SacAnime Summer 2017 Report

Thousands of anime, pop culture, gaming fans, and more gathered for this year’s SacAnime Summer convention, making it one of California’s largest anime conventions this year. The event garnered big celebrities, such as Zach Callison, the voice of Steven from Steven Universe, John Ratzenberger, a voice actor from every pixar movie, notably “Cheers,” and other actors to participate in photo ops and signings for all excited fans! The convention also offered a wide array of events covering near all interests of convention fans. The event features two versions of gaming, tabletop gaming and video gaming. Dance battles, lessons, an Electronic Dance, and the Starlight Ball. Don’t worry about going alone either: the convention offers speed dating to those who seek a partner with similar interests.

A-to-J Connections was on site to not only cover the event, but to also add to the event's programming! We were excited to bring our newest panel, "Alternative IDOL: A Look Into the J-Pop Underground", to SacAnime Summer 2017 and, even though technical difficulties marred the end of the panel, it was a success overall!

A screen from A-to-J Connections' "Alternative IDOL" panel.

A definite highlight of the event was the fashion show. Featuring new and experienced designers, including A-to-J Connections very own Eunice and Kelsey, the show consisted of never before seen designs. Unique and innovative designs worn by models of every type, including a dog! The fashion show was a fantastic and fun addition to the convention scene.

My Hamachi Designs @ SacAnime Summer 2017

Another particularly exciting event was the panel featuring Shintaro Kago and Toshio Maeda, both artists of erotic and grotesque manga. This panel was filled with fun and laughter as the guests engaged stories of their work and personal life. Not only did they crack open a beer to drink while hosting their panel, they opened up about tales of their intimate life and revealed their own viewpoint about some particularly obscene pieces in their work. Their panel was so spectacular and the time flew by so quickly, audiences were begging for more by the end! Unfortunately, they could not stay, and the panel came to a close. 

Shintaro Kago

Toshio Maeda

We were lucky enough to interview both Shintaro Kago and Toshio Maeda while at the con and the latter of which proved to have some VERY colorful language when discussing his art and his past! You can check out the interview in the video below!

Interview with Toshio Maeda

SacAnime is not only made fun by the directors of the events, but by the amazing people and friends that that gather at these events. Being one of the largest in California, this convention ensures that old and new friends will join together during this amazing event. People join together to do spontaneous dances and photoshoots. Then, at the end of the night, the energetic Electronic Dance brings people of all ages together to let go of their worries and have fun. This popularity of this event also means that people pull out some of their biggest and best cosplays to display. Some of these were even put on show in the Cosplay Masquerade! This event showed cosplays of all type  as con-goers walked the stage showcasing their beautiful work.

SacAnime Summer 2017 was a wonderful event filled with activities for people of all ages and interests. They never fail to meet the expectations of their fans, and hopefully SacAnime Winter 2018 holds to their legacy and remains an enjoyable convention for anime and pop culture fans alike.

-Beck

For More Info On SacAnime:
​http://www.sacanime.com/