When Kristina Dobbs was a preschooler in the 1980s, she recalls being entranced by cartoon series such as “Transformers” and “Voltron: Defender of the Universe.”

“A lot of people my age were raised on anime, even though they didn’t know it,” Dobbs says.

The Atchison native rekindled her love of anime – a style of animation developed in Japan, characterized by colorful art and futuristic settings – when she came to Kansas University and began taking courses in East Asian languages and culture.

“When Americans hear ‘animation’ or ‘cartoons,’ they assume it’s for a younger crowd,” she says. “But anime is all-encompassing. Anime is for all ages.”

Like the autobots of “Transformers” who were able to metamorphose into massive fighting machines, Dobbs is helping to turn her love of anime into a much more formidable creation. She is one of the coordinators of the second annual Naka-Kon: Kansas’ Premier Anime Convention, which is Saturday and Sunday at the Kansas Union.

“‘Naka’ is the Japanese word for ‘middle’ or ‘center,'” she explains. “Since we’re in the central area of the United States, we figured it would be very fitting to call it Naka-Kon.”

Dobbs is hoping other regional fans of anime and manga (Japanese comic books) will flock to the festival, which has expanded greatly from last year’s inaugural gathering.

Naka-Kon will feature almost 50 events, ranging from workshops (such as mecha model making) to panels (“So you want to be a voice actor”) to contests to screenings. In addition, 15 anime dealers will set up shop.

Appearing as guests of honor are American anime voice actors Greg Ayres of ADV Films and Caitlin Glass of FUNimation Entertainment. Stephen Robert Bennett IV, a manga artist and founder of Studio Ironcat, also will be in attendance.

“It’s getting a little more mainstream,” Bennett says of the genre. “But it’s still a Japanese concept – which I find ironic that it’s a Japanese art form that is being appropriated by Americans.”

Life with Steve

Bennett is rather used to that cross-cultural connection. Born in Japan to an American soldier father and Japanese mother, Bennett moved around the globe before eventually returning to Japan in his teens. It was then that he landed an apprentice job with renowned animator Noboru Furusei. During his stint at Furusei’s Studio Aoehyma, Bennett worked on titles such as “Cat’s Eye” and the “Urusei Yatsura” TV series.

Now the 38-year-old writer-artist lives in Virginia, where he produces two Web comics, “Shakespeare Rodeo” and “Life With Steve.”

Bennett describes his work as “an eclectic mix of Japanese and American comic styles with a European flair.”

He says that despite the burgeoning popularity of anime, the genre is still subject to misinterpretation.

“A misconception is that all Japanese comics and cartoons are completely full of sex and violence,” he says. “That’s not the case. There are thousands upon thousands of comic titles that have never seen the light of day over here. A lot of the comics are not so sexy or violent. They’re not the quintessential big-eyed, small-skirted schoolgirl running around. There are a lot of children’s cartoons and comics.

“There are also a lot that appeal to grown-ups – and I don’t mean ‘adult’ ones. In fact, one of the longest-running cartoon series in Japan that’s been around since the 1930s is basically the trials and tribulations of a typical Japanese mom trying to raise her kids.”

Anime in the Midwest

The impact of anime and manga upon Lawrence has been particularly prominent during the last year.

On campus alone the KU Anime Club (which is sponsoring Naka-Kon) boasts 50 regularly attending members with a mailing list of around 250.

“Lawrence is a pretty good city for anime,” Dobbs says. “Liberty Hall and Hastings rent a lot of anime – it just flies off its shelves. Best Buy is selling more anime than ever. You can find manga at most local comic book stores and hobby shops.”

In the last nine months, two stores have opened that cater to the culture. Charismo, 839 Mass., is a venue devoted solely to anime. Astrokitty Comics & More, 15 E. Seventh St., stocks a range of manga titles.

“(Anime and manga) has definitely grown, and it’s brought girls into comic book stores who wouldn’t normally go,” says Joel Pfannenstiel, proprietor of Astrokitty. “There’s a lot more stuff – they call it shojo, which is a type of manga – that appeals to girls or is more feminine-centric.”

Although Kansas is geographically far removed from Japan, Pfannenstiel says Naka-Kon is the type of event that can really underscore just how popular anime has become in the heartland.

“It should be a big deal,” he says. “If they can keep this going, it can really become a thing to look forward to every year.”