Blast Off! - Asian Art Museum's first-ever manga, anime, and pop culture convention July 7, 2007

Hit the Asian Art Museum for its first-ever manga, anime, and pop culture convention, featuring panel discussions, hands-on activities, artist demonstrations, music, cosplay (wearing costumes of characters from manga, anime, videogames, and other pop sources), docent and teen tours, and more. In conjunction with the special exhibition Tezuka: The Marvel of Manga.

Please click here for press release.

Activities include:

* An opening ceremony with Gen Taiko starts the day off with a bang and hurls you into space for art and adventure.
* Hone your knowledge of manga and anime with panel discussions by local experts Frederik Schodt and Gilles Poitras.
* Learn about the influence of Japanese woodblock prints on manga with print artist Marco Flavio Marinucci.
* Listen to local Japanese pop culture critic Kelly Haines detail the relationship of dolls to cosplay (“costume play”).
* Produce your own manga inspired by your favorite comic book creator and observe artist demonstrations with local cartoonists Hellen Jo, Mark Miyaki, Jing Bentley, Derek Yu, and Anthony Wu.
* Embark on a themed, guided tour of the museum's collection galleries, or join an Art Speak Teen Tour of Tezuka: The Marvel of Manga.
* Dress up as your favorite manga, anime, or video game character for cosplay, then wow the audience with a short performance judged for verve and win prizes.*
* Step into the Manga Lounge – create, explore, imagine, and discover manga and anime, two explosive elements of Japanese pop culture.
* Enjoy a performance by Ramen and Rice, who will play music from popular anime and video games.
* Enter the museum's manga illustration contest beforehand to win dynamite prizes in one of the three age categories.

*Cosplay performances limited to 3-5 minutes; pre-registration required. To sign up for the cosplay contest, email your proposal to [email protected]

Official Website: http://www.asianart.org/performances.htm#blast