9.5.07

Anime Central 2007

So, I had a great weekend. I spent the whole time at Anime Central (ACEN) looking at freaks, listening to panels, and (of course) watching lots of anime. It was a blast.

I do have to say, however, the convention itself was not as great as it has been in the past. This was the tenth anniversary...and it felt like no one knew what they were doing. It was clear that everyone was working very hard, but working hard does not make up for not knowing what you're doing in the first place. Even people who were on the staff were complaining about the lack of communication this year...it was confusing. If it was confusing for them with a bit more insight on how things SHOULD be running...imagine for the con-goers.

I HAD A BLAST, don't get me wrong...I just got a little bit annoyed sometimes.

First of all, my favorite part of the convention is going to the Masquerade. This is where you can see all of the cool cosplayers up on stage. The masquerade...it's awesome. There is a fashion type show/contest, skits, etc... It's like a variety show and always a good time. This year, they decided to make the Masquerade a TICKETED event...without informing the con-goers of this until they showed up for the Masquerade. TONS of people were PISSED OFF because NO ONE TOLD THEM THEY NEEDED TICKETS. If you are going to change something like that, it isn't enough to tell a few people in the registration line and hope that the word gets around. You need to make sure it is made clear to ALL PAYING ATTENDEES OF THE CON. I PAID MONEY FOR THIS CONVENTION AND I WAS NOT INFORMED!!!! It's especially annoying because the Masquerade tickets were actually free and all I would have had to do was ask for them...but by the time the Masquerade started, of course, it was too late. SO WE DIDN'T GET TO GO. Oh and PS--TONS of people who got the tickets DID NOT FUCKING SHOW UP and the place was just FULL of EMPTY seats...I see a huge flaw with this free TICKETING system...and a lot of people missed out on a great time because of it.

Oh well.

I also feel like there weren't as many INCREDIBLE cosplayers this year. I really only saw one that made me go, "Whoa, that's freakin' cool..." This dude/ette:


Nice job! There were a lot of funny cosplays that I enjoyed...don't get me wrong. For instance, this guy:


Yes, he's a kitty and yes, that is a huge ball of yarn! Since this blog is really about knitting, I HAD to get a picture of it! :)

Other fun cosplays:




So, yeah...I didn't feel the need to run around the con with my camera and takes pictures of EVERYTHING like I have in the past. I do wish I would have gotten a shot of Max's brother and his girlfriend in their cosplay, because they were pretty cute...but I didn't...and I didn't get to cosplay myself...so no shots of that, either.

I do have tons of pictures of Max and me.

The name I had on my badge was "I like avocados" because it's true.


This is me in the Sky Bridge on our way to the Dealer's Room:


We really wanted to go dancing at the Soap Bubble (that's what they called one of their dances, btw) on Saturday night, but didn't get around to it until after 1:00am...we were SUPER TIRED, but didn't want to miss out on a good time...so, we needed coffee. These are our "We need coffee" faces:



Before dancing:



After dancing:


The music was all right. I liked some, I hated some. I can be picky. And yes, for those of you who know me, I DID dance. And no, for those of you who know me, I WASN'T DRUNK! ^.^ I was too poor for that, you know.

This is a picture of me with some of Max's friends from high school and their girlfriends:


This is some knitting!:


This is me in my new T-shirt:


That's right, Bruce Lee.

This is Max in his new T-shirt:


That's right, Evangelion.

Here's what I bought (other than the T-shirts mentioned above):



Nana, the movie!!!! It's not our region, but I can play it on my laptop...so I went ahead and bought it. I was happy to find it because it was one of the things I had intended to buy if I came across it.



Witch Hunter Robin, the complete series. I have seen this one on Adult Swim and thought it was interesting. I figured it will be better in Japanese and unedited. Apparently Cartoon Network cuts a lot out of the anime series' they show.

Two series' that I really want to get my hands on are Paradise Kiss and Ergo Proxy. I could have bought both of them, but didn't because they are not available as a complete multi-disk set. I don't want to buy a series DVD by DVD for three reasons. ONE: It costs a lot more money to buy each one separately. TWO: You have to find a place for those DVDs somewhere in your house...and if you're like me, you think that technological things are basically an eye-sore and take away from the aesthetic you are trying to maintain in your home. Plus, they take up a lot of room...especially when you have more than one series. Look at this:


On the left is a side shot of my new Witch Hunter Robin set...on the right are the same number of DVDs that are enclosed in the Witch Hunter Robin set all purchased separately...big difference. ((PS...those other DVDs are old...I didn't spend THAT much money this year))

THREE: When you have to buy each one individually, half of the time you forget to complete the set and you have half finished series' just laying around waiting to be added to...and when you actually think to buy the next one, you don't remember which DVD you last purchased and end up walking out of the store empty handed anyway. I have done this with a few series...Azumanga, Excel Saga, Lain, Onegai Teacher, to name a few. Sometimes, I DO finish the set, but usually they just sit there on my shelf...all lonely. YUCK. ANYWAY...I want Paradise Kiss and Ergo Proxy...but I will only buy them in a compact complete series set. Seeing as how they are VERY new...this probably won't be an option for a year or so. Dammit.

As soon as I get a chance to watch either Witch Hunter Robin or Nana the movie, I will review them for you.

End of anime talk. The next post will be about knitting, I promise. ^.^

But this post still has some knitting content. We went to Mistuwa yesterday and they have started work on the new bookstore. EXCITING! It's going to be even bigger than the one that was there before. YAY!! I asked the saleswoman if they had the latest Keito-dama, but they didn't. She said that they usually carry it...and if I wanted, I could order it. I may decide to do that. I love that knitting magazine. It is one of the best out there...even if it is in Japanese (of course, that isn't really a problem for me). :)

OK, end of Japanese talk.

I bought The Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman.

Ok, end of knitting talk.

Ok, end of post.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow i actually read all that. acen was fun. but i do agree very unorganized. the forums will be hearing from me lol. anyway i didn know you liked egro proxy. i really want to watch it. first ep was cool.

ok end comment

Kar said...

yay for acen and your nerdiness!! i got a new job!! i'm going to work for school district 300...i didn't hear back from the art institute yet, but it'd be a longer commute and a larger paycut i think but i'm just going with this since the people seem really nice AND i get the same vacation and more sick time!! how fun is that!? we're going house shopping this weekend...it's exciting but i'm nervous we won't find anything!! it's really crazy...we don't have too much time to look either...and i made my necklace and i need your opinion on the new dresses, necklace or no? i was thinking bracelets instead? let me know!