New Castle County will host its first Anime Day this Saturday, with a day of family fun at The Art Studio near Newport.
“With the growing popularity of anime and manga, it’s a great opportunity for fans and newcomers to enjoy these unique arts, free and close to home,” said County Executive Thomas P. Gordon.
Local artists, workshops and anime screenings will highlight the anime-and-manga convention, along with cosplay, games, vendors and food trucks, said Sophia Hanson, general manager of the county’s Department of Community Services, which operates The Art Studio.
Anime Day runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 27, with free admission at The Art Studio, the county’s fine arts facility in the Absalom Jones Community Center at 310 Kiamensi Road.
At noon, the Delaware Anime Society will present a screening and discussion of “Summer Wars,” a 115-minute feature rated PG and suitable for all ages.
In two other activities starting at noon, there will be a Pokemon Trading Card Game with guests invited to bring their best decks and Interrobang Studios will lead a workshop called “Art of Cute.”
At 1 p.m., Kevin DiPlacido leads a Cosplay Workshop, while artist-author Liz DeJesus and artist-illustrator Kay Corbett will lead a workshop on “How to Draw Fairies” and Pokemon TCG continues.
At 2 p.m., the Delaware Anime Society will have screening and discussion of the first two episodes of “Fairy Tale.” That 50-minute program is for older teen and adult guests due to episodes’ TV-14 rating. Also at 2, DeJesus will lead a writing workshop and Pokemon TCG continues.
Throughout the day, Delaware Anime Society and the county’s Department of Community Services will have informational booths in the vendor area.
In addition to offering fans anime and manga items from books and prints to original art and jewelry, Hanson said the vendor area will be a great place to shop for gifts for youngsters interested in the popular and highly stylized arts.
DeJesus will sell books, prints, comics and stickers at the table for her Unexpected Spark Studios and her colleague Corbett, also known as Agent Kitty Feets/Ivy Cat, will offer fairy portraits and other art.
Other presenters who also are vendors are Interrobang Studios, with anime comic books, and Kevin D Cosplay with a variety of prints.
Scheduled vendors also include All-Out Monstor Revolt, a publisher with monster prints; Amber Davis Art with prints and jewelry in anime style, furry and fan art; Generation Otaku anime store; Grunge Muffin Designs with prints, trading cards, buttons and stickers; Paper Valentine offering original hand-drawn/digital art inspired by anime/manga; Brianna Ryscuck with anime figures, plushies and accessories; Sarah Dressler with dolls and anime plushies; Sharoon the Raccoon, offering stylized illustrations; Sidhe Sparkle & Style selling hair shimmers; Shereen Deemer with art and jewelry based on anime and video games, and Art By Tess with hand-crafted jewelry, magnets, bookmarks and plushies in comic and anime themes.
The idea for the debut Anime Day came from artist-author Liz DeJesus, according to Carol K. Dougherty, who coordinates of The Art Studio.
“Liz helped develop the Hockessin Art & Book Fair, which is set for Oct. 22 this year, and she suggested the idea of having an anime and manga event,” Dougherty said, adding that DeJesus also helped plan Saturday’s event, which organizers hope will become an annual county event.
