Closing Ceremony

Hard Truths as a Freelancer

Belsheber Rusape and Mia Page discuss the truths behind being a freelance voice actor. ...

Things You’ll Need as a Beginner Voice Actor

June Yoon and Belsheber Rusape discuss all the things you might forget about when starting off as a voice actor and how to get these things affordably. ...

Framing Fans in Manga History: Manga’s First Century

In this panel, Andrea Horbinski talks about her new book Manga's First Century: How Creators and Fans Made Japanese Comics, 1905-1989. This academic history focuses on manga's development in the 20th century through the lens of formats and fans, showing that both have driven manga's popularity from "high-collar" political cartoons to globally beloved medium. ...

Japanese Festival Tour: Variety, Creativity, Change

Michael Dyan Foster introduces Japanese festivals, or matsuri, emphasizing their diversity, creativity, and flexibility. We’ll explore some common elements of matsuri and take a whirlwind tour of large and small festivals performed around Japan—from Aomori to Kyoto to Kagoshima. Then we’ll take a deeper look at one event, Namahage of Akita Prefecture, famous as a quirky, scary tradition in which young men dress as demons and march from house to house frightening children and blessing families. ...

Let’s Talk Anime!

Join Gerard Caster, Roo Ryder, and Patrick Mealey as the discuss their favorite anime! ...

Firing the Canon: Queer Representation in the Magical Girl Genre

Why Playing Video Games Is a Kind of Labor

Nansong Zhou explores how video gaming blurs the boundaries between leisure and labor, turning players from mere consumers into productive workers. Drawing on feminist “women’s work” studies and audience commodity theory, it examines League of Legends as a case of how free-to-play games monetize players’ interactions and emotional investment. Through a political-economic lens, the lecture outlines three phases of player labor—production, remuneration, and consumption—and reveals the hidden work sustaining digital economies. By rethinking play as labor, this discussion highlights the exploitative yet creative dynamics shaping contemporary gaming culture. ...

The Role of Anime in Education

Nathaniel Candalario discusses his latest publication in this presentation and the use of anime in studying social phenomena, as seen in several cases in Asia. ...

Transcultural Tokusatsu: The Curious Case of Kamen Rider

Sophia State asks the question why has it taken 54 years for the English-speaking world to get access to this foundational superhero franchise? ...