Anime Expo 2013
Jul. 8th, 2013 09:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pacificpikachuBack from Anime Expo as of 2 AM last night! I was not online during the time I was gone, so apologies if I missed anything important! I'll try to catch up sometime in the next few days, between resting, work, and medical appointments (and Animal Crossing--I barely played it while I was gone!).
It was a crazy and stressful con with a lot of tough decisions, and I barely got to hang out with anyone, but it all turned out great in the end!
Going to post a summary. Stealing the plus and minus layout I've seen other people use.
+++ Things went well with my roommates! I talked to them basically the whole way down despite being tired, saw the sunrise for the first time in ages, and got a little sleep in the car. Our room was fairly far away from the convention center, so we had to drive back and forth, but that went more smoothly than expected because of good communication, and being able to hang out in another friend's room when I was tired. The room was actually rather blah and in a not-so-great neighborhood, but I slept like a rock in it every night, so I'm not complaining.
----- The reg line was hands-down the worst con line I have ever been in. I've been in con lines for a longer time--even 7-8 hours--but, while this was only around 4 hours, it was SUFFERING. I thought I was going to pass out for much of the time, and it was unbearably long in the blistering hot sun. We were constantly moving, which was sort of good in a way, but also tough because it was literally miles of walking in the heat. Just when I thought I had reached the shade and was going to be okay, it turned out I had another forty-five minutes of suffering and walking in the sun. It felt like some sort of death march. I will definitely be doing Day Zero reg again next year, which is what I normally do.
---- The running of the con was definitely not that great. Most of the staff didn't know what was going on, especially when it came to autographs/autograph lines (particularly on Friday morning). But, meh, I had a good time so whatever.
+++ Went to Wolf Children screening on Thursday for my first actual event after surviving the reg line. Got all teary again--I think much of the audience did. Love that movie so much, aughhh.
++++ AMV contest was quite impressive this year! There were only a few videos that I didn't care for, and practically everything was very well-done. I had a nearly impossible time choosing what to vote for!
-- Getting autograph tickets Friday morning was a mess! I kept getting in different lines, only to be told it was the wrong line, and the staffers didn't know what was going on. I did get some tickets from a nice Premier fan. Had to leave the line for tickets in order to get Megumi Han's autograph. (She is such an enthusiastic sweetheart, omfg.)
+++ I told my tale of autograph lines woe to a staffer, and he was nice and gave me an Inoue ticket despite me not getting back in the autograph ticket line. It was #172 so I thought, "There's no way I'm going to get this."
-+ I went to the Pokémon gathering and saw some familiar faces and great costumes, but had to leave early for autographs, ahhh. I felt so bad leaving!
+++++ I got Yuasa's autograph/a sketch of Watashi and Oz (which is awesome), then went in the line for Inoue, though I figured Inoue's line was hopeless. Talked to some nice people in Inoue's line, as it was a decently long wait. Inoue decided to be awesome and stay longer, so I ended up getting his autograph, yayyy! Such a relief!
+++ I went to the KickHeart premiere with Yuasa, which was fun. The short was really cool, and I loved the funny making of documentary that they screened as well. I won a priority ticket for Yuasa's signing, and figured, "Why not, right?" So I got a second sketch, this time of Akashi.
---- Missed the Little Witch Academia screening, though, because it was full by the time I got there. Went in the Noizi Ito panel line instead.
+ Noizi Ito panel was actually rather boring, to be honest. Though, I like her art so I'm glad I got to see her at least. She's the one person I would have liked an autograph from, but wasn't able to get one due to scheduling. :(
+++ Went and got food truck food and rested at a friend's hotel room due to being exhausted. Talked at length with her sister about films/anime/manga/social justice, which was great.
+++ Went to AMVs on the Edge, which was a lot of fun. I had seen maybe 40-50% of the videos shown, but the ones I hadn't seen were hilarious!
+++ In the morning, went straight to the Attack on Titan panel line, which was gigantic. Streetpassed a ton of people while waiting, and passed some great Titan cosplayers. The panel room was full, with 2000+ people! The panel itself was pretty fun and amusing, though some people asked insanely stupid questions. Got to see 13.5 (which is a recap) before it aired in Japan. I especially loved the reference photos of people making stupid faces, which was how the titans were supposed to look.
+++++ Then, I went to the Little Witch Academia party that I won an invite to, which was wonderful! I loved seeing the making-of documentary. It was amazing how much of a struggle the new animators had with making it. I'd love to see it again. I spotted my friend Toyonori Yamada in it, which made me especially happy, as we haven't talked in a long time and I wasn't sure where he ended up. I wrote him a note hastily and gave it to Otsuka to give to him. There was also free food and drinks, a Q&A, and we got to see a trailer for Kill-la-Kill (so excited!) and another anime about ships (I can't remember its name--something that starts with A of Blue Steel?). Also, Little Witch Academia will have a sequel, and soon a Kickstarter will be up to make it even longer and better. I definitely plan on contributing when I can! I got Otsuka's autograph again. Anyway, it was one of the highlights of my con.
--- Rushed to try to get into the Garden of Words reception (for Makoto Shinkai's autograph), but ended up too far back. Talked to a guy about anime for a while in the line. I found out later my friend got in the reception and got an autograph and I totally could have joined her in line (she had been trying to call me) and proceeded to kick myself mentally for a while, but she told me there would be another autograph session the next day so there was still hope.
+++ More food truck food and hanging out at friend's hotel room for a few hours.
+ Went to AMV Hell 6.66, but they started it early, and it was full. I waited for a quite a while (because I had nothing better to do) and ended up getting in, but only saw maybe a half-hour of it. Then I realized I had already seen it anyway. Oh well, haha.
+++ Got up and went straight to Garden of Words Panel line. Met some nice people and we played Go Fish while we waited. But, as soon as I got in the panel, my friend texted me to get to dealer's hall right away to get in the autograph line. I felt so bad skipping the panel, but figured getting an autograph is better than just seeing the panel. So, I ran all the way across the convention center!
+++++ Got in the line and was #20 of 50 due to my friend holding a spot for me. We got a bunch of Makoto Shinkai related freebies, including clearfiles, notebooks, and postcards. Aaaand got to meet Makoto Shinkai, get his autograph, shake his hand, and talk to him for a few moments. He was really nice and his English is good. :D I'm really happy I got to meet him after all--I really thought there was no way I'd get his autograph!
+++ Walked around dealer's hall until it was time to leave, and bought just a few things. I got a Madoka Maiko figure, which is AX exclusive and very cute. There were lines for it for most of con, but I got it when there was no line whatsoever. Picked up a few art prints for my Tumblr friend. Pondered how fast the con went by!
--- Lost one of my Umbreon gloves on the way out. :( Gotta make a new one, I guess!
++ My roommate and I started out heading out on I-5, but stopped for food. While there, we heard that the traffic was terrible, so we went back towards LA and ended up taking 110-N instead. It was a long drive that felt like it took forever, but the views were amazing! We drove by the ocean, and through forests and hills and all kinds of interesting scenes. We listened to music most of the way, and didn't talk much. I think we were both tired. Got back to Sacramento at around 1 AM, and then I had to drive an hour home. It was hard because I was really exhausted, but I made it!
Overall, it was chaotic and intense as always, but I'm glad I went after all~! I got some amazing autographs and went to some awesome events, and I generally had a great time.
It was a crazy and stressful con with a lot of tough decisions, and I barely got to hang out with anyone, but it all turned out great in the end!
Going to post a summary. Stealing the plus and minus layout I've seen other people use.
+++ Things went well with my roommates! I talked to them basically the whole way down despite being tired, saw the sunrise for the first time in ages, and got a little sleep in the car. Our room was fairly far away from the convention center, so we had to drive back and forth, but that went more smoothly than expected because of good communication, and being able to hang out in another friend's room when I was tired. The room was actually rather blah and in a not-so-great neighborhood, but I slept like a rock in it every night, so I'm not complaining.
----- The reg line was hands-down the worst con line I have ever been in. I've been in con lines for a longer time--even 7-8 hours--but, while this was only around 4 hours, it was SUFFERING. I thought I was going to pass out for much of the time, and it was unbearably long in the blistering hot sun. We were constantly moving, which was sort of good in a way, but also tough because it was literally miles of walking in the heat. Just when I thought I had reached the shade and was going to be okay, it turned out I had another forty-five minutes of suffering and walking in the sun. It felt like some sort of death march. I will definitely be doing Day Zero reg again next year, which is what I normally do.
---- The running of the con was definitely not that great. Most of the staff didn't know what was going on, especially when it came to autographs/autograph lines (particularly on Friday morning). But, meh, I had a good time so whatever.
+++ Went to Wolf Children screening on Thursday for my first actual event after surviving the reg line. Got all teary again--I think much of the audience did. Love that movie so much, aughhh.
++++ AMV contest was quite impressive this year! There were only a few videos that I didn't care for, and practically everything was very well-done. I had a nearly impossible time choosing what to vote for!
-- Getting autograph tickets Friday morning was a mess! I kept getting in different lines, only to be told it was the wrong line, and the staffers didn't know what was going on. I did get some tickets from a nice Premier fan. Had to leave the line for tickets in order to get Megumi Han's autograph. (She is such an enthusiastic sweetheart, omfg.)
+++ I told my tale of autograph lines woe to a staffer, and he was nice and gave me an Inoue ticket despite me not getting back in the autograph ticket line. It was #172 so I thought, "There's no way I'm going to get this."
-+ I went to the Pokémon gathering and saw some familiar faces and great costumes, but had to leave early for autographs, ahhh. I felt so bad leaving!
+++++ I got Yuasa's autograph/a sketch of Watashi and Oz (which is awesome), then went in the line for Inoue, though I figured Inoue's line was hopeless. Talked to some nice people in Inoue's line, as it was a decently long wait. Inoue decided to be awesome and stay longer, so I ended up getting his autograph, yayyy! Such a relief!
+++ I went to the KickHeart premiere with Yuasa, which was fun. The short was really cool, and I loved the funny making of documentary that they screened as well. I won a priority ticket for Yuasa's signing, and figured, "Why not, right?" So I got a second sketch, this time of Akashi.
---- Missed the Little Witch Academia screening, though, because it was full by the time I got there. Went in the Noizi Ito panel line instead.
+ Noizi Ito panel was actually rather boring, to be honest. Though, I like her art so I'm glad I got to see her at least. She's the one person I would have liked an autograph from, but wasn't able to get one due to scheduling. :(
+++ Went and got food truck food and rested at a friend's hotel room due to being exhausted. Talked at length with her sister about films/anime/manga/social justice, which was great.
+++ Went to AMVs on the Edge, which was a lot of fun. I had seen maybe 40-50% of the videos shown, but the ones I hadn't seen were hilarious!
+++ In the morning, went straight to the Attack on Titan panel line, which was gigantic. Streetpassed a ton of people while waiting, and passed some great Titan cosplayers. The panel room was full, with 2000+ people! The panel itself was pretty fun and amusing, though some people asked insanely stupid questions. Got to see 13.5 (which is a recap) before it aired in Japan. I especially loved the reference photos of people making stupid faces, which was how the titans were supposed to look.
+++++ Then, I went to the Little Witch Academia party that I won an invite to, which was wonderful! I loved seeing the making-of documentary. It was amazing how much of a struggle the new animators had with making it. I'd love to see it again. I spotted my friend Toyonori Yamada in it, which made me especially happy, as we haven't talked in a long time and I wasn't sure where he ended up. I wrote him a note hastily and gave it to Otsuka to give to him. There was also free food and drinks, a Q&A, and we got to see a trailer for Kill-la-Kill (so excited!) and another anime about ships (I can't remember its name--something that starts with A of Blue Steel?). Also, Little Witch Academia will have a sequel, and soon a Kickstarter will be up to make it even longer and better. I definitely plan on contributing when I can! I got Otsuka's autograph again. Anyway, it was one of the highlights of my con.
--- Rushed to try to get into the Garden of Words reception (for Makoto Shinkai's autograph), but ended up too far back. Talked to a guy about anime for a while in the line. I found out later my friend got in the reception and got an autograph and I totally could have joined her in line (she had been trying to call me) and proceeded to kick myself mentally for a while, but she told me there would be another autograph session the next day so there was still hope.
+++ More food truck food and hanging out at friend's hotel room for a few hours.
+ Went to AMV Hell 6.66, but they started it early, and it was full. I waited for a quite a while (because I had nothing better to do) and ended up getting in, but only saw maybe a half-hour of it. Then I realized I had already seen it anyway. Oh well, haha.
+++ Got up and went straight to Garden of Words Panel line. Met some nice people and we played Go Fish while we waited. But, as soon as I got in the panel, my friend texted me to get to dealer's hall right away to get in the autograph line. I felt so bad skipping the panel, but figured getting an autograph is better than just seeing the panel. So, I ran all the way across the convention center!
+++++ Got in the line and was #20 of 50 due to my friend holding a spot for me. We got a bunch of Makoto Shinkai related freebies, including clearfiles, notebooks, and postcards. Aaaand got to meet Makoto Shinkai, get his autograph, shake his hand, and talk to him for a few moments. He was really nice and his English is good. :D I'm really happy I got to meet him after all--I really thought there was no way I'd get his autograph!
+++ Walked around dealer's hall until it was time to leave, and bought just a few things. I got a Madoka Maiko figure, which is AX exclusive and very cute. There were lines for it for most of con, but I got it when there was no line whatsoever. Picked up a few art prints for my Tumblr friend. Pondered how fast the con went by!
--- Lost one of my Umbreon gloves on the way out. :( Gotta make a new one, I guess!
++ My roommate and I started out heading out on I-5, but stopped for food. While there, we heard that the traffic was terrible, so we went back towards LA and ended up taking 110-N instead. It was a long drive that felt like it took forever, but the views were amazing! We drove by the ocean, and through forests and hills and all kinds of interesting scenes. We listened to music most of the way, and didn't talk much. I think we were both tired. Got back to Sacramento at around 1 AM, and then I had to drive an hour home. It was hard because I was really exhausted, but I made it!
Overall, it was chaotic and intense as always, but I'm glad I went after all~! I got some amazing autographs and went to some awesome events, and I generally had a great time.
