A Founder’s Review with D.J. Lewis: Stellar Con 2022

Hey. So…where do I begin with this…? Its been a month since I’ve written any article or made any blog post; only because I was going through a combination of burnout, and grief. It wasn’t until 72 hours ago that I found out another actor from my childhood had passed roughly several days after one of my favorite actors had passed. Jason David Frank, although I never got the chance to meet him, he along with Kevin Conroy played a part of my childhood – along with a lot of other 90’s kids who grew up watching Batman: The Animated Series, and Mighty Morphing Power Rangers. Both of them will be truly missed, but they will always be remembered.

So, how do I begin with this? A few weeks ago we were hoping to make our first convention appearance at an anime convention in New Jersey called DerpyCon, however that didn’t quite happen. With yet another convention cancellation my mind when back into con withdraw, and I was scrambling looking for a convention near Baltimore (where D&A is headquartered and also where I live) that I could go to. Surely enough there was a convention called Stellar Con that was located just on county away from Baltimore, in Harford County. I along with my family and a few of her clients went to this con to see what it was all about. Although it was a one-day convention, there were several voice actors, actors, and professional cosplayers there too.

My first con back in two-and-a-half years…

Right off the bat it was pretty much like Baltimore Comic-Con during its early years. There was representation from EVERY fandom; Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Anime, Video Games, Sci-Fi, Pop Culture, you name it! There were also superstar voice actors there as well; including the likes of Khary Payton and Dante Basco. I also met a few of our fans out there, and of course the vendors had some awesome stuff as well. Like every nerd convention; it had gaming tournaments, cosplay contests, autograph lines and panels. Stellar Con is hosted by Transcendent Events (who were also at Baltimore’s former anime convention, AniMore), and honestly…I actually had a fun time.

The only suggestion I would have for this convention would be to make it longer than one day, because there was a lot to do at this convention – yet not enough time to do it. I’d say make it a two-day convention and have it in a big hotel like the Marriott or the Holiday Inn & Suites. Sure the convention was held in a basketball arena next to a community college, but they give you a certain amount of time that you’re allowed to occupy that space; by 6pm you gotta go home! All in all, Stellar Con indeed lived up to its name as my first convention back since 2019, and I think it will have the potential to be even more stellar as a two-day convention; and possibly a three-day one if their budget allows. 

Here’s hoping D&A will be at the next one, until next post, stay nerdy!

D&A Presents: Cons Near U! (June 6, 2022)

For the last couple of months the number one question we get from our fans is this; are we going to return to conventions anytime soon? The answer: yes! The when: soon! Trust us when we say that we miss going to them as much as you guys did during all of 2020 and most of 2021. Though we don’t have a definitive answer as to when we’ll return to cons, we thought we’d bring back an old favorite; Cons Near U. This time around we’re gonna highlight three different ones you can check out (excluding any that are happening this weekend), and if you’re able to make it to any of them, feel free to send us any cosplay pics that you’d like us to add to our Cosplay Fan Slideshow.

Make sure you’re vaxxed/boosted and have your mask on at all times if you plan to attend any of the cons that we list. Why, because we care about you! 🙂 That will do it for now, so until next post, stay nerdy! 😉

This ones in Boise, Idaho
This one’s in Ohio
You can find this one in Orlando, Florida

Avidd Music Thursdays! (Yeah, Its On Thursday!)

Hey guys n’ gals! Its time for our first “Avidd Music Thursdays” post for 2022; and just like the title says we’re doing this segment on a Thursday instead of a Friday. (Because we do our podcast shoot on Fridays.) If you didn’t already know; this segment is where we highlight up-and-coming musical artists, DJs, and producers. Although this segment isn’t entirely anime-related, some of the artists have been inspired by anime. (So that counts for something, right?)

So to kick off our first Avidd Music Thursdays highlight post, we bring you something that can be seen as visually appealing by the way the music compliments the story being told. The song is entitled “A Serpent’s Lust” by the Antwerp-based band known as The Golden Glows, and it is a short anime-film by Japanese video-artist Shunsaku Matsurida. This song is from their upcoming album “On Moonlight and Rain” that will be released April 1, 2022 on all music streaming services. The mood and vibe of the song and the video animation has a dark, ominous, and ghastly feeling to it; which makes sense due to the title of the band’s album being inspired by the 1776 Japanese Ghost Book “Tales On Moonlight and Rain”, written by Ueda Akinari.

The Golden Glows album drops April 1st on all popular music streaming services so if you like their video, be sure to subscribe to their Youtube channel and pre-order their album. On that note that will do it for our Avidd Music Thursdays post this week, so until the next one…stay nerdy my friends! 😉

D&A Anime Blog: Manga of the Week Returns!!

September’s here, which means that Summer will be coming to an end sooner than we think. We know that this has been a Summer that we’re not used to seeing; with Covid still running ramped, the entire convention scene gone digital, and the fight against racial injustice still a number one goal and a priority. We know, it’s been crazy, but as always we’ll continue to give you some uplifting and awesome content for you to enjoy next month (or tomorrow rather).

After looking back at some of the segments that we’ve done over the past several years, we’ve decided to bring back an old favorite. That’s right guys! Manga of the Week is back! This time we’ve decided to do it a little bit differently, as we’ll be reviewing manga titles/volumes from our good friends at Viz Media with a sub-segment we call Manga of the Week: Viz Media Edition! Like our original segment, we’ll be reviews/overviews on manga titles both new and upcoming from Viz Media, and if you have any suggestions on what titles we should check out, send em’ in the comments below. That’s all we’ve got for now, but as always guys continue to stay safe and stay sane in this insane time we’re living in.

And know that we love you from the bottom of our hearts! 🙂

D&A Anime Blog: March 2020 Anime Cons!

Hey guys n’ gals! We’re only a couple of weeks away from the first day of Spring, and with that comes warmer weather and more anime conventions for you to check out if you haven’t already. The March list may be a tad short as we’re trying not to replicate any conventions that we’ve already listed, and as a reminder if you plan on attending any of the conventions we list on this post, wash and sanitize your hands and any surfaces that you may touch, and if you feel ill before the con, it’s best not to attend. (Coronavirus sucks, but we want you all to be safe.) Now here’s all of the March cons we found online for you guys, and until our next post, stay safe and stay nerdy! 😉

D&A Anime Blog: January 2020 Anime Cons!

The first two weeks of the new year is already in the books, and although we’re not even close to the middle of the Winter season, anime convention season is well underway! With that comes the grand launch of many different anime cons both big and small, so from us to you, we’ve got some awesome cons for you to check out – as well as help you kick off your 2020 nerd season. Just click on the links below! 😉

January 2020 Anime Conventions

 

Anime Cons: October 2019 Edition!

Man, it’s been a month since we’ve made our last post, but while we were gone we’ve picked up a few more awesome followers. For those who have just joined us for the very first time, thank you! For those who have been with us since day one, we can’t thank you enough. September’s been rather…interesting, but nevertheless we’re back with some awesome posts and content. To kick off Halloween month we’ve got some anime conventions for you to check out, as well as a brand new announcement!

Avid Mindset [WhiteLogo]
Avid Mindset DJ/Producer Logo

With October being Halloween month we’ve got some original music coming our way in the form of a 3-track EP known as Avid Halloween! (Produced by Avid Mindset) If you’re a party animal or you just like listening to dark melodies, throbbing basslines, and (possibly) a rump-shakin’ rhythm, then you’re gonna love this lil’ treat!

Now, onto the anime cons!

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Anime Cons: August 2019 Edition!

We’ve reached the peak of Summer, and yet there are still so many cons left to get to! If you’re having trouble on what cons are out there for you, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! As with our last monthly anime convention post we’ll be giving you the links to all of the new cons we’ve found while cruising through the web. Check out all of the awesome conventions August has to offer! And as always, stay nerdy my friends! 😉

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Anime Cons: June/July 2019 Edition!

Summer is officially here! This is a season filled with cookouts, beaches, parties, the 4th of July, and of course anime conventions. For this segment we’ve decided to do something a little bit different, and make it easy to find cons that we bring to you. For this post we’ll be giving you the links to the cons themselves, so that you and hopefully your friends will get the chance to check out everything that these awesome cons have to offer. As always until next post, stay nerdy! 😉

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Anime Conventions 2019: April Edition!

March may be gone but Spring is in the air! (And so is the heat!) If you’re looking for some fantastic cons to go to for the month of April, we’ve got some great choices in are arsenal. If you live in the Northwest, Southwest, or Westbound regions of North America, these are the cons that you’re gonna wanna check out! You can also check them out on our main page by clicking on one of the buttons for the region you live in. On that note that will do it for this filler post, but there’s more on the way! Stay tuned! 😉

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