Animazement

Animazement is an annual three-day anime convention held during May at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is traditionally held over Memorial Day weekend. The convention is designed to be family-friendly.[4][5] Animazement is run by unpaid staff and volunteers.[6]

Animazement
StatusActive
GenreAnime, Manga, Japanese Culture[1]
VenueRaleigh Convention Center
Location(s)Raleigh, North Carolina
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated1998
Attendance11,300+ in 2015[2]
Organized byEducational Growth Across Oceans[1]
Filing status501(c)3[3]
Websitehttp://www.animazement.com/

Programming

The convention typically offers an artist alley, classes, concerts, cosplay chess, cosplay contests, dealers room, gaming tournaments, manga library, masquerade ball, musicians, panel discussions, raves, various gaming rooms (arcade, console, retro), video screenings, and voice actors.[3][4][7][8][9]

Animazement raised over $12,000 for several charities in 2015.[10]

History

The convention originates from a 1997 36-hour anime marathon, organized by the Triangle Area Anime Society (TAAS) at North Carolina State University.[1] It was first held in Raleigh, North Carolina at the North Raleigh Hilton in 1998, moved to the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Convention Center in Durham, North Carolina for 2001, and to the month of May in 2002.[11][12][13] In 2009, four Japanese guests canceled appearances due to quarantine concerns over the Swine flu.[14] In 2009, Animazement moved to the Raleigh Convention Center.[15] Noboru Ishiguro was scheduled to attend the 2012 event, but died prior to the event.[16] The convention celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2017.[17]

Animazement 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18][19][20]

Event history
DatesLocationAtten.Guests
March 20–22, 1998 Hilton North Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina		735Steve Bennett, Michael Brady, Juliet Cesario, Rurika Fuyuki, Scott Houle, Yasuhiro Imagawa, Yuu Kamijyou, Masakazu Katsura, Lanelle Markgraf, Fred Perry, Scott Simpson, Apollo Smile, Doug Smith, Nobuyuki Takahashi, Dave Underwood, Pamela Weidner, and Amanda Winn-Lee.[11]
March 19–21, 1999 Hilton North Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina		1,235Tiffany Grant,[21] Michael Brady, Juliet Cesario, Traci Dinwiddie, Rurika Fuyuki, Scott Houle, Yasuhiro Imagawa, Yukako Midori, Fred Perry, Scott Simpson, Nobuyuki Takahashi, Dave Underwood, Yuu Watase, Pamela Weidner,[22] Shin Kurokawa, Nozomi Suzuki, and Toshifumi Yoshida.[23]
March 10–12, 2000 Hilton North Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina		1,640Kia Asamiya, Scott Houle, Amy Howard-Wilson, Kunihiko Ikuhara, Toshifumi Inagawa, Akira Kamiya, Hiroyuki Kitakubo, Rachael Lillis, Kazuto Nakazawa, Lisa Ortiz, Chiho Saito, Nobuyuki Takahashi, Koichi Tsunoda, Yuu Watase, Brett Weaver, and Pamela Weidner.[24]
May 25–27, 2001 Sheraton Imperial Hotel and
Convention Center
Durham, North Carolina		1,900Scott Houle, Akira Kamiya, Tsukasa Kotobuki, Amy Tipton, Koichi Tsunoda, Yuu Watase, Pamela Weidner, and Yasuo Yamaguchi.[12]
May 24–26, 2002 Sheraton Imperial Hotel and
Convention Center
Durham, North Carolina		2,050Jason Hatfield, Scott Houle, Hiroyuki Kitakubo, Hiroaki Sakurai, Amy Tipton, Koichi Tsunoda, Pamela Weidner, and Yasuo Yamaguchi.[13]
May 23–25, 2003 Sheraton Imperial Hotel and
Convention Center
Durham, North Carolina		2,300Tiffany Grant, Scott Houle, Akira Kamiya, Hiroyuki Kitakubo, Kyōko Hikami, Kazuto Nakazawa, Hiroaki Sakurai, Asami Sanada, Jonathan Tarbox, Koichi Tsunoda, Brett Weaver, Pamela Weidner, Yasuo Yamaguchi, and Yoshinobu Yamakawa.[25]
May 28–30, 2004 Sheraton Imperial Hotel and
Convention Center
Durham, North Carolina		2,700Mary Evans, Nicole B. Gibson, Scott Houle, Akira Kamiya, Charles Dee Rice, Chika Sakamoto, Koichi Tsunoda, Yuu Watase, Crystal Waters, and Yasuo Yamaguchi.[26]
May 27–29, 2005 Sheraton Imperial Hotel and
Convention Center
Durham, North Carolina		2,750Keiko Han, Kyle Hebert, Kyōko Hikami, Aya Hisakawa, Scott Houle, Keiko Ichihara, Akira Kamiya, Chika Sakamoto, Michihiko Suwa, Koichi Tsunoda, Pamela Weidner, and Yasuo Yamaguchi.[27]
May 26–28, 2006 Sheraton Imperial Hotel and
Convention Center
Durham, North Carolina		3,275Chris Cason, Bruce Elliott, Caitlin Glass, Keiko Han, Kyle Hebert, Scott Houle, Yuki Ito, Akira Kamiya, Yoshinori Kanemori, Trish Ledoux, Rica Matsumoto, Ryūsei Nakao, Michihiko Suwa, Nobuhiro Suzumura, Koichi Tsunoda, Pamela Weidner, Yasuo Yamaguchi, and Toshifumi Yoshida.[28]
May 25–27, 2007 Sheraton Imperial Hotel and
Convention Center
Durham, North Carolina		4,500Juliet Cesario, Kara Edwards, Caitlin Glass, Keiko Han, Kyle Hebert, Kyōko Hikami, Scott Houle, Kikuko Inoue, Akira Kamiya, Takeshi Kusao, Trish Ledoux, Masao Maruyama, Chika Sakamoto, Michihiko Suwa, Koichi Tsunoda, Kari Wahlgren, Pamela Weidner, Yasuo Yamaguchi, Toshifumi Yoshida, and Satsuki Yukino.[29]
May 23–25, 2008 Sheraton Imperial Hotel and
Convention Center
Durham, North Carolina		5,374Kara Edwards, Mitsuo Fukuda, Takako Furukawa, Caitlin Glass, Keiko Han, Kyle Hebert, Scott Houle, Akira Kamiya, Takeshi Kusao, Vic Mignogna, Kotono Mitsuishi, Ryūsei Nakao, Jōji Nakata, Michihiko Suwa, Koichi Tsunoda, Kumiko Watanabe, Yasuo Yamaguchi, and Maya Yamao.[30]
May 22–24, 2009 Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina		5,964Kara Edwards, Caitlin Glass, Kyle Hebert, Scott Houle, Yusuke Igarashi, Trish Ledoux, Masao Maruyama, Ryūsei Nakao, Jun Shishido, Spike Spencer, UchuSentai:Noiz, Cristina Vee, Maya Yamao, Toshifumi Yoshida,[15] Cherami Leigh, and Mike Sinterniklaas.[31]
May 28–30, 2010 Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina		7,070Richard Ian Cox, Keiko Han, Noriko Hidaka, Yusuke Igarashi, Kazuhiko Inoue, Trish Ledoux, Chiho Saito, Chika Sakamoto, Spike Spencer, Koichi Tsunoda, UchuSentai:Noiz, Cristina Vee, Kappei Yamaguchi, Yasuo Yamaguchi, and Toshifumi Yoshida.[32]
May 27–29, 2011 Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina		7,000[1]Leah Clark, Todd Haberkorn, Kyle Hebert, Hiroaki Hirata, Cherami Leigh, Masao Maruyama, Hidenori Matsubara, Ryūsei Nakao, Jōji Nakata, Patrick Seitz, and Eric Vale.[33]
May 25–27, 2012 Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina		8,000
(est)[34]		Jennifer Barclay, Chris Cason, Kara Edwards, Toshio Furukawa, Clarine Harp, Ichiro Itano, The Jacabal's, Kotoko, Shelby Lindley, Masao Maruyama, Hiroshi Nagahama, Fumiko Orikasa, Jez Roth, Mayu Shinjo, Spike Spencer, and Cristina Vee.[35]
May 23–26, 2013 Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina		7,500+[4] or
8,800[9]		Sho Asano, Christine Marie Cabanos, Kara Edwards, Toshio Furukawa, Keiko Han, Megumi Han, Kyle Hebert, Yumi Ishiguro, The Jacabal's, Yoichi Kotabe, Laugh Out Loud, Trish Ledoux, Masao Maruyama, Haruhiko Mikimoto, Yūko Minaguchi, Hiroshi Nagahama, Ryūsei Nakao, Toshio Nakatani, Masako Nozawa, Jez Roth, Sean Schemmel, Koichi Tsunoda, UchuSentai:Noiz, and Toshifumi Yoshida.[36]
May 23–25, 2014 Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina		11,287[37]Sho Asano, Christine Marie Cabanos, Toshio Furukawa, Toru Furuya, Keiko Han, Takafumi Hori, Shuichi Ikeda, Yuji Kaneko, Kotoko, Lauren Landa, Laugh Out Loud, Trish Ledoux, Masao Maruyama, Kazuya Masumoto, Jason Charles Miller, Ryuusei Nakao, Ai Nonaka, Jez Roth, Shin Sasaki, Taishi Yamabe, Toshifumi Yoshida, Yoh Yoshinari, and Nobuteru Yuuki.[38]
May 22–24, 2015 Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina		11,300+[2]Sho Asano, Crispin Freeman, Keiko Han, Noriko Hidaka, Kikuko Inoue, The Jacabal's, Shinichiro Kashiwada, Laugh Out Loud, Trish Ledoux, Hidenori Matsubara, Amanda Celine Miller, Ryuusei Nakao, ROOKiEZ is PUNK'D, Jez Roth, Mike Sinterniklaas, Shinichiro Watanabe, Taishi Yamabe, Toshifumi Yoshida, Linda Young.[39]
May 27–29, 2016 Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina		14,127+[40]Shingo Adachi, Sho Asano, Keiko Han, Kyle Hebert, Aya Hirano, The Jacabal's, Shinichiro Kashiwada, Erik Scott Kimerer, Toru Kubo, Lauren Landa, Trish Ledoux, Erica Lindbeck, Masao Maruyama, Yuu Mizushima, Sadayuki Murai, Soichi Noguchi, Oreskaband, Jez Roth, Akane Takahashi, Hidetaka Tenjin, Masuo Ueda, Toshiyuki Watanabe, Taishi Yamabe, and Toshifumi Yoshida.[41]
May 26–28, 2017 Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina		Sho Asano, Kira Buckland, Keiko Han, Hiroaki Hirata, Mari Iijima, The Jacabal's, Trish Ledoux, Masao Maruyama, Ryuusei Nakao, Jez Roth, Hidetaka Tenjin, Masuo Ueda, Eric Vale, David Vincent, Toshifumi Yoshida, and Linda Young.[42]
May 25–27, 2018 Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina		Akitaroh Daichi, Keiko Han, Someta Hayashiya, Motonobu Hori, Tomohiko Ito, J-Trap, The Jacabal's, Etsuko Kawamura, Lauren Landa, Trish Ledoux, E. Jason Liebrecht, Elizabeth Maxwell, Hiroshi Nagahama, Derek Stephen Prince, Jez Roth, Masuo Ueda, David Vincent, Steff Von Schweetz, Shinichiro Watanabe, JP Yates, and Toshifumi Yoshida.[43]
May 23-26, 2019 Raleigh Convention Center
Raleigh, North Carolina		Morgan Berry, Cherry Tea Girl, Jennifer Cihi, Stefanie DeLeo, Keiko Han, Someta Hayashiya, J-Trap, Etsuko Kawamura, Trish Ledoux, Masao Maruyama, Kotono Mitsuishi, Ryuusei Nakao, Derek Stephen Prince, Jez Roth, Paul St. Peter, JP Yates, Toshifumi Yoshida, and Linda Young.[44]

References
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  2. Schaefer, Kevin (May 27, 2015). "Animazement sweeps downtown Raleigh". Technician Online. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  3. Davis, Adam (June 2, 2016). "Animazement highlights Japanese culture". Technician Online. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  4. Murawski, John (2013-05-26). "Animazement dazzles with color, form, ingenuity". News & Observer. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  5. Taylor, Holly (May 18, 2017). "Broadening your cultural horizons". Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  6. Kenney, Andrew (2014-05-23). "Animazement's dream world comes alive in Raleigh". News & Observer. Retrieved 2014-06-01.
  7. Jung, Jennifer (2012-05-30). "Bringing fantasies to life". Technician Online. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
  8. Smith, Zack. "You haven't met fankids until you've been to Animazement". Independent Weekly. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
  9. Hart, Bryce (2013-05-30). "Animazement shows growth, change". Technician Online. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
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