Zenkaikon 2017: Full Schedule

10:30am EDT

Meet the Zenkaikon Staff: Town Hall Meeting

Speakers

M Jean

Division Head of Programing, Division Head of Programing

Friday April 28, 2017 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Panels-Workshops

11:45am EDT

Ponies and You: How My Little Pony Impacts Lives

Over 6 years ago My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic premiered and it has been changing lives ever since. Join us as we take a look at how the Brony fandom has form and the diverse ways it has created a personal impact. Audience members will also be invited to share their experiences. Open to Bronies, non-fans, and all awesome people!

Speakers

Lyrica Myre

Forward Progress

Founder, Forward Progress

A student of all things fandom, Forward Progress is excited to return for his sixth Zenkaikon. His programming seeks to both educate and entertain by fusing social science with the shows, games, and media that we all love.

Friday April 28, 2017 11:45am - 12:45pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Panels-Workshops, Anthropology/Sociology, Fandom Studies, Pop Culture

12:45pm EDT

The Equestrian Candidate: MLP Conspiracy Theories

The land of Equestria is splendid place filled with magic, adventure, and friendship. Or at least that's what THEY want you to think. A meticulous examination of the facts has led our investigative team to believe that all is not well in Canterlot. What do apples have to do with it? Benign monarchy or secret tyranny? Who is really the true evil in Equestria? [A Manly Battleships Production]

Speakers

Will Geary

Maximilian Van der Mark-Geary

Mr. Panda

Featured Panelist, Manly Battleships

The Manly Battleships® are a group of fun-loving guys and gals that have formed the greatest programming group on the east coast convention circuit. Veteran panelists combine their powers with a circle of long time con-goers, otaku, and deviants to form the new titan at the front... Read More →

Ryan Wagner

Friday April 28, 2017 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Panels-Workshops, Comics/Graphic Novels, Fandom Studies, Pop Culture, Tech/Internet Culture

2:00pm EDT

Kursosawa: Celluloid Samurai

Perhaps the most famous Japanese director in the world, Akira Kurosawa has left behind an outstanding legacy for cinema. But what is the source of his greatness? What single element underlines his greatest works? Come join the Manly Battleships as we explore the troubled early life and expansive career of one of history's greatest filmmakers.

Speakers

Michael Forba

Maximilian Van der Mark-Geary

Mr. Panda

Featured Panelist, Manly Battleships

Ryan Wagner

Friday April 28, 2017 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Panels-Workshops, Fandom Studies, Pop Culture

3:15pm EDT

Shinto Elements in the Films of Hayao Miyazaki

In this presentation we shall look at the role that the indigenous religion of Japanese Shinto, the Way of the Kami plays in the films of Hayao Miyazaki, looking at such works as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and others. We shall explore the folk religion and rituals that appear in this tales, deriving a greater understanding of Miyazaki's corpus in general, and also considering how such as distinctively Japanese tradition made the works of Studio Ghibli such international sensations.

Speakers

Stephanie Budin

I am an ancient historian with primary interests in women's history, sex and gender, and religion and mythology, especially for ancient Greece, the Near East, and the Celtic peoples. My main secondary interest is Japanese history and culture. I am currently writing a book with a chapter... Read More →

Friday April 28, 2017 3:15pm - 4:15pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Panels-Workshops, Anime, Anthropology/Sociology

4:30pm EDT

Room Closed for Setup

Setup/Chair Clear for Cosplay Ball [1 hour]

Friday April 28, 2017 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Set-up Time

6:00pm EDT

Dance Lessons

Back for 2016, the Sakura Ball is Friday evening's formal event for all ages! Prepare for a decadent evening of cosplay, music, and dance. This is the dance lessons for those who would like to learn Ballroom dance techniques. Formal dress is not required for this instructional event.

Friday April 28, 2017 6:00pm - 7:00pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Dance Panels-Workshops

7:00pm EDT

Room Closed for Setup

Decorating/Sound Check for Cosplay Ball [1 hour]

Speakers

DJ Hi5

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Disc Jockey

Baltimore native Hi5 specializes in combining the best of the club world, with your favorite game and anime tunes - creating a hybrid to please all con-goers. Hi5 has also played various parties, club events, weddings, festivals, and hosted a live radio mix show on DemonFM in the... Read More →

Friday April 28, 2017 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Set-up Time

8:00pm EDT

Cosplay Ball

**THIS EVENT FILLS FAST. IF YOU EXIT THE BALL, ANOTHER PERSON WILL BE LET IN. YOU WILL NEED TO WAIT IN LINE TO ENTER AGAIN.*
Back for 2016, the Sakura Ball is Friday evening's formal event for all ages! Prepare for a decadent evening of cosplay, music, and dance. Prior to the Ball, dance instruction will be provided. Formal dress is not required for this instructional event. We look forward to seeing everyone dressed to the nines!

Please consult the Program for Dress Code

Speakers

DJ Hi5

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Disc Jockey

Friday April 28, 2017 8:00pm - 9:30pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Cosplay Dance

9:30pm EDT

Room Closed for Setup

Teardown for Cosplay Ball

Friday April 28, 2017 9:30pm - 10:15pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Set-up Time

10:30pm EDT

Unsettling Pokemon Questions and Answers

What goes on inside a pokeball? Where did Cubone get its skull? What's up with ghost types? The Pokemon games have left players with tons of disturbing questions, but not many answers. We'll ask the most unsettling Pokemon questions, what we think the answers are-- and what YOU think too!

Speakers

Judith Fisch

Panelist

Natalie Reichel

Panelist

Friday April 28, 2017 10:30pm - 11:30pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Panels-Workshops, Video Games

11:30pm EDT

Relationships, Romance and ... Anime?

Single? In a relationship? Looking for a good time? Join us for Relationship, Romance and Anime! You heard me, learn to pick up girls or find the right guy via anime! Because nothing says romance like '"I go to Anime Convention."

Speakers

Emily Brinich

Entertainer, Nerdy Expression

Kayla Kasmari

Friday April 28, 2017 11:30pm - Saturday April 29, 2017 12:30am EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

18 Plus Wristband Required, Anime, Manga, Pop Culture, Video Games | Panels-Workshops, Anime, Manga, Pop Culture, Video Games

9:15am EDT

Fumi Yoshinaga: Once you have tasted it, you will understand.

Come celebrate the genius of one of the world's greatest modern mangaka, Fumi Yoshinaga! We will review and discuss all of her series and the wonderful characters that populate her worlds! And if you have never heard of Fumi Yoshinaga, come and learn about the brilliance of her works and learn that special something your manga shelves have been missing all these years!

Speakers

CJ

Panelist

Manga and cats and anime and cats and video games! And cats!I've been reading manga since about 2002 and I own far more than any single human should own. My favorite manga of all time is Banana Fish. You can also find me on MAL as well.http://myanimelist.net/profile/zawa113

Brandi Swenson

Panelist

I'm a long time anime and manga fan. I've been enjoying anime since Sailor Moon in the 90s. And I've been reading manga since the first issue of Mixxzine came out. I was a manga moderator on myanimelist.net for several years. http://myanimelist.net/profile/BrandI also used to run... Read More →

Saturday April 29, 2017 9:15am - 10:15am EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Panels-Workshops, Josei, Manga, Seinen, LGBT-QIA

10:15am EDT

Cyberpunk, Steampunk, and Beyond

First, there was cyberpunk, and it was good. A shift to Victorian England opened up the genre, and from there it has continued to evolve. From cyber to steam, and everything in between, join us for a brief history of the 'punk genre of speculative fiction, and a glimpse at all of their many spinoffs and subgenres in anime, comics and more.

Speakers

Brian Beccia

Panelist

Ask me anything about movies, games, wrestling or RPGs.

Saturday April 29, 2017 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Panels-Workshops, Anime, Sci-Fi

11:30am EDT

AMV Showdown Seating

Saturday April 29, 2017 11:30am - 11:45am EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Anime Music Videos Contest

11:45am EDT

AMV Showdown

It’s time, once again, to unleash the creative muscle and artistic might of Anime Music Video authors from lands far and wide and YOU will decide the ultimate victors! These mighty warriors of the big screen have put forth their latest and greatest works for your consideration in this monumental battle for supremacy! Every vote counts!

Saturday April 29, 2017 11:45am - 1:45pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Anime Music Videos Contest

1:45pm EDT

Room Closed for Setup

Setup for Greggo's Game Shows: Password with John Patrick Lowrie and Ellen McLain Setup

Speakers

Greg Wicker

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Game Show Host

Greg Wicker (or “Greggo” as he’s fondly known) has been producing and hosting game shows at anime conventions since 1999, when he premiered Anime Match Game at Project A-Kon in Dallas. Since then, Greggo has done anime-themed versions of several classic game shows, created a... Read More →

Saturday April 29, 2017 1:45pm - 2:15pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Set-up Time

2:15pm EDT

Greggo's Game Shows: Password with John Patrick Lowrie and Ellen McLain

It’s the classic word association game where you and a celebrity guest try to convey secret passwords to each other using only one-word clues! Solving a password gives you a shot at our puzzle, which can be anything at all related to anime, video games or fandom! Solve the puzzles to earn a chance at our end game for big winnings! There is a tryout to get onto the show; check the schedule! The password is FUN!

Speakers

John Patrick Lowrie

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Voice Actor

John Patrick Lowrie was born in 1952 in Honolulu, Hawaii and raised in Boulder, Colorado. At sixteen, he left home to make his way as a singer/guitarist/flutist/trombonist in a rock ‘n’ roll band, sleeping in parks and communes and getting to know several hippies. Surviving the... Read More →

Ellen McLain

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Voice Actor

Ellen McLain is an opera singer and voice actress from Nashville, Tennessee, USA. She provides voices for many characters in several video games from Valve. Among them are GLaDOS, the artificial intelligence antagonist in Portal (for which she won an AIAS Interactive Achievement Award... Read More →

Greg Wicker

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Game Show Host

Saturday April 29, 2017 2:15pm - 3:15pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Contest Guest

3:45pm EDT

Gameshow Impossibru: I Know that Voice! (Replacement panel!)

The Manly Battleships Brings you the orginal English Dub Track guessing game! Come Test your knowledge of voice over artists in a variety of new, not-new, old and perhaps even ancient shows (even the occasional game!). There will be prizes to offset the massive strain on your brains!.

Speakers

Maximilian Van der Mark-Geary

Saturday April 29, 2017 3:45pm - 4:45pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Panels-Workshops

5:30pm EDT

Room Closed for Setup

Setup for Greggo's Game Shows: Play Your Cards Right

Speakers

Greg Wicker

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Game Show Host

Saturday April 29, 2017 5:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Set-up Time

6:00pm EDT

Greggo's Game Shows: Play Your Cards Right

In this debut game show from Greggo, two couples play against each other to determine who's the best at predicting how people will answer surveys, and whose intuition will help them play our special card game! The winning couple moves on to our Points for Prizes round where they can win really nice stuff! Based on the classic television game "Card Sharks!"

Speakers

Greg Wicker

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Game Show Host

Saturday April 29, 2017 6:00pm - 7:30pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Contest Guest

7:30pm EDT

Room Closed for Setup

Setup for Kimono Fashion Show/Dressing Demonstration

Speakers

Kuniko Kanawa

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Cultural Presenter

Kuniko Kanawa is an owner of Atelier Kanawa, the earth friendly studio which she offers traditional Japanese cultural services as a certified Kimono consultant, Kimono model, founder of Washington D.C. Kimono Club, Edo Tsumami Kanzashi artisan, and also a certified Shinto priestess... Read More →

Saturday April 29, 2017 7:30pm - 8:00pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Set-up Time

8:00pm EDT

Kimono Fashion Show/Dressing Demonstration

Do you admire the beauty of Kimono? Would you like to capture how it is conveyed elegantly by authentic motion and decorum? Also enjoy how Kimono is dressed from step to step! You may be chosem to be a Kimono model to pose on stage!

Speakers

Kuniko Kanawa

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Cultural Presenter

Saturday April 29, 2017 8:00pm - 8:30pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Guest Panels-Workshops

8:45pm EDT

Room Closed for Setup

Setup for Cosplay Dating Game (18+ Round)

Saturday April 29, 2017 8:45pm - 9:15pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Set-up Time

9:15pm EDT

Cosplay Dating Game [18+]

18+ Wristbands required.

Ever wonder what it would be like if Cloud Strife dated Usagi Tsukino? Or, if Eren Jaeger found true love with Ryuko Matoi?! These matches might not happen, but you never know what wild matches will be made at Zenkaikon's Cosplay Dating Game! Who knows, maybe Deadpool will fall in love with The Borg Queen!

The Cosplay Dating Game is similar to the traditional 'Dating Game' of yesteryear TV. Three bachelors or bachelorettes sit on one side of a curtain. On the other side is the 'prize,' an elusive bachelor or bachelorette for one of the 3 contestants to 'win.' The twist is that participants are in costume and are the character. The prize will ask several questions, which contestants must answer in character. Then “the prize” will choose which date they want. Unlike the real 'Dating Game,' this event is purely for the amusement and entertainment of the participants and audience. No real dating is involved.

Four participants were pre-selected prior to the convention for each session. The other bachelor/bachelorette contestants will be selected from the audience.

Saturday April 29, 2017 9:15pm - 10:15pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

18 Plus Wristband Required Cosplay Panels-Workshops

10:30pm EDT

Guests Against Humanity [18+]

There are some things that just should not be said in public . . . and then there is Cards Against Humanity. You want to go to the most adult and nsfw panel in the entire convention? Yes, the party game that will make you a worse person for playing, and an even worse one for laughing, will be played for YOU by our Guests of Honor. Come One Come All, but only if you are 18 +, and laugh your inappropriate tush off. No cameras or recording devices allowed!

Speakers

Karl "Uncle Yo" Custer

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Comedian

Karl "Uncle Yo" Custer is Zenkaikon's premiere geek comedian. His entire collection of four stand-up comedy albums, ranting everything from "Azumanga Daioh" to "Zenkaikon donuts" is available through Spotify, iTunes and Amazon. He is the show-runner of Youtube's fantasy sitcom with... Read More →

Keith DeCandido

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Author

Keith R.A. DeCandido was kidnapped by a roving pack of itinerant librarians who trained him in their vile and depraved ways. A career in publishing was an inevitable. He's been writing fiction professionally since 1994, and 23 years later, he's got more than 50 novels, almost 100... Read More →

John Patrick Lowrie

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Voice Actor

Ellen McLain

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Voice Actor

Saturday April 29, 2017 10:30pm - 11:30pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

18 Plus Wristband Required Guest Panels-Workshops

12:00am EDT

Boku no Pornorama III: Vanilla's Not Enough [18+]

The panel where hentai is the daily special, and it's the only meal worth eating! Join the Manly Battleships® in an invigorating presentation of Boku no Pornorama: a display of debauchery and the Fleet's favorite ero material. A Porn-orama so bizarre, the fun activities at the end will feel like a relief. Whether you get your kicks from Het, Yaoi, Yuri, or something else, this is the nighttime stop for you!

Speakers

Michael Forba

Brook Kallstrom

Maximilian Van der Mark-Geary

Mr. Panda

Featured Panelist, Manly Battleships

Ryan Wagner

Sunday April 30, 2017 12:00am - 1:00am EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

18 Plus Wristband Required, Anime, Comics/Graphic Novels, Pop Culture, Tech/Internet Culture | Panels-Workshops, Anime, Comics/Graphic Novels, Pop Culture, Tech/Internet Culture

9:15am EDT

Power Rangers Bigger Badder Buggier Brother: Kamen Rider

Kamen Rider is a live action series in Japan that receives yearly iterations. It's a Tokusatsu show, very much like Super Sentai, Power Rangers in the US. It focuses on action, character development, special effects and transformation sequences.

Speakers

Jessy Lukens

Sunday April 30, 2017 9:15am - 10:15am EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Panels-Workshops, Pop Culture

10:30am EDT

Steve Blum and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn Q+A

With hundreds of amazing voice acting, directing and more credits to their names, Steve Blum and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn have done it all! Come spend an hour with them as they answer all your most burning questions.

Speakers

Steve Blum

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Voice Actor

With literally hundreds of voiceover credits to his name, Veteran Voice Monkey Steve Blum is best known as the voice of Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop; Wolverine from several incarnations of X-Men (animated movies, games, the Wolverine and the X-Men TV Series, The Super Hero Squad... Read More →

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Voice Actor

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn is a voice-over actress, writer, singer, and director. As an actress, she is perhaps most famous for being the voice of Major Motoko Kusanagi for the Ghost in the Shell series, portraying her for the films Innocence and Solid State Society, as well as the critically... Read More →

Sunday April 30, 2017 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Guest Panels-Workshops

11:45am EDT

The Orange Box Power Hour! (McLain and Lowrie Q+A)

What do you get when you combine awesome with awesome? There are three things Portal, Team Fortress 2, and Half-Life 2 have in common: Valve, Ellen McLain, and John Patrick Lowrie! Come join Ellen and John and ask them about life in voice acting, their favorite foods, whatever! As long as you are...STILL ALIVE.

Speakers

John Patrick Lowrie

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Voice Actor

Ellen McLain

Zenkaikon 2017 Guest, Voice Actor

Sunday April 30, 2017 11:45am - 12:45pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Guest Panels-Workshops

1:00pm EDT

Anime The 1980s in the year 1987

We look back at the 1980s in the years 1987 and some of the great anime that come out that decade. Fist of the North Star, Castle of the Sky, Dragon Ball Z the movie 1, Mobile Suit Gundam, and Urusei Yatsura. We will discuss the impact these anime had on the genre and where they stand 30 years later.

Speakers

John Medero

John has been attending and cosplaying at anime, sci-fi, horror, and comic book conventions since 2005. He went to San Diego Comic con in 2005, Wizard World Wizard Philadelphia in 2010, 2012, 2014, and New York City Comic Con in 2006, and 2010, and more recently cosplayed at Katsucon... Read More →

Sunday April 30, 2017 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Panels-Workshops, Anime, Pop Culture

2:15pm EDT

The Timeline and History in Overwatch.

The lore and history of Overwatch paints a long and complicated past. A past that is rarely associated with actual points on the time line. But as always the clues are in the Details. There is an interconnecting time line of the characters of Overwatch if one is willing to pull the clues together and think long and hard.
Come and see the past of all the Characters of Overwatch unfold as you realize that events didn't happen that long ago in the world of Overwatch.

Speakers

Mikaela Hank

Chardinnia Senceman

Sunday April 30, 2017 2:15pm - 3:15pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Panels-Workshops, Pop Culture, Video Games

3:30pm EDT

The Beginning of Boys Love

The women who made the shojo genre were also an integral part making the Boys Love genre what it is today. Come learn about these female creators, their influences, and some of the earliest BL works.

Speakers

Ciara Powell

Sunday April 30, 2017 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT
Live 3 [Floor 3, Heritage C]

Panels-Workshops, Anime, Gender/Feminist Studies, Josei, LGBT-QIA, Manga, Shoujo