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<\/a>\u201cWe basically are a celebration of the culture around Japanese anime. We have a bunch of dealers that will come and sell merchandise, we have artists from here and Vancouver, and there are a significant number of people who will dress up in cosplay,\u201d explains conference chair Adam Park. \u201cWe have two main auditoriums and three panel rooms that are filled with events continuously running throughout the weekend. All together we have about 80 events, that\u2019s like the programming of a convention that\u2019s four or five times the size.\u201d<\/p>\n
The convention\u2019s staff members have set their hopes high and are putting all they\u2019ve got into making it an enjoyable weekend. For instance, Park, who says, \u201cYou\u2019d be hard pressed to find an anime fan that doesn\u2019t love video games,\u201d has lent his entire personal collection of videogames to the convention\u2019s game room.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an entire wing that\u2019s all game stuff. There are cards games, a Pok\u017dmon league, Dungeons and Dragons, and a videogame room set up with every system imaginable,\u201d says Park. \u201cWe\u2019ve been told that the quality of our video games room is what you\u2019d expect to find at 10,000-person convention.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s convention saw an impressive 1,700-plus visitors, but this year it\u2019s expected that a whopping 2,000 people will attend. Park hopes that the wide array of programming will draw people from all walks of life.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people think it\u2019s only for teenagers, but, definitely, it\u2019s not. We have a lot of people in their twenties and older. Often parents will bring their kids and then even the parents will end up enjoying it,\u201d says Park, who claims even those that are unfamiliar with the anime genre will find something to entertain themselves. \u201cWe even have a lot of panels that are aimed at those people who have maybe never seen anime before. Last year we actually had a panel called \u2018I\u2019m an Anime N00b.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
As with most conventions, there will be prizes for those who sport the best costumes based on their favourite anime character. This year the convention is scheduled to fall on Valentine\u2019s Day, which provides a unique situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year our convention has a theme\u0143last year it was magical girls, like Sailor Moon, and everything that came from that, and this year our theme is love,\u201d says Park, who hints that there may even be a special Valentine\u2019s surprise at this year\u2019s convention… who says anime can\u2019t be romantic?<\/p>\n