News

May 02
0

Dreamscape x Senpai Squad Itasha Showcase

May 02, 2024

In honor of Fanime’s Grand Prix theme this year, Dreamscape and Senpai Squad are putting together a car show for Fanime 2024! They’ll be hosting a huge itasha showcase in South Hall featuring amazing cars from all over the Bay and beyond, so bring your best racing-themed cosplays!

Itasha Showcase

Located in the South Hall, this showcase will feature itashas (cars decorated with images of characters from anime, manga, or video games) and high quality car show builds. 

Be on the lookout for a special itasha designed just for Fanime 2024!

There will be a stage in South Hall featuring a DJ playing music throughout the day, so come hang out while checking out some impressive cars!

Cosplayers Welcome! 

Besides the cars, there will also be photo sets in the South Hall, open for anyone to take photos with! Cosplayers are welcome to take photos with the sets as well as the cars, but are NOT allowed to touch the cars without the owner’s permission.

Join us for our special Race Queen Gathering led by Dreamscape x Senpai Squad on Saturday! 

Itasha Etiquette

Feel free to take photos of and with the cars! The cars featured in the showcase have endless hours of work put into them, just like cosplay, so do NOT touch the cars without express permission from the owner (look for staff to ask if you are allowed to). 

Itasha Showcase Hours

  • Open Saturday To Monday
    • Saturday Hrs: 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
      • RACE QUEEN GATHERING: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm 
    • Sunday Hrs: 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
    • Monday Hrs: 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
  • Location: South Hall

Featured Cars:

Senpai Squad’s Vshojo 2013 Nissan GT-R  (Wide Body)

Senpai Squad’s Aqua Veilside 2017 Toyota GT86 (Only Veilside kit in the US)

Dreamscape’s Kuhl Wide Body 2022 GR86 (1st in the US)

Dreamscape’s Marin 2005 Scion XB Release Series (#484 of 2500 in the US)

Dreamscape x Senpai Squad – Who Are We?

Dreamscape and Senpai Squad are lifestyle companies focused on bridging the car and anime/cosplay communities through merchandise and hosting events. 

Run by NorCal car enthusiasts, cosplayers, and photographers, Dreamscape aims to create a fun and safe environment for fans to come together and bond over what they love.

Senpai Squad is known for hosting their wildly popular external events at cons around the country, and was founded by a group of Audi enthusiasts based in Houston who wanted to create a brand that represents the automotive, anime, and gaming community. 

May 02
1

FanimeCon Gaming Hall 2024 Experience

May 02, 2024

Hello everyone!

This year, there will be many planned changes to what the Gaming Hall will offer at con. 

  • Less PC gaming, more retro: With the difficulties of maintaining a large PC section, we have chosen to go back to the drawing board to be able to offer the best experience possible. This means that we will not have a PC section and instead will be focusing on our array of retro machines, which are coming just in time for FanimeCon’s 30th anniversary! (We plan to bring back PC Gaming in the future!)
  • Tournament changes: We will have a focus on smaller, faster tournaments and offer more of them. There will be a basic tournament schedule provided, and they will be intended to be completed in 1 to 1.5 hrs so you don’t have to choose between programming or gaming. Keep an eye on our social media posts or ask a Gaming staffer in person for more info!
  • Returning favorites! We will still have your favorite arcades, consoles, tabletop games, mahjong tables, and more in the hall!

The Gaming Hall will also have a change in hours. The hours of operation will be as follows:

  • Thursday: closed
  • Friday: 10am – 10pm
  • Saturday: 10am – 10pm
  • Sunday: 10am – 10pm
  • Monday: 10am – 1pm 

With all these changes, we are hoping to provide you with a fun Gaming Hall experience. We invite you to give us your feedback and any other questions by sending them to games@fanime.com. We look forward to seeing you at FanimeCon!

May 01
0

Continuing Safety Improvements at FanimeCon 2024

May 01, 2024

As part of our ongoing commitment to prioritize the safety of our attendees, vendors, staff, and volunteers, we have partnered with Team San Jose and the San Jose Convention Center to implement the next step in our Convention Safety Initiative.

Starting this year at FanimeCon 2024 you will be passing through metal detectors before entering the Convention Center, the Civic, and South Hall. The metal detectors will help ensure that everyone attending FanimeCon is following the Code of Conduct. 

Since we know that passing through metal detectors can sometimes be difficult, we will be taking advantage of a newer technology called an “E-Gate”. E-Gates will not require you to take items out of your pockets or have your bag inspected unless the E-Gate flags you for an additional check. 

Since some events will still be using regular metal detectors and you can still be flagged by the E-Gates, we suggest you try to keep bags to a minimum and be mindful of any metal items you may be carrying. 

If you would like to know more, please go to the Convention Safety Initiative webpage and we hope you have a wonderful and safe FanimeCon 2024.

Apr 24
109

Survive Said The Prophet

April 24, 2024

Survive Said The Prophet (abbreviated as SSTP) formed in Tokyo, Japan in 2011. They are an international rock band with members who possess solid skills, musicianship, and unique personalities, led by the overwhelming singing ability and charisma of Yosh, a bilingual vocalist who speaks fluent English. Their outstanding musicality is based on their diverse background, which is not limited to rock but also includes pop, electro, hip hop, and R&B. A band that stands out from the crowd, SSTP continues to evolve every day. They made their major debut with Sony Music in 2018, and have released six albums and one best-of album.

In addition to years of domestic tours, they’ve performed at major rock festivals throughout Japan, such as KNOTFES, SUMMER SONIC, METROCK, WARPED TOUR, ROCKIN JAPAN, SATANIC CARNIVAL, etc. They’ve also shared stages with INCUBUS, PARAMORE, HOOBASTANK, The Used, Story Of The Year, AS IT IS, and many more. In 2021, vocalist Yosh joined the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Orchestra World Tour in LA where he was the featured vocalist for the theme song “Hollow.” 

SSTP is also well-known for their many anime tie-in songs. These include “NE:ONE” (from the movie CODE GEASS: Lelouch of the Rebellion III -Glorification), “found & lost” (Banana Fish, season 1 opening theme), “RED” (Banana Fish, season 2 opening theme), “MUKANJYO” (Vinland Saga, season 1 opening theme), “Papersky” (TOKYO TWENTY FOURTH WARD, opening theme), “Find You” (TOKYO TWENTY FOURTH WARD, soundtrack song), and most recently, “Paradox” (Vinland Saga, season 2 opening theme). 

FanimeCon is excited to have Survive Said The Prophet join us for MusicFest as well as a Q&A panel and autograph sessions!

Find SSTP online!

HP – https://survivesaidtheprophet.com
Twitter – https://twitter.com/SSTPofficial
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/survivesaidtheprophet
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/SSTPOFFICIAL
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/survivesaidtheprophet

Apr 19
1

The Oasis

April 19, 2024

For FanimeCon’s 30th anniversary, Silver Island is now becoming The Oasis!

Silver Island was initially created to mark FanimeCon’s 25th “silver” anniversary in 2019. Since then, it has grown beyond just a commemoration of that year, and now The Oasis will be home to both daytime and nighttime programming for all ages.

We are excited to continue working towards a great show this year. Stay tuned for more updates.

If you are interested in helping out as staff please apply on our application page!
https://fani.mobi/apply

Apr 09
12

Hirokatsu Kihara

April 09, 2024

Hirokatsu Kihara is a highly accomplished industry veteran with a career spanning several decades. He began his journey as a production coordinator for the anime movie Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and quickly caught the attention of director Hayao Miyazaki. Mr. Miyazaki then headhunted Mr. Kihara to join the team at Studio Ghibli. 

During his time at Studio Ghibli, Mr. Kihara worked closely with Mr. Miyazaki and played an integral role in the production of several critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, including Laputa: Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, and Kiki’s Delivery Service. The famous Catbus character from Totoro is even modeled after him! 

After leaving Studio Ghibli, Mr. Kihara opened a new chapter in his career as a scary story author. He has written many scary stories that have been adapted into TV series and movies. His most significant project in recent years is a collaboration book with horror manga artist Junji Itoh, titled Mimi’s Tales of Terror. The book has been translated into seven different languages and has gained a cult following.

FanimeCon is proud to welcome Hirokatsu Kihara back as Guest of Honor for his second appearance! This year marks the 35th anniversary of Kiki’s Delivery Service and will be a focus of his panel discussions. Don’t miss your chance to hear behind the scenes episodes about the Ghibli classic, and maybe he even has a few surprises up his sleeve…?

In addition, Mr. Kihara will have autograph sessions and a special Godzilla panel for attendees!

Social Media:
Twitter: @KiharaHirokatsu

Apr 04
10

Casey Mongillo

April 04, 2024

Casey Mongillo is a voice actor, gamer, and musician based in Southern California. Among their many roles, they are most known for playing Shinji Ikari in the 2019 Netflix dub of Neon Genesis Evangelion, as well as Angel Devil in Chainsaw Man, Emporio in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, Scorbunny and Raboot in Pokémon Journeys, and the protagonist in Shin Megami Tensei V. Additionally, Casey is the producer and voice of Bakuryu in the Bloody Roar 2 Redub Project.

Social Media:
http://www.caseymongillo.com
@caseytheva on instagram
@CaseyTheVA on X/Twitter

Apr 02
4

MarkMan

April 02, 2024

MarkMan is a gaming industry veteran from Southern California and the Global Director of Business Development for the Evo event series. Well known for his work in fighting games and within the fighting game community, MarkMan frequently is a host and commentator at fighting game event competitions. In addition, he also works on the hardware side of fighting games by helping develop and design controllers, arcade sticks, and other specialty controllers.

In his free time, Mark is also a collector and curator of fighting game history, arcade sticks, retro games, and sneakers. He enjoys meeting members of the various fighting game communities, and has always been supportive of the community finding careers through their passions and hobbies.

FanimeCon is excited to welcome MarkMan to FanimeCon 2024!

Social Media: 
Twitter: @MarkMan23
Youtube & Instagram: @MarkMan23

Mar 28
13

Kira Buckland

March 28, 2024

Kira Buckland is a voice actor best known for playing Jolyne Cujoh in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, 2B in NieR:Automata, and Kuki Shinobu in Genshin Impact. Other popular roles include Mitsuri in Demon Slayer, Mary in Kakegurui, Setsuna in Yashahime, Rebecca in EDENS ZERO, Talim/2B in SOULCALIBUR VI, Falke in Street Fighter V, Kyoko in River City Girls, Hiyoko and Kirumi in the Danganronpa series, and many more!

FanimeCon is excited to welcome Kira back as a Guest of Honor for the first time in 10 years!

Social Media:
www.kirabuckland.com
@killercoffeequeen on Instagram
@kirabuckland on X/Twitter
https://www.facebook.com/kiravoices
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/kirabuckland