In the lobby outside Nan Desu Kon's main hall, Dave Allan enjoyed the experience. It was Allan's first anime convention. Allan works for the Encore cable TV networks, one of which carries several ADV Films titles. Allan had no idea what to expect from anime fans, but he liked what he saw.
One of the most exotic sights was this ice sculpture to celebrate the third Nan Desu Con. This impressive work of art managed to hold up through the 48-minute delay in starting the convention's opening ceremonies.
Becca Norman (left) and Shawn Eason were the convention directors who appeared at the start of the ceremony (Dionne LeBeau showed up a little later). Norman had a heartfelt lecture on how not to make a fool of yourself at an anime con.
Shinpei Itoh, creator of the Hyper Dolls manga published by Studio Ironcat, surprised fans when he made a brief speech in English. "I'm going to have fun this weekend," he said, a sentiment echoed by all involved in the ceremony.
Nan Desu Kon was a homecoming for expatriate animator Scott Frazier, a native of the Denver area. Of early anime fandom in Colorado, Frazier recalled "There were 20 people who sat around in a room and watched strange things. Now there are 200 people who sit in multiple rooms and watch strange things," he said in referring to the convention.
Steve Bennett of Ironcat, who told how he got his Civil War cap during a re-enactment eight years earlier (Bennett is a big Civil War buff), promised that "Ironcat plans, of course, to take over the world, working in conjunction with you, the fans."
