Editor's note: An earlier version of this story said the Asian American Student Association was hosting the event. The story has been updated.
Ball State will have its first ever Cardinal Convention this weekend.
The Japanese Animation Society will be hosting Cardinal-Con from noon to 10 p.m. Feb. 28 on the second and third floors of the L.A. Pittenger Student Center.
Asian American Student Association secretary Minh-Thu Dang said the convention is for learning about Japanese pop culture and being around people who share that love.
“Cardinal Convention mainly is about having a convention about Japanese animation shows known as anime and having people who enjoy watching them or want to learn more about the Japanese Pop Culture come together and have a great time,” Dang said.
Cardinal-Con will feature other organizations such as the Smash Bros. Club, Pokemon Trainer’s Union, Cardinal Cosplay, Gallifreyan Anthropology Club, Comic Book Club and Yu-Gi-Oh! Club.
Japanese Animation Society’s president Nick Havranek said there is something for everyone at the convention. There will be a cosplay contest, video game tournaments, anime screenings, karaoke, art work on sale, guest speakers and multiple panels hosted by the featured organizations throughout the day.
“The officers of the Japanese Animation Society really wanted to host an event like this for a while now, and it took a lot of work putting it together, so we hope that everyone who attends has a great time playing games, watching anime and Doctor Who and interacting with like-minded people,” Havranek said.
“Anybody is welcome to come,” Dang said. “We are going to have so many people who are fans of anime dressed up as their favorite characters and also just people who want to hang out and learn more about anime."
The event is open to all Ball State students with a $5 entry fee.