SMASH! (Sydney Manga and Anime Show) - August 2nd, Roundhouse@UNSW | $10 Pre-Register, $15 At-The-Door

Newsletter #7 - Jun 5th, 2008

  1. Announcements
    1. Guest: Kiuchi & Open Q&A
    2. One Month 'Til Supanova!
    3. Vendors at SMASH!
    4. Cosplay events
  2. Reminders
    1. Preregistration - still available until July 12th
    2. Volunteers - Deadline July 12th
    3. Competitions available at SMASH!
      1. FanFiction Competition closes July 1st
      2. Character Design Competition closes July 1st
  3. Fun Stuff
    1. SMASH! Recommends: Hunter x Hunter

Things are incredibly exciting at SMASH! right now! This month has had our cosplay rules go up, as well as our special announcement for our guest of honour. Competition entries have been starting to come in as well! SMASH! 2008 is going to be a day to remember, so be sure not to miss it!

Announcements

Guest: Kiuchi & Open Q&A

As you might of heard already, SMASH! 2008 is going to have the very first Japanese Voice Actor to make an appearance at an Australian Convention!

Hidenobu Kiuchi is a talented seiyuu who is well known for his role as Oshitari Yuushi from Prince of Tennis, and more recently, Ryohei Sasagawa in Katekyo Hitman Reborn, as well as a number of leading roles from Monster, Nana, Darker than Black, Saiunkoku Monogatari, and Gunslinger Girls. His credits also include Rurouni Kenshin, Death Note, Pokemon, Hunter x Hunter and many more.

Kiuchi will be performing live on stage at SMASH! as well as answering a number of questions. SMASH! is right now taking submissions, so if you want to see Kiuchi get EXTREME! on stage, or pull out that smooth Kansai drawl, be sure to list it on our Live Performance request thread: [ http://www.smash.org.au/forums/index.php/topic,1367.0.html ]

Or if there is a question you've always wanted to know about voice acting, his favourite experiences during his career or even what his favourite food is, be sure to place it on our question request thread here: [ http://www.smash.org.au/forums/index.php/topic,1368.0.html ]

One Month 'Til Supanova!

Only month to go to Supanova, Sydney's premier pop-culture event - bigger and better in 2008!

With a long history in Sydney, Supanova Pop Culture Expo is still growing and now covers three extra states. Melbourne and Brisbane were insanely huge; don't miss out on the original home ground that is Sydney June 20th - 22nd!

As usual they've got a stellar lineup of special guests:

  • Jared Padalecki, who plays Sam Winchester in Supernatural and has appeared in the Gilmore Girls, New York Minute & the Upcoming Friday the 13th remake
  • Jewel Staite, Kaylee from Firefly & Serenity,
  • Nichelle Nichols, well remembered as Lt. Uhura from Star Trek,
  • Jeff Nimoy, Wolfwood from Trigun,
  • Quinton Flynn, Axel from Kingdom Hearts, Reno from FFVII: AC,
  • Sean Schemmel, Goku, King Kai, Mail from Dragonball Z,
  • ...and many, many more.

Supanova is happening on June 20-22, The Dome, Olympic Park; check out their website for more info (http://www.supanova.com.au/), and if you're keen to lend a hand and get in for free, volunteer at http://volunteers.supanova.com.au/. Make sure you get confirmation, otherwise contact the staff to secure your spot!

Vendors at SMASH!

Our vendors at SMASH! help provide new goods and services to Australia and their contributions to the anime community are invaluable. Here are some of the vendors you can expect to see on the day!

SMASH! is pleased to announce our vendors for 2008, please be sure to check out their goods on the day!

Cosplay events

It wouldn't be an anime convention without cosplay joining the fray; SMASH! has a number of cosplay events on offer this year!

Madman Cosplay Competition!

Dress up as your favourite anime, manga or video game character and show off

your costume making skills on stage! This highly entertaining and popular event is often the main attraction of the day and you can be a part of it too! Cosplay is open to all ages and skill and while the competition is a great way to participate on the day, you aren't obligated to join in the competition if you only wish to give homage to your favourites!

For information on how to register on the day be sure to check out our cosplay competition page which contains links to the cosplayer code of conduct, competition rules and information on entering. Available from here: [ http://www.smash.org.au/events/cosplay-competition ]

Cosplay Games

But that's not all! SMASH! has a number of other cosplay related activities for both fun and informative purposes with our cosplay games and panels! There's Cosplay Chess, a fun game where two teams battle each other on a human-sized chess board, where the roles of chess pieces are fulfilled by cosplayers. Providing the opportunity to see your favourite characters battle it out, with hilarious results. You can read more here: [ http://www.smash.org.au/events/cosplay-games ]

Reminders

Preregistration is still available at SMASH!

Can't wait until the day? Reserve your ticket now! SMASH! Pre-registration is currently available [ http://www.smash.org.au/tickets/pre-registration ] and lets you attend SMASH! at a cheaper price as well as allowing earlier entry on the day!

Volunteers - Help us make SMASH! a success!

Ever worked at an anime convention before? Want to? SMASH offers a training program so that prior experience isn't necessary! All that is required is that you are motivated, hard-working and enthusiastic! You'll meet lots of new people, and gain experience that can help you in the workforce.

As a SMASH volunteer, you'll be part of a team that will work to assist staff and convention-goers in an area of the convention. For more information check out our volunteers information page here: [ http://www.smash.org.au/volunteers/volunteer-info ]

Competition Reminders

Fun Stuff

SMASH! Recommends Hunter x Hunter

Hunter x Hunter has delightful characters that will make you laugh and intrigue you to their motivations. The story revolves around Gon and serves as a coming of age story, initially setting off, following his fathers footsteps - a member of the elite hunters group, where less than one in a hundred thousand can pass the grueling qualifications exam.

As the story progresses you can see with his friendship with Killua (a member of an elite assassin family, who's quite fond of chocolate) develop and grow between the two boys, as well as their other companions and friends Kurapika and Leorio - who have their own pasts and problems to work through as the series progresses.

The characters are very strongly defined with their strengths and weakness and consequences of such followed through to the end, things that may sound stereotypical at first, become delightfully original as Togashi explores what that actually means with delightful skill throughout the series.

Alas things are not perfect for Hunter x hunter is an extremely long series and the mangaka has been plagued with problems resulting in the art style occasionally taking a hit. However ultimately Hunter X Hunter is a fun series, with a lot of action - but also subtler plots full of intrigue.

Hunter x Hunter is a still running series with art and story by Yoshihiro Togashi currently being released by Viz under their Shounen Jump Advanced signature line.

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