Anime for a Day

Singer Dave Matthews once said, "Sometimes it's better to be somebody else."

That was an ongoing theme at the Rockville Centre Library on July 24, as tweens and young adults dressed as their favorite anime characters during the library's inaugural Japanese animation convention on July 24.

More than 100 kids from all over Long Island came to the seven-hour convention, which was highlighted by a question and answer session with acclaimed Japanese graphic novelist, Misako Rocks. Other anime artists set up booths to sell their artwork, comics and crafts, while the library hosted anime seminars and programs throughout the day. Some of the sessions included the history of anime, ice breakers — an improvisational skit training seminar — anime jeopardy and candy sushi.

Marissa Wolf, a library page who put together the event over the past six months, said she wanted to mimic other anime conventions she had attended in the past. "We have a lot of people interested in anime," Wolf said. "It's important to learn about other languages and branch out."

Rockville Centre resident Will Riley, 18, conducted the history of anime portion of the convention, and said he was drawn to the complexity of certain Japanese animation cartoons, which is why he became an avid fan. "After a while, I thought the idea of an adult-oriented cartoon made it very interesting," Riley said.

Seventeen-year-old Liam McAdam, from Levittown, is aspiring to be an anime author, and said he thought coming to the convention could help spark his imagination. "I'm trying to find new ideas for a comic I'm writing," he said.

Rocks, who is originally from Japan but now resides in Brooklyn, spoke briefly about her time growing up in Kyoto, Japan and her transition to American life. She explained that American movies, like "The Goonies" and "Back to the Future" made her feel like she was missing something by living in Japan. There isn't much diversity in Japan, Rocks explained, which is why she attended college in the states.

Rocks has penned numerous graphic novels, worked for Archie Comics and was recently recognized as the 2010 Woman of the Year by Nikkei Women in Tokyo. She noted that many times in her career, critics tried to put her down, but it was her persistence and passion for anime that helped her succeed. Rocks told aspiring artists in the audience to have that same persistence.

"If someone is giving you a critic, don't take it personal," she said. "Take it as goods advice and keep drawing."