The following article was submitted by Teen Associate, Lisa Devins-Horohoe.
Manitowoc Public Library is excited to announce that Lincoln High School Anime/Cosplay Club is hosting a Mini Con event as a Teen Lock-In party at MPL. Your first reaction to this news may very well be, “Just what the heck is an Anime Mini Con?” Which is really an excellent question.
Specifically, Anime Cons—or conventions—are events for fans of anime (Japanese animation) and other related media, such as manga (Japanese comic books) and video games, to gather and share their love of a common interest. Common Con activities typically include everything from screenings of popular shows and merchandise displays to discussion panels and cosplay (costume) contests.
The upcoming Anime Mini Con event actually came to MPL via one of the Library’s Teen Team volunteers and Lincoln High School Anime/Cosplay Club president, Desirae Miettinen.
Desirae and a close friend started the club last fall in order to meet other LHS students who shared their love for Anime and Cosplay. Their goal was to create a safe place where fellow teens could meet and share their ideas on these mutually-appealing topics, as well as potentially sharing other interests. Once the group got started, the members thought it would be a great idea to reach out to MPL as a co-host and sponsor an Anime Mini Con right here in Manitowoc. This way, they hoped to reach other teens in the community beyond the friendly confines of Lincoln who also loved Anime and/or Cosplay, or were, at minimum, curious about this subject and wanted to learn more.
After speaking with Desirae, we both felt an MPL Teen Lock-In event would be a fantastic fit for the program the Anime/Cosplay club was proposing. As host for this event, MPL can offer a safe, friendly environment for Teens to share and explore their interest in manga, anime, and cosplay. Couple this with the fact that Anime topped the list of programs that Teens were interested in seeing at the Library and it became a no-brainer—this partnership created a Win-Win situation for both the Anime Club and MPL.
The MPL Anime Mini Con will feature a mini-cosplay contest where participants will be judged on specific elements of their costume, such as makeup, wig styling, and self-expression-with trophies and gift cards going to the First, Second, and Third Place finishers. Following the contest, the judges will become a panel that will lead an informative workshop about the origins and history of cosplay, as well as providing tips and pointers for creating your best cosplay look.
For those who are more interested in the anime aspect of the evening, there will be a separate room where members of the LHS Anime/Cosplay Club will be holding panels on the topic, featuring trivia and Mad Lib games. Desirae passed along that the members of the club hope to see many teens from the area at MPL who are interested in cosplay, but haven't been provided with an opportunity to express this interest.
Registration for the Teen Lock-In Anime Mini Con is required and is open now! Signed permission forms are required for entry to after-hours programs like this at the Library. And space is limited! So don’t wait! To register or to find out more information, you can call 920-686-3030 or come and visit the MPL Youth Services Desk!
We can’t wait to see you at the Library!