FunimationCon 2020 was a two-day virtual anime convention hosted by Funimation, an entertainment company known for dubbing and distributing Japanese anime. From July 3-4, Funimation provided a completely free online event for fans to experience live panels, Q&A’s, cosplay meetups, autograph opportunities, and even official Funimation merch!
The weekend was filled with panels and content featuring fan favorites like My Hero Academia, Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Fruits Basket, By The Grace Of The Gods, Sword Art Online, and One Piece. And with special screenings, behind the scenes talks, and industry panels, fans got the inside scoop on some of the biggest reveals! In fact, during the first day it was announced that all 220 episodes of Naruto are coming to the Funimation streaming service in the US and Canada starting July 6!
Much like an in-person convention, FunimationCon did everything they could to make their event as interactive as possible: Between the two virtual Main Panel rooms, attendees were able to chat alongside the guests… Autograph pre-orders & video shout-outs could be ordered through vShout! from guests such as Chris Sabat (above), Sean Schemmel, Justin Briner, J. Michael Tatum, and so many others… And even a cosplay meetup by posting your cosplay with the hashtag #FunimationCon on social media!
There were so many amazing cosplayers featured during FunimationCon 2020, and even several professional ones too with The Cosplay Showdown featuring Phil Mizuno, Dresses and Capes Cosplay, Alicia Marie, and Riddle (who had a separate segment showing how to make face masks at home with fun designs). What was great about the Showdown was that the cosplayer with the winning prop creation gets to choose a charity of their choice to receive $5,000! [Spoiler alert: congratulations to Phil Mizuno who selected a kitten shelter!]
Internationally known cosplayer Yaya Han also made an appearance during the con who spoke on her experiences and read relevant excerpts from her upcoming book “Yaya Han’s World of Cosplay: A Guide to Fandom Costume Culture” which will release on August 4, 2020. Cosplay is definitely a popular aspect of anime conventions so it was great to see that it was weaved so much into FunimationCon!
But on top of all that, FunimationCon also delivered fantastic musical content from Japanese rock bands BLUE ENCOUNT, Flow, and Kana-Boon – and DJ sessions with MarGenal and SACRA.
Fans definitely needed to have a plan of attack when attending FunimationCon because like all good conventions, you need to pick & choose your battles! Though it was just two days, this virtual anime con was jam-packed with awesome events that often overlapped: whether you’re into the Q&A’s, the new show announcements for the upcoming summer & fall seasons, the unboxings, or even the giveaways, you really had to stay on your toes… which is all part of an exciting con experience!
FunimationCon 2020 was a live-only event but Funimation Streaming subscribers will be able to access the sessions through video on demand shortly after. For more information on Funimation and their events & services, please visit their official website.
LesDudis 