Weebcon Indy 2025
man i was sleeping all day yesterday and couldn’t update this site at all!! but now i'm back.
i was hard at work at Weebcon Indy this past weekend as an interpreter (and general helper) for one of the Japanese Culture Pavilion guests, Machikado Nowa. i translated her on-stage panel talk and conversations at the vendor booth, went on errands, and even had the opportunity to make the finishing touches of her live art performance (the small hair bows in the picture). this was my first time interpreting for someone in real time, so i was very nervous (especially on the first day) but i’m glad everything went smoothly. to those who came to visit the booth and/or watch the panel talk, thank you so much!! Nowa-san is such a sweet person; she went out of her way to take care of me, even though I’m the one assigned to help her! i appreciate it a lot. we became good friends through this event, and talked about maybe working together in the future.
i also got to know Maekawa Kazuo, the artist for the Ace Attorney manga, whose table was next to ours. we couldn't talk much during the con itself since our tables were far apart and he was quite busy with commissions, but i was able to get a quick portrait done (right after a group of Ace Attorney cosplayers came by! Franziska and Gumshoe especially looked like they popped right out from the game). we also chatted in the break room and at the afterparty and had a very fun time! he's a very friendly guy; it's such an honor to be able to get acquainted with him, especially since i don't have many opportunities like this, living in the US.
the two biggest guests in our team were Hirata Hiroaki, the voice of Sanji (One Piece) and Virgil (Devil May Cry), and Yao Kazuki, the former voice of Franky (One Piece). i sadly couldn’t see Yao-san, but i was able to slide in last-minute to meet and get an autograph from Hirata-san. i got so nervous…the person who was in the booth with me (Weebcon staff) was talking via another interpreter while i could barely speak, and Hirata-san teased me for it, saying “c’mon, you can speak Japanese!” to be completely honest, i don’t know as much as i’d like about most of the characters he’s voiced for, but i’ve been very interested in Devil May Cry for quite a while. when he asked if i like Sanji, i answered “i actually like Virgil a lot…!” and he said “ooh, you have interesting taste! you’re the second person who’s said they like Virgil.” now that i’ve said this and gotten an autograph, it’s become my responsibility to follow through and actually play DMC!! as an ULTRAKILL player, i’m sure i’ll enjoy it lol.
outside of our team, i also got to have lunch with Arnie Pantoja, the english voice of Kazuma from KonoSuba, and the singer-songwriter Shihori. we had a lot of fun talking about the voice acting industry, poetry, fashion, and stuff about Indiana and Japan. (Arnie looked like he had a broken leg; hoping for a speedy recovery!)
overall this was an amazing experience, and i hope to work for this team again in the future! i’m not sure if this team will be coming back to Weebcon Indy (or if there will be a second Weebcon Indy period) due to a bit of trouble with Weebcon and the convention center… but if i’m invited to join Nowa-san and Maekawa-san again at an event somewhere else, i’d be more than happy to fly over even if it’s out-of-state.
big thanks to everyone involved, especially our team manager and Toshiko-san (the one who reached out to ask me to become an interpreter). also Toshiko-san, thank you for the wagashi! the buckwheat cookies and umekobucha-flavored kohakutou were especially delicious. (to those interested, you can buy them on her official shop or etsy.)