Main Events
AniMass Main, Sunday 11am - The Anime Punch take on Christmas morning. This is a secular look at morality in life and in fandom, as well as taking a lesson from anime in respect to the themes of hope, family, giving, and life.
Battle Karaoke Main, Friday 5pm Custodians of Otakudom
Gladiatorial combat, Karaoke singing, and trading card games; three things that have gone hand in hand since the time of the ancients. Come join this high energy, high volume event which puts control in the hands of the audience as three teams battle for supremacy in a rocking showdown.
Beat the Geeks Main, Saturday, 3pm
Think you know your shit? Prove it! This is for the most hardcore of the hardcore fans and your knowledge of everything from Galaxy Express to Panty and Stocking will be tested in this grilling game show.
Breakfast with the Bands Main, Sunday at Noon - We will wake up any surviving musicians we can find and put them on stage to talk about their experiences on stage and on tour while fielding questions from the audience.
Closing Ceremonies Main, Sunday 3pmOur farewell after what will hopefully prove to have been a monumental convention! Show up to say goodbye!
Convention Slide Show Main, Sunday 2pm - Upload us your con photos anytime all weekend and on Sunday we'll show all the highlights we can leading up to the main ceremonies finale!
Cosplay/ Variety Show Main, Saturday, seating begins around 6:30 pm, show starts at 7 An upgraded version of the traditional Cosplay event. Now a full variety and fashion show for our attendees who have worked on skits or costumes!
The Dating Game Main, Saturday 3pm Custodians of Otakudom - Watch Fanboys and Fangirls compete for a chance at true love and eternal happiness… by which we mean they will spend a few awkward moments trying to avoid eye contact with a perfect stranger. The Dating Game is an audience participation event, with contestants drawn straight from the crowd to compete in challenges of physical daring and psychological audacity to impress potential soumates. It is worth noting that the dating game has a super charged atmosphere and a loose hold on social standards.
Dead Town Main, Friday at Midnight COO - The Outbreak has begun. Can you survive in a zombie filled city gone mad? Dead Town is a cooperative experience in multimedia survival horror. Work together, make decisions, kill zombies, and escape Dead Town… if you can. Powered by the Modular Adventure System (MAS), every session of Dead Town is unique with outcomes dependent on the audience. The zombie apocalypse atmosphere is best experienced by participants 13+ with a desire not to be eaten.
Distraction Main, Satuday 1pm 4 brave, sad contestants are forced to endure great trials while answering relatively simple trivia questions to win prizes. Find out what torments we have in store this year!
Execution Main Foyer, Saturday, High noon - The low-life son-of-a-bitch that gets found guilty at The Trial will face public execution before the angry masses. Righteous blood will stain all of our hands!
Evangelion Puppet Show Main, Friday 7pm Continuing our trend of avant gard puppet theater, this year the AP Puppet Players will be bringing you our most challenging work up to date: "Be (not) Afraid", an Eva puppet rendition of the Greatest Story Ever Told!
Fight Club Main, Friday, noon - Compete in real time battles in the character of your cosplay for the entertainment of a merciless emporer!
Guests Ahoy! Main, Friday, 9pm All guests - A gathering of the biggest personalities visiting AP, including almost all of our guests and some of our high profile staff. Hear them talk, discuss topics of great import, and peform stupid human tricks!
Hentai Olympics Main, Friday 11pm - Celebrating the end of the world like the Romans of old, but without the constant vomiting. Witness the bacchanalia yourself and be AMAZED! Or ashamed to look at upstanding citizens in the eye. Your choice. 18+ because in case we survive, we don't want no lawsuits.
Legend of the Hidden Temple Main, Saturday, 11am - The most challenging and complex adventure gameshow that any con offers! Compete for prizes at great personal risk!
Musings of the TravellersMain, Sunday 1pm - If any of our key guests or staff are still alive we'll have a final, unprompted discussion about traveling, cons, and viewing the wonders of the world as an anime fan.
Opening Ceremonies Main, Friday 4pm An introduction to the con, the staff, the guests, and the end of the world. Show up to set the bar for the weekend and get the inside scoop on what panels and events you should see!
Rave-Narok Main, Sat Night at Midnight One last dance
Stand Up Comedy - Main, Friday 10pm +2 Comedy - A comedic performance from a pack of traveling stand up comedians of great fame.
THE PROTOMEN, Featuring The Asterplace Main, Saturday 9pm - Our long history of amazing concerts is about to be topped in a way that will seriously make planning next years con a chore. Two of the finest bands to ever play out stage are about to join forces to melt everyone's faces off! First, The Asterplace will set the stage with their wild Japanese antics, and the The Protomen will declare war on the audience and light up the night! First aid available for overly moshed souls!
Whose Line is it Anime Main, Saturday 4pm - Based on the popular improv comedy show "Whose Line it it Anyway", and often immitated on the con-scene, see the most verteran and talented Improv Comedy troop in fandom perform on their home turf!
Your Favorite Anime Sucks Main, Friday 8pm - The premise is simple, anime is stupid and you're stupid for liking it. Name your favorite anime and we will explain to you in no small detail why you are wrong for liking it, and are a terrible human being for thinking it was good in the first place!
Office Hours - Sit down in an unmoderated, unresetricted discussion with some of the smartest academic and industry minds! Office hours will be Sunday afternoon.
Panel Programing
This list will get flushed out over time.
20 years of Evangelion Fandom Panel 2, Saturday 3pm - For the last two decades the anime market, industry, and fandom has been living in the shadow of Evangelion. Now, 20 years after this game-changing anime we are still getting new movies, manga's, and figurines. Come to discuss Evangelion, the changes it has gone through, and get some of the answers to questions that fans have spent nearly a quarter of a century debating!
A Feminist Perspective on Anime Panel 3, Friday, 11pm - Take a look at the great depths of anime and manga in terms of what it says to, for, and about women.
A Night with J Michael Tatum Panel 1, Friday, 8pm J Michael Tatum - Meet esteemed voice actor J Michael Tatum and discuss his works and upcoming projects
All Night Hentai Panel 3, Sat night 1am - Waste an evening sitting in a room full of people watching animated porn! It's a ...different... kind of experience.
Analysis of Utena Panel 3, Saturday, 4pm - The Revolutionary Girl Utena franchise is a must see of modern anime, with a unique story and art style which reshaped and retold the classic shoujo and girl-centric style anime. This panel will take a shallow dive into the deep symbolism, imagery and story telling of the Revoltuionary Girl Utena anime and movie, as well as a brief look at how the manga interacts with the animated works.
Anime Archive Project Panel 3, Saturday, 2pm Lance Heiskell - The Anime Archive Project is to create a chronological online exhibit to showcase US anime fandom from the 90's, 2000s and today though old magazine ads a features, convention programs, promo items, and marketing flyers that should have been discarded years ago, but kept due to nostalgic tendencies. From VHS and LaserDiscs to DVDs and Blu-ray. Explore the mid 90's rise of US anime companies like ADV, Central Park Media, Pioneer and Bandai through their ads and the pages of past anime magazines like Animag, Animerica, MixxZine, and more. The 2000s was rise of Anime Insider, NewType USA followed by the anime bubble and the excesses of anime marketing in the mid 2000s. Visit the Anime Archive Project at http://bit.ly/animearchive
Anime Deadliest Warriors Panel 1, Sat Night @ Midnight - Show up and give suggestions of the ultimate fights in anime. Who would win between Ed Elric and Naruto? Between Sailor Moon and Madoka? Between Pikachu and Chibi-Trunks? Ask and we will give you the best answer possible!
Anime elsewhere Panel 1, Saturday 5pm Plus 2 Comedy - A more informative panel explaining how Anime has had influenced other forms of entertainment. Movies, video game, wrestling, you name it.
Apocalypse in anime Panel 2, Saturday 2pm - Armageddicon is being held on the Mayan armageddon. We will all be at Armageddicon because we like anime. So, how about we combine the two, and have a panel on the apocalypse as told in anime? We will look at the basics of every apocalyptic anime, such as story line, symbolism, and character tropes, comparing and contrasting them through different apocalypse themed anime.
Artists Duels Panel 1, Saturday 11pm - Duke it out with mixed media against your fellow artists (and a staffer!) to see if YOU'VE got what it takes to call yourself an artist! It's a combination of Pictionary, art school, and the sort of hilarity that results in drawing a pregnant android on roller skates pushing an octopus in a baby stroller! Yes, we go there. Do you dare join us?
Being a Bro at Cons Panel 3, Friday 5pm - The quintessential guide on how to not be that guy. This panel will teach you everything you need to know about being an awesome guy and having the best con of your life.
Black Mans Rants About Shonen Panel 2, Saturday 9pm- A darker take on shonen anime.
Brad Swaile Presents...? Panel 3, Saturday, 8pm Brad Swaile - An hour with Brad, his laptop, and a Projector. Seriously, that is all he would tell us about it, and there is a question mark in the title.
Chat Roulette Smarts Panel 3 Sat night at Midnight Plus 2 Comedy - Possibly one of the most innovative gameshows we have ever hosted. In the show the audience collectively gets on Chat Roulette to question random, often nude, strangers about their knowledge of anime!
Columbus Anime Community Forum Panel 1, Sunday 4pm - Columbus has more fan groups pound for pound than any other city! Come discuss the current state and the future of these groups at the Columbus Community Forum. All groups are welcome, so invite representatives from any you attend!
Con Stories Bar, Friday night 1am Staff, Misc. Guests - We've been some places and seen some stuff. Would totally recommend it! Tales of adventure, love, heroism, and felonies!
Critically Analysing Anime Panel 2, Sunday 1pm Gain a deeper appreciation of the artistic strokes that go into making an anime.
Digimon Panel 1, Friday 9pm - An in depth look at the first three seasons of digimon. We will look at themes, characters, and the overarching ideas of each season.
Directors Panel Panel 1, Saturday noon, Jaffe, Tatum, Swaile - Some of the best anime has been brought over to America by our guests of honor. Hear them talk and take questions on the process!
Drinking Songs Panel 2, Friday, 10pm/ Bar Friday at Midnight First, learn a bunch of great anime songs to sing with friends, then head over to the bar, slam a few drinks and let the world hear our song!
Dub Libs Panel 1, Saturday 3pm Voice Actors - Take one dose "Mad Libs", add two voice actors, a pinch of anime clips, and mix well. Instead of those cheesy books from middle school, we'll be using clips from the anime that these voice actors performed in. Come and see, because we just might get Brad Swaile to say "titty sprinkles".
Eva movies forum Panel 3, Friday, 10pm Jaffe - After watching the second Eva movie, discuss it with other hardcore Eva fans, and some of the Industry professionals responsible for importing it!
Fun and Games Panel 1, Friday, 11pm - This should be a lot of fun! Come by to goof off and have a good time!
FUNimation Industry Panel and Q&A Panel 1, Friday, 6pm Heiskell - FUNimation has been bringing you the best in anime for years. Check our latest news, trailers, Q&A and trivia for DVD/Blu-ray prizes.
FUNimation Anime Sneak Peaks and Prizes Panel 3, Saturday, 6pm Heiskell - Be the first to watch clips from new and upcoming shows from FUNimation. Pay attention to the clips for trivia afterwards to win DVD/Blu-ray prizes.
Gateway Anime Panel 1, Friday, 5pm- This introductory panel looks at actual data gathered from Anime Punch attendees (you know, all those questions we make you answer on your registration?). Using this data, we will draw conclusions about everyone's gateway anime that eventually turned them from a casual fan to a full blown otaku! This panel will have a presentation and analysis of the statistics, followed by a discussion.
Gundam Open Forum Panel 3, Saturday, 7pm - A loosely moderated discussion of all things Gundam. Who is your favorite Zabi? Are there any good factions? Are there any evil ones? Whose idea was it to name Char "Full Frontal" in UC Gundam? Anything goes!
Hetalia UN Panel 2, Friday, 11am Whether your are in costume or not, if you are a Hetalian and love to be in character, come to this governmental body to attempt to solve current world problems (unrest in Egypt? A Syrian civil war?) as well as any real problems the convention is facing! That's right, things we identify as broken on Friday get solved by you Saturday morning!
High School of the Dead Panel 3, Saturday, 3pm - This show is just about big boobs and zombies, right? Wrong! Join us as we examine the themes and characters that make this show more than just some weirdo's fantasy. We'll explore what was done well, and how it compares to other zombie shows, movies, and books.
Industry Townhall Panel 1, Saturday, 6pm Heiskell - Discuss the state of anime fandom in the US with FUNimation. Why the heck do we love this stuff? 4 topics of moderated discussion from FUNimation's Lance Heiskell
Internet centric anime Panel 3, Saturday, Noon - The Internet has been a big part of anime since even before .hack//SIGN, and many shows are based solely on the Web. Come explore what makes these shows so damned interesting.
Irresponsible Anime Panel 2, Saturday, - Returning for the second year, we bring you back to the 80's where explosives were cheap and consequences weren't invented yet! This year we look at the running themes and inspirations for Tank Police, Dirty Pair, Tylor, and even some Panty & Stocking! Common sense prohibited.
Japanese Language in anime Panel 1, Saturday, 1PM - Think you learn to speak Japanese just by watching a lot of anime? Think people who think they can speak Japanese just by watching anime are crazy? Come find out who is right, and why based on personal experience, documented linguistic research and my own knowledge of knowledge.
Juvenile Detention Center Panel 2, Saturday night 1AM It's 1am at a con, you have no interst in going to bed until 4am, you're too young to hit the bar, the rave crew is into serious music and you want to sock hop. WHAT DO YOU DO? Well, we gave your whole clan its own room to do whatever you want in! You have the internet, a projector, a whiteboard, and nothing but time. Have fun! Hell, have a slumber party for all I care!
Karaoke Panel 2, Friday, 11PM - You know what Karaoke is.
Ki in Anime Panel 2, Saturday, 2PM - Come Learn about Ki. How it's manifests both in real life and in our favorite animes. It's origins and it's off-shoots. It's uses for fighting and for good Health. Who has it and how do they show it? These and more will be covered. And as a special treat, there will be a special meditiation session at the end of the program to give you an experience to take home.
Miko's in Anime Panel 2, Saturday, 2PM Patrick Drazen - A look at Japans real life Magical Girls, the Shrine Maidens/Priestess's! Often dressed in a white top with wide, red pants, these girls and women are an important part of Japanese traditional lore and modern dogma!
Modern Mythology: Mythic Elements in Anime and Video Games Panel 3, Friday, 7PM Charles Dunbar - A look inside the mythological symbols, story elements and themes that appear in anime and video games.
My Life and Japan Panel 1, Friday, 7PM Jaffe - Voice Actor and Director Taliesin Jaffe talks about his time living in Japan as an anime fan and industry worker
Overpowered Characters Panel 2, Friday, 6PM - We will be discussing characters through out anime that take doing the impossible to a whole other level. These guys are the characters that are clearly a step above the rest of the cast within their series and we are here to tell you why they are such bullshit! From giga drills to baking bread, these guys take what they know to the most extreme of fashions and we are here to honor that!
Persona Panel 1, Saturday, 10PM - A game sensation in Japan and America, and now the stories are being turned into quality anime. We will go over the history of the games, the history of the anime, and then go in depth about the themes and story changes going into the anime.
Philosophy and Miyazaki Panel 2, Saturday, 7PM - The Worlds of Hayao Miyazaki: Explorations into the movies of the legendary film director Hayao Miyazaki. Sacred themes, characters and story elements are identified and discussed.
Pokemon Panel 1, Saturday Night at 1AM - If you want to talk about leveling up your Pokemon go to the game room. This panel is all about the dark, seedy, sleazy underworld that is the true world of Pokemon. War, corruption, poverty, plague, sex, and addiction!
Real Science and Anime Panel 2, Friday, 5PM - Whether you are inspired by it or critical of it, science play a big part in science fiction. It\'s like half of the title! Come and discuss your favorite sci-fi anime in this panel and Q&A.
Required Reading Panel 2, Saturday, 7PM - There is the definitive list of books you must read, there is the definitive list of movies you must read, however there is no definitive list of anime you must watch. Here, we will discuss and debate what is on the list and why it is there.
Sex and the Single Pig Panel 3, Friday, 6PM Patrick Drazen - A 20th Anniversary Tribute to Porco Rosso, and a breakdown of why it's Ghibli's most sexual film.
Shinigami and the Japanese Idea of Death Panel 2, Saturday, 7PM Charles Dunbar - A look into the concept of the Shinigami and how it is influenced by Japanese religious and cultural ideas.
Shoujo-Ai Panel 1, Saturday, 8PM - A Philosophical look at how anime presents the infatuation that young girls develop for each other early in their sexual development.
Slice of life Anime Panel 2, Friday, 7PM - Most Anime tends to have unbelievable stories, with heroes, magical powers, mechs, and more. Then there are the few that don't, and aims to relate with the viewer. In this panel, we will be discussing the different slice of life animes, and which ones we feel you will relate too the most out of them. There will be social discussions and interaction during this panel.
Sports Anime Panel 1, Saturday, 6PM - Covering Sports from Basketball to Football, Baseball to Tennis, Boxing and Racing. How are they shown, and............well, how are they actually played? So be it Princess Nine, Eye Shield 21, Kuroko's Basketball, Dear Boys, Initial D, and more. we will show you how anime does it, how people do it. so drop in and learn about those things called sports.
Staff Picks Panel 2, Sunday, 2PM - Join whatever surviving staff are still alive in an open discussion of the anime that are worth taking a look at into the future. Feel free to come armed with your own suggestions!
Superhero anime Panel 1, Sunday, 1PM - With the rise of superhero culture in our mainstream, I wanted to talk about the changes this has had in certain anime. We will talk about how anime uses superheroes vs how America uses them. Using tiger and bunny, butterfly, and the marvel anime as just a few examples.
Symbolism in Mecha Panel 2, Saturday, 1PM Charles Dunbar - A look into the melding of science and symbolic images and actions within the mecha genre.
The Battle For Armageddicon Panel 3, Saturday, 9PM COO - Far beyond the edges of space, at the split second before the final end of all things the Void devours all that is, was or ever shall be. Ten thousand heroes summoned from time and imagination perpetually defend reality against the Void in an eternal battle known as Armageddicon. Once again, a band of heroes must wage a war for all that is awesome and does not suck. Conflict waged, not with not with weapons but with passion, belief, and even ballz. Do you have what it takes to become a champion of Armegeddicon?
The Future of Anime Punch! Panel 2, Sunday, 12PM - For the last year we have reshaped what Anime Punch is, and after a year of experimenting we are beginning to get some ideas of where we want to go. Come for a full report on what we have done, what we are planning, and an open discussion on what you the fans want to see from us!
The Hit List of Anime Music Videos Panel 3, Saturday, 2PM - What makes a good AMV. Why is any particular AMV good? Come see some of the great AMVs of the last few years as we all view some good AMVs and check out some various examples of good AMVs in various genres.
The Musical Symbolism of Princess Tutu Panel 3, Saturday, 5PM - This is an in depth look into the music of this ballerina inspired anime. Our panelists will examine why the creators chose certain musical pieces, and how those choices reflect the characters and themes of the show.
The Trial Panel 2, Friday, 8PM - We've gutted, drawn-and-quartered, and even burned those unfortunate enough to be found GUILTY at our famously unforgiving Trial. Bring your best legal knowledge and lay it on anime, using every trick in the book to give that dirty rotten [insert character name here] just what he/she deserves!
Transnational storytelling conventions Panel 1, Saturday, 9PM - Have you ever heard someone say "nothing's new anymore"? Well, that annoying person may be right. The devil's in the details, but the whole story is what we're talking about. This in-depth panel will discuss various archetypes that appear around the world, feature some comparative mythology, and of course, a rundown of Joseph Campbell's famous and influential Monomyth.
Villains in anime Panel 2, Friday, 9PM - Its good to be bad. Here we go over the most badass villains in anime. What makes them bad and how even in defeat, they manage to be hardcore.
Voice Actors Panel Panel 1, Saturday, 2PM Swaile, Tatum, Jaffe - All the voice actors in one place to talk about talking. Actually, to be fair, most of their job is actually shouting or gasping.
Weirdest Hentai Plus 2 Comedy Panel 3, Saturday, 11PM - The comedy team takes you into a dark journey into the world of animated Japanese erotica. Dark, and silly.
Western Literature in Anime Panel 1, Saturday, 5PM Patrick Drazen - A presentation on Western Literature adapted into Japanese anime by estemed author Patrick Drazen
Welcome to the Universal Century Panel 3, Saturday, 1PM - An in-depth look at the largest running timeline in the Gundam meta-series that kicked off in 1979 and has expanded to encompass today's world. During this panel we're going to take a look at some of the lesser known aspects of the universe that lend so much to the credibility of the series that there's hardly anything that can't be explained using science. In fact, we're also going to take a look at the amazing things going on in today's world that have convinced me that we are actually just living in the Universal Century.
Would You Survive? Panel 1, Friday, 10PM, COO - A scenario driven campaign through the end of the world where your decisions in trying circumstances determine your survival!
Yaoi Panel 2, Saturday, 12AM - Yaoi fans unite! Rather than trying to explain or study this branch of anime and fandom we're just going to lock you in a room for an hour and let whatever happens happen!
You Can (Not) Advance Panel 3, Friday, 8PM - A collective viewing of the latest Evangelion Reboot movie to be released. Followed by the Eva Open Forum
Yuri Panel 2, Saturday, 11PMA critical look and discussion on adult lesbianism in Japanese animation
