And that’s the title of my first convention panel.
Later today, I’ll be presenting at IKKiCON, an anime convention for the Austin area. I’ve attended as press a couple of times previously, but this years, I decided to take a leap of faith and try something I’m very uncomfortable with – explaining in words that which I do on this blog.
At the risk of chasing away some would-be panel attendees who may hit upon this post, I feel very inadequate to host a panel. Although I do a lot of speaking in real life, it’s mostly in leading meetings and giving reports about projects I lead and am thus with which I’m intimately familiar. Although I’ve now been analyzing anime from a Christian perspective for years, I never feel as if I’m an “anime expert” in any anime-related room I’m in, either physically or online.
Also, I have a soporific voice – not conducive for a terrific session.
Still, my hopes are high for this panel, as I believe I’m doing it purposely and for good reason. So, here’s hoping that I’ll report back in a couple of days with positives outweighing the negatives. In the meantime, I could use some words of luck or advice. Or better yet, prayer.
The Details
OMG! There’s Jesus in My Anime!IKKiCON 2013, Hilton Austin
Saturday, December 28th, 4-5 PM
Panel Room 1
Go for it >_<!
And well, remember to have fun. Nobody is out there to judge your anime expertise, so as long as you are having fun the audience will feel at ease, too.
Thanks – and indeed, it was fun!
That title makes me think of this, which my church library actually has:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/manga-messiah-tyndale/1014544218?ean=9781414316802
And perhaps this as well.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/manga-bible-tyndale/1116799045?ean=9781414316796
I will be praying for your speaking! =) God’s peace and words go with you.
You know, I did talk about the Manga Bible, though I’ve read any of the volumes. And thank you for your prayers!
I wish I could be there! I have yet to make it to an anime convention, and it would be fun to see a panel like this. I’m sure you’ll be great. You might not be an “anime expert” by your own definition, but you probably have more experience analyzing anime as a Christian than most (if not all) who are there. This blog is interesting, and when I talk to friends and family about Christian aniblogging, Beneath the Tangles inevitably comes up. People are interested in what happens here, and for good reason. I hope you have fun talking about it!
Thank you for your comments! They really are encouraging to me!!
TWWK,
This year I was a first-time IKKiCON attendee. Thanks a lot for your presentation today! You did a great job and raised some interesting points of discussion. I’ve always enjoyed critically analyzing what I watch, and as a Christian I often find themes like the ones you pointed out today. At this point I hope to continue following your blog and continuing the discussion wherever I can!
I’m glad you were able to attend, and that you thought the panel worthwhile! Thank you for your feedback!
Good luck! The worst part is probably that a lot of times, you can’t adequately explain your framework in the given timeframe. If I had to give a panel on the stuff I’m exploring in my blog now, I’d need an hour just to establish where I’m working from.
Yes, THIS. The panel started late, and even if it were on time, I wouldn’t have covered all I had planned. At the very least, it was a lesson in time management for con panels. Thanks for the advice, Taylor!
I’m a little late, but I hope everything went well!
I also wish I could have been there. In my convention experiences, anything remotely related to Christianity (or religions in general, actually) is usually shut out from being on the schedule of events, so it makes me quite happy to see that you had a cool opportunity like this.
Was there anyone video taping your panel? Maybe I can find it online. XD
From what I’ve been told, this convention is looking to have a full host of “philosophical” panels on slate, so I guess I was in luck! I think it went well – there was no one videotaping, but honestly, I wouldn’t have liked that for this first panel (except to review myself). Perhaps next time. 🙂
Hey, you should find some time to talk about your panel experience at some point. I want to know how it went!
I shall! Thanks for the interest, Justin!
How did it go? Were you able to get a copy of it, or maybe share your notes? Thanks!
No, no video or anything of that sort. And I think it went well, judging by how many people DIDN’T leave in the middle of my sessions. The crowd was also much larger than I anticipated. I think for a first run-through, it went well. I definitely learned a lot about how I would refine it if and when I do it again.