Nov. 3-5, 2017
Interested in modeling for Nekocon’s fashion show?
Apply now as a model for the Nekocon Fashion Show!
This year NekoCon will be featuring Jfashion-inspired indie brands from across the US. Models will be dressed in styles from Puvithel, Belladonna, The Camp Site, and Holley Tea Time.
Another member of the Study of Anime crew signs on for our Catpocalypse. Now introducing Troy Gale!
Troy Gale is relatively new to the Study of Anime team, but has been a follower for many years. By day, he is putting his energy towards his studies in music, but by night, he writes about tokusatsu, tabletop gaming, and all other sorts of things. He has also presented the Fueled by Coffee Phoenix Wright Mock Trial at Nekocon and Anime Mid-Atlantic in Southeastern Virginia for the past nine years. Most days, when he’s not at work, you can find Troy at any number of coffee shops, probably thinking up his next article. If not, he is likely at home, gaming or practicing his vocal performances. In addition to Study of Anime, Troy helps out on occasion with the Youtube channel Trylons, and consults on panels with various other presenters.
He can be reached at gale.troy@gmail.com.
Troy’s favorite anime are: Gurren Lagann, Read or Die, and One Punch Man
His favorite games are: Earthbound, Super Mario RPG, and Crypt of the Necrodancer
Aaron, who goes by “The Eva Monkey” online, has been operating his Evangelion fansite, EvaMonkey.com, for over 15 years. Deeply involved in the fandom for Evangelion, he’s been a fixture of numerous fansites and discussion forums, and has co-founded EvaGeeks.org, and serves as a moderator of the Evangelion subreddit at Reddit.com/r/Evangelion. Recently, he’s been making videos sporadically on his YouTube channel at YouTube.com/EvaMonkey.
Aaron has contributed commentary as a guest on numerous podcasts, and as an occasional contributor to Otaku USA Magazine. For more than a decade, Aaron has presented dozens of panels at fan conventions all over the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. In particular, he has been a panelist for Otakon every year since 2003. His panels are often on the subject of Evangelion, but also pertain to his other interests, such as video games, fuse beads, new media, and more.
For the first time ever at a convention, the voices of 2B and 9S from Nier: Automata will be attending together! Nekocon is excited to have Kira Buckland and Kyle McCarley !!
Her addictions include cats, makeup, espresso, and classic rock. She also cosplays under the name “Lady Stardust,” and is a huge fan of the manga series “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.” Follow her on Twitter @rinachan or Facebook @KiraVoices!
Kyle McCarley grew up (but not really) in Kansas and moved to Los Angeles at age 18 to study acting. After getting hooked on playing World of Warcraft with his buddies, he co-wrote, co-directed, and voiced several characters in a fan-made online radio play loosely set in that universe. Once he finished his Theatre degree at the University of Southern California, he decided to further pursue that passion in the form of a career in voice acting. Kyle can now be heard in anime, video games, cartoons, audiobooks, live action dubs, TV and radio commercials, industrial ads, and even a talking toy plunger.
Notable anime credits include Mikazuki Augus in Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama in Mob Psycho 100, Joe Shimamura, a.k.a. 009, in Cyborg 009: Call of Justice, Aoba Kuronuma in Durarara!!x2, Shinji Matou in Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, Ryota Watari in Your Lie in April, Helbram in Seven Deadly Sins, Kirii in Blame!, Joichiro Nishi in Gantz: O, Silas Norman in The Asterisk War, and Ikuya Ogura in Ajin: Demi-Human.
Kyle’s video game credits include Android 9S in NieR: Automata, Alm in Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Zeroken in Disgaea 5, Daniel in Unepic, Seilong and Kir in Summon Night 6, Oz, the Trickster in Atlas Reactor, and various characters in Final Fantasy XV, Tales of Berseria, God Eater 2: Rage Burst, Grand Kingdom, and Omega Quintet.
A full list of Kyle’s credits is available at KyleMcCarley.com, and if you follow him on Twitter (@kylemccarley), Twitch (twitch.tv/kylemccarley), or like his Facebook page (facebook.com/kylemccarleyvo), you can keep up with all his excitement (or lack thereof).
Nekocon is announcing with style featured panelist Puvithel!
Indie American alternative fashion brand Puvithel is run by self-taught artist and designer Puvithel Rajan who’s formal background is in nuclear engineering. Puvithel has been making and designing original handmade jewelry and accessories, clothing and handbags for J-fashion and alternative styles since early 2015. Her motifs include detail work, over-the-top gothic designs, and vector and laser cut work. Puvithel also occasionally writes for the Wunderwelt English blog, and has been featured in several fashion shows and events worldwide. While Puvithel does not aim to fit in one particular style or another, she is heavily inspired by American gothic, punk, menhera, and lolita fashions. Puvithel will be presenting her best work to date with lines Slaughterhouse 413 and Existence is Futile in the NekoCon fashion show. Additionally, she will also be hosting panels for those who’d like to learn more about J-fashion, and you can even create your own J-fashion pieces to take home in her interactive workshops!
Dungeons & Dragons Adventures League is proud to host several events at Nekocon 2017. Whether you are interested in learning how to play D&D or an experienced player looking for a challenging adventure we will have something for you.
Among other offerings we will have:
Fai Chen’s Fantastical Faire;
DDAL07-01 – A City on the Edge an adventure for levels 1-4
DDAL07-02 Over the Edge Tier 2 an adventure for levels 5-10
And the EPIC adventure for level 1-10 DDEP07-01 Peril at the Port.
We will also hold an introduction to D&D throughout the weekend.
Please come by or sign up for events at: https://warhorn.net/events
Nekocon is proud to welcome Colleen Clinkenbeard!
Colleen Clinkenbeard is a voice actor and director with over 200 roles in anime and video games. Her credits include Kid Gohan, Android 18, and Mai in Dragon Ball Z Kai, Mai in Dragon Ball Super, Erza in Fairy Tail, Monkey D. Luffy in One Piece, Riza Hawkeye in Full Metal Alchemist, Hana in Wolf Children, Inner Moka in Rosario + Vampire, Momo Yaoyorozu in My Hero Academia, Yuko in xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Éclair in Kiddy Grade, Éclair in Ouran High School Host Club, Rachel in Case Closed, Mama in Kodocha, Sakurako in Negima!, Chibi Romano in Hetalia, Maso and Himawari in Shin Chan, Esther in Trinity Blood, Rose in SoltyRei, Reina in Witchblade, Galatea in Claymore, Kareha in Shuffle!, Cordelia in Romeo x Juliet, Rin in Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne, Matsu in Sekirei, Marie in Soul Eater, Noriko in Summer Wars, Makina in Deadman Wonderland, Scanty in Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, Scarlet in Space Dandy, Ema in Brothers Conflict, Otoya in Riddle Story of Devil, Ocatvia in Garo: The Animation, Rose in Dimension W, Millerna in The Vision of Escaflowne, Yukizome in Danganronpa 3, Minako in Yuri!! On Ice, Jeanne d’Arc in Drifters, and Nice in Baccano.
She can also be heard in video games playing the roles of Lilith, Tannis, and Captain Scarlet in the Borderlands series, Galilea and Nova in Battleborn, Arachne, Ne Zha, and Narrator Tutorial in Smite, Sorceress in Orcs Must Die, and many more.
You may also know her as an ADR director, with credits such as Full Metal Alchemist, My Hero Academia, Steins;Gate, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, xxxHolic, Black Butler, Kiddy Grade, Kodocha, Negima, Moon Phase, Aquarion, Code Breaker, Fractale, Kenichi, and many more.
Facebook: colleen.clinkenbeardvoiceactress
Twitter: @ccarrollbeard
Jez Roth RETURNS!
Cirque du Soleil. Nightclubs. ONE PIECE. Olympians. Red Carpets. Electric Daisy Carnival. Film. Commercials. Music Videos. Jez Roth started sewing at the age of 13 on small crafts and at the local dance studio before falling in love with the art of cosplay at Katsucon 1998.
After many years of competing at anime convention masquerades winning Best in Show 15 times with tailored costumes and heavily choreographed skits, he moved to Las Vegas to work for The Venetian designing the Opera Gowns, eventually landing at Cirque du Soleil’s water spectacular O. Since leaving Cirque, he currently works freelance out of his own studio – creating everything from mermaids that shoot water, Mirrorball Men, and Golden Fairies that contort through the air, designing for events with A-list celebrities such as Kim Kardiashian, Eva Langoria, Snoop Dogg, and DJs such as Benny Benassi, Dash Berlin – his jewelry has even been worn on the red carpet at the Billboard Awards.
He has traveled as far as Japan as a cosplay guest and represented the United States at the IOEA Otaku Expo in Japan and Canada to choose the Canadian WCS representative. He believes that the world of costuming is an endlessly fascinating pursuit – from armor to gowns, giant puppetry to monsters and his goal to share unique events that educate and involve the community such as his Lip Sync For Your Cosplay Event.
His artistic journey came full circle last year when hired as an Artistic Consultant for One Piece: Gold film, working with Toei Animation to give their film a fully realized Las Vegas feel.
He is excited to return to Nekocon!
We are proud to have back Charles Dunbar for Nekocon 20! 
Special Nekocon bio from the man himself:
Eleven years ago, I exited my car and gawked at the sight of the HRCC. It was my first Nekocon, my first Virginia con, and one of my first cons since dropping out of fandom in 2004. I went as a favor. I had no idea how much the show would meant to me. It was the start of many many future Nekocons, and many many cons that would transform from EVENT to HOBBY to career. Neko 2008 inspired my MA thesis. Neko 2009 was my first con as a panelist. Neko 2010 allowed me to fix my errors from the prior year’s work. And since then Nekocon has been my proving ground for new content, my chance to cut loose and give wacky content. And most of all, it’s been my home. 10 conventions later, and it still feels like it did that first time I walked onto the floor.
We are going to party like there is tomorrow! Because it is the end of the world and all…. Check out the DJs that will be providing the soundtrack to the end of days!