Inside Daicon IV's 40th Anniversary Exhibit
by Richard Eisenbeis,
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Back in 1983, a group of amateur animators called DAICON FILM created a short, yet high-quality, anime opening for the fourth Nihon SF Taikai convention (or "DAICON") as it's more commonly known. The people behind the DAICON IV Opening Animation would go on to create their own studio, GAINAX, in the coming years—including anime legends Hiroyuki Yamaga (Royal Space Force - The Wings of Honnêamise, Mahoromatic) and Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gunbuster).
Last weekend's Wonder Festival 2023 Summer convention featured a special exhibition to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the DAICON IV Opening Animation. While it featured original cells and design documents for the DAICON IV Opening Animation (in addition to those of its predecessor, the DAICON III Opening Animation), that was only the start of what was on display.
The exhibit also showcased merch from the first four Nihon SF Taikai conventions as well as numerous props from the various other DAICON FILM projects. This included everything from the costumes used in the Super Sentai-inspired Patriotic Squadron Great Japan to the Muppet-style puppets created for Hayauchi Ken No Daibouken.
Check out our full gallery of the exhibition below.
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