Sometimes the wear and tear of everyday life can beat you down into submission. This beat down is part of the reason why seasonal affective disorder is so prevalent during the winter in North America. Thankfully, winter conventions such as Ohayocon, Anime LA, and the Sangawa Project, help fight off seasonal blues and bring Pop Culture enthusiasts together. This year’s Sangawa Project might not have been as packed as prior years but still welcomed a variety of enthusiastic faces. Sangawa Project 2019 might have flown under many congoers radar but this year’s gathering felt more like a retreat rather than an everyday convention.
So what is the Sangawa Project? The Sangawa Project is an 18+ convention hosted by the Pittsburgh Japanese Cultural Society in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Sangawa Project provides a relaxed mature environment. Attendees over the age of 21 have the opportunity to sample a variety of Japanese liberations, of course at a cost. This year’s Sangawa Project felt a little bit disorganized due to no formal event announcement on facebook and multiple schedule changes. Despite these minor inconveniences, the Sangawa Project 2019 saw a new set of faces. This year’s event might have been smaller due to Steel City Con taking place on the same dates.
This is the second year that the Sangawa Project has taken place at the Drury Hotel. This time, the hotel felt a bit more festive thanks to the addition of Christmas trees and holiday lights. Hopefully, next year a few more decorations will be up or the staff will change the Like any convention that shares a mutual space, some conflicts arose between hotel and convention guests. Thankfully, convention staff, hotel management, and other convention guests were able to relieve tensions. Overall, Sangawa 2019 felt like a breath of fresh air compared to the harsh realities of everyday life and prior Sangawa Projects.
Special Guests
The 2019 Sangawa Project Featured Guests were Monica Rial and Jamie Marchi
Jamie Marchi has been acting professionally for a number of years. She is best known for roles in Witchblade (Masane Amaha), Soul Eater (Liz Thompson), Sgt. Frog (Aki Hinata), Blassreiter (Amanda Werner), Spice and Wolf (Chloe), Black Cat (Rinslet Walker), Negima(s) (Haruna), Burst Angel (Meg), One Piece (Miss Valentine), Strike Witches (Shirley), The Tower of Druaga (Fatina), YuYu Hakusho (Juri), Ouran (Chizuru Maihara), Rin (Mimi), Fruits Basket (Motoko Minagawa), and the unforgettable Miss Polly from Shin Chan. According to the Sangawa Project website.
She is also known for her Gou Matsuoka in Free, QUETZALCOATL in Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, Marcarita in Dragon Ball Super, Ayame Kajo in Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist, Junko Enoshima in Danganronpa 3, and Mt. Lady in My Hero Academia.
She is also the voice of Ellie in Borderlands 2 and Borderlands 3.
Monica Rial is an American voice actress, scriptwriter, and ADR director affiliated with Funimation and Seraphim Digital/Sentai Filmworks.
She is known for her work as Bulma in Dragon Ball Z Kai, Tsuyu Asui in My Hero Academia, Mey-Rin in Black Butler, Rize Kamishiro in Tokyo Ghoul, Rose Yin & Cleaning Bot in Borderlands the PreSequel, Ariel in Is this a Zombie, Stocking in Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Shiro in Deadman Wonderland, Mirajane Strauss in Fairy Tail, Ringo in Casshern Sins, Tsubaki Nakatsukasa in Soul Eater, Nero in Black Clover, and May Chang in Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.
She is also responsible for writing the English adaptations of Ouran High School Host Club, Witchblade, Madlax, Kaleido Star, and Utawarerumono.
Both of these voice actors have an extensive resume of voice acting experiences.
Panels Attended
Friday’s Panels
Although The Sangawa Project 2019 ran from December 6th to the 8th, after an eventful first two days we were exhausted. Our Friday Panels consisted of Cosplay Clean Up, Sangawa Karaoke, and the Sangawa Social. Most of our Friday afternoon was spent catching up with cosplay friends, PJCS Staff, and other convention attendees. During Cosplay Clean Up, attendees learned different tricks to complete outfits in a crunch, organize and tidy their space, and how to make last-minute touch-ups in pinch. Now, due to the chaoticness of the night, some of the panels may get confused with prior events versions. Up next was Sangawa Karaoke, where guests could perform the song of their choice in costume, with a friend, or even with the whole audience. The last event we attended of the evening was the Sangawa Social.
The Sangawa Social is a 21+ mixer where guests have the opportunity to consume a variety of spirited liberations. The Sangawa Social and the Tastes of Japan are an additional cost in addition to the convention but is not unreasonable. In order to partake in these events, special Sangawa drinking cups must be purchased. The standard Sangawa cup cost roughly around 12 dollars. That is cheaper than a typical outing at a bar or restaurant. After an eventful evening, rather than risking anything hazardous we decided to take two Ubers home.
Saturday’s Panels
Despite Friday being a bit hectic, I returned to the Drury Hotel Saturday morning to help host and attend Jamie Marchi’s Q&A. Besides an early morning issue with scheduling, Jamie and her audience were equally energetic. After the Q&A session, I then peaked into How to Ruin Anime, unfortunately for me, the panel seemed to talk solely about Evangelion and its Netflix port. Because of currently watching the serious and wanting to avoid spoilers, I stepped out. Up next was the Cosplaying Judging was up next. Sadly, this year we did not partake in the Cosplay Battle Royal or Judging but it was refreshing to see others design and hard work come to life. Midway through the contest, fellow staff writer Andrew Peggs and Erin joined us at the Convention. After meeting up with them, we were able to catch the last bit of the Cosplay Judging to see who the named winners were. With hunger setting in, I decided to grab a quick bite.
After replenishing, A Very Christmas C.C.S Panel 1.5 sought to bring holiday cheer to all the good girls and boys. Unlike previous years, the C.C.S panel felt rather lethargic with half of the audience inactive or uninvolved. Sadly with core members of C.C.S missing the fire that normally burned bright during prior CCS panels felt like a small kindling. Discouraged by the audience’s lack of interaction, I decided to slip out. I do want to give props to the hosts and the front row attendees who attempted to engage the audience. With a bit of time to kill in between the desired panels, a few of us decided to go for a swim.
A quick dip in the pool with fellow cosplayers is just what the Doctor Ordered. Hotel guests have the opportunity to swim in a pool inside of the hotel. The pool interestingly enough is located where the old Federal Reserve firing range was. After a refreshing dip and connecting with old friends, we set off for Samurai Dan’s Cards Against Humanity w/ Jamie & Monica. If you have ever played cards against humanity, you know that it can be a comical time. Add Cosplayers and Voice Actors to the mix and you are in for a memorable time. Last year we got Charles Dunbar to quit Cards Against Humanity. This year we won the game with the pick 2 combination, ‘In exchange for my souls the devil promised me “whipping a disobedient slave’ but instead all I got was “reparations for slavery.” Yes, we know that combination is cringy but it shocked all six judges to a decisive victory. Still in the mood for games, we decided to stay for Venus’s Boys – Love Bingo. Who doesn’t love bingo? Boys Love Bingo is a Yaoi variation. Luckily we won two prizes. The Last and final panel we attended was This is my Fetish. For those who are uninformed or just curious, This is My Fetish can provide a laugh while helping audience members discover their interests.
Conclusion
If you live near Pittsburgh and are looking for an 18+ than The Sangawa Project might be the event to push away. your fall/winter blues. If you are a guest of the Drury Hotel, you have access to the pool, free meals, complimentary drink tickets, and more. The Sangawa Project offers a variety of panels, arcade games, console games, board games, and even a few movies to watch. A majority of the community is rather friendly and will go out of their way to include new or exploring members. This year, we decided to cover a variety of panels rather than focusing solely on games or cosplay like in previous years. By doing so, The Sangawa Project 2019 felt more enriching and diverse.
Which of these activities sound fun to you? Does any panel catch your eye? Which cosplay from our small gallery do you like the most? Let us know in the comment section below. Maybe we will see you at a convention.
Additional Info: Sangawa Project page.
