Senshi-Con

Senshi-Con
Status	Active
Venue	William A. Egan Civic and Convention Center
Location(s)	Anchorage, Alaska
Country	United States
Inaugurated	2005
Organized by	Senshi Corporation formerly known as AAACL (Alaska Association of Asian Cultural Learning)
Website
http://www.senshicon.org/

Senshi-Con is an annual anime convention in Anchorage, Alaska. Founded in 2005, it was the first pioneering anime convention in Alaska.^[1][2] The name is a combination of the English word convention and the Japanese word senshi (戦士 in Japanese), meaning warrior. The convention is organized by the Alaska Association of Asian Cultural Learning.

Programming

Attendees may bring a fake prop weapon as long as it complements the costume; however, live steel weapons and any gun replicas (even toys) are not allowed.^[3] Besides a cosplay contest, there are video game competitions,^[1] anime screenings, karaoke, Cosplay Chess, and art displays.^[4] Notable persons from the world of Japanese comics and animation make an appearance and are available for autographs. Throughout the day, various contests, game shows, and skits take place on stage.^[5] While the Senshi-Con attendance levels are lower than those of most other conventions in other parts of North America the staff points out that the lines at such conventions are shorter, and the planning is more thorough.^[2]

History

The first Senshi-Con was held in 2005 at West High School in Anchorage, Alaska.^[1] It was founded and organized by now-voice actress Kira Buckland and the West High School Anime Club. As the convention staff graduated from high school, the convention was moved to the University of Alaska Anchorage.

It was announced on September 30, 2012 that Senshi-con would be changing venues to the Egan Center in downtown Anchorage.

Event history

Dates	Location	Atten.	Guests
March 4, 2005[6]	West High School Anchorage, Alaska	300[7]
March 18, 2006[8]	UAA Student Union Anchorage, Alaska
February 24, 2007	UAA Student Union Anchorage, Alaska		Caitlin Glass[9]
February 23, 2008	UAA Student Union Anchorage, Alaska		Brett Uher and Che Gilson.[5]
February 21, 2009	UAA Student Union Anchorage, Alaska		Kira Buckland and LeetStreet Boys.[10]
March 20-21, 2010	UAA Student Union Anchorage, Alaska		Laura Bailey, Jakie Cabe, Chris Cason, Leah Clark, and Travis Willingham.[11]
September 24-25, 2011	UAA Student Union Anchorage, Alaska		Chris Cason.[12]
September 29-30, 2012[13]	UAA Student Union Anchorage, Alaska		Robert Axelrod[14]
September 28-29, 2013	William A. Egan Civic and Convention Center Anchorage, Alaska		Chuck Huber and Katie Tiedrich.[15]
September 27-28, 2014	William A. Egan Civic and Convention Center Anchorage, Alaska		Rob DenBleyker, Caitlin Glass, Natalie Hoover, and Dave McElfatrick.[16]
September 26-27, 2015	William A. Egan Civic and Convention Center Anchorage, Alaska		Jennifer Cihi, Stefanie DeLeo, Samantha Inoue-Harte, Taliesin Jaffe, and Pannon.[17]

Mascots

Unlike most anime conventions, Senshi-Con features three mascots. They are the rookie, Mirai; the talking puppy, Takeru; and the faceless ninja, Ken. From 2006 to 2010, the mascots were Kari; the cosplayer, Tammy; the gamer; and CJ; the artist. The characters and all artwork were created by Phillip Matias.^[18]

Mirai Aoyama

Mirai is usually carefree and often has her mind on the future. She’s optimistic and a rather clever little girl. She loves to seek out new things which led her to anime which now takes up most of her time. Manga feeds her appetite for reading. She loves to tease Takeru by calling him “Ban-Ban”.^[18]

Takeru Ban

Takeru is a talking Husky that can grow from a puppy to a full-grown dog and back again in an instant. He’s a feisty, brave little pup but a constant worrier. He’s also a bit pessimistic. He has an animosity towards strangers. His love for bacon is so great that it’s considered his ultimate weakness. Like Mirai, he’s a reading enthusiast. He does not like being called “Ban-Ban”. The name makes him feel small.^[18]

Ken

Ken is an easy-going, fun-loving kind-of guy. He acts like a fool and is reckless. In battle, he’s a master of deception. He’s considered lazy by his peers and is usually caught sleeping in the shade. When he’s not sleeping, he likes to do photography. During his journey to Alaska, he found a new hobby, model building, especially of the mech variety.^[18]

References

1. Aaron Burkhart (2007-02-20). "Anime Club expands this year's Senshi-Con with more events, guest". The Northern Light. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
2. "History of the Senshi-Con at Senshi-Con.org". Retrieved 2008-09-21.
3. "Senshi-Con Guidelines at Senshi-Con.org". Retrieved 2008-09-21.
4. Seth Boyer (2008-02-19). "Senshi-Con to draw in larger audience with new attractions". The Northern Light. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
5. "Senshi-Con 2008 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
6. "Senshi-Con 2005 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
7. "UAA Anime Club holds 4th Annual Senshi-Con Convention". Green & Gold Daily. 2008-02-21. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
8. "Senshi-Con 2006 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
9. "Senshi-Con 2007 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
10. "Senshi-Con 2009 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
11. "Senshi-Con 2010 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
12. "Senshi-Con 2011 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
13. "Senshi-Con 2012 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
14. Hamilton, Heather (October 1, 2012). "Local anime convention storms UAA". The Northern Light. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
15. "Senshi-Con 2013 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
16. "Senshi-Con 2014 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
17. "Senshi-Con 2015 Information". AnimeCons.com. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
18. "Senshi-Con Tumblr page". Retrieved 1 June 2012.

External links

• Senshi-Con official website

Coordinates: 61°13′4″N 149°53′33″W / 61.21778°N 149.89250°W