SakuraCon – way happier than any Nirvana song
I just got back from SakuraCon this week and my office is a mess with paperwork, my e-mails are overflowing, and there are people who I need to talk to about important things. I’m deciding to ignore all that, close the door, crank up Phil Collin’s ‘No Jacket Required’, and talk to all of you instead. This is a better idea for all of us.
“Whats that important exec-type guy? My TPS report is due in an hour? I’ll be sure to get right on that. ha-ha!”
FUNimation was all over SakuraCon like white on rice. Being a sponsor of the show, having a 24-hour screening room (including DBZ – in Spanish!!), Voice Actors, cosplayers, premiers, free stuff, cheap DVDs, and other panels and events. Here are some of the convention highlights.
Show attendance numbers were expected to grow this year so the con moved some of their events to different locations in the convention center from past years. Including the Exhibit Hall. Which kept getting me lost most of the show. I felt like Ryoga Hibiki in a hedge maze…or an empty parking lot…or pretty much any place for that guy.
Our booth was busy non-stop at the show. Some of this we have to chalk up to our amazing Heroic Age cosplay crew courtesy of ACParadise.com.
We created a scavenger hunt to promote the show where fans could answer a few questions to win an official Heroic Age shirt. We had four different shirts – one for each tribe. The shirts were a big hit with the crowd. Even Vegeta approved of them.
For the showing of an epic space opera the likes of Heroic Age one must come with the proverbial thunder. A thunder known solely as voice talent. Joel McDonald, the ADR Director, and J. Micheal Tatum, the voice of of the shows leading feral hero Age, were on hand to talk to the crowd and answer questions.
After the event they were also on the FUNimation booth signing autographs for all the fans.
Outside of all the Heroic Age events we also screened the dub for Romeo x Juliet. This may just sound like a line but it’s the gosh darn truth I tell ya. The English dub for this show is one of the best I’ve heard in a good long time. The show actually has lines from different Shakespeare plays that match up perfectly with lip flaps and what each character is trying to convey in the scene.
This is an amazingly difficult task that very few people can pull off decently let alone incredibly well.
In our sneak peek panel* we showed these clips of the dub to an audience who asked where see more and buy DVDs at the end.
I hope you all enjoyed those and please feel free to share with others.
Now, time for our weekly No Cons left behind shout outs:
New to program: Fanime
Conventions this weekend:
UBCon XX: April 17 – 19, University at Buffalo’s North Campus, Buffalo NY
Shinboku-con: April 18, Lorain Southview High, Lorain OH
*this is the panel where we entice you with our new shows with clips, information, and candy**.
**candy not included.
13 Responses to “SakuraCon – way happier than any Nirvana song”
Alucarcl on April 17th, 2009 at 11:49 am says:
I wanted candy *Hmph*
I was never really interested in Romeo X Juliet but after seeing these clips I’m somewhat interested! So as soon as its on your Video Portal I’ll check them out…
chrisc1978 on April 17th, 2009 at 11:54 am says:
I am going to buy Romeo X Juliet, I started to watch it on the Funimation Player but stoped so I will not ruin the show for me before I see it dubed.
kit-kat on April 17th, 2009 at 5:21 pm says:
Wow, the dub for RxJ sounds amazing!
Smidge on April 17th, 2009 at 8:13 pm says:
The end of the YouTube vid cut off. I’ll repost mine and upload it and give you the link. <3
Smidge on April 17th, 2009 at 8:59 pm says:
Here’s my own link for the Vegeta video without the end cut off. Thanks again for letting me be one of your booth babes!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCMkeAp-z6M
Have some hot Age on Age action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIgAY1dRQeg
Mario1-7 on April 17th, 2009 at 11:35 pm says:
Please License Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei 
Richard J. on April 18th, 2009 at 12:40 am says:
Those clips are great! When I heard that Shakespeare quotes had been worked in, I thought “that is so cool, I must buy.” Now I hear these and I am just plain impressed.
Now I really want it. (I’m really going to be stocking up on Gonzo stuff once all the series I want on DVD are out. Which I hope will be sooner rather than later.)
This will be coming out in two half-season sets right?
jackuon on April 18th, 2009 at 12:58 am says:
i watched RxJ, and although the animation was very pretty, i was disappointed by the story progression itself. but just from the clips, i’m impressed with the script adaptation and curious to see more.
Kyoko on April 19th, 2009 at 10:19 am says:
Very impressed w/ RxJ. I was already interested cuz it’s Shakespear turned anime w/ fantasy creatures thrown in. Then when I found out the box sets were gonna be a Romeo collection and a Juliet collection I squeeled (It reminds me of the Princess Bride release where one version was Pirate Roberts and the other was Princess Buttercup, only this time I don’t have to choose one or the other!) And then the dub clips are amazing. The script sounds phenominal and the actors play their lines so smooth and casual! I’m totally gonna buy it!!
Nozomu Itoshiki Despair101 on April 19th, 2009 at 12:00 pm says:
I was gonna ignore this title but if I see a full episode I might give in….
calaggie on April 20th, 2009 at 12:24 am says:
The RxJ dub work sounds very good – I’ll have to wrap my hearing around the Shakespearean phrasings.
Regarding Fanime, I’m afraid I can’t volunteer to help since I’m going as press and that would be a conflict of interest. I do hope that you establish some presence there, even though it is not a industry-focused con like Anime Expo or Otakon. (In fact, the fan-run nature is why I prefer going to it!)
Sumire on April 22nd, 2009 at 3:26 pm says:
I wasn’t interested in seeing RxJ but the dub has made me change my mind. Also, I’m sad to have missed DBZ in Spanish. I love Spanish dubs, even though I can’t speak a lick of Spanish.
Siobhan Pippert on January 15th, 2010 at 2:15 pm says:
It’s nice that you took your time to write this post; it’s encouraging to hear another’s point of view. I appreciate your work on this post, and I’ll come back for more info.
