Tomo-Dachi
Encyclopedia
Tomo-Dachi was an anime convention
based in Derry
, Northern Ireland
.
Starting in the summer of 2005, Tomo-Dachi was the first anime
convention to run in Ireland
.
The original venue was The Nerve Centre
, on Magazine Street in the city centre of Derry
. Tomo-Dachi, also known as TDXX (the "XX" is replaced by the year - such as TD05, TD06, etc.) is now held annually at the Magee College
of the University of Ulster
.
The name of the event comes from the word , which means "friends" in Japanese
.
and the Daily Ireland
.
, a public entertainment venue in Derry based in the city centre, and the convention made use of its unique facilities. This was venue where the Derry Anime and Manga Association held their meetings.
The one-day convention was made up of multiple areas. One screening room, that being an actual cinema.
The event also held Northern Ireland's first Anime Convention Cosplay Contest, which was won by Ryan McDermott.
The convention took place on the weekend of July 7, 2006.
and Mr Matt Greenfield
in their first ever convention visit in Europe. They were joined by Hugh David of ADV
films UK, Sonia Leong and Emma Vieceli
both of Sweatdrop Manga Studios
.
, part of the University of Ulster
. The campus was fully renovated prior to the event, With classrooms converted into gaming rooms, screening rooms, an artists alley and a Manga library.
TD06 was a three day convention and offered special events, panels, industry information, dealers and more. Over the weekend it was attended by just over 200 people from Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The first guest announced for the convention was Guest of Honour Mike McFarland
, voice actor and director for FUNimation Entertainment
. Other guests include Stuart Claw and Emma Vieceli
hosts of the UK's Anime Network
, Sonia Leong, Manga artist and Hugh David representative of ADV Films.
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...
based in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Starting in the summer of 2005, Tomo-Dachi was the first 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....
convention to run in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
The original venue was The Nerve Centre
Nerve Centre
The Nerve Centre is a youth self-help organisation established in 1990 in Derry, Northern Ireland to provide a creative outlet for youth culture and the many young people who feel excluded from the "arts sector"...
, on Magazine Street in the city centre of Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
. Tomo-Dachi, also known as TDXX (the "XX" is replaced by the year - such as TD05, TD06, etc.) is now held annually at the Magee College
Magee College
Magee College is a campus of the University of Ulster located in Derry, Northern Ireland. It opened in 1865 as a Presbyterian Christian arts and theological college...
of the University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
.
The name of the event comes from the word , which means "friends" 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...
.
History
In 2004 when the original Tomo-dachi committee was formed there had never been an anime convention held anywhere in Ireland, north or south of the border. The announcement and run up to the first outing of the anime convention was reported in multiple local and national based papers including the Belfast Telegraph, The News LetterThe News Letter
The News Letter is one of Northern Ireland's main daily newspapers, published Monday to Saturday. It is the oldest English language general daily newspaper still in publication in the world, having first been printed in 1737....
and the Daily Ireland
Daily Ireland
Daily Ireland was an Irish daily newspaper which existed from January 2005 to September 2006 to cover news stories from an Irish republican viewpoint. It was linked to the Belfast local newspaper, the Andersonstown News...
.
Tomo-Dachi 2005
Tomo-Dachi 2005 (or TD05 for short) was held in August 2005. It was the first anime convention to be held on the Island of Ireland, and was operated and run by DAMA, the Derry Anime and Manga Association. The one day event attracted 83 people.Location & Details
TD05 took place at the Nerve CentreNerve Centre
The Nerve Centre is a youth self-help organisation established in 1990 in Derry, Northern Ireland to provide a creative outlet for youth culture and the many young people who feel excluded from the "arts sector"...
, a public entertainment venue in Derry based in the city centre, and the convention made use of its unique facilities. This was venue where the Derry Anime and Manga Association held their meetings.
The one-day convention was made up of multiple areas. One screening room, that being an actual cinema.
The event also held Northern Ireland's first Anime Convention Cosplay Contest, which was won by Ryan McDermott.
Tomo-Dachi 2006
The plans for the following year's event included a change of venue and lengthening Tomo-Dachi into a three days event.The convention took place on the weekend of July 7, 2006.
Guests
The convention was attended by several guests, most notably Ms Tiffany GrantTiffany Grant
Tiffany Lynn Grant is an American voice actress and script writer who is known for her English-dubbing work with the former ADV Films on such anime films and television series as Neon Genesis Evangelion, in which she voiced the character Asuka Langley Soryu...
and Mr Matt Greenfield
Matt Greenfield
Matt Greenfield is the American co-founder of the now-defunct ADV Films. Originally an avid fan who ran an anime club in Houston, Texas with John Ledford , he and Ledford founded ADV Films in 1992. ADV Films began as an importer of anime, marketing primarily to the existing network of anime fans...
in their first ever convention visit in Europe. They were joined by Hugh David of ADV
ADV
ADV is a three-letter acronym and abbreviation that may refer to:* The abbreviation for the word Adverb* The abbreviation for the words Advertising/Advertisement* A.D...
films UK, Sonia Leong and Emma Vieceli
Emma Vieceli
Emma Vieceli is a professional British comics artist of Italian-English heritage. She is currently a resident of a small village in Cambridgeshire, England.-Biography:...
both of Sweatdrop Manga Studios
Sweatdrop Studios
Sweatdrop Studios are a collective of UK Original English-language manga creators who publish British small press comics.-Overview:The UK's first home-based independent Original English-language manga publisher and distributor, Sweatdrop Studios publish and distribute manga produced solely by...
.
Location & Details
TD06 was held at Magee CollegeMagee College
Magee College is a campus of the University of Ulster located in Derry, Northern Ireland. It opened in 1865 as a Presbyterian Christian arts and theological college...
, part of the University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
. The campus was fully renovated prior to the event, With classrooms converted into gaming rooms, screening rooms, an artists alley and a Manga library.
TD06 was a three day convention and offered special events, panels, industry information, dealers and more. Over the weekend it was attended by just over 200 people from Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Tomo-Dachi 2007
Tomo-Dachi 2007 was held on the weekend starting August 24.The first guest announced for the convention was Guest of Honour Mike McFarland
Mike McFarland
Michael Charles McFarland is an American voice actor, ADR Director, Script, and Line Producer at Funimation Entertainment. He also did work with ADV Films, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, New Generation Pictures and Okatron 5000...
, voice actor and director for FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
. Other guests include Stuart Claw and Emma Vieceli
Emma Vieceli
Emma Vieceli is a professional British comics artist of Italian-English heritage. She is currently a resident of a small village in Cambridgeshire, England.-Biography:...
hosts of the UK's Anime Network
Anime Network
The Anime Network , a former subsidiary of A.D. Vision, Inc. , is a cable and satellite digital broadcast service in North America dedicated to anime.-History:...
, Sonia Leong, Manga artist and Hugh David representative of ADV Films.