of an "indoor" hobby (which is, in part, the origin of the word "otaku"), but trying to organize physical activities at a hotel is rather difficult. They are not designed to have people running around chaotically indoors, and they have lots of regulations to follow, whether indoors or out.

The worst problem is the weapons. Boffer weapons might be heavily padded and duct-taped, but they're not harmless. In fact, I have a horror story regarding that: in the SCA, I was boffer-fighting with some friends in the woods, and the guy in front of me got his nose broken so badly that he needed plastic surgery. o_o; Thank god he was the one who had fantastic health insurance. If it had been me, I might have a bent nose to this day...

This is why the SCA has boffer marshalls.  You need someone who is licensed to supervise before you boffer fight at an SCA event. And remember, THEY do it out in the woods. Think of what it would be like doing it on hotel property. If anything went wrong, you can be sure that the cosplayers would take the brunt of the hotel's criticism: hotel staff probably won't differentiate between one fake weapon and another when the hotel's reputation is on the line.

[Radien]

I do like animation from other countries aswell, not just Japan. However, when I think of american animation, plotless stuff like Bugs Bunny and The Road Runner come up.

I'm sorry, but I just feel my intelligence is being insulted trying to see a coyote trying to catch a road runner for the billionth time, using some ACME product that we all know, in the end, is going to fail.

To be fair, Looney Tunes is not quite so representative of American animation anymore. It used to be the most popular type, and Saturday morning cartoons are still a widespread image of what Americans "think" animation is, but when you look at animated movies you can see that American animation has changed a LOT since Looney Tunes and Disney struck it rich in the entertainment industry. (God bless Dreamworks!)

Kid's animation will always be common in America, but most of us over the age of 12 are not regularly coerced into watching it. Japan has its own cartoons for children, too, but if Japanese adults don't watch them, it's because they choose to watch something else. The same should be true for Americans who watch western animation.

One thing that I'll say the American animation industry IS overrun by: the expectation that animation = comedy. If you watch cartoons made for adults, they're almost always filled to the brim with satiric humor (either that or "cheap thrill" obscenity).

The last american animation I saw was Madagascar (Since its CGI some people will contest that this is not animation, but I lable CGI in with animation, personally

There's no reason to be uncertain. 3D animation is animation just the same. It's just a different medium, such as watercolors vs. oil paints.

Talking zoo animals escaping captivity to go to the wild. I could compare that with almost any anime and still think the anime's plot is better. Even the japanese would see this plot and think its weird.

Nahh, they wouldn't even flinch.

You should realize that the anime you watch isn't necessarily mainstream over there, either. Before Trigun, they had Doraemon and Astroboy. Mainstream animation in Japan is still mostly for kids and mid-teens.

I guess after all that ranting, the point I am trying to make is this:
While I believe fans of other animation aside from anime are OK to come to anime cons, I believe that they should cosplay anime, and anime and animation from other countries should be kept seperate. While this is indeed discriminatory, I believe its also OK if these fans wish to get together at the con and have, like, a room party or something.

I used to argue something to that effect, but it really, really didn't go over very well.

The problem is that you'd be telling people what to do, and worse, telling them what to wear. Costumes are just clothing. Aside from potential safety hazards and public exposure concerns, the costumes themselves can't really cause too many problems. Chances are, it's the attitude of the person inside the costume that will cause trouble; not the costume itself.

I think we should set limitations, but only when costumes and activities quite directly impede somebody else's anime-related activities. Such problems are uncommon, and certainly don't include, for instance, walking down the hall dressed as Gir from Invader Zim.

Anyhow, cosplay is costuming. Generally, people who costume a LOT like to do a variety of things. That means not necessarily narrowing your scope to something as specific as, say, "anime." Side interests are acceptable in life, right? Just because you bring something to an anime con doesn't instantly mean you're claiming "this is anime!"

Heck, some of the most popular American con guests are not technically anime or manga. Fred Ghallager of MegaTokyo technically produces American comics. But that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be a guest at an anime convention. *shrug*

[rasetsutaisho]

boffing! (boffing would be soooooooo awesome)

<snip>

theres not much physical activity...

It's true that anime is more of an "indoor" hobby (which is, in part, the origin of the word "otaku"), but trying to organize physical activities at a hotel is rather difficult. They are not designed to have people running around chaotically indoors, and they have lots of regulations to follow, whether indoors or out.

The worst problem is the weapons. Boffer weapons might be heavily padded and duct-taped, but they're not harmless. In fact, I have a horror story regarding that: in the SCA, I was boffer-fighting with some friends in the woods, and the guy in front of me got his nose broken so badly that he needed plastic surgery. o_o; Thank god he was the one who had fantastic health insurance. If it had been me, I might have a bent nose to this day...

This is why the SCA has boffer marshalls.  You need someone who is licensed to supervise before you boffer fight at an SCA event. And remember, THEY do it out in the woods. Think of what it would be like doing it on hotel property. If anything went wrong, you can be sure that the cosplayers would take the brunt of the hotel's criticism: hotel staff probably won't differentiate between one fake weapon and another when the hotel's reputation is on the line.

it wasnt a quality idea ment to be put into action, i know about that sort of thing, rules and such... thing is... it'd still be awesome

[superjaz]

i admit i have toyed with the idea of a pannel about the benifits of ddr as a great sorce of exersize, pannel

[Radien]

it wasnt a quality idea ment to be put into action, i know about that sort of thing, rules and such... thing is... it'd still be awesome

Oh, boffing actually sounds like a fun idea. ^^ But if you're hoping to get it to be a sanctioned event by the con.... good luck.

In truth, your best option is to organize your own group, and take them out to boffer fight at the nearest public park. I'm not sure what our location will be like this year, but sometimes there's a public park right next to the hotel, and sometimes there isn't one for miles.

But regardless, if you're off of other people's private property, and using boffers in a way that doesn't pose any danger to bystanders, I believe you can do whatever you want (though you'd best double-check Portland's city laws). The turnout wouldn't be as big for a non-sanctioned event, but you could do it.

I would, of course, recommend that you read up and make sure you're up on the typical safety standards for boffer fighting. Even if it's unofficial, getting your nose broken in public would be bad for both your health and the con's reputation...

[Negima]

i admit i have toyed with the idea of a pannel about the benifits of ddr as a great sorce of exersize, pannel

I remember once telling a physical therapist (spelling?) about DDR and he started asking questions about it.  He even said he was wondering if it might be a good form of practice for people with some kind of foot injury (on the beginner levels).

[Pie Row Maniac]

DDR: Helping white people think they can dance since 1998

[superjaz]

DDR: Helping white people think they can dance since 1998

hey i know i can't dance but ddr helped me lose a 100 lbs its a great game

[Pie Row Maniac]

DDR: Helping white people think they can dance since 1998

hey i know i can't dance but ddr helped me lose a 100 lbs its a great game

I used to dance on Workout Mode all the time when I first got it.

Then I moved into the top floor of a two-story apartment ¬¬

[rasetsutaisho]

it wasnt a quality idea ment to be put into action, i know about that sort of thing, rules and such... thing is... it'd still be awesome

Oh, boffing actually sounds like a fun idea. ^^ But if you're hoping to get it to be a sanctioned event by the con.... good luck.

In truth, your best option is to organize your own group, and take them out to boffer fight at the nearest public park. I'm not sure what our location will be like this year, but sometimes there's a public park right next to the hotel, and sometimes there isn't one for miles.

But regardless, if you're off of other people's private property, and using boffers in a way that doesn't pose any danger to bystanders, I believe you can do whatever you want (though you'd best double-check Portland's city laws). The turnout wouldn't be as big for a non-sanctioned event, but you could do it.

I would, of course, recommend that you read up and make sure you're up on the typical safety standards for boffer fighting. Even if it's unofficial, getting your nose broken in public would be bad for both your health and the con's reputation...

ha ha.... it just might happen

not the nose braking thing but the off site stuff

[Nyco27]

I had someone who was interested in doing a how to make boffing weapons for cosplay type things but I never heard back from them. Furthermore if you  guys can come up with a way to attach it to anime or japan (boffing katana fighting?) then you could at least do a presentation or preformance thingy.

Oh and the DDR weightloss panel would be really cool. I personally have lost about 10 pounds playing and my boyfriend has lost more than 50 - so it really does work.

again, if you want to run a panel, please email or pm me and I'd be glad to get it set up. If you're afraid of lack of attendance I'll do what I can to get the word out about the panel and see what people think (and endevor to not have it up against something that would drag your audience away).

Nyco

[Daxe]

Oh nos. I spent the better part of my high school years making and beating others up with "boffers". There are many kinds of boffers you can make, one handed, two-handed, dirks, great swords and if you really want to try something a little more difficult you can make battle axes.
Everything can be made with just a few $, say 10 or so. You will need PVC pipe, duct tape, electrical tape, and foam.

PVC pipe can be acquired at any fredmeyer or some such store for about $1 for about 8 ft of it. Depending on how many of the boffers you want to make you may want to buy more.

Duct tape is easy, any roll of duct tape will do, although its best from a fresh roll since these boffers will likely see a lot of action. duct tap depending on the size of the roll and where you buy it can be anywhere from $6-$12 (this is the most expensive part)

The Foam is for pading of course, also easily acquired at a fred meyer style store. I recoment 3/4" foam. This allows for more padding and some versatility to work with, such as using the left over foam to make a decent guard. Now the foam only comes in a bundle of 4 sticks at 4' a stick. So if you want a blade to have more than a 4' blade then you will need to use more than one stick of foam and may want to buy more than one pack. (Keep in mind that balance and usability of such a weapon is important, so dont unbalance the sword with a huge blade, you can however counter the weight of a long blade with a large handle and guard.)

The electrical tape is for grip on the hilt of a sword. Using the electrical tape, roll the tape up the handle around the guard a few times and then back down, repeat as needed to cover the whole hilt of the sword and consider the weight that many layers will add if you have a longer blade, which will also affect the overall weight.

This is the hard part. If your just getting used to all this then you need to discover what kind of blade user you are, which do you prefer? Two one-handed swords? A great sword? Consider your build and what works best with your syle of fighting? If you still need further help deciding which sword to make and or learning your own style send me a PM, maybe we can meet up pre-Kcon and get some practice in. Although Id have to get these old bones moving again, working in IT can kill your physical activity level.

Good Luck

[Radien]

I had someone who was interested in doing a how to make boffing weapons for cosplay type things but I never heard back from them. Furthermore if you  guys can come up with a way to attach it to anime or japan (boffing katana fighting?) then you could at least do a presentation or preformance thingy.

If anyone does this, I have a Legend of Zelda-style "Master Sword" boffer I could lend you. I didn't make it, but hey, it'd be fun for an example.

Personally, I recommend that you center it around the idea of boffers as props. I rarely hear of boffer fighting otherwise having much to do with Japan. *shrug*

Oh and the DDR weightloss panel would be really cool. I personally have lost about 10 pounds playing and my boyfriend has lost more than 50 - so it really does work.

True! I lost a good deal of weight as well, when I was most into it.

I stopped for a long while, though, and gained it all back. That was during a stressful time, coupled with lack of funds. Right now I'm getting back into DDR (and In the Groove), so if anybody in Eugene or Springfield would like to join me for a few rounds sometime..........