 The idea of re-doing the "IDOL 101" panel as a timeline came to me around the same time I was writing the '80s idol panel, and I submitted it to a couple of cons around that time. Maybe because I submitted both the '80s and 101 idol panels at once, or maybe because I just wasn't convincing enough, neither ALA or Fanime took the panel last year. That was probably for the best as I hadn't started writing the actual panel yet, and the delay made it so that this version would fall on the tenth anniversary of paneling at Fanime. Sadly there was no time to convince Molly to somehow make it, even though I doubt she'd have been able to due to scheduling conflicts. Even though I'm glad that Fanime took it this year, and I stand by the version presented at con, this panel needs a lot of work. I do think I have most of it down as far as information goes, I just need to work on the delivery and execution. The next version will most likely feature much smoother transitions, and a trimming of info all around. I actually wish I would've had the opportunity to have brought this to a smaller convention to workshop it a bit, as I was really confused as to how I was going to time it while in the writing phase. I knew I had too much info, but so much of the writing process before the con was me ripping out entire sections of slides that I'd spent hours writing. So much of this panel ended up on the cutting room floor, but I guess that's just how it goes when I try to fit in everything in an overview panel. This panel will continue for a while at the very least though, as it's very nostalgic. There was a time when we hosted a panel like this at every convention A-to-J did, and it's through these panels that we met many people who'd join up with us over the years. I don't know how long I'll keep doing this 101 panel, but it's nice and nostalgic since this was a staple in A-to-J's early years. Anyhow, be sure to come to a panel near you, and thank you to everyone who has either attended one or somehow made it to this page! Lastly, the songs from the opening montage (Which featured post-2000s covers of earlier idol songs because I thought that would be a fun change!) can be found below:
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 Second versions of panels that were a hit the first time around can be tough to rewrite. We never want to do the exact same panel twice, but we also aren't really sure what, if anything, should be changed in the next version. Seeing as we had a longer time slot at Fanime, we figured that we'd for sure add in all the bands we cut from our notes when writing the first version of the panel. This meant that FATE GEAR and Nemophilia were in, but we also decided to throw in Hagane for good measure too, because they came highly recommended to us via a close friend. We also took out a lot of the connecting slides that were in the ALA version, though I think that heavy handed might've been a mistake. I (Manuel) also went ahead and made a bunch of small changes, mainly to the song choices, as is usually the case in new versions. Despite the fact that we had an extra fifteen extra minutes this time around, we ended up still running out of time towards the end. Now that the crunch of doing five panels at a single convention is behind us (...for now...), I think that the next rewrite will see some tightening of the bands we mention, and a return of more connecting slides in between. This panel seemed to be a hit at Fanime, so we're glad for that at the very least. Next year we'll probably come back with the general metal one though, because Warren has a new version of that one that hasn't been brought to Fanime in years. Either way, be sure to come to a panel near you, and thank you to everyone who has either attended one or somehow made it to this page! Oh, this is the ALDIOUS interview we mentioned in the panel as being a very good read for those looking for more background on the topic. This also the only panel we've ever done that had several pages of extra notes on the slides that only we could see. I chose to not include those here for practical reasons, but if anyone would like to see them just drop us an e-mail and I'll send them over in some fashion.  I debuted this panel at San Diego Anime Con of all places, and I was amazed with how many people went to it considering the size of the con. I admittedly did give this one a sneaky title, but I honestly didn't think anyone would care about J-Pop music from the '60s and '70s. I was barely even aware of any of the artists I was covering either, so writing it almost felt like going back to the very first decade panels. Much to my surprise, it was a hit at Fanime too. I guess I can't be the best of judges, but it felt like this panel was the most well-recieved one of the entire weekend. I also noticed that several people took pictures of the slides as I advanced them, which always feels good. Hopefully they took note when I said I put the slides here though, as these might be better quality than the pictures. It's also interesting to note that I was very tired by this point of the weekend, and felt like this panel was the least rehearsed of them all. Somehow I locked in right as it was starting, and managed to give the smoothest read through, even if my voice wasn't the best at times. While I don't think I'll bring this one back to Fanime next year (I always have other panel ideas!), I do plan to take it to all the other conventions until then. It has a lot of variations still left in it, and there are some other pre-Oricon songs I want to discuss. Seeing as I only have done the decade panels one time each at Fanime, I think it's time to at least bring back the 1980s one next time around. That Fanime 2023 one was so early in its writing that it didn't really gel with what would come later, and I want to rectify that. I also might do a "Top Ten J-Pop Songs of All Time" panel too, as there are songs on that list I still somehow have never talked about. I guess we'll see about that in the future. Anyhow, be sure to come to a panel near you, and thank you to everyone who has either attended one or somehow made it to this page! Lastly, the songs from the opening montage can be found below:
 This was an interesting panel. It feels like every Fanime we have one one-off panel that we either never do again, or only do it once or twice more. Similar panels in the past include "Diving Into Idol Anime", "Magical Girls 101", and "Chicks Dig Giant Robots". We technically have done the last two twice, but they still kind of feel like panels that we have to get right the first time, because there won't be a second chance. Whether we did or not here is still to be determined, but it definitely was a lot of fun. Danny was already well-versed in the topic, but I (Manuel), had to go back and watch things I'd missed. Watching the first two Love Live! shows was nostalgic in ways I can't begin to describe, and it sucks that we didn't host a panel specifically focused on the franchise years ago. That said, it was tough getting this one finished. It was the panel that we started writing first, but the last one to wrap, and that was just days before the con. One of the problems was that we had a lot to cover, and we had to figure out a way to make a panel out of so many seemingly random bits of information. We worked off of an outline we brainstormed about halfway into the writing process, and pretty much just threw things in until it felt like we had put in just a bit too much. This ultimately meant that we did push through some bits quicker than others, but we managed to get through everything in a decent time frame. We put in a lot of work on this one, so maybe we'll see if we can bring it something like ax chibi or ALA in the futuress. Either way, be sure to come to a panel near you, and thank you to everyone who has either attended one or somehow made it to this page! Monkey Magic: Journey to the West & Japanese Pop Culture (Anime Los Angeles 2025) Panel Slides1/14/2025  The Monkey Magic panel finally gets a full 90 minutes! I mentioned before that I felt the versions done at Sin City Anime and San Diego Anime Con were the best that could be done in the current format, but I had lots of ideas on how to expand to a full time slot. This actually mostly meant letting some sections breathe a bit more, but also gave me the opportunity to bring the focus back around to the "Monkey" & "Monkey Magic" focus that I feel was lost in rewrites. Also, Thomas decided to join in on this panel when I told him that his ALA badge was attached to it. Typically he just helps in technical ways, like setting up cameras to record, or to act as a runner if we need staff help, but he had seen the panel several times before. Even though he wasn't totally perfect as far as topic knowledge goes, he honestly did a great job for his first panel. I've had some co-panelists literally say nothing during an entire panel, even when I throw topics their way. It was also refreshing to have a co-host who just took initiative by reading off slides I actually intended to read myself. With all that said, I think it's high time to sunset this version of the panel. This version of the panel has hit the level where I feel I can't really host it again unless I just re-read the same slides. Even though that doesn't sound like a weird thing to do, it's something I personally try to hold off on if I can. I do plan to do a (mostly?) complete rewrite of it soon, but I'll probably refrain from hosting it until 2026. Then again, I do love Journey to the West... so who knows. Anyhow, be sure to come to a panel near you, and thank you to everyone who has either attended one or somehow made it to this page!  The idea of doing an all-female Japanese metal panel has been floating around for several years. Warren and I discussed doing one just on '80s metal bands at one point, and I'd talked to Rose (who has also co-hosted the '80s Japanese metal panel in the past) about it too. I guess the idea to do it really kicked off last year when I was thinking of new music panels to do. I knew I wanted to do the '60s/'70s J-Pop one, and I knew I wanted to do one on Johnny's idols, but wanted to work on more. I believe we submitted the Girl Metal one to either ax chibi or Comic Con LA first, but we'd always hoped to debut it at ALA. We thankfully got that wish this year, and I think the panel was one of the best "first versions" we've ever done. I've stated several times before that I consider the first time we do a panel as a sort of "beta", or even an "alpha", version, but this one felt like we did a decent job right out the gate. The funny thing was that it originally was supposed to be a 90-minute panel, and by the end of our writing I really wished I'd made a bigger fuss to have kept that time slot. I guess that at least means there's plenty of room for growth! Here's hoping that FanimeCon and AX take it too, because this one was a lot of fun! Anyhow, be sure to come to a panel near you, and thank you to everyone who has either attended one or somehow made it to this page! Oh, this is the ALDIOUS interview we mentioned in the panel as being a very good read for those looking for more background on the topic. Also, this is probably the only panel we've ever done that had several extra notes on the slides that only we could see. I chose to not include those here for practical reasons, but if anyone would like to see them just drop us an e-mail and I'll send them over in some fashion. J-Pop Idols of The 1980s: The Golden Age of Showa Era Pop (San Diego Anime Con 2024) Panel Slides11/18/2024  For a lot of reasons, namely because the "Attack of The Killer Tomatoes" panel forced me to start late, the version of the panel I brought to San Diego Anime Con was basically an updated version of the one from LA Comic Con. I have some ideas for a big rewrite for a (mostly) new 90 minute version, but I didn't want to use those ideas quite yet. Also, I feel I haven't explored this particular rewrite as much as I would've liked since some cons I assumed would definitely take it (Looking at you YumeCon and Sin City Anime!) didn't. That said, this was a fun one, and it was a packed room at SDAC. I was especially surprised by that last point as this was the absolute last panel of the con, and I've had mixed results when that turns out to be the case. I'm not sure where I'll be doing this one next, but I can't wait to bring it back. Maybe Anime Expo will take it again? I guess we'll have to wait and see... Anyhow, be sure to come to a panel near you, and thank you to everyone who has either attended one or somehow made it to this page! Lastly, the songs from the opening montage can be found below:
 Working on a brand new panel, especially one that requires a lot of research, is hard. Trying to do that in the few off days between real life and a non-ending string of anime conventions, well, that's near impossible. The fact that I was able to finish this panel at all is amazing, especially when you consider that I had far less knowledge of these songs and artists when compared to the other decades. That said, I got some feedback from friends that the title might promise something that I didn't completely deliver on, so I might change that in the future. It really is "The First Years of The Oricon", but that title sounds so boring. I have several months to think about this though, as the next con I can realistically do this panel at would be LVL Up Expo and FanimeCon, both well into next year. I'm really glad San Diego Anime Con took it, as this is the kind of panel that needs a smaller con to workshop it a bit. Anyway, this one was a lot of fun to write, a lot of fun to host, and I can't wait to bring it to more cons next year! I'm glad a lot of people turned out for this one on an early Saturday morning, and I hope that trend continues! Be sure to come to a panel near you, and thank you to everyone who has either attended one or somehow made it to this page! Lastly, the songs from the opening montage can be found below:
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