Tsubasacon 2008

The Genesis

Prior to 2004, the great state of West Virginia was missing something, and every anime fan in the mountain state knew it. Late summer trips to Baltimore were not enough to satiate the tastes of these otaku, though little could be done during those dark times.

West Virginia otaku, like many others, relied on local and college anime clubs to network with other fans. In early 2004, one such group was established in the state's capital, known as the Charleston Anime and Manga Society. Originally founded to be a state-wide anime club with periodic meetings, the Charleston Anime and Manga Society slowly shifted towards favoring annual meetings, paralleling what many people would call an "anime convention". On February 16, 2004, Tsubasacon was officially announced to the public.

First Flight

Tsubasacon 2004 took place at the Charleston Civic Center on November 19 - 21. The Guests of Honor at Tsubasacon 2004 included voice actors Tiffany Grant and Mariela Ortiz, Matt Greenfield and David Williams of ADV Films, and freelance writer Gerry Poulos. Poulos gave especially high praise to Tsubasacon 2004, which he reiterated in his column in the February 2005 issue of Newtype USA.

Tsubasacon 2004 attracted 402 attendees for the entire weekend, including three vendors, making it a successful first outing for West Virginia's anime convention.

Coarse Winds

Tsubasacon had established itself as a successful convention and returned on November 25 – 27, 2005 with Patrick Delahanty of the Chibi Project, pianist/singer/songwriter Lisa Furukawa Ray as Guest of Honor, a larger Dealers Room with five vendors, and three artists. Despite a successful previous year, Tsubasacon 2005 suffered from a mix of disorganization and Murphy's Law (whatever can go wrong, will). The dates for Tsubasacon 2005 were announced in late July, giving con-goers little time to plan for the event, especially on the weekend following Thanksgiving. A finicky web server also made updates nearly impossible. The string of unfortunate events became evident by the disappointing attendance of 227 people. Many complained about the choice of dates for the convention, though the lack of publicity and working website dealt decisive blows to Tsubasacon 2005.

Fresh Wings

At the conclusion of 2005, Tsubasacon's future was quite grim. It seemed Tsubasacon was destined to fizzle after its poor showing in Charleston, but the convention was granted a reprieve. Control of the convention was transferred in 2006 from the Charleston Anime and Manga Society to Tsubasacon, Inc., established in order to handle the business end of the convention. Tsubasacon, Inc. faced several issues if they were to get Tsubasacon flying again, namely with the Charleston Civic Center. Because of the increasing number of problems between Tsubasacon and the Civic Center, the decision was made to move the convention to the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, West Virginia, the state's second largest city and home of Marshall University.

Another issue that needed to be addressed was the name "Tsubasacon". While many alternative spellings existed, including "TsubasaCon", "Tsubasa-Con", and "Tsubasa-con", the official spelling of "Tsubasacon" (non-hyphenated with no extra capital letters) was set in stone and has been used exclusively since 2006.

New Beginnings

Tsubasacon 2006 occurred a bit earlier than usual, October 13 – 15, though this meant there were no major time conflicts that needed to be addressed. The Guests of Honor at Tsubasacon 2006 included Random Battle Group, voice actor Patrick Seitz, voice actor and director Mike McFarland, and the returning talent of Lisa Furukawa Ray.

Expansions to Tsubasacon also included a sponsored video game room, seven vendors in the Vendors Room, and eight artists. After the smoke had cleared, Tsubasacon's final attendance number was 564, the highest it had ever been.

Unflappable

With a year of experience under their belt, the Tsubasacon staff was poised to put together another successful convention on October 3 – 5, 2007. Tsubasacon 2007 hosted returning guests Patrick Seitz and the Random Battle Group, along with voice actress Caitlin Glass, OEL manga artist Jennifer Lee Quick, and musical guests The Spoony Bards. Along with seven vendors and fourteen artists, Tsubasacon's attendance climbed yet again.

On the Horizon

Tsubasacon will be celebrating its fifth year on September 26 – 28, 2008 at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, West Virginia. To think that five years ago, West Virginia didn't even have an anime convention! Anticipate many surprises, improvements, and the small con experience you have grown to love.