Department of Alchemy Audio Archive – Episode 2: Anime Boston “Industry Panel”

Posted on 22 July 2009 by Alex Leavitt

How we all vicariously feel about the anime industry.

Honestly, I just want to get this second episode online, because it’s taken more than a few months to do so already, so… bullet point time!

- The podcast has been officially named: DoAAA, or the Department of Alchemy Audio Archive. Fitting, since I’m probably always going to upload audio I record at conventions.
- Episode 2 features Chris Beverage from his Anime on DVD panel at Anime Boston 2009. Since there was no real industry panel on Sunday at the convention, Chris’s panel represents the pinnacle of industry discussion that happened inside the Hynes last May.
- I’m sick this week, so I didn’t want my crappy voice getting in the way of the equally-awful panel audio. Thus, I just use my laptop’s voice to host this episode.

Listen below, or use the direct download here.

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Otakon Panel Updates!

Posted on 14 July 2009 by Alex Leavitt

No, really, I love Yutaka Yamamoto-san to death.

So, if you’re going down to Otakon this weekend, you might as well stop by a Department of Alchemy panel! As of about 10 minutes ago, one more of our panels has been added to the official schedule. Our new program looks like this:

The Impact of Evangelion – Saturday at 9:00 am in Panel 1

Anime & Manga Studies – Saturday at 11:30 am in Panel 1

The Problem with Otaku – Saturday at 7:00 pm in Panel 5

Without Watching the Anime: Opening and Ending Themes – Sunday at 10:15 am in Panel 3

Anime Expo: SUCCESS!

Posted on 5 July 2009 by Alex Leavitt

This is about 1/2 of the room in our Sunday panel.

We at the Department of Alchemy (aka. Alex) would like to thank everyone who decided to come out for our/my panels this weekend at Anime Expo 2009. All two of our panels (as well as the two academic panels in which the Department participated) were thoroughly attended! The Problem with Otaku (photographed above) purportedly held more con-goers than the Crunchyroll panel in the previous one-hour time slot! Sorry that the panel had to be cut off; the presentation held a bit too much information. Also, after being featured in AnimeEXPOSURE (Anime Expo’s official newsletter) on Friday as a highlighted panel to attend, Without Watching the Anime: Opening & Ending Themes featured a full panel room, with a line extending around the bend in the hallway! Rumor has it that about two dozen people were even turned away, since as we neared about 400 members in the audience the fire code seemed about to be breached (though we still had a good number of people lining the back wall and even sitting on the floor in front). Unfortunately, our camera equipment wasn’t working during the panel, so we couldn’t nab a cool snapshot.

For those who attended the OP/ED panel, the list of videos shown is listed below. Thanks again for coming to see us! Remember, we’ll be speaking again at Otakon in two weeks! Check out our three panels:

1) Without Watching the Anime: Opening and Ending Themes – Sunday at 10:15 am in Panel 3
2) The Impact of Evangelion – Saturday at 9:00 am in Panel 1
3) Anime & Manga Studies – Saturday at 11:30 am in Panel 1

So, on to that list:

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