To say that I wish that Animazement would never end would be much like saying, “I wish everyday were Christmas”. The body and the will can only sustain for so long before you surrender to exhaustion. It is as they say about having too much of a good thing.

It would be more accurate to say that I wish that the feelings I experience during the convention were everlasting. No doubt Kevin and I will offer our convention commentary in a future podcast, but I would like to unload a bit here while it’s still fresh in my mind…

Animazement is the highlight of my summer…sometimes my entire year. Of my peers, I am in the minority with this. Most of my friends have become disillusioned by the con; annoyed by the increasing teenage population and left wanting for substantial events. The sad truth is that our generation is no longer at the core of the fandom. Anime conventions (as well as the industry) are geared to entertain the new kids. And these kids are loud and won’t get off our lawn.

Thankfully, many of us continue to attend these conventions. While the kids come to be entertained and raid the dealers room, I approach the event as a true convention: A place where fans of all ages from all places can convene. I love meeting fellow fans to discuss favorite shows that we share, as well as discovering ones I’d yet to be exposed. While not as many, there are still features where I have the opportunity to learn about some of the history and craft of the fandom. Unlike anything you’d find in the dealers room, the Artists Alley is a hotbed of raw talent and valuable treasures. And yes, I do admit that I’ll join in some of the silly fun that the kids take part in just so I too can feel that young, if not for a moment.

So until Kevin and I can get together again in front of the mics, here’s a brief rundown of my Animazement weekend:

Thursday

Pre-Con

Met up with Kevin and M to pick up our con badges. Ran into quite a few familiar faces while in line, which gave me hope that I’d have plenty of friends to reconnect with during the event when I’m not meeting new people.

Podcasting

Afterward, the three of us met up at my apartment to record a podcast or two. On the docket: Queen’s Blade. We’ve been meaning to cover this one for a while…and it is terrible. M’s presence was a blessing–more than just because we enjoy her company–but because Kevin and I needed a third person to fully express how awful it is. I shan’t go into why here since, after all, this is why we have a podcast.

Friday

Video Room Shift

From the moment of the con’s official opening through the early afternoon, Kevin and I had volunteered to man one of the video rooms. We built a nice relationship with the convention staff during that time, which I attribute to our outstanding professional attitude in the position. (Read: We’re one of the few volunteers that gave a shit about what we were doing.)



Left to Right: Kevin ('The Business'), 'M', Sean ('The Grey Ghost')

While there, we took the opportunity to promote Method to Madness. By the first day, our entire stock of buttons and demo CDs were gone. It was a treat meeting with potential listeners and seeing that our pitch for the show was received with enthusiasm.

Work Sucks

Unfortunately, I had to take a shift at work on Friday evening, so once our video room shift had concluded, I was on the road, not to return until the morning. I was a bit disappointed by having to spend the first few hours of the con tethered to one small corner and then swiftly ejected, unable to do much exploring on my own. But this is what I do to not only earn a living, but be a responsible citizen.

Kevin, I’m sure, will have plenty to offer on con shenanigans from Friday night. That is, including the one event that I regret missing most and is quite possibly THE reason to attend an anime convention: Anime Hell. This show is run by a good friend of ours who often uses us as guinea pigs for deciding which painful/awesome/surreal videos he eventually inflicts upon unsuspecting masses. It’s a show that I don’t necessarily attend to watch what’s on the program, but rather revel in the audience’s reaction.

Saturday

Cosplay!

My girlfriend (Ashley) and I will often cosplay at least once for Animazement; our costumes being crafted by Ashley’s talented hands. For Saturday, Ashley reprised her Cooking Mama costume, while I assumed the identity of Astro Fighter Sunred.

On this day, we took the con by storm, spending our due time in the dealers room, Artists Alley, the video game room, and a handful of panels. It was a very fulfilling day.

The Flying Saucer

Ashley retired early for the evening to both rest up and to finish her costume for Sunday. Shortly after, Kevin, M, and I met up with some buddies at The Flying Saucer to drink up, talk about the con, and catch up on lost time. The bar carries just about every beer imaginable, so I try to take advantage of the opportunity to try sample a new brew. My favorite moment of the night was witnessing the reaction to M braving a sip from one of my favorite beers: Stone Ruination IPA.

After having way too much to drink, M and I footed it back to the convention center, leaving Kevin with some old friends at the bar. As drifted back into sobriety, we sat in on a panel showcasing long-lost obscure anime from the 1990s. This was not only an appropriate way to spend our remaining time in inebriation, but also to scope out potential podcast fodder.

Sunday

Winding Down

There wasn’t much to Sunday beyond closing out the weekend. We hit both Artist Alley and the dealers room for the best last-minute deals. Most of the remaining panels were repeats of ones we’d attended in previous years.

My Queen

Ashley arrived adorned in her crowning achievement in costuming: Queen Esther from Trinity Blood. “Impressive” is an understatement. Navigating through the convention became difficult by how many con-goers stopped us to request a photo of her.

NOIZ. Versus. DDR.

Yes, it was as awesome as it sounds.

The “versus” part is what sold me and I was not disappointed. NOIZ is a J-rock band that’s headlined the Animazement guest list for the past couple years. I have no real interest in the band, but when I saw “NOIZ vs. DDR” listed in the program schedule, I knew it was not something to be missed. It allowed us to end our con experience on a high note before returning to our mundane lives.

Farewell, Animazement 2010… We look forward to Animazement 2011!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010 at 7:00 am and is filed under Anime, Podcast. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.