#ndk2022

Hi folks, we’re trying something new with this episode. Today, we have a big batch of interviews that we recorded with regular convention attendees on the floor of NDK 2022. We asked each person two questions: “who are they cosplaying?” and “why?”. Listening back as I was editing the audio this past week, I was delighted to be reminded of these little interactions with other fans. When we started doing this, I was incredibly nervous to approach people out of the blue (you can probably hear it in my voice in the first few). But the little stories that so many of these fans had reminded me of how fun and cool it is to love art and media. I hope you enjoy listening to these as much as I enjoyed editing them.

Our penultimate podcast from NDK 2022, a panel with John and Olivia Swasey.

Today’s episode is a leftover from NDK 2022, which I didn’t manage to get edited in time to post last year. This penultimate podcast from NDK is a panel with John and Olivia Swasey, and father and daughter who have both found careers in voice acting. They talk about working with each other, finding your niche in the VO industry, and how the industry has evolved from the time that John started working to now. A warning, there is one, very loud instance of the F-word being used in this recording. If you prefer not to hear that, we recommend that you consider skipping this episode.

Best in Show - WingedLight Cosplay as Kaname Kuran from Vampire Knight

In theory, a professor and a drag queen would seem to be an odd pairing. But when you put Dr. Alisa Freedman and Queen D together in a panel, the conversation is non-stop. The panel, dubbed the Doctor and The Queen moved rapidly through many subjects: sharks, Doctoral thesis, conspiracy theories, football fans, retro-gaming, and travel planning just to name a few. We hope you enjoy listening in on this panel from NDK’s Bert and Ernie duo.

Last day of NDK. Right before my little one turned 23🥺 sooo friggin tired! I got ripped off on parking though at the Gaylord resort for staying till closing ceremony so won't be doing that again. Leave Early from there! The hotel is outrageous for their parking fees. #ndk2022 #gaylordresortandconventioncenter (at Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ciu9wFYugo5/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

This year marks the 25th Nan Desu Kan. The convention has been held annually since 1997, with the exception of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented gatherings of large groups of people. In light of this Dr. Alisa Freedman, Professor of Japanese Literature, Cultural Studies, and Gender at the University of Oregon, and Guy Davis, the NDK historian, and member of the Board of Directors of the Rocky Mountain Anime Association, convened a panel to discuss the history of NDK as it relates to the wider history of anime in North America. They were joined partway through by Kevin McKeever of Harmony Gold (localizer and publisher of Robotech and Macross). The panel presented background on the origins of NDK, the early history of anime localization in the US, and how the convention evolved in its early years alongside the anime market. Near the end of the panel, there was a question and answer period that included discussion about what the future of NDK may look like.

The end of NDK 2022. So tired!!! #cosplay #ndk2022 https://www.instagram.com/p/CiGgFaJMY-X/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=