| AM² | |
|---|---|
The official AM² logo. |
|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Animation, Manga, Music |
| Venue | Anaheim Convention Center |
| Location | Anaheim, California |
| Country | United States |
| First held | 2011 |
| Official website | http://www.am2con.org/ |
AM² (pronounced: "A", "M" "Squared") is a three-day anime convention that was held on July 1–3, 2011 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. It is notable for having no compulsory membership purchase. Instead, an optional attendees can buy a "Passport" which grants various perks, such as priority access to major events. To date, no events have been announced for 2012.
Contents |
The content provided by AM² covers a range typical to anime conventions along with a few less traditional additions. Examples of this content include concerts, Masquerade (costume/talent show), various smaller cosplay events, an AMV contest, an exhibits area/dealer room, an "Artist Alley", GoH and fan panels, workshops, video screenings, tabletop gaming, console gaming, a karaoke, an arcade, and late night dance. Some examples of less common events include a Summer Festival, Maid cafe, and the hosting of a preliminary round of the World Cosplay Summit.[1]
In April 2010, Japanese Pop idol Erina Mano was announced as a guest at Anime Expo for the world release of her acting debut Kaidan Shin Mimibukuro Kaiki.[2] When AX cancelled this appearance, an alternative event was created at the nearby Club Nokia.[3] The person selected to organize this premiere was a PR and marketing contractor recently terminated from Anime Expo. Through personal friendships, several other people who had also left Anime Expo for various reasons joined the organization.
In addition to Mano-chan's appearance, several other attractions were added. The expanded 1-day event was named Club 2 the Max in reference to the choice of venue. Some of the added attractions included a Maid Cafe, a charity concert & music video shoot by X Japan, and autograph session with Power Rangers stars. Club 2 the Max (aka MAX) was deemed largely successful by its sponsors, who decided to further fund it as an annual convention. MAX announced a name change in November 2010, choosing to be called AM².[4]
| Dates | Location | Atten. | Guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1–3, 2011 | Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim, California |
8000+[5] | JB Blanc, Gashicon, heidi., An Kanon, Kanon Wakeshima, kanonxkanon, Neil Kaplan, Sunao Katabuchi, Reuben Langdon, Masao Maruyama, Sadie, SCANDAL, Miho Shimogasa, Sixh., Steve Staley, Akihito Yamashita[6] |