Do you enjoy Japanese Anime culture or are you interested in what it is? Consider attending Anime Society of Antioch High’s Spring Convention, ASAHiCon.

ASAHiCon is a local Anime convention. Previous cons have included vendor panels for attendees to buy anime related items. Organizers invite artists and creators fill the room instead of major dealers.

In addition, they offer panel rooms in which fans can host an event to discuss aspects of anime and Japanese culture that interest them –  costume play, game creation, game play or just anime history and culture.

Every year the organizers try something new, and this year they’ll feature a central stage where both anime films and music will be played, a game room featuring PCs, consoles and a Maid Café featuring their French class.

This year six seniors will be graduating, the largest group of seniors in its history. Among the graduating members are two of their con heads, their head of tech, their head of logistics and their head of food.

ASAHiCon was started eight years ago by the Anime Club, then known as the Otaku Club. They started it as a “let’s see if we could pull this off” club, and as a place to teach their anime club members how to plan events.

“What if we did a high school-based event that centered on training kids on event planning and focused on event that was meant to be a first event experience. Thus ASAHiCon was ultimately born,” Antioch High School teacher and ASAHiCon cordinator Jason Ebner explained.

In Japanese, “asahi” means sunrise, and they liked the concept, so they wanted ASAHiCon to be people’s first convention. ASAHi is actually an acronym: Anime Society of Antioch High and was created by Wendell Nacnac, “a friend and longtime partner in crime when it comes to conventions,” said Ebner.

In fact, Nacnac and Ebner started the RECCA Society (Residents of East Contra Costa Anime), Contra Costa’s first anime convention held at LMC. RECCA had two events every year for five years until 2005.

“After that year, people kept talking to me about when RECCA would make its triumphant return.” said Ebner.

Unfortunately, most of the core group who organized RECCA have moved on to do other things.

ASAHiCon will be held Saturday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Antioch High. Entry is $7, or $5 with any student ID.