It’s almost time for another great year of Animazement. We know you’re busy with con prep, so we’ve compiled here all the new information you’ll need to know to be ready for Animazement 2024!
This first one is important, so we’re putting it at the top of the list!
RCC Goes Cashless
All Raleigh Convention Center concessions, including the outdoor food trucks, have gone CASHLESS. If you plan to use any of these concessions during the weekend, be sure you have a payment method other than cash. This includes alcohol sales.
However, you can still use your cash everywhere else! Animazement Registration takes cash, as does our merchandise table in the Dealers’ Room. Dealers and artists are also not bound by any restrictions and will accept cash or other payment methods according to their own discretion.
New Locations
We’ve moved a few things around to different rooms. So you don’t get lost, here’s where to find all your favorite places in their new homes!
Video Room
Our video room is moving to room 202. We’ll still be showing a mix of anime along with some live action favorites from Japan.
Karaoke Box
Our friends in the Karaoke Box have moved to room 206. Same old karaoke fun, but in a new location!
Manga Library
Our Manga Library is moving to room 201, the former home of the Karaoke Box. Make sure to stop by when you need a break. Discover something new or enjoy an old favorite!
Formal Dance
Our Friday Night Formal Dance is moving back outside! You all needed more space to dance the night away, so join us in front of the RCC beside Sir Walter. He’s not a great dancer, but he’s always up for a party!
Karuta Tournament
Last year, we introduced the Japanese card game Karuta to our attendees. This year, we are excited to introduce our Karuta Tournament!
To enter, there are only two requirements.
1. You must be 13 years or older to participate.
2. You must know how to read hiragana.
Find out more here!
Accessibility Additions
This year, we’re adding some additional services for folks who may be unable to stand in the long Registration line because of a disability. If this applies to you, please come directly to the Accessibility table to pick up your badge. If you think you may want to take advantage of this service, we request you pre-register, if at all possible, to help expedite the process, but we’re happy to help you either way!
And don’t forget all of the other accessibility services we offer. Feel free to stop by the table at any time!
Kabuki
This year we’re excited to present to you several kabuki themed panels and performances! If you’re interested in Japanese culture, be sure to check out some of these offerings over the weekend.
ART Kabuki
4:00pm on Saturday in room 301AB, join us for an exclusive screening of ART Kabuki, a project conceived for the purpose of presenting kabuki performances to a virtual audience. Kazutaro Nakamura created the foundation for this work, which stars Kabuki actor Ukon Onoe. Other performers include Japanese dancers Genkuro Hanayagi and Ryotaro Fujima. The music was performed by national treasure-class Japanese instrumentalists, including Sho Asano and Taishi Yamabe.
Stay after the screening for a chance to talk with Kazutaro Nakamura himself, who will join us virtually from Japan!
Biwa and Kabuki-Matsu no Rouka
11:30am on Saturday in room 303, Biwa player Hakusui Ogiyama plays a famous Kabuki Matsu no Rouka, telling the story through Biwa, a traditional Japanese stringed instrument.
Women, Buddhism, and Kabuki
2:30pm on Saturday in room 303. The famous kabuki play Musume Dōjōji is one of the most demanding dance dramas for onnagata (male actors trained to dance female roles). It is also one of the most explicitly Buddhist – and sexist – plays in the kabuki repertoire, as it is based on a 15th c. Buddhist morality tale cautioning monks against the destructive power of women’s desire. This talk will first examine the Noh (masked) version of the story, when a young maiden’s unrequited passion for a celibate priest transforms her into a firey dragon who ultimately burns him alive underneath the large bronze bell of Dōjōji temple. It then also considers the later kabuki version of the play, in which the dragon spirit (in the guise of a beautiful young dancer) is drawn back to the temple gates to witness the inauguration of the temple’s massive new bell. By looking at the normalization and popularization of women as demonic spirits, this talk offers a critical feminist lens onto the male dominated institutions of early modern Japan.
There’s so much to do, you’ll want to start planning now! And the best way to do that is to download our Guidebook app! There you’ll find the full, up to date schedule, interactive maps, and even some information on events going on downtown just for us! Scan the QR code below, or follow this link and click download.
