2009

Frequently Asked Questions

General
Guests
Staff
Gaming
Events and Panels
Cosplay
Theme
How to Contact the Staff

General

What happened to Kunicon?

Well, Kunicon went bust a couple of years ago, and Maryville University created Anime St. Louis to fill the gap in the lives of St. Louis anime fans.

When and where is the con?

We will have that information soon!

What is your convention about?

We are a convention about Japanese animation, run for fans, by fans. We also include events and panels that focus on manga, video games, costuming, Japanese culture, and other fandoms (i.e. comic books).

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

There's not a lot at our convention that doesn't have something to do with anime, but we will have some panels that focus on other fandoms or Japanese culture instead. Still, anime isn't a genre. There are plenty of shows out there, and your friends or relatives who want to come to the con should explore the different types of shows out there. The genre and rating of each show played in the anime viewing rooms will be listed this year, which will help those new to anime find something they might enjoy. There will also be an Anime 101 panel at the beginning of the con and a vernacular guide in the program book to help new fans and the families of fans.

Of course, if your friends or family who come with you don't want to go to any panels and events and would just like to hang out in the hallway, they don't need to have badges. Badges will be checked at the doors of all of the panels, events, and dealers' room.

When will your schedule be up?

Planning an anime convention takes time, and the schedule will be posted in due time. Please keep checking the front page of the site for updates.

When will registration open?

Registration information will be up as soon as we have a location and date.

Do you have a group rate?

We will this year!

What are the forums?

Forums are a place for congoers to hang out and talk about anime, video games, the con, and other topics. You can post without joining, but we encourage you to join (which is FREE) so that you can get private messages and emails from other forum members.

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Guests

Who are your guests this year?

We will announce them as soon as we have them confirmed. Likely the first guest announcement will come in June, and there will be one about every two months.

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

We ask for suggestions for guests on the forums before we start getting guests for the next year, and we do our best to get guests we think our attendees will like. We try to balance musical guests, voice actors, and other guests, and we DO have a budget. Right now, Japanese guests aren't in our budget range. Likewise, some guests charge large appearance fees (such as Quinton Flynn), and we can't afford them either. Other guests just aren't available or don't reply to our inquiries. In the end, though, we have to decide between the guests who DO agree to come because we obviously can't have everyone.

I know that guest! Can I be his personal escort?

We have staff members that will already be in charge of escorting guests to and from events. I know that a lot of voice actor guests have some friends in the anime fandom community, but we ARE the ones paying for the guests and would like to make sure that they attend everything they are supposed to. Also, we can't let just one congoer be a guest's personal escort because everyone else will want to do it as well. We'd like to avoid messy fangirl fights, thank you.

Can I pet them?

We will have autograph signings, and each guest will have his or her own table. You may pet them if they give you permission.

Are the guests going to do panels?

Keep checking back for a panel schedule which will include at least one panel for each guest.

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Staff

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 staff is made up mostly of college students who are also very busy. Be patient! You'll most likely get an answer within a couple of days.

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

No, I'm sorry, but we're a small convention. We wouldn't make any money if we let everyone in for free. You CAN, however, volunteer. Information on volunteer registration will be available soon.

How do I get on staff?

Well, anyone can be a volunteer, but volunteer positions are first-come, first-served. Those positions include leading panel discussions, running games in the gaming room, working security in the hallways, setting up before events, cleaning up after events, changing shows in the anime room, and several other jobs. Visit the volunteer page for more information on being a volunteer.

If you want to be on the regular staff, which means that you have some decision-making power, you will need to go through a review process at the beginning of the year. Every year, some staff members leave to go elsewhere (like Japan, where Jeremy is going this year!), so we always have openings around May. We will announce open staff interviews on the forums. Regular staff members meet in groups based on what committees they are on and come to some of the executive staff meetings right before the con. You will be attending quite a few meetings during the year, so being on regular staff is a big time commitment.

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Gaming

What types of gaming will there be?

There will be video gaming (including DDR, Super Smash Bros., and other multiplayer games), tabletop role-playing, miniatures games, card games, board games, and live-action role-play. If you want to suggest a game or volunteer to run one, contact our gaming director below.

How do I get to be a GM (Game Master)?

If you have a game that you want to lead at Anime St. Louis, you can volunteer to be a GM. You must be at least 16 and have GM experience with that game. Email either the gaming director or volunteer liason below. Volunteers who GM can get free memberships by working a certain number of games and then some other volunteer hours.

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

We're sorry, but we cannot be held responsible for attendees' systems. Please keep them in your rooms if you do bring them to the con. We will be providing our own systems for gaming.

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Events and Panels

What main events will you have?

We're bringing back the masquerade (costume contest), Bishounen Date Auction, game shows, and dances. We'll also be adding some new events to try out.

What are you showing in the anime room?

The anime room schedule should be up within a week of the convention.

What panels do you have?

We will have a variety of panels that will run until at least 1:00 in the morning on Friday and Saturday and until after closing ceremonies on Sunday. Panels will be on a variety of topics, from specific shows to Japanese culture, even things like Harry Potter and American comic books.

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

Because either no one has suggested them yet or no one signed up to run it! We try to gear our panel programming toward everyone, but we obviously can't fit every topic into one weekend. If you want to run a panel or have a suggestion for a topic, either post about it on the forums or contact our panel programming chair below. Let the programming chair know what your idea is, whether or not you want to host it yourself, how it should be presented, and why other congoers will want to attend the panel.

Can I run a panel?

Panelist registration will be open soon!

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

Er... no. A lot of people think they're hot stuff, but we can't let all of those people host panels about themselves. If you belong to a recognizable area group (like the Costumers' Guild or FantAsia), then you and your group members can apply to have a panel. If you are working on an interesting project (such as a film or video game), you can do the same. We may or may not be able to give you a panel. If we turn you down, you may NOT create your own panel at the convention and have it "unofficially".

Can I get in for free just doing panels?

Yes! We need panelists as well as other volunteers, and any volunteer who works either 6 panels or 6 hours for the convention gets in free! BUT you have to fill out the volunteer registration forms as soon as they're available. We also encourage you to do other work as well. Each panel you do counts as an hour of work toward your 6 hour (or more) total. Most panels are only an hour long (with a little bit of down time that you can extend your panel into), but a few are longer. The longer panels will still count as an hour.

I really, really MUST do a panel on one specific thing! You see, it's MY PANEL. I OWN it. Why did you let someone else do it instead of me?

Let's get one thing straight. You don't own anything in the anime fandom world unless you can show me your copyright paperwork for it. In that rare case, we'll apologize and give you your panel. Otherwise, the person (or people) who asks first gets the panel. If you don't happen to be on the ones you want to be on this year, simply do other panels and go to the ones you wanted to host. It's not the end of the world, although sometimes people treat it like it is.

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Cosplay

What is cosplay?

Cosplay refers, basically, to wearing a costume. That costume can be anything from a full character costume from your favorite show to a generic witch costume you decided to wear to a convention.

In order to get the cosplay discount at registration, that must be FULL costume, not just a wig or pieces of a costume. It also can't be an "original character" who just happens to wear normal clothing. But basically figure that whatever would get LOTS of looks on the street is most likely good enough. If you're not sure whether something you're wearing will be accepted, bring a reference picture.

Is there a cosplay contest?

Definitely! Check out the masquerade section for more details!

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

If your costume follows the rules of our convention, you may wear anything you want. Darth Vader is more than welcome at an anime convention!

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

Again, your costume must follow the rules of the convention. Nudity is not allowed.

I just bought an awesome new sword in the dealers' room! Can I use it with my costume?

No. Please take all metal weapons, live or dull, to your hotel room or car and LEAVE THEM THERE. We WILL confiscate dangerous weapons.

Can I sword fight in the hallways?

No. We're sorry, but we cannot allow fighting in the hallways. It's dangerous, and the hallways tend to get very crowded during the convention. Dueling may be allowed with BOFFERED (foam) WEAPONS ONLY outside in NON-CROWDED AREAS.

I'm in costume! Do I get a discount?

Yup. If you wear your costume when you register at the con, you get $5 off your admission. If you pre-register, please mark on your form that you are planning to cosplay. If you mark it on your form but do NOT cosplay at registration, you must pay the extra $5.

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Theme

What is this year's theme?

That info is coming soon!

Do I have to dress up from the theme?

Not at all. Some people will, but all costumes are still welcome.

What does the theme mean for me?

Basically, it means that we're having a few events, panels, and shows (in the anime room) that feature one or both themes. Also, there will be a theme section in the film festival and a special prize for following the theme in the masquerade.

We will make an effort this year to incorporate the theme more than last year.