September 30, 2009
News for Tsubasacon 2009:
Tsubasacon returns to Huntington for sixth annual convention
Anime and Manga Fans Prepare to Invade the Big Sandy Superstore ArenaHUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA – October 6, 2009 – For those venturing into downtown n Huntington next weekend, they may notice groups of ninja, soul reapers, and other assortment of cartoon and video game characters roaming the streets. This is because Tsubasacon has returned to the Riverfront Ballroom and Conference Center at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena for three days of celebrating anime and manga.
Hosting its sixth annual convention since 2004, Tsubasacon will bring hundreds of anime and manga fans from across West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio and as far away as Maine. Admission will be from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. The event will be open from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Full day passes will be sold at the Registration Desk for $25 for Friday, $35 for Saturday, and $15 for Sunday. However, for a better value, weekend passes will be sold for $40. All passes allow for re-entry into the event.
This year's roster of guests will not disappoint either. Three new guests attending Tsubasacon include actor Darrel Guilbeau, best known for his roles as Hikari in The Melody of Oblivion and Sousuke Kawara in Samurai Champloo, actress Leah Clark, who was the voice of Noah in Full Metal Alchemist and Paris in Shin Chan, and comic creator Gina Biggs, author of Red String, Erstwhile, and Love of Sausage. Comic creator Jen Lee Quick, author of Off*Beat and Renascence, and Japanese-American pianist, singer, and songwriter Lisa Furukawa will be returning for their third year.
Among the many events attendees can expect is a cosplay café on Friday and Sunday in the neighboring Holiday Inn & Suites, fan and guest panels covering a range of topics, video screening rooms showing classic and newly released anime, an anime-themed mystery dinner, a variety of game shows, and a video gaming room sponsored by the LANding Zone. Every year, the highlight of Tsubasacon is the cosplay contest and masquerade on Saturday night at 7 p.m. were participates dressed in costumes of their favorite characters and perform skits before an audience numbering in the hundreds. A midnight rave finishes off the events on Saturday.
Last year, approximately 750 fans gathered for the three-day event, giving local restaurants and hotels a bump in revenue for the weekend. This year's event is expected to attract 800 to 900 people to the downtown area. Tsubasacon will also be holding a canned food drive for the Huntington Area Food Bank, allowing attendees to bring in canned goods and other non-perishable food items or make donations for chance at a raffle. During the 2007 convention, over 170 food items were donated as part of the food drive, and $51 was raised through monetary donations and sales of the musical album Game by Piano Squall.
For more information, visit www.Tsubasacon.org.
ABOUT TSUBASACON, INC.: First established in 2004, Tsubasacon is West Virginia's first and only convention focusing on Japanese animation and comics, respectively know as "anime" and "manga". In early 2006, control of the convention was transferred from Charleston Anime and Manga Society, Inc. to Tsubasacon, Inc. Tsubasacon's goals are to promote anime and manga in West Virginia and to establish a social framework though which anime and manga fans can interact with each other.
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