Senshi-Con
Encyclopedia
Senshi-Con is an annual anime convention
in Anchorage, Alaska
, and is usually held in late February. Founded in 2005, it is the first anime convention in Alaska
. The name is a combination of the English word convention and the Japanese word senshi (戦士 in Japanese
), meaning warrior. The convention is organized by the UAA Anime Club. Most of the staff are students at UAA, though anime clubs from local high schools often collaborate on preparations and events.
contest, there are video game competitions, anime
screenings, karaoke
, Cosplay Chess, and art displays. Notable persons from the world of Japanese comics and animation make an appearance and are available for autographs. Throughout the day, various contests, game shows, and skits take place on stage. While the Senshi-Con attendance levels are lower than those of the more popular conventions in other parts of North America
, the staff points out that the lines at such convention are shorter, and the planning is more thorough.
and the West High School Anime Club. As the convention staff graduated from high school, the convention was moved to the University of Alaska, Anchorage.
Unlike most anime conventions, Senshi-Con features three mascots, representing typical convention attendees. They are Tammy, the video game player; Kari, the cosplayer; and CJ, the artist. The characters and all artwork were created by Phillip Matias.
, at which she is good enough to win competitions. She owns a large collection of games and consoles (including the Atari 2600
and ten various portable consoles), and proudly wears the Pac-Man
jacket made by her grandma.
enthusiast. Since she became interested in cosplay
after seeing a Sailor Moon
cosplayer during a trip to Japan
, Kari made over a hundred costumes to portray various manga
and anime
characters. She plans on becoming an actress and has already starred in several commercials. Besides being a skillful seamstress, Kari also has a black belt in Karate
.
-born high school student. His main hobby is to draw manga
and anime
. Polishing his drawing skills since he was a child, CJ became skillful at it and wants to become an artist. His other interests include Japanese cars and collecting Gundam
models.
Anime convention
An anime convention is an event or gathering with a primary focus on anime, manga and Japanese culture. Commonly, anime conventions are multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels or college campuses. They feature a wide variety of activities and panels...
in Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, and is usually held in late February. Founded in 2005, it is the first anime convention in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. The name is a combination of the English word convention and the Japanese word senshi (戦士 in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
), meaning warrior. The convention is organized by the UAA Anime Club. Most of the staff are students at UAA, though anime clubs from local high schools often collaborate on preparations and events.
Programming
Attendees may bring a fake prop weapon as long as it complements the costume; however, live steel weapons and any gun replicas (even toys) are not allowed. Besides a cosplayCosplay
, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
contest, there are video game competitions, anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
screenings, karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
, Cosplay Chess, and art displays. Notable persons from the world of Japanese comics and animation make an appearance and are available for autographs. Throughout the day, various contests, game shows, and skits take place on stage. While the Senshi-Con attendance levels are lower than those of the more popular conventions in other parts of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, the staff points out that the lines at such convention are shorter, and the planning is more thorough.
History
The first Senshi-Con was held in 2005 at West High School in Anchorage, Alaska. It was founded and organized by now-voice actress Kira BucklandKira Buckland
Kira Buckland is an American voice actress.Kira graduated from University of Alaska, Anchorage, majoring in Japanese. Since winning the Anime Expo 2007 AX Idol Voice Acting competition Buckland has been working professionally with Bang Zoom! Entertainment...
and the West High School Anime Club. As the convention staff graduated from high school, the convention was moved to the University of Alaska, Anchorage.
Event history
| Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests |
|---|
Mascots
Tammy
Tammy Watson is 16 years old and a second generation video game player. Both of her parents were video game champions. Her favorite video game is Dance Dance RevolutionDance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...
, at which she is good enough to win competitions. She owns a large collection of games and consoles (including the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
and ten various portable consoles), and proudly wears the Pac-Man
Pac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
jacket made by her grandma.
Kari
Kari Matsushima is 17 years old and is a big cosplayCosplay
, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
enthusiast. Since she became interested in cosplay
Cosplay
, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
after seeing a Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
cosplayer during a trip to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Kari made over a hundred costumes to portray various manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
characters. She plans on becoming an actress and has already starred in several commercials. Besides being a skillful seamstress, Kari also has a black belt in Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
.
CJ
Ji-Feng "CJ" Chen is a 17-year old ChineseChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
-born high school student. His main hobby is to draw manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
. Polishing his drawing skills since he was a child, CJ became skillful at it and wants to become an artist. His other interests include Japanese cars and collecting Gundam
Gundam
The is a metaseries of anime created by Sunrise studios that features giant robots called "Mobile Suits" ; usually the protagonist's MS will carry the name Gundam....
models.