A new animation art form will draw hundreds of fans from around the country to the 9th annual gathering of Anime Iowa this weekend in Des Moines. Organizer Danae Leverance says anime is not your grandmother’s kind of cartoon show. She explains anime is a Japanese style of animation, but the cartoon illustration is NOT considered just for kids in that country — so anime includes programming of all kinds for television and movies. “There are animated soap operas, sitcoms, crime dramas — the entire range,” she explains. Anime Iowa is hosting its ninth annual gathering to study and celebrate the distinctive linear art and the culture that’s grown up around it. Last year more than 1600 people attended, and this year she’s expecting up to 18-hundred. From kids to fans in their sixties, people will come from all over the country. Staff for the program hail from 9 different states, and Leverance herself is in Minneapolis. Leverance says there may be a fantasy or Trek-Fest appearance to the gathering. A lot of attendees are into creating costumes based on characters they see. Six “tracks” of programming during the convention will feature discussions of Japanese culture, drawing and painting in anime style, costume design and construction, an art gallery, a vendor hall, and lots of activities for people interested in learning about anime.
