<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2r4aha_1FBEf18p00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2r4aha_1FBEf18p00" width="1078" height="720" ><figcaption>1/3 Ani-Medford at Rogue X features a broad vendor’s market where fans can find original art, enamel pins, plushies and much more. (Michael D. Davis/Medford Parks and Recreation photo)</figcaption></figure>Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...A celebration of anime, tokusatsu (Japanese superheroes and action films), manga and all things Japanese culture, returns to Rogue X with Ani-Medford.The eighth annual Ani-Medford will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19-20, at Rogue X, 901 Rossanley Drive, Medford.The two-day, all-ages event run by Colossus Girl Entertainment focuses on Japanese pop culture with activities such as panel discussions, special guests, vendors, cosplay and more.When asked what sparked the idea to have an anime-specific celebration in the Rogue Valley, Dave Haworth, president of business operations for Colossus Girl Entertainment, said that Portland and places up north “have everything, and Southern Oregon has nothing.”“Being at Meadowlark (a comic con run by Colossus Girl), you see all these people in anime cosplay … I was like, you know what? They need their own show,” Haworth said in an interview.The convention boasts a selection of special guests, including professional cosplayers and English-dub anime voice actors.“Every actor at Ani-Medford, they’ve never been to Medford before; they’ve never been to Southern Oregon. So we try to find some of the favorite characters that people enjoy, and we also like to throw in maybe one or two voice actors where it’s very niche,” Haworth said. “So it’s not only bringing in favorite characters, but also educating people on new anime or maybe anime they haven’t seen through the actors as well.”Special guests include:• Emily Neves, best known for her voice acting roles in “My Hero Academia,” “Dragon Ball Super: Broly,” and “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.”• Kimberly Anne Campbell, best known as the voice of Nahida in “Genshin Impact,” Dawn in “Pokémon Master,” and Argo in the “Sword Art Online Progressive” films.• Abby Pasion, known as the voice of Chiharu Tsubameya in the hit anime “My Deer Friend Nokotan” and Kai Molchalin in the upcoming animated series “The Wards of Oribis.”• Shara Kirby who voiced Theodora in the soon-to-be-released Nintendo Switch game “Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave,” Chalce in “Pokémon Horizons: The Series,” as well as characters in a wide range of video games.Notable cosplayers include Mutt Rib Cosplay, Chaos In Motion, Gorephic.Gremlin, Closeted Cosplay, Sky Noodle, and Atlas.You can show off your own cosplay and take the spotlight by competing in one of the several contests on offer. On Saturday, cosplayers ages 15 and older can take the stage in the Rising Star, Master Craft, or group contests. Sunday will be the kids’ (up to age 14) time to shine in three categories: Best Kids Cosplay, Most Creative, and Judge’s Favorite. Prizes will be awarded for winners in all categories each day.“This year (we’ll also have) a karaoke lip sync contest, which is run by cosplayers; they love getting up there and doing their thing, and it’s always fun to watch. So that’s going to be great too,” Haworth said.For further details on cosplay contests, including specific rules and guidelines, or to register, see ani-medford.com/cosplay-contest. “Basically at the end of the day, it’s the community that really runs it. They’re the ones who come up with these ideas … ‘we want to do this;’ ‘we want to do that.’ It’s like, okay, there’s the stage, go for it,” Haworth added.Ani-Medford also features an expansive marketplace with over 100 local and regional vendors, exhibitors, fan groups and organizations, offering everything from plushies to figurines, original fan art to keychains and everything in between. Food trucks will be on-site with refreshments and meals available for purchase.Additional activities include video games in the arcade zone, kids coloring activities and an anime movie room, which Haworth said is popular, especially with parents who can sit down, relax and watch anime while their children run around enjoying the convention, and for those needing a break from all the excitement in the dark and chill environment. Haworth and his team take great pride in creating an event that is as fun as it is welcoming.“Everyone’s accepted. That’s the whole thing. It’s really the ultimate safe space. You know what I mean? It doesn’t matter who you are, everyone’s just there and they just have a good time and everything of that real world is left outside those doors.”Ani-Medford has grown in attendance over the past eight years with organizers expecting somewhere between “4,000 to 6,000 for the full weekend” to join in the fun. Haworth noted that judging by ticket sales, Ani-Medford is well on its way to meeting that mark.Tickets for admission both days for ages 13 and older are $25 in advance, $35 at the door; tickets for Saturday only are $15 in advance, $20 at the door; or Sunday only is $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Family packages are available —$75 for the full weekend, $40 for Saturday or $35 for Sunday only — which admits four people ages 13 and older. Kids 12 and younger get in free with a paying adult.Haworth strongly recommends buying tickets online as prices are discounted and it generally makes things easier “so you just have to concentrate on getting the wristband and getting in there.”For further details, including a full schedule of events, and to purchase tickets, see ani-medford.com.“And for people who’ve never been, or they don’t know what anime is — and there are people out there who don’t know what anime is — come out and give it a shot,” he said. “You might find something that you like and you might become a big fan.”Reach Features/Go!Rogue Editor Alissa Corman at alissa.corman@rv-times.com.</div></body>

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Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... A celebration of anime, tokusatsu (Japanese superheroes and action films), manga and all things Japanese culture, returns to Rogue X with Ani-Medford. The eighth annual Ani-Medford will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19-20, at Rogue X, 901...

Eighth annual Ani-Medford returns to Rogue X

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Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... A celebration of anime, tokusatsu (Japanese superheroes and action films), manga and all things Japanese culture

Eighth annual Ani-Medford returns to Rogue X

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