The Critic Invades AnimeNEXT!

The Critic is going to AnimeNEXT 2012 in Somerset, NJ this weekend and is going to rock the casba!! Watch me throw in my two cents at the Anime Under the Radar panel on Saturday in Panel 3 from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m., where I'll be talking about the semi-obscure and totally underrated anime Heat Guy J. Fellow panelists Dylan Ferrara and Dr. Bill Ellis will be weighing in on this panel discussing other older series such as Saint Seiya, Grimm's Fairy Tales (yes, they did make an anime of those, and it is awesome), and Maeterlinck's Blue Bird.

IMMEDIATELY following that in Panel 1 from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., you can catch me helping out Dr. Bill Ellis at his What Bronies Can Learn From Anime Fans, discussing the phenomenon of the fandom of grown adults that have gravitated toward the 2010 (and ongoing) reboot of My Little Pony animated TV series and how it is not so different from otakuism (that is, anime nuts like ourselves).

Dr. Bill Ellis will also be holding a panel discussing the sometimes complicated relationships between fathers and daughters in anime series, particularly "Magical Girl" series. That will take place Friday in Panel 3 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

I will be handing out free Insatiable Critic bookmarks, so first come first serve! Here's a sneak peek at one: 

Other panels worth checking out...the incredibly talented voice actress Michele Knotz , who you might know from a little series called Pokémon and is currently the English voice of Alisa Bosconovitch from the new Street Fighter X Tekken game that was recently released will be doing a panel discussing her role in the game with equally talented voice actor Kyle Hebert...who's done just about everything. You can catch them on Friday in  Panel 2 from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. If you can't make that, never fear! Michele will also be holding Knotz Your Everyday Panel! where she will discuss her voice acting career on Saturday in Panel 3 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

I would also highly recommend any panel hosted by the illustrious Charles Dunbar, owner of the site Study of Anime. He will be doing no less than FOUR panels, all of which sound delicious and nutritious for the otaku soul. The ones I'll be catching include Style and Substance: 50 Years of Anime Openings on Saturday in Panel 3, from 8 to 9 p.m. (AND since you're all going to the Anime Under the Radar panel anyway, riiiiiight, you might as well get there a little early and check this one out. It's in the same room, yo!) And finally, Beyond Castles, Forests, and Houses: Philosophy in The Works of Hayao Miyazaki on Sunday, Panel 3, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. looks pretty damn interesting.

 Also, if you're in the mood for something a little more playful, check out Kakurenbo, an altogether unusual game of tag that my illustrious colleague Mr. Ferrara will be holding in the Arena area on Saturday from 5:30 to 7 p.m.!

Have I made your head explode with all the awesome? It's gonna be a blast! See ya there and get yer bookmark!!