Basil has Panels! MTAC 2018

Dear 2018,

How are you so far this year? Oh? A still burning dumpster fire that was started last year. Aw, well that’s too bad! Hopefully we can call our representatives and have that looked into. Meanwhile, I’m doing pretty ok! Why I even have an upcoming anime con where I’m presenting some panels!

Like, you know, MTAC! Or in long form, Middle Tennessee Anime Convention. It’s going on March 30th, to April 1st, in Nashville!

MTAC , along with AWA, is one of the earliest and most steadfast cons I’ve gone to over the years. I’ve seen it grow and change, almost like a kid growing up. And just like a kid growing up, sometimes it’s clothes (or in this case, event space) don’t fit quite right. Sadly, unlike kids, you can’t always just go out and buy new hotels for your growing con.  But the folks that shepherd MTAC have done their best, by splitting the on in twain among two hotels. And for the most part, it totally works! There are shuttles to drag you from hotel to hotel, and when I say shuttles, I mean buses. big buses. Buses that can get you places. Like panels. Or, at least, to the hotel that has the panels. By the way, here are my panels:

Manga You Should Buy Right Now! (3/30/2018 aka Friday, at 4:15 PM in Panels A)

This panel may just be my most enjoyable one to run. You see, I have a problem. A manga problem. I read a ton of it. In fact I may, at this point in my life, spend more time reading manga than watching anime. (I probably can directly blame Ed Chavez for that!) So I suppose it should come to no surprise, that I love sharing all these various Japanese comics that read with everyone else. Yay for Japanese comics!

Final Fantasy XIV: The Best MMO You Aren’t Playing (Unless You Are!) (3/30/2018 aka Friday, at 5:45PM in Panels C)

Chances are, you know me. I mean, you are on this website! So, you probably know I have somewhat an affection for this video game. Some might call it an obsession. Let’s just call it what it really, truly is: A lifestyle choice. And I’m fine with that. All said, it really is both an amazing MMO, as well as an amazing Final Fantasy game! And with Patch 4.2 just now dropping right before the con, it’s one of the best times to talk about it! And boy, so we shall! Come learn all about the MMO that shouldn’t be as good as it is.

Monolith Soft: Xenoblade and Beyond (/3/31/2018 aka Saturday, at 12:15 PM in Panels D)

What what whaaaaaat yes a new panel, how exciting! Last year two of my most favorite games, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, were worked on by the same studio. Which as the title hints at, is Monolith Soft. And since they have a pretty storied history at this point as a developer, I figured it would be fun to chat about them for an hour or so. We’ll go through their beginnings over at Sqauresoft, their pit stop over at Bandai-Namco, and how they finally settled down with Nintendo.

Finding Anime and Manga Online (Legally!) (2/11/2018 aka Sunday, at 11AM in Panels D)

Just like at Seishun, I’m closing out panels on a Sunday by telling you where to find anime and manga legally. We’ll fun, we’ll net, we’ll crunchy, we’ll all that stuff. It’s a wild, crazy world out there on the Internet. Lots of places you probably shouldn’t go. But I’ll tell you all about the places that you should. Which, when I put it that way… Doesn’t sound very exciting. But it is! …. OK, it really isn’t.  But the anime and manga is VERY exciting, and the places I;ll send to will get you there. Just without filing up your computer full of viruses and spyware. Just anime and manga.

So there’s my panels for MTAC in 2018! See everyone this weekend!