Otakon 2010 Report!
Back from Otakon, and tired, but I'm gonna go ahead and post this before I get lazy and forget later.
Disappointments
-They were all out of the Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood badges. Apparently they ran out on Friday. So I had to settle for a Gundam 00 badge instead. Dammit, they should have had two FMA badges instead of two Hetalia badges since it was clearly so popular.
-Not being able to stay at the Gurren Lagann photoshoot as much as I wanted to. I was looking forward to meeting up with people, but pretty much all I was able to do was shake hands, say "nice to meet you," and take a few pictures before I had to hurry off to the quickly building line for the movie (though I did manage to buy a Metallic Lagann figure from annwyd). Sorry I couldn't hang out much, guys. :( And it seemed like the photoshoot got a lot more awesome after I left too...I spotted some Gurren-Lagann (the mecha) cosplays and heard a lot of shouting from the other side of the lobby. And of course, all that waiting in line proved absolutely pointless because...
-Someone pulled a fire alarm and we all had to evacuate the building for an hour. This happened literally two minutes before the movie was supposed to start. Which made me really anxious because I came to Otakon for the damn movie and if they cancelled it or rescheduled for the next day I would be so pissed. Fortunately, we stayed near the doors and were able to rush to near the front of the line when they finally let us back in, and the movie was simply screened roughly an hour and a half later than originally scheduled.
The empty convention center as seen from outside.
The wait outside had some good and bad points in itself. For a while the crowd had fun shouting memes and singing songs. Kirsten and I joined in on the Pokemon theme ("I WANNA BE THE VERY BEST...") and were much amused. But eventually they made us move away from the building to the other side of the street, and it was rather hot outside. Also, I'd met up with my friend Justine for the movie, but she left due to the evacuation, so I wasn't able to watch it with her. :(
-The Pokemon photoshoot was chaotic. I wasn't able to get many good shots because we were all crammed into one corner of the floor for some reason and there were so many people standing around that it was hard to see anything, let alone take pictures. And there was this annoying girl who kept disrupting the photoshoot. She wasn't even cosplaying Pokemon and I didn't think she was very funny.
-I went to the Masquerade for the first time (well, for the first hour at least), and honestly, it was mediocre. Far too many people seemed to think simply dancing on stage equals entertainment.
And now that I have the negative things out of the way, the good stuff!
Things that were awesome
-So I said I wouldn't be buying anything in the Dealer's Room, right? I mean, I really shouldn't have, but that place has a way of making me want to purchase things I can't afford. Anyway, I saw that rare Mei figure that I've been wanting being sold for $20. That was a little too expensive, but once I saw it, I knew I must have it. So I decided to try my luck with the blind boxes (which were only $13 plus tax). And fortunately, Kirsten was with me. Because you see, she has extraordinary luck with these things. One time before, she got me two blind boxes of the Gurren Lagann Figuremates, and not only did she manage to score both Simon and Nia, the Simon was the rare version. And this time, when I was searching for the elusive Mei, she chose a box for me, so I trusted her instinct. And lo and behold, IT WAS MEI!!!! I literally jumped up and down and hugged Kirsten in joy. XD
-The Lagann-hen screening was worth all the worry and waiting. All the laughing and cheering and clapping from the audience! :D It was SO fun. And the final battle was simply AWESOME to see on big screen. My favorite parts are 1) when Super TTGL's Giga Drill and Anti-Spiral's Giga Drill collide, and the screen pulls back, the music goes quiet and calm, and the screen turns almost pitch black except for the infinity sign, and then WHAM the music and action and adrenaline come zooming back with a vengeance...I already loved this part of the movie, but seeing it in a theater like that just took it to another level. And 2) all the cheering during Simon's fistfight with Anti-Spiral. :D Ahhh, I wish I could rewind time and experience it again~
-The Haruhi season 2 dub outtakes played during the Bandai After Dark panel. My favorite bit:
Young Haruhi: What's your name, anyway?
Kyon: Crispin Freeman.
Yeah. You could tell he was having a lot of fun during recording. XD
-All the AWESOME cosplays I saw.
From when were were waiting in line for registration:
Yuki from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
No Face from Spirited Away
GO GO POWER RANGERS! This guy was really popular. XD
I also saw an awesome Selim and Mrs. Bradley walking by, but I wasn't able to get a picture, and I never found them again. :( *sad*
There were so many Pokemon cosplays, it made me quite happy. I also had people come up to me several times asking to connect Pokewalkers. This one guy even fist-bumped me afterwards. XD
Simon and Lagann OMG
Messenger Nia!
DARKER THAN BLACK AHHH
From the Gurren Lagann photoshoot:
This, along with the movie screening, made me really happy seeing so many enthusiastic fans in one place. :D There was one guy blaring GL music on a speaker and another guy I spotted a few times carrying a Gurren-dan flag around.
Princess Tutu~~
From the Pokemon photoshoot:
(Kirsten is the female trainer in the middle holding the Zorua plushie. :D)
Hellsing!
And finally, this wins my MOST FAVORITE COSPLAY OF THE EVENT award:
AHHHHHHHHHHHH FATHER AHHHHHHHHHHHH. He has Hohenheim sticking out of him and everything!!!!!! 8D
SO FRIGGIN AWESOME.
Disappointments
-They were all out of the Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood badges. Apparently they ran out on Friday. So I had to settle for a Gundam 00 badge instead. Dammit, they should have had two FMA badges instead of two Hetalia badges since it was clearly so popular.
-Not being able to stay at the Gurren Lagann photoshoot as much as I wanted to. I was looking forward to meeting up with people, but pretty much all I was able to do was shake hands, say "nice to meet you," and take a few pictures before I had to hurry off to the quickly building line for the movie (though I did manage to buy a Metallic Lagann figure from annwyd). Sorry I couldn't hang out much, guys. :( And it seemed like the photoshoot got a lot more awesome after I left too...I spotted some Gurren-Lagann (the mecha) cosplays and heard a lot of shouting from the other side of the lobby. And of course, all that waiting in line proved absolutely pointless because...
-Someone pulled a fire alarm and we all had to evacuate the building for an hour. This happened literally two minutes before the movie was supposed to start. Which made me really anxious because I came to Otakon for the damn movie and if they cancelled it or rescheduled for the next day I would be so pissed. Fortunately, we stayed near the doors and were able to rush to near the front of the line when they finally let us back in, and the movie was simply screened roughly an hour and a half later than originally scheduled.
The empty convention center as seen from outside.
The wait outside had some good and bad points in itself. For a while the crowd had fun shouting memes and singing songs. Kirsten and I joined in on the Pokemon theme ("I WANNA BE THE VERY BEST...") and were much amused. But eventually they made us move away from the building to the other side of the street, and it was rather hot outside. Also, I'd met up with my friend Justine for the movie, but she left due to the evacuation, so I wasn't able to watch it with her. :(
-The Pokemon photoshoot was chaotic. I wasn't able to get many good shots because we were all crammed into one corner of the floor for some reason and there were so many people standing around that it was hard to see anything, let alone take pictures. And there was this annoying girl who kept disrupting the photoshoot. She wasn't even cosplaying Pokemon and I didn't think she was very funny.
-I went to the Masquerade for the first time (well, for the first hour at least), and honestly, it was mediocre. Far too many people seemed to think simply dancing on stage equals entertainment.
And now that I have the negative things out of the way, the good stuff!
Things that were awesome
-So I said I wouldn't be buying anything in the Dealer's Room, right? I mean, I really shouldn't have, but that place has a way of making me want to purchase things I can't afford. Anyway, I saw that rare Mei figure that I've been wanting being sold for $20. That was a little too expensive, but once I saw it, I knew I must have it. So I decided to try my luck with the blind boxes (which were only $13 plus tax). And fortunately, Kirsten was with me. Because you see, she has extraordinary luck with these things. One time before, she got me two blind boxes of the Gurren Lagann Figuremates, and not only did she manage to score both Simon and Nia, the Simon was the rare version. And this time, when I was searching for the elusive Mei, she chose a box for me, so I trusted her instinct. And lo and behold, IT WAS MEI!!!! I literally jumped up and down and hugged Kirsten in joy. XD
-The Lagann-hen screening was worth all the worry and waiting. All the laughing and cheering and clapping from the audience! :D It was SO fun. And the final battle was simply AWESOME to see on big screen. My favorite parts are 1) when Super TTGL's Giga Drill and Anti-Spiral's Giga Drill collide, and the screen pulls back, the music goes quiet and calm, and the screen turns almost pitch black except for the infinity sign, and then WHAM the music and action and adrenaline come zooming back with a vengeance...I already loved this part of the movie, but seeing it in a theater like that just took it to another level. And 2) all the cheering during Simon's fistfight with Anti-Spiral. :D Ahhh, I wish I could rewind time and experience it again~
-The Haruhi season 2 dub outtakes played during the Bandai After Dark panel. My favorite bit:
Young Haruhi: What's your name, anyway?
Kyon: Crispin Freeman.
Yeah. You could tell he was having a lot of fun during recording. XD
-All the AWESOME cosplays I saw.
From when were were waiting in line for registration:
Yuki from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
No Face from Spirited Away
GO GO POWER RANGERS! This guy was really popular. XD
I also saw an awesome Selim and Mrs. Bradley walking by, but I wasn't able to get a picture, and I never found them again. :( *sad*
There were so many Pokemon cosplays, it made me quite happy. I also had people come up to me several times asking to connect Pokewalkers. This one guy even fist-bumped me afterwards. XD
Simon and Lagann OMG
Messenger Nia!
DARKER THAN BLACK AHHH
From the Gurren Lagann photoshoot:
This, along with the movie screening, made me really happy seeing so many enthusiastic fans in one place. :D There was one guy blaring GL music on a speaker and another guy I spotted a few times carrying a Gurren-dan flag around.
Princess Tutu~~
From the Pokemon photoshoot:
(Kirsten is the female trainer in the middle holding the Zorua plushie. :D)
Hellsing!
And finally, this wins my MOST FAVORITE COSPLAY OF THE EVENT award:
AHHHHHHHHHHHH FATHER AHHHHHHHHHHHH. He has Hohenheim sticking out of him and everything!!!!!! 8D
SO FRIGGIN AWESOME.