2011 ACEN Anime Central & Manga Convention

The 2011 ACEN – Anime Central convention takes place on Friday May 20, 2011 until Sunday May 22, 2011. If you are not aware of ANCE, it is the Midwest Anime and Manga convention. This years convention takes place at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, which is located in Rosemont, IL which is about 30 minutes outside of Chiago.

As part of its mission, ACen brings fans together with guests from the Japanese and US sectors of the anime and manga industry, as well as gaming, cinema, and Asian culture personalities. The event includes a huge exhibit hall, a massive video game room, concerts, dances, educational panels and workshops, premiere screenings, autograph sessions, 24-hour video rooms, tabletop gaming and much, much more!

I tried contacting the owers of ACEN about a possible guest pass so that I can cover the event in more detail, but I have not heard anything back, so I don’t think I will attend this years convention, which is a bummer since I wanted to check this out

ACEN is non-profit and all the proceeds go to next years funding – which is a really great idea. Ticket prices are moderate and are shown below:

Membership Pricing – At-Con Single day badges
Friday $35
Saturday $35
Sunday $25
Three day badges
Adult $55
Child $15

Friday and Saturdays can be purchased the day before their use. Sunday can only be purchased on Sunday.

One of the best things about any convention is the costumes. People spend hours configuring and building up their costumes so that the conventionees (people who attend conventions) can see them… then if the chicks are hot enough, they will end up on youtube or flickr for millions to drool over.

Anytime I think of anime or manga I think of cosplay – which is is short for “costume play,” where individuals create or have made costumes of their favorite anime characters and wear them to the convention – and there will be TONS of cosplay going on at ACEN.

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If you are going to ACEN, then feel free to send in your cosplay pictures or any coverage of the event. I would love to check out some of the things going on this weekend!

Also, for your entertainment I am adding some of the best cosplay videos I have found online.