Hi friends! My husband J.C. and I will be attending the Anime Central anime convention this upcoming weekend outside of Chicago, IL. I tend to stop by this convention about once every five years or so – this is the first time I’ve been back since 2014. I’m excited to see how the convention has changed and grown in the interim (and to spend a lot of money in the dealers’ room)!
As of now, our schedule is very light; we’re presenting one panel on Friday morning. But we’ll definitely be around, so if you see us, come say hi! Below is our “official” schedule (Note: if you’ve attended “Women in Anime” before, there won’t be much new material, but there’s always been a lively discussion in the past so it might be worthwhile to stop by).
Friday, May 17th
10:30am – 12:00pm, Panel Room 8 (Convention Center) : Women in Anime – a critical look at female characters and their portrayals in anime. We’ll discuss (generally) the good and the more challenging examples, and talk about ways to examine these portrayals through a critical eye. One thing to note is that this is meant to be an overall positive panel, so we’re not going to be spending energy picking at/insulting specifically bad/problematic examples. The purpose is meant to help viewers develop their critical eye and decide for themselves.
That’s it! If you’re going to be at the convention, I hope to see you there!