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The Start of it All

It is that time of the year again where one of the nation’s biggest Anime convention goes to San Jose, California. This year’s Fanime is bigger than ever with more than 11,000 counted people pouring through the San Jose convention center doors, ready to hit one of the many offered events. But before we move into the specificities of the convention, certain questions have come up from people, one of which is of interest: what makes Fanime so different than other conventions?

As the name indicates, Fanime is a convention for the people, by the people where fans who go and enjoy the convention find some value and appreciation for the hard working staffs who make Fanime possible as well as the convention in general. Through this, they come back the next year ‘to serve’ and not ‘ be served’. It is a progressive cycle created by none other than us. This year, I had a chance to experience Fanime not as just an attendee, but also as a person working ‘behind the scenes’ with other staffers who make this convention possible. A special section will be dedicated to my reflections regarding this later on. So without further delay, here is Fanime 2007.

Opening Ceremony

Every year, there is an opening ceremony kick off to welcome people as well as to introduce them to a few of the higher staffers who work extra hard to help make Fanime possible.

These people all look very eager to get the party rolling as they wait patiently for our hard working Fanime staffers to make their appearance.

The Dealers Room

This year, over 50 dealers made their appearances at Fanime, many of whom traveled across the country just to be here with us. You want something, they just about have it; from DVDs to PVCs to art books to even import games, thousands of people visit this room, Exhibit Hall #2, in search of that little special something they have wanted for a long time. As one takes his first few steps into this massive room of joy and experience euphoria, you have to wonder about one question: has your wallet run away yet? Regardless of such trivial matter which does not apply to me (as my wallet has always been strangely inhabited with killer butterflies), just walking around, looking through the variety of goods is enough. If anywhere, the dealers room is where the Anime collectors should be. Be sure to check it out if you have not when Fanime 2008 swings around in only 360 days…

For art book collectors and enthusiasts, this booth was the place to be.

And for those who are into pencil boards and figures, look no more.

Here we have import games. Guess some of us want to get caught up with the times with games only only in Japan so far.

Look at all the PVCs. So many to buy, so little money to spend.

E-Gaming and Arcades

‘FINISH HIM!’… well kind of. While Mortal Combat might not be part of any of the arcade games this year (even though it will remain in our hearts), there were many other popular games that made their show in Exhibit Hall #3 such as Initial D: 3, Guilty Gear, Melty Blood, Capcom vs. SNK 2 and many more. The arcades turned out to be fun for many as people slapped down their quarters waiting to get revenge on that someone who beat them 5 times in a row… you know you are one of them so do not even deny it. And if you need a little exercise, dance your night away with DDR or give your arm a little work out with Beatmania. Whether you want to challenge a friend or whether you are just waiting for the next event to take place, the arcades offer all the excitement with each quarter you toss down.

Racing anyone? Think you can take the challenge?

Here are some fighting games ranging from Guilty Gear to Melty Blood. Better start practicing because these people look serious.

For those games that can not be played in the arcades, e-gaming takes over bringing you popular games such as Smash Bros: Melee, Halo 2, Guitar Heroes, and Naruto. Dozens of people gather over one television set at times as they watch and wait in line to show off their skills. At night, e-gaming held hot-blooded tournaments for a variety of games that was sure to make your heart rumble. Aside from the actual physical interaction with a controller, a table off the side projected a variety of saved/recorded games beaten in record times and/or beaten with great skills. From being amazed by someone who beat Metroid in 24 minutes and collecting only 18% of the items to having fun in a very inexpensive way, the e-gaming area was a haven for those who’s luck ran out in the arcades (not to mention the quarters they have) as well as a place to sit down to relax and watch a few good childhood games played. So if you did not do so hot this year in your game, better start practicing for next year!

I think I see a few people studying the moves of some people playing.

The Swap Meet

With things that you buy and no longer care for, the saying ‘one man’s trash is another man’s’ becomes validated in a less ‘trash’ sense at the Fanime swap meet which took place in Exhibit Hall #3 Thursday and Friday nights. This year, 40 plus swap meet sellers looped this exhibit hall in what turned out to be a massive fest of haggling and trading among Anime fans as they try and get rid of or gain something rare. The key word I want to stress on is ‘haggling’. Yes, like any swap meet (a.k.a. flea market), you are allowed to make offers and receive counter-offers and so forth, which is one of the more interesting part of this whole meeting. It is one thing to straight up buy something at retail price, but it is another when you knock the price down by 50% if not more with your sweet talk. I mean, who can go wrong with buying the set of Cowboy Bebop DVDs for $24? Exactly. With the size of Fanime growing and the sheer number of people visiting and buying, you can not help to wonder what treasure you will find in the future swap meets. Next year, make sure to pay a visit to this event. You will not regret it.

It looks messy but you never know what you may find in all of this. Look! I see Megami!

Yes, even assassins show up to sell their stuff at the swap meet.

Many people go to the swap meet. Look at all these sellers, people just like us with something unique to offer.

Artist Alley

Yes, we all know the saying ‘ You can do it!’ from the movie Waterboy. But when it comes to Fanime, every artist hopes they ‘can do it’ as individuals showed off his works of art composed of Anime characters from a variety of series or even original art works in Exhibition Hall #1. If there is a talent one thinks he has, the artist alley is the place to be. Besides, all it really takes is a pencil and a strong passion and you are on your way. I must say I was impressed with some of the art works I saw and I wish the best of luck to the people who participated in artist alley. If this is your dream, passion, or gift, the artist alley in Fanime will help you chase after it.

Here is some original artworks by our very talent fans.

And another example of the talents these young people have to offer.

Maid Cafe

Hungry? Let’s go grab a bite to eat! I have an idea, how about the maid caf?�! This year Fanime introduced the maid caf?� on the second floor near the entrance of the Marriott. In case people are not familiar with the maid caf?� in Fanime, it is pretty straight forward: you are lined up, you are seated by maids, and you are served by the maids your order of food. Then afterwards, you can take a picture with your guest maids if you choose. Hopefully Fanime will bring this back as many people seemed to have enjoyed this experience.

People sitting down for a nice lunch at the maid cafe.

These maids were the stars of the stage at the maid cafe. We hope to see your work next year!

Guests of Honor

There were many guests of honor this year and I want to personally thank them for coming from where ever they are from be it Japan or another state to take their time off and make their presence at Fanime this year. It was unfortunate that I was unable to attend any of the panels or interviews as things came up, but I just want to say that Fanime is the place for you and I hope to see you again in the near future.

Anime Distributors and Others

From licensing Anime of what people love, to supporting Anime clubs and beyond, FUNImation, ADV, and Media Blasters are back this year introducing people to what they have to offer. Whether it is the newly licensed Anime, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi by ADV or Solty Rei and Mushishi by FUNImation, these Anime companies work hard to introduce us to what we want and help further expand the fandom of Anime. I am glad they came back from their absences in 2006 and I hope they will continue to bring us what we love by making their appearances next year with something new to talk about out.

Look at these happy people from FUNimation ready to introduce one of the many Anime they have to offer.

Aside from Anime companies, the people who created, the popular game, Gaia online, showed up. This year Gaia had a huge space as well as an autograph session in the gaming room, Exhibit Hall #3, where fans of Gaia gathered together through arrangements with their respective clan and took group photos. If you are a fan of Gaia, be sure to check them out next time they swing by.

Looks like the Gaia is giving away prizes to lucky wheel spinners.

The autograph session of Gaia seems like a hit!

Black and White Ball

One of the newer events this year is the black and white ball where people hit the dance floor to show off their fancy footwork. Whether it is disco or techno, this semi-formal dance event gave people the opportunity to ‘let loose’ from the hectic day while having fun dancing with the person next to him. Like any other dance (yes, I remember high school from a while ago still), there were chairs and drinks with snacks provided in case people overexerted themselves a little. After a quick rest, it’s back to dancing the night away! A very unique event which would definitely draw more people in the future… that is… if they can dance the dance.

The night is young so dance your hearts out!

Karaoke Contest

Do not fear, Simon did not go and crash this annual Karaoke competition where contestants made their way up stage one by one to sing their favorite Anime song. From Kotoko to Dragon Ball Z, these eager singers nervously stood on stage and gave it their all to the audience. This event was not characterized with how well one can sing but more so on whether one is brave enough to face the challenge regardless of what people think so long as the person enjoyed doing it. Throughout the dozens of contestants who went up, there were moments of awe and moments of laugher. But whatever the reactions were, appreciation for these brave people was felt as they went up on stage to sing for the crowd of faces. And in the end of the competition, the winner received the chance to open up the ceremony of Masquerade with a song of her choice.

One of our brave contestants singing a Rozen Maiden song.

MusicFest

MusicFest took place throughout the week of the convention with many artists making their appearances from ZZ to MECHANiCAL PANDA. Stepping into a concert hall was a first for me as I experienced the chest vibrating, ear ringing (which eventually felt like someone poured lava down my ear), and ground shaking affects which stuck with me well after the concerts ended. Overall though, MusicFest was a big success this year as I watched the many people jump up and down, screaming with excitement. I must admit it takes a little getting used to, but for a newbie first time attendee it was still very enjoyable as I got caught ‘ in the moment’ a few times myself.

Here are some members of MECHANiCAL PANDA. Great performance!

Stage Zero and The Live Auction

Stage Zero is back for a second time this year along with AMVs, Music Videos, and even a live auction event. The money from this live auction, as well as the silent auction, goes on to support cancer research. The items ranged from a Digi-Carat box with the DVDs signed by none other than Sanada-san and a Murder Princess autographed board with a custom drawing signed by Sekihiko Inui. From $3 to over $1,000, the live auction was nothing short of exhilaration.

Here is a fun little AMV event for people to jump up and start singing to the music

Here we have up for bid… a hat!

Anime Screening Rooms and Others

As always, Fanime put up a great deal of effort to provide a well rounded selection of programs for the people ranging from Anime such as Bokura Ga Ita to Code Geass and onto the more mature themed genres such as Yuri and Hentai. Whether you want to check out what is new this season (or last) or are plagued with insomnia, the screening rooms is a great place to assuage your mind, giving your hours of entertainment throughout the night.

Down this path lies the true path… of the different screening rooms of course. What did you think I was going?

Masquerade

One of the highlights of Fanime is the Masquerade event which took place Sunday night as hundreds of people packed the San Jose’s Center of Performing Arts waiting to watch one of the many original performances put up by cosplayers. In case Masquerade is not too familiar with you, it is an event which involves cosplayers who perform various acts they make up with originality attached. It can range from an original song and dance to a skit from a variety of Anime. It can be funny, serious, sad, or even ridiculous. But like any Masquerade in the past, this year’s performance is nothing short of expectacular.

Our judges for Masquerade.

A Fullmetal Alchemist “broadway show” of wanting to be humans.

Here is a Card Captors Sakura short skit. Looks like they are making fun of a certain person…

Look! THe Ouran Cast! They never looked better in person than they do now.

WHat evil scheme could she be plotting..

Cosplay
And what Anime convention would be complete without our cosplayers? These people spent their time and made a suitable costume for Fanime. Whether it involved days or hours, the results were nothing less than impressive.

Oh no watch out Mikuru! Haruhi is up to something again!

Faye took from time to drop by and say hello. I wonder how much parking was for her…

Whatever you do, just make sure you don’t step on her after she transforms…

Still chasing after Kira even as far as Fanime aren’t you Misa?

Pay very close attention to Suiseiseki’s eyes…

Afterthoughts

Unlike my 3 previous appearances at Fanime, this was the first year where I was able to stay for 4 days and attend a few more events that time had permitted me. These long yet fleeting 4 days were filled with fun, excitement, work, and joy as I cruised from the dealers room to the musicfest and beyond, spending and cherishing every moment and memory that tags along. But with praises also come the criticisms. For one, the program guide did not make it to people on time who was present to pick up their badge. Only later was there an incomplete and scattered black and white copy as a substitute. But while a few people I asked were a bit upset, it did not seem to be a major problem as information booths this year did a great job in directly people and keeping the overall coherency of the public.

Another problem which affected me personally and caused a bit of disappointment was the general confusion with scheduling regarding panels and guests of honor. I was unable to meet with either Sanada-san or Yamaga-san for their autograph session or interview due to cancellations and ambiguities with the time or place. Although my personal disappointment has been assuaged, the main problem at hand involves the sentiments of the guests of honor who come from as far as Japan to meet both loyal and prospective fans. Now of course I was not part of guest relations and do not really know how things go down with that, I am worried our guests will pack their bags and leave without returning to Fanime. How sad would it be to see Yamaga-san, who had been committed to Fanime for many years, not return?

The fans who attended Fanime this year were truly something. I honestly don’t think I have seen more immaturity then I did during some of my encounters. For example, while riding down the elevator from the 9th floor, some person decided to act ’smart’ and tried to pack as many people into it as possible, with me in the middle of it, until the overweight alarm went off. An action this was not funny and can be quite dangerous. Also, glomping has become somewhat of a problem as unsuspecting people get tackled to the ground by a massive person who is too open to his expressions for his own good. Whether it’s Fanime or not, there needs to be the same level of respect for that person who is the victim of being tackle or even hurt from that very action. Again, this is not acceptable. And just because you think many people don’t mind being ‘glomped’, there are a few who do and those are the people who should not be discriminated due to one’s own selfishness. Luckily for me, I did not get glomp nor do I want some unknown person to glomp me without my consent. It is called respect. Learn that concept for those who have not. When it comes down to all of this, I question why some even attend this convention at all. To play arcades? To play magic the gathering? To just meet people and talk? Whatever the motives are, I am not the one to judge and say what he or she should do properly at this type of convention. But I do know one thing and that is you are the people who are attending and representing the image of Anime fans whether or not you realize it or not. All the running and screaming and ‘acting’ up does not promote any type of integrity let alone self respect. And while I sound like a teacher or a mother right now, I am not telling anyone what they should do. I am simply pointing out that one needs to realize what he or she is doing sometimes and ask if it is a responsible action.

Other than those minor things, I had a lot of fun this year meeting new people and talking about Anime. Honey and Clover II was a nice addition to the program, following the showing of Honey and Clover in Fanime 2006. The dealers room, as mentioned, provided a great deal of merchandise ( for me anyways) even though complaints were heard regarding dealers not providing Anime OSTs and so forth. I guess we can not always have what we want. Maybe next year you will find what are you looking for. The cosplays were also pretty decent as people dressed up in less mainstream stuff and slowly introduced the lesser known Anime treasures only old timers stay faithful to. Kudos to those who dedicated their time in making their costumes and I hope you come back next year even more spectacular when I make my return again. I hope this year has been a fun experience for you all and I hope to see what Fanime cooks up for 2008. Till 2008!

~Robert Lu

Special Section to The Registration Team, The Team I Worked With

This year, I decided to take on the responsibility of being a staff member as part of the registration team in order to provide a small outlook on what it took to make Fanime possible. For those who do not know what registration is responsible for, we stuffed your bags full of goodies, organized the pre-registration badges before you came so you could pick it up without delay, registered the pre-registration people as they come, made sure the line did not pile up when people are in line by creating sections, made badges for people who were on-site registration, and made sure everything went as smoothly as possible. There was an incredible amount of dedication involved as we worked towards not how long we were there but when we were there when we were needed. Sometimes one of us had to work for as much as 6 hours without stopping and if not more especially on Saturday when the lines were piling up faster than our ability to process the information. It was both a hard and fulfilling task at the same time. And while I made a few mistakes and got scolded on occasion, I did not regret a single moment of my time spent helping out registration. It was one thing to attend Fanime as a fan, but it was another when you were part of helping to make this convention happen. The faces of people you saw as they moved about the line, eager to go in provided a sense of responsibility as you help inch the line closer for them with each passing person. But it was not one person’s responsibility or burden to carry as we all worked as a team supporting each other and taking each others place when we needed a brief lunch break. In my case, I ate once a day for the first 3 days of the convention, eating dinner at 10PM at the closest McDonalds. I am sure many ate only once a day as well. I talked with a lot of people there and in the end, my very presence felt very comfortable. I want to take this time to acknowledge the hard working people who have been there this year and the previous years and say this was a very positive and satisfactory experience for me. I hope more people will find that obligation and experience something unforgettable.

Q/A With Antonio Eco

Here is a special Q&A with Antonio Eco, Head of Registration:

1. What is the best part of working as head of registration and what is the hardest part?

There are many ways we can improve registration, but what is feasible for next year is limited to what resources we have available. I’m still working on different ways to improve everything for both the attendee and the staff. Unfortunately, I won’t reveal how we are changing things, but I am excited about the upcoming changes.

Thank you for answering these questions and I look forward to next year. We appreciate your hard work.

Our staffs do their best in keeping an orderly line.

People patiently waiting for their turn to recieve their shiny badge.

Our team members occupied with serving the people who are registering for the convention.

My Own Little Hedgehog’s Dilemma

‘You have two hours for the final…and…BEGIN!’. With these words, I started my Biology II final on the last day of my stay in Iowa City. Now, rewind time two to three weeks before any finals even started…

It was around the end of April, near the beginning of May when I decided to check up on information regarding Fanimecon 2006. Initially, I had thought I missed the early registration and uncertain of whether I would even make it back from school to attend the convention. When I found out I did not miss early registeration my dilemma was realized: should I do early registration or consider not going due to how unsettle I would be right when I get back home? I thought about it for a bit and decided to see what happens when I get home. So I put that thought over my shoulders and began studying for my classes. Now fastfoward time two or three weeks to when I was taking my Biology II final…

‘Five more minutes. Please finish up and bring your ID to your TA’. I stood up, handed in my exam, and left the room.

Pre-Fanimecon

Back home in California, half of my time was spent outside in the sun and half of the time inside. It was during my time inside where I did my investigation on Fanimecon and the different events taking place. After a bit more searching, I got in contact with a staff member working at Fanimecon who told me a few more things which convinced me to go. It was funny because I decided on going only three days before the start of the event. Anyways, with that decided, I reached into my pocket for whatever money I had left ($60) and pulled out my debit card to withdraw $80 of my $100 I had. I remember going to Fanimecon 2004 and having at least $400 after the badge fee. This year, I had less than $150 and I am without a badge. Luckily, my dad told me he was going to give me $50 on that day for whatever. In addition, there was a bucket full of coins so I took advantage of that as well. The question of taking pictures also came up but soon solved when my dad allowed me to use his $1000 camera. With that, I was able to take a bunch of great pictures which I will show later on. The night before the convention was nerve wreaking and I was supposed to wake up at 7:00AM and get there at 8:00AM. So I told myself to get at least 6 hours of sleep. However, It turned out I got about only three.

Friday: Day One at Fanimecon

At 7:10AM, I was rudely woken up by my cell phone alarm. After I few moans and groans, I got dressed and packed my camera into my bag along with a few bottles of water. Water and food was apparently really expensive at this convention so I took the necessary precautions and brought own. At around 7:30AM, my dad came back and told me to hurry because he had to get to work soon (my car was back in Iowa). So without a minute to waste, I hopped into the car and we were off. On the way, my dad gave me the money he promised and told me to get something to eat outside. I arrived in San Jose and the convention center at around 8:30AM.

Helping Out For the Better Good

Inside the lobby, there were two lines: one for the pre-registered and one for the not. So there I stood in the line for the not and waited for almost an hour. For some reason, the line went slower than I had anticipated. But maybe it was because of my excitement. After I purchased a badge for only Friday, I took one last glace at the registration booth and went inside. But to my surprise *drum roll*… nothing was happening. No dealer room, no e-gaming room, no nothing! I ran to the counter and picked up a schedule and saw that everything except for video rooms were closed until noon or 2:00PM. Now, what on earth am I going to do for 4-5 hours before everything was opened? A few nights before Fanimecon, I was told that volunteers were needed and that people who helped for 5 hours were refunded their badge money. Since I had nothing to do for hours and figured I needed a bit more money for this event, I headed towards the volunteer room on the third floor of the Marriot where I signed up and picked up my volunteer badge. With my trusty pink sheet of paper to give to the staff in charge, I headed towards Video Room 1 for whatever awaited me for 5 none stop hours.

It was now almost 10:45AM and my job was to stand outside the door checking other people’s badge. Sounds fun doesn’t it? Well, as it turned out, Video Room 1 was the panel room where guest speakers came. The first guest speaker was Asami who turned out to be the voice actress of Chizuko in Mahoromatic! I had the pleasure of serving her water and listening to her impersonations of various Anime characters. Basically all morning was a blast and even the executive producer of Gainax came to speak during a Q/A. Before I knew it, it was 3:15PM and my 5 hours of service was done. I headed back to the Staff room and was told I had to come back on Monday to receive my money back. The thought of coming back for $25 is not even worth the gas money so I made a proposition to the head staff: instead of me coming back for my money, why don’t I just come back on Saturday and pay no entrance fee? He accepted. Whether I had planned it or not, I was coming back the next day for free!

Registration early in the morning. What a line.

With my badge and volunteer stuff, I was off.

See this room? Pretty boring no? It was all mine to look at for 5 hours.

Oh my God! It’s Asami and some Gainax representatives!


Exploration and the Cost of Hunger

Now with both the dealers and e-gaming room opened, I was ready to make my move. It was a tough choice but hell, I’m here for the Anime and off to the dealers room I went. The room was bigger than I had anticipated and there were dozens of dealers. And even though I was tempted to buy everything, I knew I only had $175 in my pocket. Sounds like a lot of money, but if you’ve been to an Anime convention before, you know that that amount is insignificant. A lot of the things at Anime conventions are extremely overpriced. For example, DVDs were $20 and Manga was about $8 each. I was convinced that buying DVDs and Manga was not a good idea. Soon did I realize how much I contradict myself. As I walked around the huge room, I took pictures of many cosplayers and some ‘interesting’ things being sold. In addition to dealers, there were also various company booths such as ‘Red vs Blue’, ‘Gaia’, ‘International Group Inc.’, ‘Janime’ (which is a new Anime magazine coming out), and many more. For about 2 hours, I walked around taking pictures and shifting through some of the merchandise until hunger struck me. First thing that came up in my head was ‘uh…oh’ followed by my worried fingers running through the wad of cash in my pocket. As I approached the food stand, nothing I saw was a surprise. With that said, I bought some Nachos, sat down to cool my head, and headed into the E-gaming room (Hooray!)

Look how pretty…

Manga Manga everywhere…but not a single to buy.

Look at all the good stuff there is..

Anime cels anyone? But make sure your wallet isn’t beat up.

I wish I could have spun that wheel. I had to buy something though…

Dinner time! Let’s see what’s on the menu…

$2 for milk? Those cows must be from a royal blood line…

Hahahah…*punches stomach*… you stop growling at me.

Yeah….no. But I couldn’t just starve.

Quarters of Fun at E-Gaming

The E-gaming area was also extremely huge with more room than anyone can possibily want. Even with the arcades, PCs, and consoles hooked up to about 30+ TV sets, there was still about 2/3 of empty space. They had every game you can possibily think of from GGXX to DDR to Megaman on the PS2. There was even a Naruto fighting which was quite popular among the Naruto fans. From about 6:00PM to 8:00PM, I camped out around the consoles and arcades and played both free games and arcade games. The one game which I really looked forward to playing was Marvel vs Capcom 2. Fortunately, they had it with new buttons and a huge screen. I felt like I was in heaven all except the people there were really good. So what basically happened was I spent $10 getting my ass whooped and vice-versa to everyone else. Also, I played Halo on the console against this little kid and man… it was not pretty. I almost made him cry so I decided to ‘lose’ to him because I’m just that nice of a guy..^__^..that and I’m also probably 8+ years older than him. Anywho, little did I know I was going to get some deals that happen only so rarely.

Smash Bros: Melee anyone?

Not too big of an arcade place but had all the right games.

Halo…*cracks knuckles*…maybe not today.

Me on the right with the 16 game winning streak and still going…

A picture after I lost my 17 game winning streak to the guy on the left..lol……bastard.

Cheap as Toilet Paper?

It was around 9:00PM when I noticed some activities going on around the empty space in the room. I decided to check out what all the comotion was about. If I had only read the schedule I would have realized it was a swap meet! Of all the things one can hope for, swap meet is one of them. Basically, Anime fans or just people with Anime or Manga bring their own stuff to sell. Unlike dealers, the price of items are low. Just how low you ask? How about 3 Manga for $5? Or how about DVDs for $5 each? No joke. This was what I was waiting for. As an Ebay obessionist ( I know it’s not a word), I am shocked with some cheap things I found. In the end, I bought 16 Manga for $27 and 19 DVDs for $80 to a total of $107! A little crazy I know but for all the stuff I got, it was worth it. By 10:30PM, I felt the fatigue kicking in and realized that I have not sat down for more than 14 hours so I decided to call it a day. My ride came at around 11:00PM and with even better prospects for the day to come, I left for home.

3 Manga for $5? Wait a minute? Whaaa?!?!?

$5 a DVD? Am I in a dream?

Here was all the stuff I bought…

Evangelion vols 1-6 for $10… nice deal.

Steam Detectives vols 1-6 and Nausicaa vols 1-4 for $17….heh.

Stellvia vols 1-8 with all the stuffings for $40.

Whatever else I got. All these DVDs cost me $40. The guy gave me Scrapped Princess and Saiyuki for free after negotiations.

There is Always Another Day…Seriously

Lying in bed the same night (actually now 2:00AM), I realized I isolated myself to only the dealer’s room and the E-gaming room. So tomorrow I was determined to dedicate myself in finding all the free stuff like posters and postcards and look into other events that I have been missing. With that, I dozed off and slept like I was in a coma.

It was pretty late at night. Sheeps are jumping over everyones’ head by now.

Saturday: Day Two at Fanimecon

At 10:30AM, my cell phone alarm once again screamed through my ears as I slowly crawled out and got dressed, half ready for the day to come. Today was somewhat of a better day because for one, I got about 8 hours of sleep. In addition to that, I was also going to be able to get a badge for free because of the volunteer hours I did. After a quick breakfast, I was on my way again and arrived at around 12:00PM where things were just getting underway.

The Mission Impossible!

As mentioned, Friday night was Swap Meet night and I picked up a load of things for an unbelievable discount. However, I took a gamble with 2 DVDs I bought. They were Koi Kaze vols 2 and 3. The guy didn’t have vol 1 so this mission (should I choose to accept), will be to look for Koi Kaze vol 1 in the DEALERS room for a cheap price. See why the mission that was so impossible? Anyways to start off, there were not too many DVD dealers to begin with. I saw maybe about 4 or 5 major DVD sellers if that. Sadly, only one of those booth had Koi Kaze vol 1 for an amazing price of…$25? I gave the guy a look and moved on with my search. About another 30 minutes, I was about to give up until I caught the color of the DVD case that looked smiliar to Koi Kaze from the corner of my eye at a $10 DVD table. I spun around and picked it up. What did you know… it was Koi Kaze vol 1, the only vol there was in that box of random DVDs!

Mission Status: Success

My precious…*hugs DVD*

Be Proud of Freeloading

After this, I thought it would be a good idea to look for some free stuff while I am here since I did pay $25 for a badge the day before. As I walked around, I snapped a few more pictures here and there. In the end, I did grab a few free postcards and posters and even a little fan for my cooling pleasures. Nearing 3:00PM, I decided to call being at the dealers room off and began exploring other sections that I missed. The first stop I made was to the Karaoke room.

Freeloading never felt any better especially when it comes to Anime.

‘American Idol’ Meets Anime Fans

The Karaoke room was a big room composed of a stage platform and a few hundred chairs. When I was nearing the entrance, I knew they were already starting as I heard voices coming through. To be honest, this was probably one of the worst part of the convention so far. You might be thinking ‘There must have been cute Japanese vocalist up there performing with speaker sounds crescendoing along the walls and flashing lights’. Now, try to imagine American Idol tryouts and there you go. There were a lot of mediocre voices, some decent voices, and few good sounding voices. But then again, people were there just having fun and despite the agony of hearing some of the off tempo notes, I still ended up enjoying and clapping along to a song or two. By now, it was about 5:30PM and hunger was creeping up on me again. However, I was prepared.

All it Takes is a Brain and $5

After learning my lesson the hard way on Friday about the expenses of food, I bought food at a Burger King before I went to the convention. The fries were cold and so was my Whopper. But at least my wallet was happy for the time being and so was I. I swallowed my last piece of cold meat and bun and headed in the direction of the fashion show.

Lady in Red….and White…and Green

The fashion show was spectacular with people dressed up in enough colors and variety to make even the most conceited looking peacocks jealous. For about an hour, people walked along the stage and showed off their thing. I don’t know what real fashion shows look like but this was pretty interesting to see happen. Sadly, I didn’t take any pictures.

Video Rooms and Beyond…

As I left the fashion show room, Akira was just beginning to show in Video Room 2 so I decided to just watch the movie for the time being and see if there was another Swap Meet at 9:00PM. Suprisingly, there were quite a number of people watching too since I assumed every Anime fan had seen it at one time or another. But when I began to watch, I found myself drawn to finish watching it even though I’ve seen it before. I didn’t think too much of the movie when I watched it 6 years ago. I guess maybe nostalgia was a factor.

Before the movie finished, I realized it was 9:00Pm so I rushed back to see if Swap Meet was going on again. As it turned out, Swap Meet was only Thursday and Friday. With the dissapointing news, I headed back to the arcades to finish off my night at around 10:00PM

Lastly, cosplay pictures!!

I hope those swords weren’t too sharp.

Question: Guy or Girl? Answer: We will never know.

Bat boy…errr…make it girl..

I actually have no idea who she is supposed to be. Still great cosplayer nevertheless.

Here we have a picture of the mascot of Janime, a new Anime magazine coming out in Japan. I approve!

So cute… and I’m a guy saying this. *Slaps self in the face*..

In case anyone is wondering what that says: ‘ Will hack for beer: fear 807′…lol

Pocky never looked any better…

Funny little Excel Saga cosplayer. Poor Menchi...*eats a Menchi dog*...Grade A.

Vash on the left looks like he stuck his head out during the plane ride to Fanimecon.

At this rate, Kingdom Hearts will be the new Anime with fans like these.

Captain Planet! He’s Our Hero!…

Afterthoughts and Prospects for Next Year

While I did enjoy this year’s Fanimecon, there were a few things missing and problems I felt I should point out. First of all, there were no Anime companies representing themselves this year. I remember Fanimecon 2004 had Central Park Media, FUNImation, and ADV handing out posters and doing raffles and taking comments from Anime fan. As Anime is becoming increasingly popular in America, one would imagine the companies licensing those Anime would do what they can to promote them and reach out to people who are interested but just need a push in the right direction. My hopes for next year would be for more Anime company representatives to be present and promote their products. When I think about it, there was a booth handing out America movie posters such as ‘Silent Hill’ and ‘Da Vinci Code’. Not saying was not a considerate thing to do but this is an Anime convention. So where are the Anime representatives? We have representatives promoting Hollywood movies but not Anime? Kind of pathetic if you think about it. Beside the lack of Anime company reps was also the lack of organization which I noticed.

When I was a volunteer on Friday, I remember the first hour or two going really smoothly with not too many problems at hand. However, things started to change as the day progressed starting with the cancelation of the band ‘Up Hold’ due to problems with their equipment. So I ended up just sitting in the empty room for about 30 minutes doing nothing. As if things can not get any worse, another band called ‘Goofy Style’ came in with only ONE person waiting to meet them. How sad was it to see the number of band members out number the number of fans? They were shortly excused and so I sat there for another hour chatting with a tech staff member. He told me a few things about how corrupted some of the staff members were and how some just sign up for staff in order to get in for free were they never take care of the responsiblities given to them. Also, the dealers room was supposed to be opened at noon but got held back to 2:00PM and Saturday when I came back, no one had any information on the Swap Meet.. Not even the information booth! It was pretty suprising but I am not trying to point fingers here and but the blame on anyone. I’m more of just trying to see what can be done to make things go as smoothly as possible to accommodate the people coming since they are paying a lot of money for this once in a year event. On the contrary, all of the staffs I met and talked to displayed a sense of duty and responsibility. For example, the tech staff of Video Room one told me how he worked from 8:00AM to 9:00PM none stop helping set up equipments. Also, the person in charge of the volunteer room was extremely courteous towards me as I see him go back and forth trying to organize everything. As of now, I am thinking of either applying for staff next year or a media reporter for animesou.com. Only time will tell I guess. With that said, there is also a few things I want to comment about the Anime fans at the convention.

When you go to an event as big as Fanimecon where over 10,000 people show up, you expect a little bit of diversity in the types of cosplayers you would see. For the most part, I saw One Piece, FMA, Trigun, and a lot of Naruto cosplayers. So where was the Gankutsou cosplayer? The Stellvia cosplayer? The Infinite Ryvius cosplayer? Of course I’m not saying the only cosplayers I saw was One Piece and Naruto. I’m trying to say why can’t one of those Naruto cosplayers decide to cosplay as something else and something different that can make another wonder who he is supposed to be? What I like doing most is seeing cosplayers which I have no idea who they are then asking them which character they are supposed to be. When you can be unique and make someone wonder about your identity, you are successful in making yourself ‘original’ and unique. But people can dress up whatever way they want because obviously they have a passion for whatever it may be. But don’t forget you are an Anime fan. If you choose to isolate yourself to a single Anime then where is the diversity? The meaning of Anime should not hold in one show. So even though Naruto might be your favorite show, cosplaying as something new and unique to diversify Anime can be benefical to future fans. I may sound ignorant saying all of this because I myself have never cosplayed so I don’t know the mind set of a cosplayer. But as a Anime fan, I feel like I can relate to this subject and talk about it. Last but not least, I want to talk about the Anime they showed in the screening room.

This year, half of the Anime that was shown was licensed and half fansubs. I didn’t have a problem with that. However, I wish they would have squeezed Monster or Gankutsou in the fansub screening part. I was extremely happy to see a Honey and Clover marathon. You have no idea how much deciding to show that made my day. All in all, I was pleased with what they decided to screen this year. I just hope next year those Anime which deserves attention would get some. For example Princess Tutu, Junkers Come Here, The Cat Returns, Voices of a Distant Star, The Promised Place Beyond the Cloud, and even She and Her Cat. These last three works mentioned are all by Makoto Shinkai who is working his way up in the food chain in the Anime industry. I wanted to take this time to acknowledge his success and works up to now.

Overall though, I had a great time. I met some people which I knew in high school and some other interesting people to talk to. So yeah, I would say Fanimecon 2006 was a huge success besides the little minor things that happened. I looked forward to next year where I hope to see even more Anime fans turn out. Next time if you know of an Anime con coming up, be sure to check it out if not the the merchandise then for the experience of just being there. It’s a feeling you don’t feel anywhere else. Till next year~

Anime Expo 2005 website
http://www.anime-expo.org/

Volunteer website
http://ax-vol.us/

It was something I always kept in the back of my mind. Through the encouragement of my school friends, I finally committed myself to the idea of attending the Anime Expo this year held in Anaheim, California from July 1 through July 4. Every anime fan at least once in his or her lifetime has to take a trip to an anime convention similar to how every believer of Islam must make a pilgrimage to Mecca. I pre-registered for all four days (all-con) sending the check for $45 by mail during the last week of May. What’s more is I decided to go for the full experience and signed up online to be one of the expo volunteers. Weeks went by and I didn’t get a confirmation until two weeks before the start of the expo. Already I was getting pre-con worries -

> As a volunteer I requested ‘Crash Space’ as part of my application. They tell you to bring your own sleeping bag and pillow. Then they warn that no one is guaranteed crash space, and crash space will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis. Crash space is not necessarily your own hotel room. You may not even have access to a shower for the extent that you are there (*gasp*).

> Where would I park? To valet park at a hotel you must already have a room. So where could I keep my car until I find out for sure whether or not I will receive crash space? Is there overnight parking? My greatest fear was getting my car towed away.

> For the main events (Anime Music Video Contest, AX Idol, Masquerade, Kotoko and Maaya Sakamoto Concert), tickets are required in order to gain entrance due to the high attendee interest. To obtain your ticket, you have to line-up in Hall E at 1 pm on the day of the event. Do volunteers still need to acquire tickets or if we work the event will we be able to automatically gain free access?

> How much money should I bring? Should I cosplay and if so what character from which anime? On the expo website it gives you a list of programming and the events scheduled for any particular day. Which events should I see?

I got an e-mail from Jeannie Kim the Volunteer Services Manager ten days before the start of the Anime Expo. It read that they are sponsoring pre-con beginning at 10 AM Thursday June 30th. There would also be a mandatory orientation meeting at the Veranda Room of the Marriott Hotel the same day at 7 PM. June 30th is what I like to call Day 0. Even though the expo doesn’t officially start until July 1st, people could line up and pick up their name tags / badges from 4 PM until 10 PM. It would be an easy way for me to knock out some hours before the start of the convention. All-con volunteers are required to complete a minimum of 22 hours in order to receive a refund of their registration cost.

So June 30th finally arrives. I wake up at 6 AM, shower, eat breakfast, and at 7 AM take the 91 freeway to the Anaheim Convention Center (ACC). I only live like 45 minutes away. About 8 o’ clock I find myself on Katella Ave and drive around the whole block looking for parking. I go in on Convention Way and see the whole string of hotels: the Hilton, Quality Inn, the Marriott, and the convention center itself. I see a Hilton public parking and figure that this must be the place. I read the sign. $50/day maximum parking fee!! WTF!! I ain’t going here. I wanted to back out but couldn’t since there was a car behind me. I took the ticket and went to the exit. Good thing there was a grace period so I didn’t have to pay anything. So I’m back on Convention Way and I go around and behind the convention center to find parking lot 5. $8/day, not bad but no overnight parking. I drove around the surrounding neighborhoods. No parking without permit unless resident. An hour goes by and somehow I end up at Downtown Disney. I backtracked to Katella Ave and from there entered parking lot 1. I paid my $8, was satisfied, and headed for the Marriott, volunteer headquarters. I would have to move the car someplace else if I was to stay for crash space.

Volunteer HQ
I arrived at 9:30 AM and entered the Veranda room of the Marriott. They told me to wait outside next to the grand piano because they weren’t going to open until 10 AM. I saw half of the volunteers in the office asleep on a couch. Is this how the crash space is going to be like? I waited with ten other people, and some were minors. At 10 AM we all checked in then to our dismay we were told to get the heck out. Yup, absolutely no work for us to do. I had to kill time before the 7 PM mandatory meeting. I contemplated leaving but didn’t want to pay $8 for parking again. I met some new friends Jason, Tom who is a chatterbox but was always talking about something interesting, and ‘DJ-Lain’ who has his own equipment. We lingered around for two hours aimlessly searching for the arcade which was either not set up yet of the doors were closed. We had lunch at the Pizza Hut at the hotel (Tom pointed out that it would have been cheaper if we just ordered from someplace outside and had it delivered to the hotel lobby). At 2 PM we made our way back to volunteer headquarters. They finally had some work for us to do. Evidently the supplier with all the packets was late. Our volunteer 2005 T-shirts were not ready either. They apologized and gave us two hours of work credit.

We were escorted to the ACC 1st floor Hall D, past the exhibition hall where construction workers were still setting up and vendors were readying their wares. My job was to guard the doors making sure that pre-con registrants coming to pick up their tickets early would go around to the main entrance and wait in Hall E. It didn’t really get busy until 4 PM when we started lining up people. There were three lines - one for industry (always the shortest), at-con (those paying $50 for entrance at the door), and those who pre-registered (longest line). Later, they started merging the at-con and pre-con lines. As a volunteer you’re only supposed to sign up for two-hour shifts. I started at 2 PM and didn’t get out of there until 6:30 PM, just in time to make it to the meeting. They were short on volunteer staff it seemed. Not that I minded guarding the door and keeping all the people from peeking into the exhibit hall. It was easier than frantically bag stuffing ^^. That was one of the primary jobs of the minors. Minors are restricted to four public areas including the manga library for safety reasons and can only work a maximum of four hours per day. I did see one of the coolest cosplayers in line and wish I could have taken a picture. It was someone in an Alien costume, you know as in Alien versus Predator, all black with the long head piece and carrying some vial containing blue liquid (Gatorade?).

The registration line, before…

…and after. Now imagine that line spanning 20 times in length and lasting for 4 hours.

At 7 PM was the mandatory meeting where Jeannie the volunteer coordinator explained that all-con volunteers were eligible for two free meals a day, lunch and dinner. On the last day of the expo they would reimburse you for the registration fee. At this point I opted not for crash space and gave up my spot for someone else. We then went back to registration at the fast track industry line (lucky us). I picked up my badge and goodie bag filled with the program list, Shojo Beat magazine, Animerica magazine, Tokyopop Takuhai magazine, and some posters. I left the ACC and drove to Fullerton and ate at my favorite resturant there The Tea Zone (I was really, really hungry. The Time was 9:30 PM). I got myself a mango boba for the ride home and that was the end of Day 0.

Plasma TVs, Oh My~!
My second day was officially launch day of the anime expo, Day 1. Parking was $9 (curse them, raising the price during the event). From 8 AM-12 PM (*sigh* I missed the opening ceremonies) I was helping to transport Geneon’s wide-screen (48 to 52 inch), plasma television sets from the basement of the Marriott to the 2nd floor of the Hilton, California rooms and Workshop 1. Drop them and you will pay dearly :/ It was fun that we were able to use the maintenance elevators, not available to the public but only to hotel staff. It was a little unorganized though. We were tightening bolts by hand and there was only one ratchet. We used a quarter as a screwdriver. But, we got the job done. At 12 PM I went back to volunteer HQ. Lunch was late. We got it around 1 PM. Tom told me that they were Vietnamese sandwiches. They were made with mint leaves, onions, shredded carrots, and tasted tangy. In the meantime we were watching the English dub of Princess Mononoke. At 2 PM I went towards the Hilton California C for the Kotoko Focus Panel.

Kotoko Focus Panel

(Source: http://www.geneon-ent.co.jp/rondorobe/music/kotoko/)

There were over 200 fans that sat down, I among them. It was requested by the jpop star that there were to be no photos and this was strictly enforced. Kotoko arrived through the back (the elevator chute where I was moving TVs earlier). Kotoko had on a white dress, her hair tied in two ponytails. She was wearing a beaded necklace and had a shawl around her shoulders. She came with her own interpreter because she didn’t understand English. After a short introduction, it opened up to two hours of Question and Answer.

Kotoko is a female jpop singer and popular vocalist for I’ve Sound. I’ve Sound is a sound creators team based in Hokkaido, Japan made up of several composers such as Kazuya Takase, Tomoyuki Nakazawa, and C. G. Mix. The group provides the tunes to many video games and anime series. In 2004, she released her first major album label ‘Hane’. Her September concert last year in Tokyo sold out within the first five minutes of ticket sales. Kotoko is not only a vocalist but composes her own lyrics. Her style varies from slow heart felt tones to upbeat techno and high-tension rock songs. In my opinion, she’s a mix of Every Little Thing, Ayumi Hamasaki, and Utada Hikaru. Some of Kotoko’s well known anime songs are: Shooting Star - the opening theme of Onegai Sensei (Please Teacher), Second Flight - the opening theme of Onegai Twins (Please Twins), Re-sublimity and Agony - the opening theme and ending theme to Kannaduki no Miko respectively, and Suppuration -core- the insert song to Kannaduki no Miko. Kotoko’s song ‘Wing My Way’ is the official theme song for Anime Expo 2005.

Miscellaneous Information
Birthday: January 19
Blood type: A
First Appearance: Pure Heart (lyrics), Close to me (vocals)
Likes: rabbits, turtles, maple syrup, cherries, strawberries, the sea, Snoopy (Knotts Berry Farm)
Dislikes: dark places, ghosts, food with vinegar

On to the questions. The first went along the lines of what Kotoko would like to convey to her listeners with her music. ‘A difficult question,’ she responded. Whatever goes on in her mind, the images that she sees, those are what she tries to convey. Someone asked the differences between writing a song for a video game or anime as opposed to an album. In a game or anime she values the view of the world presented in the game scenario or anime. For her own music, she thinks of her own worldview. Kotoko called the next guy a stalker, hehe.

Another question was how Kotoko became associated with I’ve Sound. At the Haura music school, she was introduced to I’ve Sound by an associate Eiko Shimamiya. Does she miss the good old days of being part of a smaller studio? Kotoko modestly admits that she is not a big star yet. For her it still feels the same. She can continue to make music with friends.

The next might be a spoiler for Kannaduki no Miko. In the opening theme song Re-sublimity, from whose point of view is the song being sung from? Whenever Kotoko does a song for an anime it is important that she read through the script first. At first glace it seems as if the song is done by Chikane-chan. But if you look closely, the lyrics fit any of the characters.

Do you play your own games and watch the animes that you have been a part of? About the games…(laughter)…Kotoko has a Macintosh computer so she can’t play most of them. However, other people she works like her director with play them for her. But she does watch all the animes on TV.

As to what one song she cares about the most, it would have to be ‘Chi ni Kaeru’ - On the Earth, the opening song for Starship Operators. Of course, Kotoko loves all her songs. Her single was released before the anime series but the director liked it so it was used in Starship Operators. But, the song for the anime series has a slightly different arrangement. The version for the anime featured a full orchestra and is more astounding.

For the song Re-sublimity the person’s friend couldn’t believe that it was all done by Kotoko. Her response was that ‘No I’m not two people.’

In her free time when she is not at work, aside from watching movies, Kotoko enjoys idling on the home shopping network on TV :P.

Couple of the fans asked their questions in Japanese. One made Kotoko say Kyun-Kyun~! in reference to her appreciate of Dempa songs. Dempa music is electro tuned with magnetic waves radiating and is said to be the music of crazy people. It may in fact make people turn crazy.

There was a general question as to where Kotoko gets the inspiration for her music. If it is an anime or game then from the original source. For her own songs, mostly from nature, the scenery of Hokkaido from where she lives. Verses with just come to her mind sometimes while in the bathtub.

An interesting question was if Kotoko would consider being a voice actress for an anime. During the opening ceremonies she said the professionals were going at it. Kotoko has no formal voice actor training so she didn’t want to intrude. If she were to become a voice actress she would want to go through the same rigorous training.

Will Kotoko have a US tour? ‘Thank you very much.’ But sadly she has no plans for US concerts. But she would love to. Marriage proposals…. ‘none yet….yet…’ said her interpreter (he told his friends jokingly how he wanted to pop the question to Kotoko himself, not likely).

My overall impression of her is that she seemed ordinary just like you and I. Yet when I saw her on stage the next day she seemed far from ordinary. She was a whole different person, remote, distant, regal, a star. She was Kotoko the performer in all her glory.

Anime Music Video (AMV) Contest
At 4:30 PM I was once again doing my volunteer duties. I was stationed at the 3rd floor of the ACC and had to be the bearer of bad news :( My partner and I had to shoo people away that had already begun lining up for the AMVs, which were to begin seating at 6 PM. We had to tell everybody to go back down the escalators to the 1st floor to Hall E, back to that dreaded registration line. There were two lines, one for those people who picked up tickets earlier and the other for standby. The color of the ticket designated where you were to sit (red = front, yellow = middle front, green = middle back, blue = back). At 7 PM there was a third line, which was more of a crowd that included those with and without tickets that huddled outside the 3rd floor ballroom. We formed a perimeter out of pink tape. Once everyone who waited at Hall E was inside we would allow those standing around the perimeter access, those with tickets first then everyone else. To my amazement, there was more than enough seating for everyone. Next to each of the designated colored doors we were stamping your wrists and handing out voting ballots and those mini pencils without an eraser you get for doing standardized tests at school. You were to vote for your favorite music video for each category ranging from drama to comedy. The AMVs didn’t kick off until 8:30 PM. Before showing any of the contenders’ videos, they first showed the music video that malfunctioned and could not be shown last year.

In the drama category what got my vote was ‘Tear Stained Hearts’ done to the song Hear You Me which featured all the love relationships from various anime series. Some examples are Kenshin and Tomoe, Hatori and Kana-chan in Fruits Basket, and both Shuji and Akemi and Shuji and Chise in Saikano. ‘Full Circle,’ done to the Evanescence song Haunted, is an Inuyasha tribute to Kikyo. ‘Run’ with the song Run (keeping it simple) emphasized Claude and Lavi’s relationship in Last Exile. At the end of each category was a recap of all the entrants. Each video was 3-5 minutes in length and there were eight videos per category. The winners were to be announced at the anime expo website. While watching the videos I was eating dinner - BBQ beef with rice and salad (no dressing).

Everyone will probably hate me for this but personally I’m not that much of an anime music video fan. They just seemed to be clips from favorite anime series played to different music backgrounds. I liked Euphoria done to RahXephon, Kotoko’s Suppuration -core- music video for Kannaduki no Miko, and the opening videos to the Studio-E.go! PC H-games because they include spectacular special effects, putting clips in different layers and intermixing them, and varying the shades of colors. Those are how music videos should be! Of course that would mean spending more time and effort. I guess my expectations are too high. I imagine anime music videos to be the equivalent to the opening animation sequences of anime series like Chrno Crusade. The clips for Bleach had to have been taken from either the fansubs or simply the Japanese raws minus the dialogue. In Naruto, the battle between Rock Lee and Gaara was probably ripped from HK DVDs. I left the ACC after the drama category, sorry. They saved the best category, comedy, for last and I didn’t want to stick around past midnight for it to finish. I figured traffic would be heavy at the end anyways seeing that everyone would be rushing to leave the expo afterwards.

At night outside you can see people pretending to battle one another with their Star Wars light sabers. In the distance, fireworks were igniting at Disneyland.

Arcade
The morning of July 2 I decided to check out the arcade at the Marriott Solon E. Let me just say that it’s the best arcade in town. It had all the hottest games. There were two Dance Dance Revolution Extreme machines set up although the price was expensive ($1 for only 3 songs, at my school it’s 50 cents for 4 songs). There were plenty of tables and chairs to rest on. It had all the fighting games - Street Fighter: 3rd Strike, Marvel versus Capcom 2, Guilty Gear XX, racing games like Initial D and Max Tune 2, Time Crisis 3, Metal Slug 5, and my personal favorite Puzzle Fighter. There was also air hockey. At 10 AM I headed towards the Hilton, Workshop 1 (one of the rooms I helped to station TVs in) for the Kimono Demonstration.

Kimono Demonstration
Starting at 10 AM and ending at 11 AM, Osako Tanaka-sensei first demonstrated the process in dressing a male model, not nude ^^, in ‘Montsuki’ (formal men’s attire). Afterwards, one of her students dressed a female model, actually her own daughter, in a dazzling ‘Furisode’ (kimono for single women). You have to put on socks (’tabi’) first because once you have the kimono on you can’t bend over. While dressing, every component has to be the right length and must be adjusted to the height of the individual person. Kimonos are not something that can be put on in a rush. Only with tremendous skill can one put on a kimono by themselves. Like a foreign language you have to practice the process or else you will forget it.

Some Hina’s history cultural information about kimonos for you. Kimono translates literally to ‘clothing’ and refers to traditional native Japanese wrap-around garment worn by both men and women bound by a sash called ‘obi’. Kimonos lack buttons and have to be tied with fabric and strings. A kimono can be divided into parts: ’sode’ (sleeve), ‘eri’ (collar), ‘ushiromigoro’ (main back section), ‘doura’ (inner lining of the kimono body), and ‘maemigoro’ (main front section), Today, kimonos are worn primarily for social and ceremonial events and in the performing arts. The type of kimono worn reflects the occasion, the season, the setting, and the time of day. It was mentioned during the demonstration that long sleeve kimonos denoted singles while short sleeve meant married status. It is said that the kimono’s most enduring virtue is to reveal the wearer’s inner nature.

At the end Tanaka-sensei dressed two of the audience members, one male and one female, in a ‘yukata’ (an unlined summer kimono). Yukatas were originally worn before and after bathing by members of the upper class. By the Edo period, they became a standard of warm weather attire for the common people. It was funny, when they asked for a female volunteer from the audience one girl immediately ran on stage despite not being picked yet even though others were still eagerly raising their hands. She got her wish. For the male, it had to be someone small in stature.

Tanaka-sensei teaches from her home in Los Alimitos. Her store is located in Fountain Valley where you can rent or buy kimonos. For more information please visit her homepage Maruhachi-usa.com

Geneon Kotoko Concert
At 1 PM I volunteered for the Kotoko live-concert. I along with seven other volunteers went up to the main events halls of the ACC, 3rd floor. There seemed to have been some mishap. It was questionable whether or not it would be a ticketed event like the AMVs. People just gathered and lined up at the rear entrance. AX staffers were communicating with one another and the eight of us were stranded with nothing to do for 30 minutes. We were hungry, no lunch yet, and the only thing we can do to pass the time was to tell each other our favorite anime series. For a while, we were assigned to make a barricade around LP-2, room 304 and cleared out the elevators. No one was able to pass us be they AX Staff or restroom cleaners. Supposedly the guest of honor Kotoko was going to enter through there. She didn’t. She must have entered through an employee chute on the other side. At 3 PM we were all released from our duties, given our lunches, and were able to do as we pleased. The other volunteers weren’t at all interested in Kotoko nor did they know who she was. I went into the hall alone, stuffing my lunch a sandwich again in my bag for later, and enjoyed the show. Again there was no photography allowed although there were people who still brought in their camcorders and were filming during the concert.

The hall was almost completely dark with the only trace of light coming from the large TV screens (nope, didn’t set those up, they were extending from the ceiling). I couldn’t tell when exactly Kotoko appeared on stage. All of a sudden the music started and she was there wearing a cloak, some sort monk outfit or a Jedi Knight gown. It suited her first song ‘Suppuration -core-’.

Kotoko was wearing something similar to what the group Move was wearing above in their music video of ‘Blast My Desire.’ Must be a jpop or rock thing. All you could see was Kotoko’s face and hands.

When the song finished Kotoko striped off her cloak (it tears in two) and began singing ‘Re-sublimity’, the OP theme to Kannaduki no Miko. Kotoko had on a punk outfit wearing a skirt and tie. She had on a white wig. Kotoko didn’t lip sing like Britney Spears but sang alongside her recording. She was off sync at some points.

Cover of Kotoko’s Re-sublimity CD. She really did have white hair on stage. T_T

Kotoko is more of a singer than a dancer. But she does get into her music. I wish there were more lights to fill the entire hall. At instances you can see the red, blue, purple, and white colors flowing from the stage across the hall. After the song, there was a piano accompaniment while Kotoko went off-stage to change. It was pitch black and people were swaying their glowing cell phones. I saw one person waving his Nintendo DS system. LOL Kotoko came out in a purple kimono looking like a miko (shrine maiden). Her hair had streamers in it. She proceeded to sing ‘Chi ni Kaeru’ while the fans were still waving their cell phones. At the end Kotoko bows to an outstanding applause. ‘Thank you for coming,’ Kotoko says. Then she reaches into her kimono sleeve and takes out a piece of paper. ‘Cheat sheet!’ The crowd bursts out laughing. Kotoko sent out her appreciations to everyone and said that the first two songs were to be released by Geneon on CD for the series Kannaduki no Miko. ‘I’m very happy.’ It is her dream to move to Los Angeles someday. Next Kotoko sang Shooting Star, the OP to Onegai Sensei (Please Teacher) followed by the EN song to Kannaduki ‘Agony’.

Kotoko then took the time to introduce her drummers, guitarist, and the sexy dancers (they danced they same way I play DDR teehee). ‘Let’s rock! HEY!! HEY!!’ ‘Lean on the right!’ ‘Lean on the left!’ Kotoko briefly introduces one of her friends Stephanie, the Anime Expo idol that won last year’s contest. She contracted to sing ‘Ningo Hime’ (EN2 to Chobits) for Geneon. One of the audience members screams to Kotoko ‘I LIKE UUUU!!!’ Kotoko replies ‘I LOV AMERICA!’ Kotoko’s final song is ‘Wing My Way,’ the official theme song for Anime Expo 2005. *Clap* *Clap*

My biggest concern about the concert was the people who kept entering and exiting the hall while it was still going on. Secondly, the people who ignored all the warnings and continued to take pictures and record their own videos. We were expelling attendees who didn’t comply with the rules. Some said that it didn’t feel like a real concert because the front row was distanced from the stage. Fans wanted to be up close next to the stage and touch her.

Inside the ACC Exhibit Hall

Kawaii~!!!

Fearsome!

Our proud sponsor ADV Films.

A special showcase dedicated to the anime series Samurai 7. Check out our Watcher Column for details.

The artist alley located at the lower lobby. Hey, it’s our site artist MJ-Battle hard at work

Cosplay Gallery
What may be the highlight of any anime convention is the cosplay. Outside the convention center on Convention Drive was the exclusive cosplay line up with photographers. But you will see cosplayers everywhere on the streets, at the hotels, in and around the ACC itself. There are women dressed up as male leads, and unfortunately men dressed up as women characters. There are people of all sizes both big and small showing cleavage. Some come with homemade weapons and accessories. There were a number of cosplay gatherings for their respective favorite anime and game series - the cast of Bleach and tons of Shinigamis, Naruto ninjas primarily Naruto and Sasuke, Inuyasha, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, Full Metal Alchemist, Kenshin, Xenosaga, Final Fantasy, and Kingdom Hearts.

Misato and one of the Love Hina girls (Naru) wearing a Christmas costume holding Tama-chan.

Tsukasa from .hack//Sign with another character from .hack//Sign and the .hack video games.

He told me that it took him a month to make his outfit.

Sesshoumaru-sama from Inuyasha and Android 17 from DragonBall Z.

Group pictures

The cast of Naruto.

Bleach Shinigamis and Rukia. Not a Love Hina Gathering despite claims.

Also from Bleach, Urahara Kisuke and Company. Boo-hoo.

And let us not forget the greatest, most famous, and even controversial cosplayer of the anime expo - Man-Faye! Sadly or maybe a blessing, I didn’t get to see him, only impersonators. Man-Faye was evidently kicked out of the anime expo last year for selling his own merchandise without a permit right outside of the convention center (although he was giving away T-shirts for free if you touched his ass). Some call him brave, some say it’s gross. My friend Tom said he must be some perfectly normal guy maybe even a rich businessman or doctor in real life that just flipped for this occasion to relieve stress. The guests of honor laugh about the whole concept. Who knows what happened at this year’s anime expo. Reports say that he was there Friday. For those people that saw him he was ‘Hawt!’

Here is last years AX2004 interview Man-Faye by Orion, one of my college classmates and member of our anime club http://www.flippersmack.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=41

The official Man-Faye website can be found at http://site.man-faye.com/

His Myspace URL is http://www.myspace.com/man_faye but he doesn’t seem to respond to any of the comments.

He said bring back Man-Faye!~

Behold- the One, the Only - Man-Faye!! (last year’s pic).
 

Main Idea of this Rant?! -
My first anime convention ever attended, the Anime Expo in Anaheim, California in the year 2005

Closing Statement(s) -

Biggest complaint people had about the expo was that they were missing the latest episodes of Naruto and Bleach for that week. They would have to download the fansubs as soon as they get home :/ Many were also agonizing waiting in the pre-con registration lines on day 0.
(“Worst registration EVER?”)One of my friends said it wasn’t bad when she picked up her badge the following day, lines were shorter then. My personal comment is that sometimes my favorite events were scheduled at the same time like the ADV Release Panel and the Geneon Anime Festival; Anime Singled Out and the Chibi Masquerade; and the World Cosplay Summit and AX Idol. It was hard to choose one or the other. Another issue was…well this should explain everything “Ticked Attendee Whose Name Was Messed With”