Aug 8, 2018
2018 is the year of The Mecha at Otakon. Many of the guests are mecha related, and there are a whole slew of mecha panels and workshops every day. Shoji Kawamori's work on Macross and The Vision of Escaflowne alone could give a convention a robotic atmosphere but Nobutoshi Canna, Kanetake Ebikawa, Masaya Matsukaze, Tatsuyuki Nagai, Yoh Yoshinari, Toshifumi Yoshida, and Masahiko Otsuka make it a mecha matsuri. In addition, there's two Final Fantasy concerts, a healthy lineup of other guests, lots of non-mecha programming, and many of the people behind Mystic Messenger. So there is a smorgasbord of content for robot fans but enough for everyone else as well.
Beyond that, we are very curious to see how Otakon settles into DC in its second year. It will be interesting to see how many fans come back now that Otakon has shown that its first year in DC went well, how many new people come out thanks to positive buzz, and what Otakon does differently to capture the attention of fandom in general.
Our tentative schedule for the convention:
Friday
09:00 AM
Fate/Stay Confused
09:00 AM
Transformers: The Birds & The Bumblebees
10:15 AM Toshifumi
Yoshida Q&A
10:15 AM
Gundam Wing: A Retrospective
12:45 PM
ProZD Q&A
01:00 PM
Nobutoshi Canna Autograph
01:00 PM
Kanetake Ebikawa Autograph
01:00 PM Shoji Kawamori Autograph
02:20 PM
Hiroatsu Kihara Q&A
03:15 PM Shoji
Kawamori Q&A
04:00 PM
Anime Magical Girl Photoshoot
04:30 PM Nobutoshi
Canna Q&A
05:00 PM
My Hero Academia Photoshoot
05:45 PM Kanetake
Ebikawa Panel
07:00 PM The
Science of Mecha
07:00 PM
Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy
08:30 PM Glittering Courtesans and Illustrious Geisha: The Working
Women of Yoshiwara [18+]
08:45 PM For
the Love of Folklore: A Fan Perspective on Rumiko Takahashi
09:30 PM The
Evolution of Action Shōnen
10:45 PM A
Brief History of Mecha: The Changing Symbolism of Giant Robots Over
50 Years
12:00 AM Panel
Of The Galactic Heroes : A New Thesis
Saturday
09:00 AM Mecha
Fight Club: Discussions in Giant Robots
09:00 AM
Cancelled Anime: Gone Before Their Time
10:15 AM A
Look Inside Studio Pierrot
11:00 AM
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Photoshoot
11:30 AM PTSD
in anime- Why all mecha pilots need therapy
12:15 PM Little Witch Academia Live Drawing
12:45 PM Apocalypse
in Anime
02:30 PM
Hi Score Girl Premiere
03:15 PM Firearms
of the Empire of Japan
04:30 PM History
of Mecha Pt. 1: The 60s & 70s
05:45 PM New
Anime for Older Fans
07:00 PM Anime
Face Lift: Remakes and Revivals Over the Decades
08:15 PM Fate/Stay
Night and Type Moon: A World of Magic and Mystery
08:15 PM
For Boys By Girls: The Women Who Make Shounen Manga
09:30 PM Coats,
Steel, and Pixie-Cuts: The Life & Times of Nightow
10:45 PM Gattai!
Mecha Anime of 198X
Sunday
09:00 AM The
Ultimate Tanaka Yoshiki Fan Panel
09:00 AM
Dawn of the Rising Sun: Japan Before the Samurai
10:15 AM Yuri
on Ice vs. Figure Skating
10:15 AM Tatsuyuki Nagai Q&A
11:30 AM Otakorp
and You: Demographics and Financials
12:00 PM Maid for You -
The Art of Table Talk & Japanese
TTRPGs
02:00 PM Anime’s
Inside Jokes and Cultural References Explained
02:00 PM A New World: Intimate Music from Final Fantasy
03:00 PM Closing
Ceremonies
04:00 PM
Con Feedback Session