GasparAKAShiggitay 194 Posted June 24, 2019 Report Share Posted June 24, 2019 Hey guys, so someone I talk to says he might not do Otakon anymore past this year due to him having the opportunity of moving across the country to Washington State, and someone in that group chat we're in on FaceBook said for him to move to Japan to attend anime conventions there to spite us all... Is convention culture as strong in Japan as it is in other countries/continents like North America and Europe? To my knowledge anime is so intertwined into the general pop culture in Japan that having a convention for a general TV show genre for them would be overly exaggerated, don't you guys think? Also to my knowledge the only "convention" like things that happen are Comiket (Comic Market) twice a year, the Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair, as well as C3AFA Tokyo, which are convention-like events, but to me it doesn't seem to represent what we in the Western world depict as a true anime convention... This is all speculation on my part really since I've never been to Japan in general, but what are your guys' thoughts? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aresef 112 Posted June 24, 2019 Report Share Posted June 24, 2019 That's a good question. Comiket serves the doujinshi creators, while AnimeJapan (nee TAF) is a trade show. JumpFesta is run by Shueisha. Anime conventions as we know them are more of a western concept--not just in the US, but events like Anime Friends and Japan Expo. That's perhaps a byproduct of how anime cons here were outgrowths of comic and sci-fi cons. For Japanese guests, it's something novel and, for musical acts, a feather in their cap. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GasparAKAShiggitay 194 Posted June 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2019 5 minutes ago, Aresef said: That's a good question. Comiket serves the doujinshi creators, while AnimeJapan (nee TAF) is a trade show. JumpFesta is run by Shueisha. Anime conventions as we know them are more of a western concept--not just in the US, but events like Anime Friends and Japan Expo. That's perhaps a byproduct of how anime cons here were outgrowths of comic and sci-fi cons. For Japanese guests, it's something novel and, for musical acts, a feather in their cap. Yeah... I really can't see legit "Western-style" anime cons popping up in Japan... it seems too meta/too redundant since anime in Japan is basically a regular TV show, and celebrating a TV show seems silly IMO... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
onsenmark 111 Posted June 25, 2019 Report Share Posted June 25, 2019 22 hours ago, GasparAKAShiggitay said: Yeah... I really can't see legit "Western-style" anime cons popping up in Japan... it seems too meta/too redundant since anime in Japan is basically a regular TV show, and celebrating a TV show seems silly IMO... ...Star Trek, anyone? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fadamor 94 Posted June 25, 2019 Report Share Posted June 25, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, onsenmark said: ...Star Trek, anyone? Touché! Also, there's "Gateway - The Official Stargate Convention" http://creationentertainment859.activehosted.com/index.php?action=social&chash=59f51fd6937412b7e56ded1ea2470c25.1576 Edited June 25, 2019 by Fadamor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GasparAKAShiggitay 194 Posted June 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2019 ...Not quite what I meant, but okay. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
windseeker 80 Posted June 29, 2019 Report Share Posted June 29, 2019 On 6/24/2019 at 1:37 PM, GasparAKAShiggitay said: Yeah... I really can't see legit "Western-style" anime cons popping up in Japan... it seems too meta/too redundant since anime in Japan is basically a regular TV show, and celebrating a TV show seems silly IMO... Game of Thrones would like a word... Anyways, I went to AnimeJapan in Tokyo in 2018, and while it was more of an anime trade show/fair than a traditional con, it had a lot of the same elements. Cosplayers, industry booths, meeting voice actors, merch for sale, etc. Though the most different thing I noticed was that I didn't see anyone arriving in cosplay to the con, most came with rolling suitcases and changed there. Fandom is a thing anywhere there's pop culture. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DeathJester 43 Posted July 2, 2019 Report Share Posted July 2, 2019 (edited) On 6/24/2019 at 1:37 PM, GasparAKAShiggitay said: Yeah... I really can't see legit "Western-style" anime cons popping up in Japan... it seems too meta/too redundant since anime in Japan is basically a regular TV show, and celebrating a TV show seems silly IMO... What would you say is the defining characteristic of a "Western-style anime con"? If you are picturing a mostly fan-organized event then that is what Comiket already is. If you are picturing something that has industry panel rooms, vendor halls, and creator autographs then there are events like AnimeJapan and Wonderfest. If you are picturing something like Otakon that straddles between industry and volunteer efforts, well that might be a phenomenon that is unique to Western audiences because the local fan-generated content is used to fill the gaps that are too expensive to fly Japanese guests for every programming track. Edited July 2, 2019 by DeathJester Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peter L.W. 2 Posted October 9, 2019 Report Share Posted October 9, 2019 I've not been to Japan, no experience with JP conventions. This is 2nd hand information: The American style convention is a western thing. There was more than one attempt at trying to introduce Western-style cons in Japan and I had marketing materials (fliers I picked up while at early AnimeExpo) hyping up their attempts. I don't know what it's like today. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GasparAKAShiggitay 194 Posted November 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2019 On 7/2/2019 at 4:33 PM, DeathJester said: If you are picturing something like Otakon that straddles between industry and volunteer efforts, well that might be a phenomenon that is unique to Western audiences because the local fan-generated content is used to fill the gaps that are too expensive to fly Japanese guests for every programming track. ...as I reply to this months later... Yeah I sort of envisioned it like what I quoted there... I just don't think it'd have the same effect as we make it here in the US/Europe/Canada etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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