ConnectiCon 2026: More than a Two-Hour Schlep

So, I can tell you that it has been 18 years since my last ConnectiCon. When I was there before, I was a vendor slinging t-shirts, and Robert Picardo from Star Trek: Voyager walked past me, and I was legit starstruck. I don’t remember if I had gotten any photos, but the free time I did get after working my shift, I enjoyed it for what it was.

Then I heard about the issues with the con from people over the years. I was hesitant.

But I went back… For autographs, and goddammit, it was worth it.

#738: Do You Remember that it’s September?

AnimeJapan opens submissions for new creator awards, the official Naruto battle board game exceeds crowdfunding needs, and Crunchyroll acquires 7.03% of media company Link U. Also, New Gundam stores are coming to the US, Sailor Moon and Meiji team up once more, and a Pokémon art book is released for a comparison of 30 years of games! Meanwhile in Japan, two Americans attempt to smuggle 1 million in cannabis for a free Japan trip, a gang of angry monkeys attacks a man in a hot spring town, and the number of centenarians living in Japan tops 100,000!

#737: Bring The What Now?!

Adieu Galaxy Express 999 gets 45th anniversary screenings, ⁠Netflix⁠ and ⁠SEGA⁠ team up for live-action films and a new ⁠Sonic The Hedgehog⁠ animation, and ⁠RANMA 1/2⁠ gets themed tableware! Also, 15,000 drawings were used to make The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You dance, Level 5 CEO addresses the use of AI in a recent presentation, and ⁠Lionsgate⁠ partners with ⁠Toei Animation⁠ for project distribution! Meanwhile in Japan… ⁠Megadeth⁠ guitarist chimes in as voice of reason on shrine dancing, and mayors challenge each other to a ninja battle!

#736: Those Post-Labor Day Blues…

An update on Toei Animation confirming no license for the French theme park, sleeping like a Pokémon in a limited-run Poké Ball hotel, and the latest Puella Magi Madoka Magica film passed 1 billion yen in opening weekend! Also: InuYasha signed sketch auctioned to help kids orphaned by AIDS, GKIDS responds after complaints about subtitle timing during movie screenings, and Meta glasses and celebrity do not equal CONSENT! Meanwhile in Japan, a Kyoto temple bans visitors from wearing kimonos, a change in laws may ban more than half of Airbnb-style rentals in a Tokyo ward, and Kobe schools abolish school-run extracurriculars and shift to community-based programs!

#735: I Won’t Say That It Was Well Deserved… But it Was.

Idol game app firm collapses as data shows bankruptcies up 7% on year, ⁠Universal Studios Japan⁠ crosses two popular anime with two popular movie franchises for new collaborative merch, and ⁠Pokémon⁠ social media account hacked! Also, Korean Pop Culture Expo (⁠KPEX⁠) launched in NYC for 2027, Japanese anisong singer Asaka touches fans with a heartfelt message, and the French president announced a manga theme park, but… There’s a lack of license approval… Meanwhile in Japan, final penguin Suica cards shipped for use, and foreign resident visa renewal is about to jump over 967 percent for some, and that’s not even the highest amount!

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