Department of Alchemy’s Official Anime Boston Panel Schedule

Posted on 18 March 2010 by Alex Leavitt

Otakon 2009 panel audience.

Anime Boston is almost upon us! If you’re coming up to the city for a weekend at the Hynes, be sure to drop by one or more of my panels to say Hello!

Update (Thursday 18 March 11:30 pm): Time for “Hentai Manga” panel has been moved later into the night.

Update 2 (Monday 22 March 9:30 am): Location for “Anime Themes” panel changed. Also, time for “Cowboy Bebop” panel moved earlier in the afternoon.

Update 3 (Monday 29 March 11:10 pm): Time for “Intro and Ending Themes” panel has been moved earlier in the day.

Friday 12:00 pm noon (Panel 302) – Introduction to Anime Intro and Ending Themes

Friday: 5:30 pm (Panel 306) – After Cowboy Bebop: The Works of Shinichiro Watanabe

Friday/Saturday 1:30 am (Panel 202) – Chains, Trains, and Happy Endings: Japan’s Underground Sex Culture (18+)

Saturday 6:00 pm (107 Panel 6) – On the Road for Anime Pilgrimages

Saturday 10:00 pm (Panel 202) – Impact of Evangelion

Saturday/Sunday 1:30 am (Panel 202) – Hentai Manga: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (18+)

Sunday 1:00 pm (Panel 202) – From Antisocial Loser to Economic Hero: The History of Otakudom

Sunday 2:00 pm (Panel 202) – Anime in Academia

Speaking at Ignite Boston 7 About Moé!

Posted on 23 February 2010 by Alex Leavitt

You might have noticed that I updated the Events section to the right with updates about my speaking engagements.

Word came in today that I’ll be speaking at Ignite Boston 7.

I’m going to be speaking about Japanese fans’ affinity for 2D chicks at Ignite Boston 7 next week on Thursday 4 March 2010. If you can’t make it to Boston, the event is part of Global Ignite week, so the video will be streamed live online and eventually posted on the upcoming Ignite video portal.

Registration (it’s free) and info is here: http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/IgniteBoston7/tabid/287/Default.aspx

But quick info for those disinterested in clicking links:

Ignite Boston 7 will be Thursday, March 4, 2010 from 6pm to 9:00pm. The event will be at Microsoft’s newest campus, the New England Research & Development office (NERD) right in Kendall Square in Cambridge, MA.

Since there is limited space at the venue, you must RSVP on this page to have an opportunity to get into the event; but admission is on a first-come/first-served basis (to account for RSVPs who end up not making it; we don’t want to waste spaces). By RSVP’ing you will also be entered for a chance to win $300 worth of O’Reilly books of your choice. You must be present to win. There will likely be other items like tee-shirts and other promo items for those who alert us ahead that they plan to attend. If you plan to attend, and do not RSVP you will be put in the ‘wait-list’ queue.

PAX East Update: Officially Chosen as a Panelist!

Posted on 25 January 2010 by Alex Leavitt

As of last week, I’m happy to say that I’ve been officially chosen to speak at PAX East.

I’ll be talking about Internet memes, niche video games, and really bad imitations of foreign food in Japan (yep, the last one does tie in). Check out the panel description below.

Memes, Microcultures, and 2D Chicks: Our Future in the Otaku Gamer
Saturday 27 March 2010, 1:30 pm, Wyvern Theatre (Hynes Convention Center, Boston, MA)

A singing idol who doesn’t exist. Perverted text adventures boasting dozens of female prizes. And a popular, anime-tized evolution of the classic Space Invaders shooter that has spawned a global fandom. Japan’s subcultural players are obsessed with games that, well, aren’t actually about the gaming. Alex Leavitt (Comparative Media Studies, MIT) explains how a new generation of entertainment is succeeding in a market which chooses to de-emphasize the games in favor of the characters. And as the Japanese fans influence the industry through their own amateur initiatives, what will the future of American gaming hold when online fandoms adopt similar appetites?