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Labor Day weekend brought more than just cookouts to Dallas, Texas... It was also the weekend for AnimeFEST's annual convention, and yours truly took a little road-trip to witness the event.  And, boy! Did we have a ball!  Here's the highlights of one Anime-filled weekend.

A Little Background

AnimeFEST is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing Japanimation fans together.  Based in Dallas, Texas, they host one huge annual convention as well as smaller gatherings throughout the year.  Dealers from all over the country display at the event and you can also find some top-notch guest speakers to check out. 

Guests for the 2002 convention included Stephanie Naldony (the voices of boy Goku and Gohan for Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z), Scott Frazier (you may recognize his name from his work at Production I.G. USA) and Bruce Lewis (you may remember him as the creator of Robotech).  Kitaki Mayu was the J-Pop guest of honor and there was plenty of cosplay to be had as well.

Inside the Convention

Hosted at the beautiful Hotel Intercontinental Dallas in Addison, the convention opened with floor to ceiling Anime.  Dales Planet Comics from Midland, TX was on hand with plenty of DVD's and comics (not to mention a ton of other Anime goodies) to satisfy your needs. 

Asylum Anime was there too, offering a must-have collection of supplies for the up and coming artist.  Pens, paper, paints and nibs were stacked high next to the vast collection of "how-to" books on Anime characters.  They also had a nice collection of cels, manga and posters to choose from as well.

One of the highlights of the convention was my visit to A.V.D. (Advanced Visual Designs).  Specializing in plastic, vinyl and resin models, these guys sure know their stuff. 

I was lucky enough to get a few minutes to chat with the owners, Jerry Wilson and John Clevenger (and their apprentice, Elizabeth Beckham :) about their work.  Each model is done by hand, and these guys have been doing it for the last 10 years.  Prices range from $10 to $300 and, here's the best part, they do special orders too!  Drop them a line at avdesign@yahoo.com

Making our way around the room, we caught up with OK Anime or the "Dragon Ball Z booth" as my son called it.  The owner, John, has been into Anime for 10 years and had quite a collection to show for it.  Of course, Dragon Ball wasn't the only thing of interest at his booth... we just couldn't stop looking at the primo UK released action figures and his $5 clearance box kept us busy for hours. 

We also visited with Tut's Toys, specializing in anime toys, art and t-shirts.  They also sported a fabulous collection of walking staffs, hand made and absolutely exquisite. 

Pop Kulture (972-503-5311) was on hand as well, with a huge collection of DVD's, videos and Anime extras that kept us browsing for hours.  Their shop is right around the corner in Addison, so should you stop by, tell them Anime at About.com sent you.

We also met up with Flick from Black Dog Enterprises in Lubbock, TX.  He's been into Anime for 20 years and finally decided to make it a full time biz 8 years ago.  The convention was... well, an Anime blast.  And, just as we were about to leave, I caught up with Susie, AnimeFEST's hostess with the mostess of Guest Relations.  "Just how many people are you expecting at the Fest this year?" I asked her.  In 2001, they saw 1500 cross their threshold.  This year however, they expected to well surpass the 2000 mark.  Wow!  Nice job guys.  I'll be back next year, for sure, so just hold my reservation, will you?  Now... if I could just lay my hands on a sweet Sailor Moon outfit, I'd be set!  :)