Tsubasacon, West Virginia's anime convention, will be held in the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, W.Va. this weekend. The convention will feature voice actors, artists, musical acts and special panels for fans to come together and enjoy. "My favorite part of Tsubasacon is bringing the event to the hundreds of West Virginians who would normally be unable to go to an anime convention," said Jerad Bailey, Convention Operator for Tsubasacon.

Bailey, who has been part of the staff for the convention since 2006, works as the foreman for the volunteers and handles scheduling duties. "To give you an idea, we have over 100 hours of anime that needs to be collected, over 60 fan panels that need to be reviewed and selected, 50 to 60 hours of live programming that need to be arranged, contests, special events," he said. "All of them require a plan, some polish, and someone to make sure it runs correctly once the convention happens."The work doesn't stop there, however. "Vendors, artists and guests need to be booked ahead of time, and contracts have to be established. Once you have all of the parts, you have to fit them together into a working machine."All the hard work has paid off over the years, as Tsubasacon has grown larger every year since 2005.

This year, special guests include voice actors like Spike Spencer, who voiced Shinji Ikari in "Evangelion," Chuck Huber, who voiced Hiei in "Yu Yu Hakusho" and Leah Clarke, who has worked on anime such as "Gunslinger Girl," "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" and the remastered "Dragon Ball Z."Also appearing at the event is artist Jen Lee Quick, steampunk band Extraordinary Contraptions and the 501st Legion, a group of Star Wars fans who emulate Darth Vader's personal army. For all three days there will be special panels and events for con-goers to attend.

The panels will include such topics as "Con Survival 101" and "Video Game Name that Tune," while some of the special events will be "Cosplay Masquerade," where fans show off their costumes of their favorites characters and "Voice Acting and Script Writing," where those who work in the business will explain some of the finer points about it.

There will also be a game room featuring new and old systems alike for attendees to enjoy between panels, as well as tournaments in games like "Halo: Reach" and "Super Smash Bros. Brawl," which players can enter to win prizes and acclaim.

Vendors at the convention will be selling T-shirts, manga and toys that any anime fan can enjoy.
"It's pretty rigorous, but part of the reason why we've continued to succeed is because we are willing to put the time and effort into all of these processes; this is the reason why Tsubasacon still exists," Bailey said.
Passes will cost $25 Friday, $35 Saturday and $15 Sunday, but those who are attending for multiple days can save money by buying a weekend pass for $40.