Fanime 2010 report
Friday (Day One):
Woke up at 7am (after having gone to bed at 4am after working to finish my Eruka Frog (Soul Eater) cosplay). Put on my cosplay for Mai (Avatar the Last Airbender), and waited for my friends Michele and Natalie, cosplaying Katara (AtLA), to come pick me up. They came around 10am, and we headed off to the convention center in downtown San Jose. Arrived between 10:30-11am, and hung around outside for about an hour for the Avatar meet-up to start. In the meantime, we met some early arrivers and other cosplaying friends. Coincidentally ran into a guy that I had a Glass-blowing class together last semester- kinda a strange experience because I was always very quiet in class, but there I was dressed up in costume, my hair in an odango hairstyle, and carrying double-pointed knitting needles as "weapons".
Avatar meet-up started, and lots of good cosplayers showed up- the Zukos were my favorite. The Water Tribe was entirely made up of Kataras, and there was a good variety of Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation people, but surprisingly no Air Nomads. But some good photos were taken, and after the gathering, we walked around inside. We didn't want to spend money for the con's food, so we walked back to the car for lunch that was packed in a cooler. Afterwards, we walked around some more, then rested in the gamer's room to talk and doodle on paper. Decided to check out the newly opened dealer's room for Hellsing vol. 10, and Natalie bought me a copy for my upcoming birthday. Also decided to go to the Artist's Alley for any cool prints but didn't get anything. Left early in the evening, and got home by 10:30pm. Worked on Eruka Frog some more before going to bed.
Saturday (Day 2):
Woke up at 7 again, and worked some more on the Eruka Frog cosplay. Tried to complete it in time before Natalie showed up so that I could wear it to the Soul Eater meeting at 2pm, but couldn't do it. Instead, just stayed as Hong Kong (Axis Powers Hetalia) the whole day. Arrived at the convention center around 11-11:30am, and just walked around or rested and doodled. Noticed a lot more Avatar cosplayers that day compared to the previous day, which was kinda upsetting because they were really good. In general, the quality of cosplayers was a lot better than the previous day. Also, saw a lot of Hetalia cosplayers, and even met some of the cosplayers from the youtube channel APHWorldConference. Who knew so many lived in NorCal?
Tried to get in contact with Gloria/Kinderwulf, my favorite China (APH) cosplayer, so we could do a photoshoot, but she was busy rehearsing a skit so we couldn't meet up. Kinda sad for me, because this was the only day she was planning on cosplaying China. Still had a good time w/ Natalie, cosplaying Seras Victoria (Hellsing), and Michele. Saw a lot of cosplayers from series that Michele likes, such as Digimon and Power Rangers. Michele seems to like mostly 90's anime- she doesn't seem to know too many recent series or video games.
Around 4pm, we went to a cosplay dodgeball event hosted by a friend Jason. Played two games, but popped my knee after overextending my stride while throwing a ball. Sat out the rest of the games to rest my knee- it ached, but not enough to seriously hurt when I walked. After the games, we went with Dana/Foxberry and her boyfriend Jon and did a short photoshoot with a photographer friend Jorge. My photoshoot mainly consisted of me doing any kung-fu stance I remembered. We ate dinner at Wing Stop, then drove back to the convention center. Went back to the Artist's Alley, we bought a few prints this time around- mine were Hetalia ones, and Michele got a Digimon season 1 print. Also, we decided that next time, we'll try to get a table for ourselves so that I can sell my art. It's always been a hazy ambition of mine, hindered by doubt that my art will sell well, but I'm willing to try because they're willing to support me.
We decided to check out the rave, and hung out a bit with our friends Julie and Celina. They're a lesbian cosplaying couple- they're really nice, and it's cute to see them together because you can tell how much they love each other. We left the rave, and shortly thereafter left the con for the night. Got home around 11-11:30pm.
Sunday (Day Three):
Woke up around 8am. Knee still hurt a bit after popping it the previous day, but still able to walk around without a limp. Got dressed as Hong Kong again for the official Hetalia meet up at noon, and brought everything for Girlycard (Hellsing) to change into later for the Hellsing meet up at 2:30pm. Arrived at the convention center around 10:30pm, and sat around drinking iced coffee/tea w/ Natalie, cosplaying Integra (Hellsing), and Michele. At noon, separated from them to go to the Hetalia meet up. A surprisingly large amount of people at the meet up- Hetalia has really picked up in popularity. It was hard getting good pictures because a) there were many multiple cosplayers for one country and b) there were many photographers clustered in front. Managed to get a decent place on the ground to the side, next to Gloria/Kinderwulf, cosplaying Shinatty-chan. Meet up lasted an hour, and concluded with all of us singing "Marukaite Chikyuu". I don't know if it's impressive or nerdy that we all know it so well and even pronounced every word correctly.
After the meet up, met up with Natalie and Michele again and got ready for Hellsing. Tried to get my fangs in place in time, but the adhesive wouldn't set in time, so I had to go fangless. Lesson learned- don't get cheap generic fangs from Ebay; spend the extra money to buy the quality Scarecrow fangs that snap in and out easily.
Hellsing meet up was cool- I was one of two Girlycards, Natalie was one of two Integras, and there was a Vladcard who was directing everything. I saw Seraphim-Sephiroth again, cosplaying Enrico Maxwell instead of Alucard this time. When I told her who I was on dA, she hugged me. We decided to meet up at the Black and White Ball later, and she would cosplay Alucard then.
When the meet up ended, we went inside to cool off- it was fairly hot at that point, especially in formal suits. We rested until dinner time, and went out to eat Chinese food for dinner. Natalie changed into her Bride Seras cosplay for the B&W ball, and Michele dressed up a bit for the ball as well. I stayed as Girlycard- it's formal enough for the standards, and it's white. Plus, it made a great crack pairing of Girlycard/Seras- we joked that we were wife and wife, and Natalie kept calling me "Master".
The actual ball was nice, lots of interesting cosplayers showed up, but it wasn't overcrowded like my prom was. Also, they encouraged formal dancing, like the waltz and the foxtrot, even to more contemporary music like Lady Gaga (will there ever be an occasion now where Lady Gaga ISN'T played??). A cosplaying friend Michael took me to the dance floor twice, and I enjoyed it a lot even though I had to learn some of the dances on the spot. Other than that, we either sat along the wall to rest or we danced in a group of three. Natalie sometimes danced with other guys, leaving me and Michele to amuse ourselves. Overall, the ball reminded me a bit of prom, except Steve wasn't there as my date. If he had been there, we could've taken derpy pictures and made origami and laughed at "My Heart Will Go On" together again- and it would've been even better than prom because it's a formal dance at an anime convention, and nearly everyone is in interesting formal-ish cosplays.
We didn't see Seraphim-Sephiroth after a few hours, so we decided to leave around 11pm. After we left the ballroom and walked back to the car, we ran into Seraphim and her friends, and decided to stick around a little while longer. We had a quick photoshoot in the dark on the steps of a nearby church, then made our way back to the ball. The ball had ended though, so we loitered in the lobby and talked for a while. Afterwards, Seraphim and her friends went to the rave, while me, Natalie, and Michele went back to the car to go home. Got home around 12:30am, promptly showered and went to bed.
Overall, I loved Fanime- I had so much fun seeing the cosplay friends I've made this year, and I had a great time with my friends Natalie and Michele. We're already making tentative plans for next year, such as planning to get a hotel room so we don't have to drive back and forth so much. But as much as I loved Fanime, it's nice to get back to a less hectic way of life. My legs are quite sore from walking around so much, and I still have a bit of pain in my knee.
I'll post some pictures later- it's time for more rest.
Woke up at 7am (after having gone to bed at 4am after working to finish my Eruka Frog (Soul Eater) cosplay). Put on my cosplay for Mai (Avatar the Last Airbender), and waited for my friends Michele and Natalie, cosplaying Katara (AtLA), to come pick me up. They came around 10am, and we headed off to the convention center in downtown San Jose. Arrived between 10:30-11am, and hung around outside for about an hour for the Avatar meet-up to start. In the meantime, we met some early arrivers and other cosplaying friends. Coincidentally ran into a guy that I had a Glass-blowing class together last semester- kinda a strange experience because I was always very quiet in class, but there I was dressed up in costume, my hair in an odango hairstyle, and carrying double-pointed knitting needles as "weapons".
Avatar meet-up started, and lots of good cosplayers showed up- the Zukos were my favorite. The Water Tribe was entirely made up of Kataras, and there was a good variety of Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation people, but surprisingly no Air Nomads. But some good photos were taken, and after the gathering, we walked around inside. We didn't want to spend money for the con's food, so we walked back to the car for lunch that was packed in a cooler. Afterwards, we walked around some more, then rested in the gamer's room to talk and doodle on paper. Decided to check out the newly opened dealer's room for Hellsing vol. 10, and Natalie bought me a copy for my upcoming birthday. Also decided to go to the Artist's Alley for any cool prints but didn't get anything. Left early in the evening, and got home by 10:30pm. Worked on Eruka Frog some more before going to bed.
Saturday (Day 2):
Woke up at 7 again, and worked some more on the Eruka Frog cosplay. Tried to complete it in time before Natalie showed up so that I could wear it to the Soul Eater meeting at 2pm, but couldn't do it. Instead, just stayed as Hong Kong (Axis Powers Hetalia) the whole day. Arrived at the convention center around 11-11:30am, and just walked around or rested and doodled. Noticed a lot more Avatar cosplayers that day compared to the previous day, which was kinda upsetting because they were really good. In general, the quality of cosplayers was a lot better than the previous day. Also, saw a lot of Hetalia cosplayers, and even met some of the cosplayers from the youtube channel APHWorldConference. Who knew so many lived in NorCal?
Tried to get in contact with Gloria/Kinderwulf, my favorite China (APH) cosplayer, so we could do a photoshoot, but she was busy rehearsing a skit so we couldn't meet up. Kinda sad for me, because this was the only day she was planning on cosplaying China. Still had a good time w/ Natalie, cosplaying Seras Victoria (Hellsing), and Michele. Saw a lot of cosplayers from series that Michele likes, such as Digimon and Power Rangers. Michele seems to like mostly 90's anime- she doesn't seem to know too many recent series or video games.
Around 4pm, we went to a cosplay dodgeball event hosted by a friend Jason. Played two games, but popped my knee after overextending my stride while throwing a ball. Sat out the rest of the games to rest my knee- it ached, but not enough to seriously hurt when I walked. After the games, we went with Dana/Foxberry and her boyfriend Jon and did a short photoshoot with a photographer friend Jorge. My photoshoot mainly consisted of me doing any kung-fu stance I remembered. We ate dinner at Wing Stop, then drove back to the convention center. Went back to the Artist's Alley, we bought a few prints this time around- mine were Hetalia ones, and Michele got a Digimon season 1 print. Also, we decided that next time, we'll try to get a table for ourselves so that I can sell my art. It's always been a hazy ambition of mine, hindered by doubt that my art will sell well, but I'm willing to try because they're willing to support me.
We decided to check out the rave, and hung out a bit with our friends Julie and Celina. They're a lesbian cosplaying couple- they're really nice, and it's cute to see them together because you can tell how much they love each other. We left the rave, and shortly thereafter left the con for the night. Got home around 11-11:30pm.
Sunday (Day Three):
Woke up around 8am. Knee still hurt a bit after popping it the previous day, but still able to walk around without a limp. Got dressed as Hong Kong again for the official Hetalia meet up at noon, and brought everything for Girlycard (Hellsing) to change into later for the Hellsing meet up at 2:30pm. Arrived at the convention center around 10:30pm, and sat around drinking iced coffee/tea w/ Natalie, cosplaying Integra (Hellsing), and Michele. At noon, separated from them to go to the Hetalia meet up. A surprisingly large amount of people at the meet up- Hetalia has really picked up in popularity. It was hard getting good pictures because a) there were many multiple cosplayers for one country and b) there were many photographers clustered in front. Managed to get a decent place on the ground to the side, next to Gloria/Kinderwulf, cosplaying Shinatty-chan. Meet up lasted an hour, and concluded with all of us singing "Marukaite Chikyuu". I don't know if it's impressive or nerdy that we all know it so well and even pronounced every word correctly.
After the meet up, met up with Natalie and Michele again and got ready for Hellsing. Tried to get my fangs in place in time, but the adhesive wouldn't set in time, so I had to go fangless. Lesson learned- don't get cheap generic fangs from Ebay; spend the extra money to buy the quality Scarecrow fangs that snap in and out easily.
Hellsing meet up was cool- I was one of two Girlycards, Natalie was one of two Integras, and there was a Vladcard who was directing everything. I saw Seraphim-Sephiroth again, cosplaying Enrico Maxwell instead of Alucard this time. When I told her who I was on dA, she hugged me. We decided to meet up at the Black and White Ball later, and she would cosplay Alucard then.
When the meet up ended, we went inside to cool off- it was fairly hot at that point, especially in formal suits. We rested until dinner time, and went out to eat Chinese food for dinner. Natalie changed into her Bride Seras cosplay for the B&W ball, and Michele dressed up a bit for the ball as well. I stayed as Girlycard- it's formal enough for the standards, and it's white. Plus, it made a great crack pairing of Girlycard/Seras- we joked that we were wife and wife, and Natalie kept calling me "Master".
The actual ball was nice, lots of interesting cosplayers showed up, but it wasn't overcrowded like my prom was. Also, they encouraged formal dancing, like the waltz and the foxtrot, even to more contemporary music like Lady Gaga (will there ever be an occasion now where Lady Gaga ISN'T played??). A cosplaying friend Michael took me to the dance floor twice, and I enjoyed it a lot even though I had to learn some of the dances on the spot. Other than that, we either sat along the wall to rest or we danced in a group of three. Natalie sometimes danced with other guys, leaving me and Michele to amuse ourselves. Overall, the ball reminded me a bit of prom, except Steve wasn't there as my date. If he had been there, we could've taken derpy pictures and made origami and laughed at "My Heart Will Go On" together again- and it would've been even better than prom because it's a formal dance at an anime convention, and nearly everyone is in interesting formal-ish cosplays.
We didn't see Seraphim-Sephiroth after a few hours, so we decided to leave around 11pm. After we left the ballroom and walked back to the car, we ran into Seraphim and her friends, and decided to stick around a little while longer. We had a quick photoshoot in the dark on the steps of a nearby church, then made our way back to the ball. The ball had ended though, so we loitered in the lobby and talked for a while. Afterwards, Seraphim and her friends went to the rave, while me, Natalie, and Michele went back to the car to go home. Got home around 12:30am, promptly showered and went to bed.
Overall, I loved Fanime- I had so much fun seeing the cosplay friends I've made this year, and I had a great time with my friends Natalie and Michele. We're already making tentative plans for next year, such as planning to get a hotel room so we don't have to drive back and forth so much. But as much as I loved Fanime, it's nice to get back to a less hectic way of life. My legs are quite sore from walking around so much, and I still have a bit of pain in my knee.
I'll post some pictures later- it's time for more rest.