10 Things I Learned at Anime Expo This Year
I haven't watched any anime for the past season or possibly two seasons, so I didn't think I wanted to go to AX this year. But it's approximately 583 degrees fahrenheit in the North Valley. So I went, and this is what I learned:
1. If you wait until the first day of the con to attend that year, even if you're too late to go to any events that day it is worth the 2 - 2.5 hours of travel (each way!) just to go and register. Otherwise you will be in line so long the next day that you will miss your chance to see Conrad Weller in person forever.
2. If you think you don't care about an autograph session with English language voice actors, you are wrong. Don't wait until the panel to realize you want a chance to tell them what a fantastic job they've done on the series and how their panel was the most fun you had at the con, and how you hope they never ever stop with the fan service. If you wait, the tickets will be gone and you will have missed your chance to meet the English language cast of Durarara!!
3. If you do not pay attention to the schedule, you will miss the AMV Contest. Twice.
4. If there is a mix-up with times and the studio is going to be an hour late bringing the content to a screening, you are right to stay no matter how tired you are and especially if it's something you haven't seen yet, like the Gundam 00 movie. You just may find a one-time fandom flame reignited.
5. If you're going to throw out your program guide, you should jot down the people on the panel. Otherwise you may not be able to figure out which producer of A wakening of the Trailblazer said his favorite character is Allelujah and the one he identifies with the most is Patrick. ♥♥♥
6. Breaking format here: One of the questions at the Gundam 00 panel was how much they altered plans for Season 2 once they knew there was going to be a movie (green-lit after Season 1). There may have been a problem in the translation but this is what the director, Mizushima Seiji, said through his interpreter: there were no major changes--except that originally two more Gundam Meisters were meant to have died at the end of Season 1, but the movie had to have all four of them so they weren't killed, after all. Is this common knowledge? I haven't kept up with the fandom at all. That blew my mind because I think it's a pretty major fucking change...!
7. I was lucky enough to get into the world premiere (as in: before anyone else, including Japan) of the first episode of LASTEXILE: Fam, the Silver Wing. And now I cannot wait for it to start airing in October. They didn't say when it will be available in the U.S. but slyly told us to go the FUNimation panel, which I didn't do--I'm hoping for a simulcast, though. Visually it's kind of glorious, and the new characters are intriguing already. Also, there will be some characters from the first series, but I guess I won't say which ones as it could be considered a spoiler (though they're listed at that link). ♥
8. If someone txts you about a bomb scare to see if you're all right, even if your response is "...what bomb scare?", there probably really was one. You probably didn't know about it because you were standing outside in a line for about a thousand years. (Maybe that's why the line was moving slowly, and not the poor organization AX is so famous for...or maybe not.)
9. You may think you're through with anime--but anime is not through with you.
10. Seriously, pay attention to the schedule and plan accordingly. Pay attention, Muskrit. Pay. Attention.
Bonus Knowledge: Don't sweat the mistakes you make. It's still a good time, and there are always other cons. ;)
~ crossposted from dreamwidth ~
1. If you wait until the first day of the con to attend that year, even if you're too late to go to any events that day it is worth the 2 - 2.5 hours of travel (each way!) just to go and register. Otherwise you will be in line so long the next day that you will miss your chance to see Conrad Weller in person forever.
2. If you think you don't care about an autograph session with English language voice actors, you are wrong. Don't wait until the panel to realize you want a chance to tell them what a fantastic job they've done on the series and how their panel was the most fun you had at the con, and how you hope they never ever stop with the fan service. If you wait, the tickets will be gone and you will have missed your chance to meet the English language cast of Durarara!!
3. If you do not pay attention to the schedule, you will miss the AMV Contest. Twice.
4. If there is a mix-up with times and the studio is going to be an hour late bringing the content to a screening, you are right to stay no matter how tired you are and especially if it's something you haven't seen yet, like the Gundam 00 movie. You just may find a one-time fandom flame reignited.
5. If you're going to throw out your program guide, you should jot down the people on the panel. Otherwise you may not be able to figure out which producer of A wakening of the Trailblazer said his favorite character is Allelujah and the one he identifies with the most is Patrick. ♥♥♥
6. Breaking format here: One of the questions at the Gundam 00 panel was how much they altered plans for Season 2 once they knew there was going to be a movie (green-lit after Season 1). There may have been a problem in the translation but this is what the director, Mizushima Seiji, said through his interpreter: there were no major changes--except that originally two more Gundam Meisters were meant to have died at the end of Season 1, but the movie had to have all four of them so they weren't killed, after all. Is this common knowledge? I haven't kept up with the fandom at all. That blew my mind because I think it's a pretty major fucking change...!
7. I was lucky enough to get into the world premiere (as in: before anyone else, including Japan) of the first episode of LASTEXILE: Fam, the Silver Wing. And now I cannot wait for it to start airing in October. They didn't say when it will be available in the U.S. but slyly told us to go the FUNimation panel, which I didn't do--I'm hoping for a simulcast, though. Visually it's kind of glorious, and the new characters are intriguing already. Also, there will be some characters from the first series, but I guess I won't say which ones as it could be considered a spoiler (though they're listed at that link). ♥
8. If someone txts you about a bomb scare to see if you're all right, even if your response is "...what bomb scare?", there probably really was one. You probably didn't know about it because you were standing outside in a line for about a thousand years. (Maybe that's why the line was moving slowly, and not the poor organization AX is so famous for...or maybe not.)
9. You may think you're through with anime--but anime is not through with you.
10. Seriously, pay attention to the schedule and plan accordingly. Pay attention, Muskrit. Pay. Attention.
Bonus Knowledge: Don't sweat the mistakes you make. It's still a good time, and there are always other cons. ;)
~ crossposted from dreamwidth ~