Manga Wiki
Advertisement


FanimeCon (also known as simply Fanime) is an annual anime convention run by the Anime Resource Group (ARG). It is the largest anime convention in Northern California [1] and one of the ten largest anime conventions in North America.[2] Originally conceived by Aaron Pilgrim as a gathering of local anime clubs in Northern California, the first one was held at California State University, Hayward. The anime clubs at that first Fanime were Beefbowl Anime, Chabot Anime, Foothill Anime and No-Name Anime.

Later, it was held at the Foothill College campus in Los Altos Hills, and it then moved to the Santa Clara Convention Center. In 2004, FanimeCon was held in the San Jose Convention Center over Memorial Day weekend where it generated more than $5M in local economic impact.[3] The convention continues to be held annually at that location.

Programming[]

FanimeCon features events including artist's alley, a masquerade ("Der Cosplay"), AMV contest, swap meet, game show, karaoke, video gaming, tabletop gaming, dances, and musical performances. Big attractions include celebrity guests, such as Hiroyuki Yamaga, the Japanese writer-director-producer famous for the film The Wings of Honneamise[4]. There are also panels scheduled on a wide range of topics including anime blogs, pocky, and how to make shoes and boots for costumes. FanimeCon also includes round-the-clock video programming.[5]

History[]

File:Capcom & SNK good vs. evil characters at FanimeCon 2010-05-30 1.JPG

Cosplayers at FanimeCon 2010 portraying characters from Street Fighter and The King of Fighters during a photo shoot.

FanimeCon was first held on June 19, 1994 at California State University, Hayward in Hayward, California as a free anime convention. FanimeCon stayed at California State University until 1996 when the convention moved to Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California. Anime Resource Group (ARG) was formed the same year as the parent organization.[6] 1996 was also the first year the convention became a paid event.[7]

Hiroyuki Yamaga became FanimeCon's first Japanese guest of honor in 1997. The programming expanded to include an art show, a cosplay show, an anime game show, and live music. In 1998 FanimeCon expanded to two days and became a three day convention the following year. FanimeCon moved to the Santa Clara Convention Center in 2000 where it stayed for four years before moving to the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in 2004.

Event history[]

Dates Location Atten. Guests
June 19, 1994 California State University, Hayward
Hayward, California
200[8]
February 25, 1995 California State University, Hayward
Hayward, California
350 Carl Gustav Horn and Fred Schodt.[9]
February 14, 1996 Foothill College
Los Altos Hills, California
775 Greg Espinoza, Allen Hastings, Carl Gustav Horn, Fred Schodt, Toren Smith, and Toshifumi Yoshida.[10]
March 8, 1997 Foothill College
Los Altos Hills, California
1,200 Allen Hastings, Carl Gustav Horn, Fred Schodt, Toren Smith, and Hiroyuki Yamaga.[11]
February 14–15, 1998 Foothill College
Los Altos Hills, California
1,700 Allen Hastings, Kuni Kimura, Scott McNeil, and Hiroyuki Yamaga.[12]
March 19–21, 1999 Windham Hotel
San Jose, California
2,000 Steve Bennett, Allen Hastings, Mari Iijima, Gilles Poitras, and Hiroyuki Yamaga.[13]
February 24–27, 2000 Santa Clara Convention Center
Santa Clara, California
2,300 Steve Bennett, Allen Hastings, Mari Iijima, Fred Patten, Gilles Poitras, Stan Sakai, and Hiroyuki Yamaga.[14]
March 30 – April 1, 2001 Santa Clara Convention Center
Santa Clara, California
3,500 Steve Bennett, Tiffany Grant, Allen Hastings, Mari Iijima, Taliesin Jaffe, Fred Patten, Stan Sakai, Fred Schodt, Jonathan C. Osborne, and Hiroyuki Yamaga.[15]
April 26–28, 2002 Santa Clara Convention Center
Santa Clara, California
4,600 Takami Akai, Steve Bennett, Tiffany Grant, Carl Gustav Horn, Mari Iijima, Jonathan C. Osborne, Gilles Poitras, and Hiroyuki Yamaga.[16]
June 20–22, 2003 Santa Clara Convention Center
Santa Clara, California
5,400 13-37, B! Machine, Laura Bailey, Steve Bennett, Blood, Akitaroh Daichi, DJ MPU, Rebecca Forstadt, Allen Hastings, Sato Hiroki, Tsurumaki Kazuya, Kawamura Maria, Matt K. Miller, Jonathan C. Osborne, Gilles Poitras, Kristine Sa, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Secret Secret, Stephanie Sheh, Kari Wahlgren, Hiroyuki Yamaga, Reiko Yasuhara, and Yasuhiro Takeda.[17]
May 28–31, 2004 San Jose McEnery Convention Center
San Jose, California
6,122 Beautiful Losers, Blood, Camino, Duel Jewel, Fred Gallagher, Allen Hastings, Akemi Hayashi, You Higuri, Hiroaki Inoue, Jonathan C. Osborne, Gilles Poitras, Fred Schodt, Nami Tamaki, J. Shanon Weaver, and Hiroyuki Yamaga.[18]
May 27–30, 2005 San Jose McEnery Convention Center
San Jose, California
10,438 Steve Bennett, Kumiko Kato, Ric Meyers, Jonathan C. Osborne, Gilles Poitras, Ramen and Rice, Hiroyuki Yamaga, Maria Yamamoto, and ZZ.[19]
May 26–29, 2006 San Jose McEnery Convention Center
San Jose, California
10,000 Akai SKY, Goofy Style, Kamijo, Ryoichi Koga, Miami, Takahiro Mizushima, Mothercoat, Ric Meyers, Gilles Poitras, Jonathan C. Osborne, Poplar, Rooster Teeth Productions, Asami Sanada, Swinging Popsicle, Kazuhiro Takamura, Up Hold, USA Musume, and Hiroyuki Yamaga.[20]
May 25–28, 2007 San Jose McEnery Convention Center
San Jose, California
12,000 Crack 6, Greg Dean, Ryan Gavigan, Carl Gustav Horn, Mari Iijima, Sekihiko Inui, Karma Shenjing, Reuben Langdon, Derek Liu, MECHANiCAL PANDA, Ric Meyers, Jonathan C. Osborne, Gilles Poitras, Asami Sanada, Hiroyuki Yamaga, and ZZ.[21]
May 23–26, 2008 San Jose McEnery Convention Center
San Jose, California
14,926 An Cafe, Ryan Gavigan, Carl Gustav Horn, Hidenobu Kiuchi, Reuben Langdon, Ric Meyers, Maika Netsu, Jonathan C. Osborne, Gilles Poitras, Dan Southworth, and Richard Waugh.[22]
May 22–25, 2009 San Jose McEnery Convention Center
San Jose, California[23]
15,000 Haruko Momoi, Hiroyuki Yamaga, Ken Lally, Reuben Langdon, Patricia Ja Lee, Carl Gustav Horn, Gilles Poitras, Jonathan C. Osborne, Keith Burgess, Ric Meyers, and Ryan Gavigan.[24]
May 28–31, 2010 San Jose McEnery Convention Center
San Jose, California
LM.C, Haruko Momoi, Daisuke Ishiwatari, Toshimichi Mori, Mamoru Yokota, FLOW, Reuben Langdon, Hiroyuki Yamaga, Carl Gustav Horn, Gilles Poitras, Jonathan C. Osborne, Keith Burgess, Ric Meyers, Ryan Gavigan, Karen Dyer

References[]

  1. "San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau Welcomes Back FanimeCon". MARKET WIRE. Retrieved 2007-05-08. 
  2. Delahanty, Patrick (January 1, 2007). "Largest North American anime conventions of 2006". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2007-01-17. 
  3. "FanimeCon Breaks Records in New San Jose Location". Business Wire. Retrieved 2007-05-08. 
  4. http://web.archive.org/web/20080513213000/www.fansview.com/2000a/022500a.htm
  5. Antonucci, Mike (2007-05-17). "Games, anime, sci-fi conventions invade Bay Area". San Jose Mercury News. 
  6. James Matsuzaki (2001). "All About Fanime Con". FanimeCon Program Guide 2001: page 2. 
  7. Bruce Tureene (2002). "Fanime History". FanimeCon Program Guide 2002: page 4. 
  8. "FanimeCon 1994 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  9. "FanimeCon 1995 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  10. "FanimeCon 1996 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  11. "FanimeCon 1997 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  12. "FanimeCon 1998 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  13. "FanimeCon 1999 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  14. "FanimeCon 2000 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  15. "FanimeCon 2001 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  16. "FanimeCon 2002 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  17. "FanimeCon 2003 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  18. "FanimeCon 2004 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  19. "FanimeCon 2005 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2008-08-22. 
  20. "FanimeCon 2006 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  21. "FanimeCon 2007 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2007-12-12. 
  22. "FanimeCon 2008 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2008-08-22. 
  23. "FanimeCon 2009 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2008-06-18. 
  24. "FanimeCon 2009 - Guests". fanime.com. Retrieved 2009-04-18. 

External links[]

Convention reports[]

Template:San Jose and Silicon Valley attractions

Advertisement