One of anime’s biggest names is coming to the Seattle and will be found at Sakura-Con 2017, the Pacific Northwest’s largest anime convention. Celebrating 20 years, it is only fitting character designer, writer, and manga artist Kenichi Sonoda will be one of this year’s guests.
Sonoda’s career started in the mid-80’s at studio Artmic, where he became a character designer for some of Artmic’s best titles such as Bubblegum Crisis (where he produced the original look of the Knight Sabers team), Riding Bean, and the Gall Force series. Sonoda was also designer on long-time fan favourites Otaku no Video and the super-deformed special Scramble Wars: Tsuppashire! Genom Trophy Rally.
Sakura-Con 2016 has come and gone but a wake of photographs and videos are left behind as evidence of the fun had by all. The beauty of the pageantry that’s created by cosplayers can be seen in the following videos shot by Alfred Lim of Parabellum Productions and Larry Tong Lee of LTLCinematics. Thanks must go to both of these artists for their keen eyes at capturing their subjects.
Sakura-Con will return next year. And if you wish to be a part of it (costume or not), you can follow Sakura-Con’s official sites and plan your trip:
For me as a con-goer, it’s a pain to have to wander the convention floor with a floor plan in one hand and a guidebook in the other. Add to this my pens and pad for jotting down notes, my camera for photo, my spare batteries for my camera, soon its complete anarchy! Is it any wonder I need a side bag hold it all? I understand the need for a con guidebook for memory’s sake. Most people would want to get their copy autographed by as many guests as possible.
But for old-timers like me who’ve been there and done that, I would prefer a guidebook in application (app) form, one where I can know all in a single finger stroke. Since 2012, Sakura-Con has done this and I am grateful they have. It’s easy to learn where to go, to know what panels to see and to find who is appearing on what days at what times. All this and more is contained in a nice app on your mobile (cell phone).
The app is available for your smartphone and tablet for operating systems iOS, Android, and the web. You can download the Guidebook app by following this link to Sakura-Con’s official website. Or if you prefer, you can obtain it on PDF here. [Editor’s note: It’s good to see the massively huge conventions are offering this option. It’s been in place for a few years now.]
There is a call-out by JHouse-Rock Entertainment for models who want to be a part of a fashion show at this year’s anime and cosplay convention, Sakura-Con. The purpose of the show is to present the latest fashions from Japan by designer Takeshi Kunitomo of Gouk. Sakura-Con runs March 25-27, 2016 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. Takeshi Kunitomo himself will be in attendance at this event. Submissions must be made no later than March 1, 2016. To learn more visit JHouse-Rock Entertainment’s official wesbite here.
Someone at Sakura-Con has good taste in music or they know the next best thing when they see it. It wasn’t just a coincidence that Sakura had pre-fame J-pop band Scandal as guests in 2008. Now Sakura may have history repeating itself when Japanese rock group Band-Maid perform their first concert Stateside this March.
Band-Maid was formed in July, 2013 and consists of members Saiki Atsumi (vocals), Miku Kobato (guitar, vocals), Kanami Touno (guitar), Akane Hirose (drums), and Misa (bass). Known for their maid outfits commonly worn by hostesses of Japan’s Maid Cafés, their look was a concept born from the experiences of founding member Miku who worked at Noodol Cafe in Tokyo‘s Akihabara district.
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