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Frequently Asked Questions

General

Who are you, and what have you done with Kunicon?

We are a group of anime fans made up of members of the anime clubs at Maryville University and Webster University. We are not affiliated with Kunicon. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), Kunicon went under in 2005, which is part of why Anime St. Louis got started.

What is your convention about?

Anime St. Louis is, first and foremost, an anime convention, which means that our focus is on Japanese animation. Of course, we also have a lot of congoers who are into other things, which is why we have gaming panels, culture panels, combat panels, and even a Harry Potter panel.

What is ShowMe Con, and why are you working with them?

ShowMe Con is a local sci-fi/fantasy/comic convention that has been around for several years. We're working with them this year in order to get on our feet as a three-day convention. They're helping us out A LOT this year, so you have them to thank for our becoming a three-day con.

What is there to do at Anime St. Louis?

So much! This year's Anime St. Louis will have three tracks of panel programming, a cosplay contest, game shows, a Bishounen Date Auction, contests, video gaming, role-playing, a dealers' room, artists' alley, and MUCH MORE! If you get bored, there's even a 24-hour anime room!

Can I dress in costume?

Can you?! You're encouraged to dress in costume! Cosplayers even get a discount!

I want to bring my boyfriend/girlfriend/mother/father/distant relative, but he/she/it doesn't like anime. Is there something for that person there too?

Of course! Besides our general fandom programming, your friends and family who don't like anime can go to ShowMe Con's programs instead. For that matter, so can you! It's two cons for the price of one. Enjoy Anime St. Louis, ShowMe Con, or both!

When will your schedule be up?

We're going to try to have our schedule up at least a month before the con, but there are always changes. Any schedule posted on the website is subject to change before or at the con.

Your website sucks! I could do better.

Thank you for your offer. Please, redesign the website and submit it to magicalmoogle@yahoo.com.

When will registration be open?

It's open right now. We don't have online registration up yet, but you can register by plain old snail mail right now. Just go to the Registration page.

Do you have a group rate?

We don't have one now because registration is so cheap, but will probably will closer to the con. Anyway, it's cheaper to register your group now, especially if they cosplay, than it is to wait and get a small discount of the more expensive price.

I'm an anime fan! Can I get in for free?

No. I'm sorry, but we're a small convention trying to raise money so that we can be independent next year. We can't be giving free memberships to everyone who asks.

Guests

Who are your guests this year?

In case you missed it on the front page, our guests this year are Vic Mignogna, Chris Patton, and Piano Squall.

Why don't you have Greg Ayers, Psycho le Cemu, Gackt, Testuya Nomura, Shinichiro Watanabe, Nobuhiro Watsuki, God... etc.?

We have who we have. We asked for suggestions from people who went last year, and Vic and Piano Squall were the biggest. We secured them, and then we got Chris. We don't have money for anyone else.

Can I pet them?

We will have autograph signings. You may pet them if they give you permission.

Are the guests going to do panels?

I don't know. We'll approach them about it when it gets closer to the convention.

I've met Vic, Chris, or Piano Squall (except, I call him "Mike")! Can I get in for free?

No. I'm sorry, but we're a small convention. I'm sure that most of us have met at least one of those people if we've been to a lot of conventions. That's not enough to get you in for free. In fact, the guests are there to attract guests and get us money for next year so that we can have MORE guests.

The Staff

Who's in charge of Anime St. Louis?

The con chairs are Alisha Bingham of Maryville University and Katrina Johnson of Webster University. Other information on departmental chairs is on the About page.

Why won't the staff answer my questions within an hour after I ask them? I'm busy, and I need to know NOW!

The Anime St. Louis staff is made up mostly of college students, which means that we're really busy and are probably doing homework. Be patient!

I know one of the staff people! Can I get in for free?

No. I'm sorry, but we're a small convention. Knowing a staff member puts you into a group of at least several hundred St. Louis anime fans. Anime St. Louis wouldn't make any money for next year if we gave memberships to all of them.

Gaming

What types of gaming will there be?

We are planning to have everything from video gaming to card gaming to tabletop gaming to LARPing. So far, we have a Vampire LARP, DDR, and a Super Smash Bros. tournament planned. You are welcome to volunteer as a GM. You have to be at least 16 and have experience as a GM. Email Mikhail at achenar_leonov@hotmail.com to volunteer.

Can I let you borrow my awesome new Wii, PS3, X-box 360 for the convention?

I'm sorry, but we're only going to be "borrowing" systems from staff members. There are too many things that could go wrong for us to borrow from guests.

Are you going to buy an awesome new Wii or PS3 for the convention?

No. Next question.

I want to run a game! Can I get in for free?

This one is a bit trickier... At this point, we're only letting staff in for free, and most of the staff members are giving up all or almost all of their convention time to work. Guests who want a free membership can expect to work almost half of the time at the con (except sleeping time of course). If you're willing to run a game, run a panel, and then sit in Registration for a few hours, we may be able to negotiate something.

Events and Panel Programming

What main events do you have?

So far, we plan to have a cosplay contest, the Bishounen Date Auction, Final Fantasy Jeopardy, The Match Game, The Trial of Snape, and at least one other event besides the opening and closing.

What are you showing in the anime room?

We're not sure yet, but we're going to try to arrange it so that there is children's programming (dubbed) in the morning, old favorites in the early afternoon, new shows in the evening, and adult shows at night.

What panels do you have?

Now that we don't know yet. We know that there will be panels on a variety of topics, from cosplay to Japanese culture, but we won't know exactly what panels we'll have until much closer to the convention.

Why aren't there enough/any panels on [blank]?

Because no one has suggested them yet. Suggest a good idea for a panel on [blank], and we'll add it to the list. The list is not a comprehensive list of panels that will be at the convention, just a list of ideas from our staff that we would like prospective panelists to take and elaborate on.

Can I run a panel?

Of course! Just check out our panel list in the forums and then go to the Progamming page to sign up to lead those panels.

I have a really cool idea for a panel! How do I suggest it?

If you want to suggest an idea for a panel that you want other people to join you on, post it on the forums. If it's good, we'll add it to our list. If you want to run a panel with your friends, you will have to email Katrina at magicalmoogle@yahoo.com and tell her what your panel concept is, how you will present it, and why other congoers will want to attend it. You must have two people on the panel and no more than five unless you are a school club or local meetup group (well-known).

My friends and I are hot stuff! We want to host a panel about ourselves! Can we do that?

That's iffy... A lot of people think they're hot stuff, but we can't let all of those people host panels. If you're a recognizable group (i.e. a readily-known local meetup group or a school anime club), the we may be able to give you your own panel. Also, if you're a group that travels around the country giving panels at conventions, there's a good chance we'll let you have a panel if you incorporate something like gaming or cosplay into it. Unfortunately, we don't have enough time in our programming schedule for groups of friends who are well-known in small circles unless they are doing panels about anime, gaming, cosplay, etc. instead of their group.

I'm a cosplayer with a profile on cosplay.com. I want to do a panel about my cosplay experiences. Can I do that?

There are a lot of people with profiles on cosplay.com and other cosplay sites (that's why we're having a meetup). We can't give everyone his or her own panel to brag about his or her costuming experiences. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to do a panel about an aspect of cosplay, such as re-creation costuming or props, instead of yourself.

I'm running a bunch of panels! Can I get in for free?

Again, the answer to this question is a matter of the time you put into volunteering at the convention. Anyone can sign up for four or five panels, get a free membership, and then not show up to the panels. That's why we are only giving free memberships to people who are involved in the planning process of the convention and then give many hours of at-con time to working in Registration or keeping events running. If you're interested in doing that, email Katrina at magicalmoogle@yahoo.com and become part of our staff.

Cosplay

Is there a cosplay contest?

Definately! Check out our Cosplay Contest page for more details.

Can I dress up as ANYONE I want at the convention?

That's a silly question! Of course you may. We're not going to stop you from dressing as Darth Vader. In fact, we encourage it.

So... can I go naked? I've got a nice bod.

Of course... NOT! If your favorite character is naked, figure out a way to cheat without being naked. Keep your costumes decent.

I just bought an awesome new sword in the dealers' room! Can I play with it outside?

No. Please take any swords you buy to your room or car and leave them there.

What about in the hallways?

Double no. Anyone caught with a dangerous weapon in the hallway will be asked to leave the con and have his or her badge confiscated. Check out our Rules and Policies page for more info.

I'm dressed as a samurai! I see another samurai across the room. I shall challenge him to a duel to protect my-

Wait a second, buddy! Take that outside. Make sure the person being duelled with actually wants to duel, and keep your duel outside. No metal or wooden weapons, though.

I'm in costume! Can I get in for free?

PLEASE STOP ASKING ME THAT!!!!!!!!! You can't get in for free, but you do get a discount. Check the Registration page for details.

Who You Gonna Call?

Departments and Contacts

Con Chairs

Alisha Bingham- ablu272@yahoo.com
Katrina Johnson- magicalmoogle@yahoo.com

Guest Liason

Alisha Bingham- ablu272@yahoo.com

Cosplay Contest Director

Katrina Johnson- magicalmoogle@yahoo.com

Programming and Gaming Coordinator

Mikhail Lynn- achenar_leonov@yahoo.com

Artists' Alley

Alisha Bingham- ablu272@yahoo.com

Registration

Advertising and Publicity

Meet the Con Staff!

Con Chairs

Alisha Bingham

Alisha is the president of the Maryville Anime Club (MAC).

MAC Website

Katrina Johnson

Katrina Johnson, the president of the Webster University Anime Society, has been cosplaying and going to conventions since she was a sophomore in high school. She is a huge fan of many, many things, from Harry Potter to Russian literature to anime. Some of her favorite anime are Kyou Kara Maou!, Fruits Basket, and Rurouni Kenshin.

WU Anime Society Website

Vice Con Chair and Programming Coordinator

Mikhail Lynn

Mikhail Lynn only started cosplaying two years ago, but he is already obsessed with it. Mikhail was originally a sci-fi/fantasy fan and gamer, but Katrina got him into anime when she started making costumes for him. Since then, he has become adept at making weapons out of foam board, cardboard, and tape. Some of Mikhail's favorite anime are Samurai Champloo, Samurai 7, Rurouni Kenshin, Lupin III, and Wolf's Rain. He is now the vice president of the Webster U. Anime Society.