Category: Conventions

This post was originally written for the April 2019 issue of Mangaverse, the anime, manga, and comics ‘zine published by the National Fantasy Fan Federation (N3F) which I am currently in charge of editing. If you are interested in contributing to Mangaverse, please contact me at jessi@s1e1.com. I am always on the lookout for writers and artists!

This post may have been minimally-edited from its original form to correct minor errors and/or include hyperlinks.

Additional Photography Provided By: Goldeneyeuro

Throughout many of my years as an anime fan, one thing has been consistent – my love of anime (and other fandom) conventions. While I came of age as participant in internet-heavy forms of fandom, it’s the in-person gatherings of like-minded people that have always felt like home to me. When I entered college I joined my University’s anime club, and through the club met people who were involved in the local fandom community. Through them I was able to learn about and attend some of the existing anime conventions at the time – Anime Central, which took place outside of Chicago, and Anime Iowa, which at the time was in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I also met and made friends with some folks who were hoping to establish an anime convention in the Twin Cities metro area. Some thought it foolhardy, but they eventually did so – that was how Anime Detour came about.

I’ve been involved with Anime Detour nearly since its inception. First as an attendee, then as a member of art staff, and now, for many years, as a member of programming staff (we put together the panel and event schedule for the weekend, and help to ensure that panelists have what they need). I also run a great deal (some might say an unhealthy amount) of programming, including several panels and the convention’s long-running Anime Music Video (AMV) contest. This level of involvement definitely colors my experience of the convention itself, as I’m often buzzing from panel room to panel room so that I can set up for my next presentation, or trying to fit in a meal during a gap; I sometimes don’t get a chance to see and do everything I would like to if I were simply another attendee.

Convention Logistics

Anime Detour 2019 took place from March 29^th – March 31^st, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This was the convention’s second year in the hotel, which luckily put many of the previous year’s growing pains and other pain-points in the past. Its location comes with its share of challenges, however, some of which my husband and I luckily avoided as members of staff; parking is at a premium, with the attached parking garage coming at a higher cost for three days than many are comfortable with (the convention cut a deal for something like $13/day, but the previous convention hotel came with free parking on a surface lot which is difficult to beat). We were able to snag a hotel room for the weekend (a necessity when you’re on staff), and brought one car between the two of us, which we left in the ramp all weekend. The cost was certainly a price we were willing (and able) to pay. There was a shuttle running between the convention overflow hotels and another parking ramp further out, which helped to make the situation less of an issue. The hotel is also on a major transit thoroughfare, with several bus lines (including the 10, 11, 17, and 18) servicing the closest stops, so this is always a good option for folks familiar with taking transit.

The location is close to several decent food options, though in this there is somewhat of an issue; aside from a Chipotle, a Vietnamese restaurant, and Einstein Brothers bagel place, most of the options nearby are either closed on weekends, or are sit-down options which might be a bit too expensive for most con-goers to make good use of throughout the whole weekend (and which take too much time for those of us who need to be in and out quickly). The hotel itself has a café, which is definitely helpful; there you can get various sandwich and breakfast options, as well as coffee (which is a requirement for me these days). Luckily there’s also a Target store a couple of blocks North of the hotel where one can grab some staples and snacks, and the Hyatt’s hotel rooms have mini-fridges to store leftovers. This saved me a couple of times when I didn’t have time to grab other food. My advice to convention attendees would be to bring things like oranges, bananas, apples and some various non-perishable items like crackers, granola bars, jerky, and such. The convention also provides snacks; I believe this is something that’s mostly a tradition at midwestern conventions, as I haven’t seen them elsewhere. The Consuite as it’s called provides snacks and rice to all attendees; those who put in volunteer hours gain access to an adjacent area that has sandwich fixings, yogurt, and additional items. While the Consuite isn’t meant to be a substitute for actual meals, it can definitely help when you’re in a pinch.

One excellent improvement from last year is that the food trucks contracted to park alongside the hotel were there for longer periods of time, and there were two at a time instead of just the one, which really helped to cut down on the crazy lines that formed last year. I only got the chance to try one of the two, but managed to end up with a very tasty barbecue sandwich out of the deal. This is an amenity that I hope the convention continues to provide, as it’s very convenient and also helps out some local food businesses in the process.

Panels and Events

While panels might not be a huge draw to many fans (cooler things like Cosplay, video gaming, and the nightly dance/rave tend to be more highly-regarded), they’re the reason I keep going to conventions. First, because I love the discussions (except when they turn hostile – not a common occurrence, but I’ve seen it happen), and second, because I always feel like I learn something new. At Anime Detour I spent much of my time behind the microphone with my husband presenting several panels on various anime-and-manga-related subjects. He and I are extremely lucky in that we’ve been doing this a long time and have been able to cultivate relationships with many of the people who attend our panels consistently. This aspect of the convention is truly a high point for me and something that keeps us wanting to run panels (even though we know we run way too many).

This year we (surprisingly) had a chance to attend a couple of other panels. One was presented by Evan Miller, a long-time friend, which focused on the development of anime conventions in both Japan and the US. The second half of the panel went somewhat off-track and became a discussion regarding how conventions can and should handle some of the unfortunate realities of the modern era (one example given was a stalking incident that happened at a convention on the West Coast, during which a person set fire to several cars after being turned down for a date). While there was an interesting debate going, I think the discussion revealed that preventing similar incidents revolves a lot around cultivating certain expectations within the convention community, one example being the “Cosplay is not Consent” motto which was first developed at another local convention (CONvergence, also now held in Minneapolis).

I also attended a panel that my husband moderated, which revolved around the pressures put upon real-life athletes and how these are (or aren’t) reflected accurately in anime and manga. The convention’s theme this year revolved around sports and sports anime, and one of the guests of honor was Chris Kluwe, former Minnesota Viking (and current geek). It was an interesting panel, as all the panelists had experience in various sports (MMA, Tai Kwon Do, Swimming, and Football) and could relate that to anime. The panel itself was streamed and is available to watch on the convention YouTube channel, for those who are interested (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBaMikHGzQk).

Shopping

One of my favorite things about attending conventions is browsing the dealers’ hall. While obtaining anime-related merchandise is no longer difficult, there’s something about seeing the items in person that’s appealing to me. Sadly, though the dealer hall is greatly-expanded from what it was in previous years at the old location, the variety of merchandise felt very lacking this year. I like to collect anime figurines, and while I’m admittedly a fan of some niche series, I can usually find a few characters from series that I enjoy represented at most conventions. Perhaps this is just something that’s happened over the past couple of years (I had a similar complaint about last year’s A-Kon convention), but most of the figurines for sale seem to be similar across the board between different merchants, and I didn’t happen to find anything unique. It might just be an off year (and perhaps I ought to work a little harder to expand into some bigger fandoms so I can have more selection available), but I was disappointed.

I’d also love to see some J-fashion or kawaii-fashion merchants make an appearance at the convention. Unfortunately, Anime Detour has never really catered much to that area of fandom, as I suspect I’m one of the few staff members with any interest in that and my plate is already full as it is. I do recall a somewhat amusing incident where some panels from our local lolita fashion community were nearly refused because the individuals handling the request thought it was a fetish thing rather than a niche fashion unaffiliated with the famous novel, so I suspect some of those challenges still exist in some form. While there has always been a place for local designers, leather/corset workers, rave fashion sellers, and T-shirt merchants, I would love if someday Anime Detour could invite Lolita Collective to sell in the dealers’ hall, or even bring in some Japanese fashion guests.

As usual, I found a lot more to my fandom liking in the Artist Alley, which was held in one of the smaller ballrooms. The various fan artists there ensured that a great variety of fandoms were represented, including some of my recent favorites like Golden Kamuy and Devilman Crybaby. The room in which the Artist Alley is located seems as though it has some space to expand, so I’m hoping that future years will be able to accommodate even more excellent artists.

Con Culture

Anime Detour, like many of the local conventions I attend, has a robust anti-harassment policy (and has for many years). I know from insider experience that the convention staff puts in a lot of work to ensure that staff members are empowered to handle these types of situations, and that con attendees know that harassing behavior is not to be tolerated. While there are always people who believe the rules don’t apply to them, for the most part I find that Anime Detour is one of the conventions where I tend to feel safe and don’t observe other attendees behaving in an out-of-control manner. The convention also cordons-off its 18+ programming in a specific area. While this may seem like overkill to some, my opinion is that this helps to ensure that the people who are interested in seeing that sort of material are well-aware of what they’re getting into, and those who don’t want to see it don’t stumble into it accidentally.

The convention has also latched onto a trend which I hope will become commonplace at more events like this – it provides a way for convention attendees to share their preferred gender pronouns in a visible way if they so choose. This year the convention registration staff provided badge ribbons (if you’re not familiar with these, they’re printed ribbons with a sticky backing that you can attach to your attendee badge) with common pronouns (she/her, they/them, etc.), as well as a blank version for those who utilize less common pronouns. I’ve seen this accomplished at other cons using stickers, so this is kind of a variation on a theme. This did, unfortunately, introduce a venue for those with bad intentions to take advantage of the blank ribbons and use them to write insults. While I was lucky enough not to see any of these particular ribbons in person, it was reported to me that some folks were writing gender slurs and insults to transgender individuals on the blank ribbons, so something will have to be put into place to help mitigate this for next year (one suggestion given to me and passed along to convention staff was to have people choose from a list or enter their preferred pronouns at registration to have them printed directly on the badge, which I thought would be a good way to filter out the insulting ones).

One thing that I would love (and this is me speaking not as a staffer, but as a convention participant and attendee) would be if Anime Detour would do more to cultivate some more academic, meaty discussions in its panel programming. We do attract a few individuals who choose to approach their presentations in this manner, but historically programming is comprised of what people submit with the intention to run, and what people submit tends to be more light-hearted fandom content and in-character truth-or-dare sessions. I’d never want to eliminate these things because that’s obviously what a large contingent of people want to do, but I feel more work could be done to allow the more serious stuff to exist more prominently.

Wrap-up

This year’s Anime Detour seemed to blaze by in a flash, possibly because I had overbooked myself to the extreme. When your mind is so consumed with what panel or event is coming up next in your personal schedule, it’s difficult to take a step back and experience the things that are going on around you. I tell myself every year that I’ll cut back next time, but that never seems to happen; it’s difficult for me to say whether or not I’ll ever learn my lesson.

Anime Detour is what I consider to be my “home” convention, and to that end this year was another success. I got the chance to see old friends, chat with other attendees, see pretty much everything the convention had to offer, and enjoy being in the middle of downtown Minneapolis (not exactly a novelty since I work in the area, but it’s different when you’re there for fun). My hope for the future is that the convention will continue to expand responsibly, to utilize its space more efficiently, and to learn and improve upon its ability to cater to people from many different walks of life in pursuit of its fandom-focused mission. Oh, and maybe let me know (gently) that I’m running WAY too many panels for my own good.