Otakon Adds Kill La Kill English Dub Cast To Guest List

Very cool news for anime fans out there. Otakon 2014 has announced the popular anime show "Kill La Kill" English Dub cast is coming to Otakon. Read the official information below.

Otakon 2014 is adding the voice actors of the English dub of Kill La Kill to the guest list for Otakon 2014. Erica Mendez, Carrie Keranen, Christine Cabanos and David Vincent were recently announced by Aniplex as the dub cast, and this will be the first time fans can see them together to talk about their roles in the series. Mendez, who was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, plays vagrant schoolgirl, Ryuko Matoi, in Kill la Kill. She became interested in voice-over during her early teen years through anime and video games. Making up and imitating voices from her favorite shows and games as a hobby quickly turned into long-term goal to get into the voice-over industry. Several years and one giant move across the country later, she is working as a professional voice-over artist. Like the rest of the cast, she works in Los Angeles. In the anime world, she is best known for her roles as Aladdin in Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic; and Jasmine, young Staz, and Angry in Blood Lad. Her video game works include Pac in Pac-man and the Ghostly Adventures, Fran in Demon Gaze, Eryn in Fairy Fencer F, Micie in Atelier Escha & Logy, Lucchini in The Witch and the Hundred Knight, Corbin in Dust: An Elysian Tail, Pearl in Heroes of Newerth, and Esmy in Cryamore. Keranen plays Ryuko's rival, Satsuki, in Kill la Kill. She's also known for her role of Mami in Madoka Magica. Last summer she reprised her role as Caska in Berserk for the movie trilogy. In 2012 she went to San Diego ComicCon to premiere TEKKEN: Blood Vengeance as Ling Xiaoyu. She has previously given voice to Mokuba for the later seasons of YuGiOh as well as Kisara in YuGiOh Millenium. She has had lead roles as Cutie Honey in the live action Cutie Honey, Kumiko in Gokusen, Hinaku in Phoenix (Hi no Tori) and as Sheena in Pokemon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life. Her voice also appears in recurring roles on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ah! My Goddess, Slayers, Let's go Tamgotchi, Pat and Stan, and Huntik. Her favorite video game role was Annie in Red Dead Revolver, though you can hear her on League of Legends, Viva Pinata, as well as several to be released soon. Cabanos plays Ryuko's friend Mako Mankanshoku in Kill La Kill. Some of her most notable roles include Azusa Nakano of K-On!, Madoka Kaname in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Shiemi Moriyama in Blue Exorcist, Silica in Sword Art Online, Minori Kushieda in Toradora!, Haruka in Oblivion Island, the titular character of Squid Girl in Squid Girl, Minawa Ando in Mahoromatic: I’m Home, General Pisti in Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Michi Kondo in Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne, Ruka Asato in Accel World, Reina and Mew in Pokemon Origins, Filia in Skullgirls, Marie Rose in Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, Chiaki Nanami in Dangan Ronpa 2, Nepgear in the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, Keina Sawaya in Atelier Meruru, and roles in video games such as Time and Eternity, Ragnarok Online 2, Witch and the Hundred Knight and Mugen Souls Z.

Vincent, who is both a professional voice actor and a television producer, lends his voice to an unusual role in Kill La Kill, playing Senketsu, the living sailor uniform Ryuko finds beneath her house. He was nominated Best Voice Actor in an Anime by the American Anime Awards for his work as Van in GUN x SWORD. Some of his best known animation credits include: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques & Kouga Kuchiki in Bleach; Li Xingke in Code Geass; Archer/Gilgamesh in Fate/Zero; Assassin in Fate/Stay Night; Seiji in Durarara!!; Arthur August Angel in Blue Exorcist; Daisuke Nagase in Persona 4; Sakon in Kekkaish; Chester Barklight in Tales Of Phantasia; General Logi in Blue Dragon; and Giichi in Blade Of The Immortal. Some of his more recent video game credits include: Jin Kisaragi & Hakumen in the BlazBlue game series; Richard in Tales Of Graces F; Raymond Vester in Resident Evil: Revelations; Marshall Law & Forest Law in the Tekken franchise; Shin Kamiya in Tekken: Blood Vengance; Eliot in Dead Or Alive 5; Keiss in Final Fantasy: The Crystal Bearers; THawk in Super Street Fighter IV; Morgan in Medal Of Honor; Blocter in The Last Remnant; Edward in Infinite Undiscovery; and Richter in Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles. Other titles include HALO 4, Soul Calibur V, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Spec Ops: The line, Alpha Protocol, plus many more new titles to be released this year. in addition to voice acting, Vincent has also appeared in front of the camera in guest and costarring roles on primetime television shows NCIS, Criminal Minds and The Mentalist, among others.

Otakon 2014 will be held August 8-10 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore.

Otakon 2014 to Feature Stars of Classic Sailor Moon Dub

At Otakon 2014, members can meet the stars of the well-known North American dub that introduced the Sailor Moon franchise to millions of English-speaking fans. It's hard to believe, but it's been 20 years since English-speaking audiences were introduced to the series (and 21 years of the Otakon convention). Otakorp Inc. is pleased to welcome Canadian talents Lynda Ballantyne, Katie Griffin and John Stocker to their first Otakon.

Ballantyne is best known as the starring voice of Sailor Moon. She continues to work in animation with roles on such shows as; George of the Jungle, BeyWheelz, Mia and Me, The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, Bakugan Battle Brawlers: Gundalian Invaders, Toot & Puddle, Yin! Yang! Yo!, Cyberchase, and Care Bears and is well known for providing the voice of Wasp (Janet Van Dyne) on The Avengers animated series, as well as voicing Percy in Thomas and the Magic Railroad. She has been the "voice" of the Comedy Network for13 years and is currently creating and writing an animated series, Simply Wicked. Check out her new radio show called I’m Just Sayin’ on SiriusXM Satellite’s newest channel Canada Talks (#167).

The voice of Sailor Mars, Griffin has worked with such acting powerhouses as Nicole Kidman, Glenn Close, Matt Dillon and Rob Lowe. She's also known for her portrayal of Alex on Totally Spies, Yoko on Team Galaxy, Zair on Redakai, as well as Julie and Sellon on Bakugan Battle Brawlers and Hikaru on Beyblade. In addition, she portrayed Nina Harper on the Emmy-Award-winning Braceface, Ruby on Max and Ruby and Laugh-a-lot Bear in Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot. She has had numerous guest starring roles on shows such as 6-teen, Stoked and The Dating Guy.

Since voice directing Sailor Moon, Stocker has gone on to helm many productions, including Totally Spies, Beyblade, Caillou, Redakai, Medabots, Pandalian, Mike the Knight, and Ella the Elephant. He has worked on-screen with John Candy, William Shatner, Dan Aykroyd, Mark Wahlberg, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy and Gilda Radner and has been the voice of thousands of TV and radio commercials. His animation voice career includes parts in Droids and Ewoks, and includes many iconic roles, such as Beastly in Care Bears, Toad in Super Mario Brothers, Basil in Babar, Longarm in C.O.P.S., Ultron in The Avengers, Creed in X-Men, The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man in The Real Ghostbusters, Thompson in Tin Tin, Newton Gimmick in Teddy Ruxpin and Bugsy in Dog City. Some of his recent roles include Mayor Swifty in Sidekick, Mr. Owl in Franklin, Mission Control in Rob the Robot and both Naga and King Zenoheld in Bakugan.

The Lolita of Otakon 2013

Remember we did a simple chat on our Girl's Night In podcast? One of the questions was what happens in Lolita communities. While I was able to answer the question, the Lolita activities that happened at Otakon are an even better example. Since the con is currently local to the Baltimore area, members of the local community (Charm City) was able to host a few meet-ups an panels.

Anime conventions are the best excuse ever for lolitas to commune, especially since life happens and everyone's not a lifestyle (or daily) lolita. Among things hosted near Otakon were a swap meet, meet & greet meet-up and a Lolita rush at a candy shop ... It's SUGAR!

Getting down to business, the community hosted two Lolita panels. With two of the community's more active lolitas, Lolita 101- beginner, explained the basics and ABC's of Lolita. Lolita 102- intermediate got down to the science of shopping for Lolita.

  

  

You can see more from Otakon, Lolita coords, and community life via Charmed Metro Lolitas Tumblr.

Otakon 2013 Overview

 

 So, we were able to make it to Otakon 2013! This was a first for Otakus and Geeks and boy was it AWESOME! The con, for it to be smaller than New York Comicon and some others, did prove to be more than a two person job. Registering, we were really excited to hear that we have been hooked up with some simple con swag to help make our jobs a tad bit easier! And I do mean ... only a TAD! 

If you are not familiar with the anime and comic book conventions in the Baltimore area, let's share what Otakon is all about. 

Otakon is the convention of the otaku generation

Ever since 1999, we've taken over a sizable chunk of Baltimore's Inner Harbor for a 3-day festival celebrating the pop culture that's brought us everything fromAstroboy to Yu-Gi-Oh, from Seven Samurai to Spirited Away.

Join thousands of your fellow fans as we descend on Baltimore to celebrate music, anime, manga, and all other facets of Asian pop culture!

read more about Otakon

OVERALL

Overall, the con was pretty a enjoyable experience. Though this experience is not the fullest that Otakon has provided. The con-goers made this year's Otakon into a great festival with a lot of beautiful cosplay and J-fashion. The staffers did an awesome job making you feel welcomed and answering any questions that you may have. Navigation through the convention was a little tricky sometimes, but that is due to venue's set-up, not the convention's. Aside from that, it was easy-peasy smooth sailing.

AN INTERACTIVE CON

Thursday, to open the con, was an Anime Matsuri, in which you could come in your best J-fashion or cosplay and commune with others before being swept away by a full weekend of photo-shoots, panels, and shopping. Some special touches to Otakon that set it apart from other cons were fan produced video screenings and the Ota-museum. These among other things, make the con more interactive with its fans and followers. 

The fan-produced video screenings gave fans a chance to have their voices heard and creativity seen, on a larger scale. Imagine having your fan film screened by over 34,000 people! That's way better than being Tumblr famous, in my opinion. If you missed out this year but interested, there is always 2014. Be sure to check out their submission guidelines from this year to give you a running start.

The Ota-Museum is a nice and personal touch to the convention. It is a great crash course of the history of Otakon over the years. I would definitely recommend this as a "must see" for first time con-goers, especially first time Otakon con-goers. There was even a Newbies Guide available with tips to surviving Otakon. 

RATING
All-in-all, I would give this Otakon 2013 presentation a solid 3.5 (out of 5) since programming and guest selection could have been a bit better. However, Otakon is in a major transition- adding Otakon Las Vegas and soon relocating from Baltimore to DC- so it is forgiveable. If you have never been and willing to travel or local to the Baltimore area, Otakon is a highly suggested con to attend. There is definitely something for everyone!

**Be sure to check out The Cosplay of Otakon of 2013 here on O&G!**

Otakon Moves To Washington DC In 2017

Otakon 2013 is wrapped up and has some news with some mix feelings for fans of the popular con. It has been announced that Otakon will be moving to Washington DC starting in 2017. The official press release statement can be read below. 

While Baltimore has been our quirky and well-loved home for most of Otakon's existence, and despite our good relationships with the City of Baltimore and the local community, our contract with the city expires in 2016, and we were forced to decide whether to remain or to move. After a lengthy process of evaluating several candidate cities (including Baltimore), we ultimately selected the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. 

The primary driver for this move is the state of the facilities in Baltimore and their uncertain future. The Baltimore Convention Center has not aged gracefully and there are proposals to replace both the BCC and the Arena over the next five years. Any upgrades would require at least a temporary move and would result in disruptive changes in our facilities regardless of the final outcome. Of several alternatives considered, only Washington DC and Baltimore were considered viable, and both cities bid very competitively. Our focus has always been on delivering the best experience for our members at the best value to the organization. Both bids helped control costs in our largest expenses (facilities, tech, and labor), so we don't expect the move to be a major factor in our membership rates for the foreseeable future. 

An evaluation committee delivered an analysis of the DC and Baltimore bids to the voting membership in June of 2013, and after considerable debate (and many expressions of regret) the voting members chose DC as the best option for our next contract period. Despite our long ties to Baltimore, we are energized and excited for the possibilities afforded by the facilities in DC. As with any move, there will be challenges and a bit of a learning curve, but we view this as an opportunity. And we look forward to seeing the results of Baltimore's planned reinvestment -- with luck, we'll face another tough choice in a few years.