Yaoi-Con 2008 | A Celebration of Male Beauty & Passion in Anime & Manga

In 2002, Yaoi-Con played host to a variety of fun and interesting guests, including Guest of Honor Nitta Youka.

Nitta Youka - 2002 Guest of Honor

 Nitta Youka (pronounced neet-ta yuu-ka) is one of the most popular yaoi mangaka in Japan today. Proof? Her doujinshi have been known to fetch over $100 on Yahoo Japan.  A doujinshika turned pro, she's most famous for her Haru wo Daiteita (He Hagged Hooker) series, about two actors, and the When a Man Loves a Man series. Both of these have several tankoubon issued and are still going strong in the pages of BeBoy Gold and Comic Hanato.  Nitta is known for her detailed, intricate style as well as her tall and gorgeous men.  Her works deal with very 'adult' themes of conflict and jealousy, with largely adult characters, which gives them a broad-based and cross-generational appeal. Her fans range from teenagers to middle aged women with teenaged kids of their own.

So far she has a total of 16 tankoubon and 1 art book to her credit. In addition she has published a CD-ROM containing her artwork and game, and 4 Drama CD's based on her works.  We are very fortunate to have this outstanding mangaka as our guest this year at Yaoi-con.   She is looking forward to meeting Yaoi fans in the West.

Patrick Drazen holds a Master of Arts in Communications, and has had a variety of jobs. His main interest for years, though, has been Japanese history and culture, including its pop culture. He's given lectures on manga and anime at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, the University of Chicago, and most recently at Anime Central 2002, near his home city of Chicago. In his Anime Central presentation, entitled, "Mukashi Mukashi (Once Upon a Time)," he discussed anime's use of traditional Japanese legends and folktales in works ranging from "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds" to "Cowboy Bebop."

Drazen's first book, "Anime Explosion," will be published about a week after Yaoi-Con 2002 by Berkeley's Stone Bridge Press. Earlier publications include "Leo the (Buddhist) Lion," an article published in "Channels of Communications" (1986) and a review of E. Bruce Franklin's "M.I.A.: Mythmaking in America" in the "Journal of American Culture" (1993).

A long-term fan of animation, Drazen is Webmaster/creator of "The Cavern of Tiamat ," a shrine to the "Dungeons & Dragons" animated series. His fanfiction and other writing can be found at monkeymouse.tripod.com, http://www.fanfiction.net/ and http://www.schnoogle.com/, under the username "monkeymouse." Of particular note in his writings are a retelling of a Buddhist parable, "The Two Kingdoms," and a collection of "Shoujo Kakumei Utena" satires called "Take My Revolution … PLEASE!"). His fandoms include "Dungeons and Dragons," Harry Potter and assorted anime series.

Secret-Secret -- Synthpop from the Darkside - that's Secret Secret. If you think synthpop is too sweet and your teeth hurt every time you sample it then you need to explore the fascination on the Darkside with Secret Secret. Based on a foundation of Gary Numan, Xymox and the Human League, S.S. knows how to craft a beat without the aid of nursery rhymes - unless you are talking the Brothers Grimm.

Andrew Conway is the author of "The Bullwhip Book", editor of the Internet's Bullwhip FAQ, and is widely regarded as an authority on whips and whipcracking. He has given presentations on the subject at many venues, including the European Juggling Convention, Circus Space (the London Circus School), and the California Academy of Sciences. He runs regular weekly workshops on whip cracking at the San Francisco Circus Center where the attendees are a happy mix of pro dommes, leathermen and jugglers. He first tied up and spanked a partner over a quarter of a century ago, and it's been a favorite activity of his ever since.

Visit his Web site at: http://www.bullwhip.org/