Anime. Science fiction. Gaming. Logically, these are forms and genres of entertainment just like any other. Logically, Anime gaming and science fiction should have fan bases similar to those of comparable forms of entertainment. After all, we're all part of one overall society that yearns to be entertained and craves escapism, right?

Perhaps. However, perhaps not. As I learned attending No Brand Con, said yearnings and cravings certainly run deeper in some people. Some people are so taken with their chosen entertainments and pastimes that they will "cosplay," dressing up as their favorite fictional characters and pretending to be them. Some people are so taken with their favorite games that they will spend hours debating rules and boisterously planning their next moves. Some people are so taken with anime, gaming, and science fiction that they will spend all year planning a convention to celebrate these things, drive for hours to attend the convention, or fly from their home state to be a guest at the convention. Who are these people?

The Organizers

This journalist was in fact one of the original organizers of the con. My main job was to gather contact info for potential guests and get polite letters/phone calls of refusal from Neil Gaiman's agents. Coming back to the con this year, I still saw many familiar faces among the staff. A 23-year old Chippewa Valley Technical college student, Topher Marohl is an active LARPer (Live Action Role Player) on campus and a lifelong collector of White Wolf books. His love for gaming helped define the flavor of No Brand Con from the get go. Fellow convention organizers Sean Corse and Kevin Tambornino were also there. Both of them have visited Japan for exchange programs, and are becoming fluent in the Japanese language. Around their apartments, one will find numerous Japanese snack foods, Japanese language books and films, and extensive DVD collections of Anime--mostly subtitled. It was their love for Japanese culture, popular or otherwise, that helped give No Brand Con some of its character from year one.

Another notable No Brand founder on staff again this year was Terence Clark. Lacking the flamboyant eccentricity of Marohl, Corse, or Tambornino, Clark commands a much more subtle presence. His eyes are generally half hidden under his mop-top curly bangs. If you approach him, he will smile shyly and answer your questions in a quiet even tone, characterized by both courtesy and brevity. The persistent can get Clark to open up about his passions in entertainment. Terence Clark is a devoted reader of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and a fan of television shows such as Red Dwarf and Mystery Science Theater 3000. Some of his favorite films include outré science fiction and fantasy thrillers such as Donnie Darko and Hudson Hawk. His love for the satirical and introspective aspects of science fiction was also pivotal in making No Brand Con what it is. Together, these people and numerous others have given the convention a form and identity that is extraordinarily unique.

The Attendees

What of the attendees? Randy (class of 2002, Wausau East High School) heard about the convention through Genesis Mindworks, a gaming company in Wausau. He came to the convention for the video games "and just to see other people." When I ask him if he's in school or works, he admits he's not. He just lives at home with his father and plays video games. Wearing one of the more innovative costumes, Randy is dressed up as a Dance Dance Revolution control pad. He is very gregarious, and is one of the standout personalities among the convention attendees.

Matt is a shy, introverted 19-year old freshman at Winona State University. He had heard about No Brand Con through an advertisement in New Type Magazine. Matt talks to me in short sentences and has difficulty making eye contact. "I like Anime," explains Matt. "I'd never been to an anime con; might as well. I think it's interesting. I'm enjoying myself." Matt tells me his favorite anime is Marrionnette-J. Others came from Rhinelander, the Twin Cities, and various other parts of the Great Lakes region. Some did not have to come as far. Allan and Michael, for example, are Eau Claire Memorial High School students, class of 05. For them, the convention is yet another place in their hometown to goof off with their classmates after school.

The Guests from the Film Industry

Brazil J. Grisafi (he goes by the name "Joe") is a career writer/filmmaker. He graduated from the University of Houston in 1993 with a Bachelor's Degree in Television. He has been an extra in films such as Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. He has served on the filmmaking crews of movies such as Freaky Friday, Tin Cup, Starship Troopers, and numerous others. His very own film projects include Laughing Boy, which he produced and directed, and Death of a Salesman, his 1995 directorial debut. He is also in the process of starting his own comic book company, Starship Comics. Their first book, When the Dead Go Bowling will be drawn by Doug Smith and is slated for release later this year.

Joe wears a leather jacket and a broad smile. His subtle dialect betrays an urban Texan upbringing. When I ask how No Brand compares to other conventions he's been to, he smiles and slightly blushes. "Seeing that I'm an invited guest to this con, this way outweighs the others. This is a much better experience, because you guys treat me really, really well." He goes on to explain that he was invited to be a guest after previous guest actress Tiffany Grant had screened his film Laughing Boy at No Brand Con (Grant was an actress in it). When I ask how the weather struck his Texan sensibilities, he states quite charitably, "The snow in Wisconsin is beautiful." His upcoming projects include direct-to-video Troublemakers and a film called Slugger, which he describes as "a baseball horror film."

Monica Rial is a voice actress whose credits include over 20 projects, including Excel Saga and Full Metal Panic. She has a flamboyant personality, ever-cracking jokes with fans and occasionally shifting into the voices of some of her characters. She has been a guest at numerous other cons. Straining to remember, she recounts them: "Let's see, I've been to A-Con, AWA, Anime Fest... (laughs) pretty much every con!" How does No Brand compare to the other cons? "It's a lot of fun. I tend to like the smaller cons because it's more personal. I get to talk to everybody. I get to sit and chat in the lobby and just have a regular conversation with people I know without someone saying 'Hey, come over here and do this and do that!' I like it. I don't like the weather because I thought the snow was going to be fluffy and it's not, but other than that, I'm very happy."

She speaks a bit about the ins and outs of dubbed voice acting. "When we do the dubbing, we actually hear the Japanese while we're recording. We kind of record over the Japanese.... I try to emulate as much of the character as I can without sounding like I'm just regurgitating what the first person did. Also, because there's a different sound in languages... a person has a certain intonation in their voice you really can't mimic... the Japanese tend to have these really cute noises that sound great on them, but then when we try to mimic them it sounds like we're silly." Rial's non-animated credits include voice-overs in Gamera I and Gamera II, as well as stage productions. She has been in Cabaret and "a lot of Shakespeare".

Conclusion

Perhaps the moment at No Brand Con that best defined it was the opening ceremony, a funeral of one of the con's featured cosplayers/mascots, "Duct Tape Boy." The ceremony was performed by "Bubble Wrap Girl," "Cardboard Commando," "Green Boy," "Gojira," and "Robo-Gojira." Made up words that are part of No Brand subculture were used, with many references to "Huggles," "Glomps," and "Funn." At the end, Duct Tape Boy was revealed to be alive, awakened when he was poked with an "Is-My-Duct-Tape-Boy-Dead Stick", which No Brand Organizer Larry Troyer describes as "larger and more powerful" than the "Is-My-Roommate-Dead Stick." Said stick could be purchased at the con, along with duct tape necklaces and bracelets. (This journalist is irrationally proud to report that his inveterate ingestion of psychotropics in the dorms freshman year helped to inspire the "Is-My-Roommate-Dead Stick.")

Are nonsense words used by Anime fans and in-jokes from the personal lives of the con founders lost on some of the attendees? Most likely. Are they pointless? Hardly. At the opening ceremony, I saw a number of people who looked confused. But not a one looked bored. They all looked happy and proud to be there. No Brand Con offers its attendees something unique: a sense of identity and belonging. For those who attended No Brand Con, such a sense was well worth the price of a few hours of driving and $10 at the door.