Earlier today, I went to a local convention here in my home city. I won't give the name of the city, nor the convention itself, and I won't be sharing any pictures: for various (and likely obvious) reasons, I like to keep some public anonymity here.
HOWEVER, I am gonna share a few things about my experience, specifically in terms of the awesome, Awesome, AWESOME people I got to meet! This is probably going to be QUITE long and QUITE rambling, so if you aren't in the mood, don't bother reading more. Otherwise, I've placed a "Keep Reading" marker below, and feel free to join me as I reminisce...
In the past, at other conventions I've gone to, I've only had the privilege of meeting one or maybe two guests. THIS year, primarily due to the costs being often much lower than I anticipated, I got to have close encounters with not one, not two, not three...but SEVEN wonderful people, all of whom are master actors.
First was my chief priority, Ryan Colt Levy. I know and love him best for voicing Dr. Watson in "Moriarty the Patriot," but he is also well-known for his work in various other anime dubs, including Chainsaw Man, My Hero Academia, Welcome to the Demon School! Iruma-kun, and Fate/Grand Carnival. I dressed as Sherlock Holmes specifically for the occasion of meeting him: I got a volume of the manga signed by him, right on the front cover.
Levy is purportedly a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, in general, and I am not unduly singing my own praises when I say that he seemed to really, REALLY enjoy my cosplay: at one point, as I was British-ing my way about while waiting in line, he literally paused in the course of signing things for someone else, chuckle, and turned to me saying: "I just gotta pause and say this, you are AMAZING." When I did personally get to meet him, I asked him who his favorite Watson was "besides himself." His answer was Jude Law, from the Robert Downey Jr. films. He also said that he was really, REALLY happy to do the show, since he never thought he'd get an opportunity like it, and he genuinely missed playing Watson and hoped, if possible, to do it again.
After that, I went to see Nazeeh Tarsha. I am admittedly not super familiar with Tarsha's work in general (sorry, fans of the Hoyoverse), but when I found out he would soon be voicing Jamil for the English version of Twisted Wonderland, I HAD to meet him. I got no autograph from him, only a photo, and asked him what he was looking forward to most with the part. He said he was really hoping he'd get some great scenes between his character and Alejandro Saab as Azul. (For those of you who know their relationship...I can't POSSIBLY imagine WHY. ;) )
Next was Landon McDonald, known for many other anime-related things once again, but best known to me for playing Ranpo Edogawa: my favorite character from Bungo Stray Dogs. In the universe of the series, Ranpo is pretty much Sherlock Junior, and I felt a picture of me and him together had to be done. It turns out that he's a HUGE Sherlock Holmes fan, too! And not just of more recent versions, he flat out said he grew up watching Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett, and loved them a lot. His favorite part about playing Ranpo was getting to homage those classic versions of Holmes he loved so much through the part. He autographed a print of Ranpo, addressing it "To Sherlock," and not only let me take a photo for free, but asked if he could get a picture for his own personal record with me! I was deeply honored, to say the least.
Fourth was Erica Lindbeck. I first came to know her for playing Mordred in Fate/Apocrypha (my favorite of the Fate anime shows), but she's probably better known now for voicing Loona in Helluva Boss, and has a career ranging into all kinds of different forms of voice work. She was also the most expensive of the people I encountered personally, but getting a picture of her and her signature on a print of Loona was worth it.
Now, after that, I thought I would be finished...but I wasn't. I decided to go the extra mile, after some consideration, and spent juuust a little more to meet Marty Grabstein: the voice of that ever-panicked mutt, Courage the Cowardly Dog. I didn't get his photo, but I did get a signed facsimile of the original recording script for one of the most famous episodes of the show, "King Ramses' Curse." I also asked him what his favorite episode of the show was, and he answered "Freaky Fred" before giving me a hug. A very sweet and jolly man, and a constant and energetic performer. <3
I did not BUY any other autographs or photos after that - between all of them and some scattered souvenirs, I was pretty much all out of my fund of cash to spend on the occasion - but I DID manage to meet two more guests all the same. First came Patrick Seitz, who is known for...well...again, a LOT of things. XD How I met him is a LONG story, but the shortest version I can give is this: a friend of mine wanted to get his picture and autograph, and myself and another mutual friend got invited to take the picture with them if it was allowed. It WAS allowed, and I commented while I was at it about how much I loved his Dracula in Castlevania, and how I hoped I could hear him in the role again. He thanked me and said he hoped so, too.
Last, but certainly not least, probably the most unexpected performer there: Joey D'auria, most well-known for playing Bozo the Clown from 1984 to 2001. He also has appeared in various Tom & Jerry related projects, voicing Butch the Black Cat and occasionally Droopy Dog, which is actually how I know him best. I didn't have money enough to get any photos or autographs, but I felt I couldn't pass up the opportunity to just...go over and tell him I was so happy to see him, and how I hoped he was enjoying himself. He thanked me, and told me a little bit about how there used to be a Bozo show in my home city, and how he got to work with the son of the Bozo that performed there. I used the last vestiges of my cash to purchase a Bozo magnet.
Aside from these wonderful encounters, I also got various fun bits of merch and took a LOT of pictures with/of many awesome cosplays. Altogether, this whole experience cost me more money than I care to relate...but it was worth every last penny. One of my absolute favorite Con experiences to date. <3
He is the perfect replacement for dark mousy AKA phantom dark FROM DN ANGEL
Why I’m saying this we need VA men to do shojo/josei anime cause it’s obscured daily then shonen so here’s the effect time since dn angel is getting a comeback
BRING BACK SENSUAL DEEP WORKS OF MEDIA💖
Make sure to check out his songs too
Voice Actor / Musician / Artist / Gamer / Coffee Junkie
AND NO I’m not TOUCHING the NIGHTMARE WITH THE ORANGE PUPPY,CAUSE ITS TOO SCARY, OF HOW VISAULLY FRIGHTENING it is, BUT Im FAMILIAR WITH HIS OTHER WORK, WHICH IS GREAT.
But I hope we discuss the great aspects of shojo and josei anime impact
Also make sure to check out his page more voice actor confessions coming soon superstars 💜🩷
Voice Actor / Musician / Artist / Gamer / Coffee Junkie
I know it shouldn't have, but it caught me completely off guard when Ryan and Natalie both knew I was cosplaying Fred! And so did a person in line for Chris' table (they said they'd be Moriarty [I presume William?] today; hopefully I'll find 'em)! c:
I wasn't really expecting it, 'cause y'know, Fred is kinda always off to the side and doesn't talk much. I was just so ecstatic!
Anyway, they are all wanting a continuation of the anime just as much as the rest of us do. Hopefully we'll get that wish one day sooner than later!
The English and Japanese voice actors for Denji in Chainsaw Man anime.
Kikunosuke Toya
"I voice Denji in "Chainsaw man"! It's a great honor to become Chainsaw man... THAT'S A DREAM COME TRUE... I've always admired a world drawn by Mr. Tatsuki Fujimoto. It's still hard to believe but, I´ll give it my all. Don't miss out!" - Kikunosuke Toya
Ryan Colt Levy
"I still can’t believe it’s real. It’s an extraordinary honor to say I’m the English voice of Denji in #ChainsawMan!! Deepest love & gratitude to the amazing...It’s hard to explain how much this particular role means to me. I immediately fell in love w/ the manga in late 2020 & have read all 11 volumes at lest 4 times over since part 1 wrapped...Absolutely overwhelmed with joy & still feel like there’s pure adrenaline running through my veins. All of us in the cast & crew are so tremendously grateful for your support & love today. We can’t wait to share this with you! ✌" - Ryan Colt Levy
