Kami-Con
Encyclopedia
Kami-Con is an anime convention
held annually in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
. Kami-Con is a fan-run convention and is open to the general public. The convention hosts a very unique style in which it allows the con attendants to control the outcomes of major convention decisions, and organizes innovative ideas to make "the world more fun".
and otaku
culture to meet and share their hobbies and interests. Together they formed the Bama SOS Brigade which became the planning and administrative arm of Kami-Con. The name "Kami-Con" as well as the name of Kami-Con's administrative branch the "SOS Brigade" are both references to the popular light novel
and anime
franchise, Haruhi Suzumiya
. The official mascot of Kami-Con is Shio-chan. This is a pun based on The University of Alabama's nickname the "Crimson Tide" as Shio is the is Japanese word for "tide." The character Shio could also be read as "salt", and when her sister appears in season 2 the character reveals her name to be Kosho, which is read as "pepper" in english. The first official Kami-Con was held on April 25 and 26 of 2009.
contest, maid cafe
, gaming tournaments, anime music video
(AMV) tournaments, and anime screenings. There are also guest speakers and performers.
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...
held annually in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
. Kami-Con is a fan-run convention and is open to the general public. The convention hosts a very unique style in which it allows the con attendants to control the outcomes of major convention decisions, and organizes innovative ideas to make "the world more fun".
History
Kami-Con was started in the fall of 2008 by a handful of students at The University of Alabama. They felt that there was no place in the state for fans of animeAnime
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....
and otaku
Otaku
is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
culture to meet and share their hobbies and interests. Together they formed the Bama SOS Brigade which became the planning and administrative arm of Kami-Con. The name "Kami-Con" as well as the name of Kami-Con's administrative branch the "SOS Brigade" are both references to the popular light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
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....
franchise, Haruhi Suzumiya
Haruhi Suzumiya
is the general name for a series of light novels written by Nagaru Tanigawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito which were subsequently adapted into other media. The story follows the title character Haruhi Suzumiya, a high school girl who can unconsciously change reality, and her strange antics with her...
. The official mascot of Kami-Con is Shio-chan. This is a pun based on The University of Alabama's nickname the "Crimson Tide" as Shio is the is Japanese word for "tide." The character Shio could also be read as "salt", and when her sister appears in season 2 the character reveals her name to be Kosho, which is read as "pepper" in english. The first official Kami-Con was held on April 25 and 26 of 2009.
Event history
| Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests |
|---|
Programming
Kami-Con is a three day event consisting of several different panels, seminars, demonstrations, and workshops relating to anime and otaku culture. The events include 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, maid cafe
Maid cafe
Maid cafés are a subcategory of cosplay restaurants found predominantly in Japan. In these cafés, waitresses dressed in maid costumes act as servants, and treat customers as masters in a private home, rather than as café patrons...
, gaming tournaments, anime music video
Anime music video
An anime music video is a music video consisting of clips from one or more animations set to an audio track ; the term usually refers to fan-made unofficial videos. An AMV can also be a set of video game footage put together with music which is known as a GMV...
(AMV) tournaments, and anime screenings. There are also guest speakers and performers.
See also
- AnimeAnimeis 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....
- Anime and Manga FandomAnime and manga fandomAnime and manga fandom is a worldwide community of fans of anime and manga.- Otaku :Otaku is a Japanese term for people with obsessive interests, including anime, manga, or video games. In its original context, the term otaku is mildly offensive, implying that a person is somewhat socially inept...
- List of anime conventions