Tekko Plans to Take Pittsburgh

-Dean Eshom
News Editor/Reviews Editor

Mayor William Peduto has proclaimed the week of April 7th-10th as "Tekko 2016 Week" in the grand city of Pittsburgh. The ever-growing anime convention met a new record attendance last year, increasing registration by 20%, entertaining over 6,000 attendees from half of the states in the nation! The four-day nerdfest is said to have made a 3.7 million dollar economic impact from attendees shopping at hotels, eating at restaurants, and staying at hotels.

The convention will return to downtown Pittsburgh's David L. Lawrence Convention Center, and promises to provide attendees with the best industry-related guests, artists, shows, and vendors in an interactive and engaging community. New this year is TekkoTV, a "live" stream of selected events, guests, and interviews. There is also the "Show Your Badge Promotion," where attendees can get discounts at certain local businesses. Also, there is the Escape Room, where gaming teams compete in a safe environment aligned with themes such as ninja, alchemy, and robots.

Special guests this year include the man of many voices, probably too many, Matthew Mercer, a Los Angeles-based actor known for his work in animation, video games, and theater. He can be heard as Leon Kennedy from the Resident Evil series and Levi from Attack on Titan. He is also Dungeon Master in GeekandSundry's Critical Role, a show where a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors play Dungeons and Dragons. Mercer is in so much media that I play or watch that I sometimes hear his voice in my dreams. My girlfriend says she does, too, but I'm pretty sure it's for different reasons.

Other voice actors include Marisha Ray (Critical Role's Keyleth), Micah Solusod (Soul Eater's Soul), Chris Patton (Akame ga Kill!'s Run), and Austin Tindle (Attack on Titan's Marco Bodt). Fashion guests Lynda Leung and Kawaii Ambassador Misako Aoki, comedian Karl "Uncle Yo" Custer, local musician Nancy Kepner, and "Study of Anime" website founder Charles Dunbar are also attending. For the tunes, Tekko is bringing international musical guests Back-On, a 4-man hybrid rock band, and DJ Bass from Tokyo. He will be hosting Tekko's dance events.

The convention's mainstay components include vendors, artists’ alley, panels, fashion shows, cosplay contests, dance contests, gaming, Tekko Gakkou (School Series), and much more. You'll have to attend to see it all.

What is Tekko?
Presented by the non-profit Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society, Tekko is a four-day convention that creates a community for those who delight in anime and all things related to Japanese cultures.