Monkey Magic: Journey to the West & Japanese Pop Culture (Anime Los Angeles 2025) Panel Slides

The Monkey Magic panel finally gets a full 90 minutes! I mentioned before that I felt the versions done at Sin City Anime and San Diego Anime Con were the best that could be done in the current format, but I had lots of ideas on how to expand to a full time slot. This actually mostly meant letting some sections breathe a bit more, but also gave me the opportunity to bring the focus back around to the "Monkey" & "Monkey Magic" focus that I feel was lost in rewrites. Also, Thomas decided to join in on this panel when I told him that his ALA badge was attached to it. Typically he just helps in technical ways, like setting up cameras to record, or to act as a runner if we need staff help, but he had seen the panel several times before. Even though he wasn't totally perfect as far as topic knowledge goes, he honestly did a great job for his first panel. I've had some co-panelists literally say nothing during an entire panel, even when I throw topics their way. It was also refreshing to have a co-host who just took initiative by reading off slides I actually intended to read myself. With all that said, I think it's high time to sunset this version of the panel. This version of the panel has hit the level where I feel I can't really host it again unless I just re-read the same slides. Even though that doesn't sound like a weird thing to do, it's something I personally try to hold off on if I can. I do plan to do a (mostly?) complete rewrite of it soon, but I'll probably refrain from hosting it until 2026. Then again, I do love Journey to the West... so who knows. Anyhow, be sure to come to a panel near you, and thank you to everyone who has either attended one or somehow made it to this page!