Anime Evolution
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| Anime Evolution | |
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| Location | Simon Fraser University Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada |
| Years in existence | 1998 to present |
| Attendance | approx. 3,600 in 2006 |
| List of events | Video rooms, anime music video contest, game shows, charity auction, and cosplay contest |
| Official Website | |
Anime Evolution is an anime convention held at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is put on by the AE Convention Corporation, the parent body of this convention. It is traditionally held in August, but it has taken place in July at a couple of points in previous years.
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[edit] History
Originally known as Anime Showcase and held in 1998 by the SFU ARC club. It was a two-day showing of anime to be held annually. Assisted by the Vancouver Japanese Animation Society, the UBC Anime Club, and V-SWAT.
In 2001 it was renamed Anime Evolution and in 2003 became a full anime convention. It has grown each year since 1999, and had attendance of over 2,900 people in 2005. It is currently held during the second-to-last week of August each year.
2006 marks the year where not one, but two Japanese guests will be performing live in a concert. This includes Kumiko Kato and ZZ.
[edit] Events
- 24 hour anime screenings
- Anime music video contest
- Anime Idol
- Anime Walkoff - 'a male modelling walkoff similar to Zoolander'
- Charity Auction
- Name That Tune Game
- Cosplay Contest
- Karaoke
- Anime at the Improv (very similar to "Whose Line is it anyways?")
- Cosplay Battle Chess
- Anime Dating Game
- Gundam Building Contest
- Yaoi Panel
- Dealers Room
- Dance/Rave
- Industry Guests Q&A
[edit] Event Committee
Anime Evolution is comprised of volunteered staff who work most of the year prior to the convention.
The convention itself is lead by a nine member elected executive board, which includes four top-level executives and five directors. Under these directors, there are managerial staff, then there are coordinators, ending with volunteered staff. The current board structure was introduced in the 2006 elections. These elections are held one month after the convention has completed
[edit] AKA Kon and its relation to Anime Evolution
AKA Kon was an anime convention that took place in November in 2000 and 2001.
Since the convention was disbanded, Anime Evolution has had to shrug off comments that relate the convention directly to AKA Kon. The two conventions were run separately, and although some of the staff from AKA Kon did come over to help out with Anime Evolution, the main staff were and have never been involved.
Because of the debts left with the area hotels, and the relationship damaging that the former convention had done with guests and industry, Anime Evolution has slowly been working to get the former problems resolved. With the convention rapidly expanding to the point where its current existence at the university is starting to meet its maximums, finding an appropriate convention space has been difficult due to the problems left behind by AKA Kon.
[edit] Future of Anime Evolution
Anime Evolution is working to align itself more with Asian entertainment than it currently does with Japanese animation. It has been welcoming various Asian interests to the convention, but also has taken an alternate approach with Science Fiction. This is all due to the fact that the convention would like to be around if and when anime becomes more mainstream and anime conventions become less popular.
