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After starting Katsucon, Larry Drews promised himself he would never
again run an anime convention. "Never Say Never Again..."
On Friday, Drews was on Neko-Con's main stage, playing the role of
chairman for the new event. At the opening ceremony, he said it felt like
everyone was home again. Katsucon's move away from Virginia Beach
was too much for some fans to bear, so they pooled their resources and
started Neko-Con to bring a con back to the Tidewater. |
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The new con had a Japanese guest of honor at the opening ceremony.
Hiroyuki Kitazume, creator of the Moldiver anime and veteran of the Mobile
Suit Gundam series, was cheered by the people at the ceremony. Neko-Con
nearly pulled off a major coup when Hiroki Hayashi, director of the new
Bubble Gum Crisis television series, agreed to attend. However, production
pressures forced Hayashi to cancel his appearance six weeks before the
convention. |
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Scott Frazier, artist and interpreter who has worked for Japanese anime
production houses, translated for the Japanese guest. Since leaving Studio
I.G., Frazier has become a regular on the American convention circuit -
and he created Neko-con's catgirl mascot. |
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Coleen Doran, with darker hair than at Katsucon, returned to the anime
convention world at Neko-Con as one of the new convention's guests of honor.
Her fantasy comics draw on anime styles, but they still have a look unique
to Doran. |
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Michael Brady, Crusher Joe voice actor, stopped shopping in the dealer
room long enough to attend the opening ceremony. Brady is on a constant
mission to find every Crusher Joe souvenir on earth - and he drew slightly
closer to meeting his goal on Friday. |
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Chad (left) and Brad Diederichs are infamous for their intense fandom
and often wild parties at conventions. They were rewarded by being named
Neko-Con guests of honor. When Chad was asked who made the Shinji Ikari
plug suit he wears at conventions, Brad piped up and answered "His mother." |
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Steve Bennett, artist and Studio Ironcat executive, is a Civil War
buff who has "died" in many re-enactments of battles. He looked at home
in a region that was near many of those historic battlefields. Wearing
the cap honoring the War Between the States, Bennett was the final guest
of honor to be introduced. |
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Seconds after that introduction, Bennett was "dead" again. Someone
"shot" him when the lights dimmed during the ceremony, but who? Neko-Con
turned the gag into a murder mystery contest at the convention, with a
prize for the fan who correctly picked the murder suspect. |
