Updates from Nan Desu Kan, the anime convention of the U.S. Rocky Mountain Region This year is Nan Desu Kan Go! We like the title - there are tons of puns. From the Japanese go "language" as in Nihongo, or go = five for our fifth year, to the English "gotta Go to NDK," we're having fun. The new year's convention is scheduled for September 21-23, 2001 at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Convention Center at 15500 E 40th Avenue, Denver, CO 80239. (Locals, this is at I-70 and Chambers) For room reservations at $84 plus tax per night, call 1-800-511-2118 or 1-303-371-9494. They have it in the computer as Nan Desu Kan and on the group list as NDK. ____________________________________________________________ We've got some of our guests for the new year confirmed already and many more on the way. As usual, we'll add to the list and post them on the web page (and in updates) throughout the year, but we're starting with a great lineup. From America, Studio IronCat, Panther Comics and Scott Frazier are returning! New guests, in order of confirmation, include Voice Actor/Translator/Director Tristan MacAvery, joining us for the first time, bringing experience as Gendou Hikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Joyrock in Slayers the Motion Picture, Jay in Kimera, Waldess in Dirty Pair Flash, Vector in Battle Angel, and numerous additional parts! Voice actor Michael Granberry joins us for the first time, still fresh from his turn as Tetsu Hayami in Blue Sub 06, on Cartoon Network. One of our friendliest new guests - and that's with a lot of competition from so many nice people! We also welcome Actor, Sound Designer and Anime Voice Actor Crispin Freeman! Mr Freeman's roles include Zelgadiss Graywords (and Prince Hallas) in Slayers, Slayers Try and Slayers Next, Touga and Dios in Revolutionary Girl Utena, Spark in Record of Lodoss Wars (TV), Tylor in Irresponsible Captain Tylor, and more. Mr. Freeman has done script adaptations for Pokemon and Shamanic Princess, and is currently cast in the stage play 'Dead Reckoning' in New York. Mr. Freeman's appearance is tentative, pending professional commitments. We look forward to beginning to announce our Japanese guests for the year over the coming month, and many more great US friends! ____________________________________________________________________ On the event horizon, you can look forward to some solid, familiar events returning - look for the costume contest and cosplay, art and model show, art seminars, karaoke, the anime and j-pop dance, the masquerade, video rooms, gaming, video gaming and dealers. Some events will change a bit - we'll have fanfic writers' workshops, for instance, but will change the topic for the year. We'll have a whole new range of cultural seminars, and a set of in-person talks from our new guests. You can also expect some brand-new events! The first of the new events: The Pretty Kitty Mini Con - an evening mini-theme party based on a certain mouthless star not to be named. If you like pink, red ribbons and cheerfully blank little faces, join us for a celebration of sugar! No, no, no! Cried Richard Kekahuna, too much saccharine!!!!!!! With that, he ranged himself in opposition to the Pretty Kitty Mini Con, one lone warrior with an amazing stack of giant robot and cat girl videos. He was willing to do it in the parking lot if need be, but he makes such a cute lost puppy we decided to give him a roof over his head. (Little does he know it's the cute pink ethic that gave him a break and a video room). While hordes of enthusiastic teenage girls answer trivia questions about the small white one, Kekahuna-Fest takes over one of the video rooms to attempt to fend off the invasion of sugar! Bride of the Rubber Monster Slumber Party - The CSU Mystery Science Theatre club invades our video rooms with a late-night eight-hour all Kaiju (monster) and Martial Arts Japanese Cheese film festival, slightly twisted thanks to the Mystery Science Theatre crew, shown with permission of Best Brains. Scratch n' Dent Gamera, half off! We have movie sign! Hallway costume contest - last year we did this on a quiet scale to see if it would work. It seemed to go quite nicely, so we'll do it again. Each staff member has one, and only one, tiny cute button we make up specially for the year. There are four different button designs. The staffers choose their own personal favorite costume in the halls, and give that person their button. If there are no costumes that make the staffer go 'Ooooooooooooh! I love that one! That one!' the staffer keeps the button. But a costume that makes several staffers go 'yeeeeeeeeeeeeah' could earn all the different buttons too. (Begging for buttons will disqualify you - but visiting all the different areas and saying hello to the staff is a good way of making sure they see you. ^_^) Criteria are completely personal - you might just be wearing someone's favorite character, or you might have done a stunning job on the suit. It's one way for our staff to say Hello, and 'I appreciate your work' to our costuming friends and to get to know you a little better! ____________________________________________________________ Writers' Workshops Speaking of changing topics for the year, fanfic writers, what topics would you enjoy this year? Email and let me know your thoughts. The fanfics we wrote and some notes from the panels are on the History link at www.ndk.cc now - the fanfic winners should be on the web site by the end of the month (despite some excuse by our web mistress about 'going to Japan to go drinking with the guests, be right back'). ^_^ ____________________________________________________________ Lost n' Found n' Lost n' Found n'. I still have lost and found items from NDK2K! (Heck, I still have lost and found items from NDK3.) If you lost anything that's still unaccounted for, please let me know (and no, I didn't find any money). I would love to get these costume parts, props and so forth off my back table and back onto yours. ^_^ ____________________________________________________________ Hotel notes! The new convention hotel is within 10 minutes' drive from the Denver International Airport. There are 24-hour complimentary shuttles running frequently from the hotel to the airport and back again. Hotel facilities include pool, hot tub and fitness center as well as a laundry room. In-room amenities include coffee/tea makers, cable channels, phone dataport and internet access (*cough*Kevin*cough*), hair dryer and iron and ironing board (costumers). The hotel has undergone room renovations this year so things should be very nice for us - we ask your normal kindness, therefore, in making sure everything stays nice so the convention stays in good with the hotel. Restaurants within two blocks include Burger King, Wendy's, A&W, Blimpie's and Chili's. ____________________________________________________________ NDK Registration! Send your registration, including your name, address, email or phone number, to: NDK Registration, P.O. Box 514, Redwood Estates CA 95044 - we take check or money order (cash is very much at your own risk) made out to "RMAA." As usual, we remind you of cheaper rate deadlines! If you send in your registration postmarked by January 31, the rates are only: Full weekend $25 Friday only $10 Saturday only $12.50 Sunday only $12.50 From February 1 through May 30, the rates will go up to: Full weekend $30 Friday only $10 Saturday only $15 Sunday only $15 Every $5 saved is another plush toy, card pack, or three lami cards for you! Oh, yeah, or lunch. And what the heck, it lets us buy the plane tickets for the guests. So don't forget to send in your registration now. ^_^ You can copy and paste this simple handy-dandy form or hand-write if you like: Registration for NDK Go! Attendee Name: ____________________________________________ Attendee E-Mail Address: ____________________________________ Want e-mail updates? Y / N Attendee Mailing Address: ____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ Registering for: Full Weekend _____ Friday Only _____ Saturday Only _____ Sunday Only _____ Want t-shirt? $15 each any size S to XXXL - if so, size? _______ Cost of badge: ______ Cost of Tshirt if any: ______ Total cost/enclosed: ______ Please do one registration per person to keep my lovely Registration Goddess from going Mad. You want her sane when you check in. Thank you! ________________________________________________________ Local information of note: Modelling master Tom Grossman leads a merry band of modellers meeting one or two times a month - you can join the meeting if you like! See Tom's web page for info on the next one, at Lucky Neko in Colorado Springs. Please be so kind as to forward this to anyone you think may be interested. Hope to see you there!! Tom Grossman Lucky Neko is in Colorado Springs at 4759 Flintridge Drive, (In the little white shopping center at the Southeast Corner of Flintridge and Academy), Colorado Springs, CO 80918 Phone: (719) 266-9460 ________________________________________________________ Online information of note: Check out www.artemisradio.com for Artemis Entertainment's new radio show. Anime.radio has released their first compilation CD! Buy it at - check out their current show for an example of what the guys are like in action. ^_^ And our friends at About.com (Anime.about.com) have been expanding their listings and features voraciously! What a wonderland of links, articles, chat, and more! Recently they posted their interview from last year's NDK with Hiroki Hayashi, creator of Tenchi Muyo!, El Hazard, and Battle Athletess, and Kazuya Tanaka, our chipper AIC Sound Director, and you can read it online at: If you don't know about the unofficial but beloved NDK bulletin board yet, one of our wonderful attendees made it and it's at www.yahoo.com - search for the club NDK! A new unofficial but beloved site cropped up this week, run by another lovely friend, at - it's even all split up by nifty titles! __________________________________________________________ We hope to see you in the new year! It's going to be a great one. ^_^ -becca and shawn and all the crew at NDK