Big ol' AX post
Jul. 14th, 2007 12:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psipsyHere it is folks, my thoughts on Anime Expo 2007.
AX has always been the BIG convention to go to, bigger than Otakon, bigger than--something really big. For many on the West Coast, particularly around the LA area, going to AX is no big deal due to proximity. But for many on the East Coast, it's that pie-in-the-sky convention, the one that we always talk about going to but most never do.
Well, the time for speaking of legends is over, and thus begins a time for creating them. After 12 years of going to almost 70 anime conventions (over 70 if I count sci-fi events), one of my friends lit a fire under my ass and so wits and resources were gathered and off we went to Anime Expo this year. I went, I saw, I had fun.
I got the worst sunburn in over 10 years, a homeless man tried selling used porn to me, we barely survived the hair-raising leaky-exhaust shuttle ride from the airport to the hotel, I slept on a sidewalk while waiting to get my badge, saw the SOS Brigade "concert" that while it was fun it was more like a disorganized ADR pitch, saw the Momoi concert that almost didn't happen, saw a Cosplay that was done incredibly well, introduced one friend to "Lucky Star" and the other to "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", took a zillion pictures, and watched us skim the top of a big bank of clouds as we came in for a landing on the way home. That's the condensed part of it. Yeah, the weekend was awesome.
However, the convention from a functional point of view, left much to be desired. Some of it the convention's fault, some of it because of the facilities. Long Beach fire code prohibits lines forming inside, so guess where? Outside, in the sun. AX had a wonderful idea of mailing out badges beforehand, and all that someone would have to do is come in with the badge, pick up their holder and bag of goodies, and go off to the convention. I felt that this was a great idea with the potential to save time and prevent aggravation for many. Except they sent the badges out entirely too late. Mine didn't show up in the mail until after I left. Brilliant. And what was up with the Premier ticket holders being in the same line? A lot of people including myself were under the impression that having one meant not having to stand in line. In a roundabout way, that's true. Nobody forced me to stand in line waiting for the ticket booth to open up, when waiting until a couple hours afterward meant being able to stroll right up to the counter, get my tickets, and be on my way. And when it came time for the event itself, I could have easily just hung out in the shade and waited until the line finished up, because in the end I would have gotten the same seats anyway. Then there was the dealers room/exhibition hall layout, which had an exit as far from the entrance as possible, so upon leaving you found yourself in another zip code. Again, I'm going to chalk that up to the local fire codes and regulations, in light of the design of the building itself. Lastly, the guest handling. I know I wasn't the only one impressed when they announced so many guests this year, but maybe there's such a thing as too many guests.
AX related firsts and records:
-first cross country trip via commercial airline
-most nights spent in hotel room for single event (5)
-first time at 4-day con for full event
-set record for sleep deprivation (38 hours; damn did I get retarded)
-most pictures taken
-highest hotel bill (5 nights will do that, but at least it's not at Otakon rates)
This is proving to be a rather busy summer. Anime Mid Atlantic, then AX, and I'm going to swing by Shore Leave tomorrow, and a week from now, Otakon. One after another after another. This really isn't much more than usual, but AX felt like three. I need another 7 weekends this month alone for conventions, anime clubs, and AUSA meetings. But more importantly, one weekend so I can disappear and chill.
AX has always been the BIG convention to go to, bigger than Otakon, bigger than--something really big. For many on the West Coast, particularly around the LA area, going to AX is no big deal due to proximity. But for many on the East Coast, it's that pie-in-the-sky convention, the one that we always talk about going to but most never do.
Well, the time for speaking of legends is over, and thus begins a time for creating them. After 12 years of going to almost 70 anime conventions (over 70 if I count sci-fi events), one of my friends lit a fire under my ass and so wits and resources were gathered and off we went to Anime Expo this year. I went, I saw, I had fun.
I got the worst sunburn in over 10 years, a homeless man tried selling used porn to me, we barely survived the hair-raising leaky-exhaust shuttle ride from the airport to the hotel, I slept on a sidewalk while waiting to get my badge, saw the SOS Brigade "concert" that while it was fun it was more like a disorganized ADR pitch, saw the Momoi concert that almost didn't happen, saw a Cosplay that was done incredibly well, introduced one friend to "Lucky Star" and the other to "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", took a zillion pictures, and watched us skim the top of a big bank of clouds as we came in for a landing on the way home. That's the condensed part of it. Yeah, the weekend was awesome.
However, the convention from a functional point of view, left much to be desired. Some of it the convention's fault, some of it because of the facilities. Long Beach fire code prohibits lines forming inside, so guess where? Outside, in the sun. AX had a wonderful idea of mailing out badges beforehand, and all that someone would have to do is come in with the badge, pick up their holder and bag of goodies, and go off to the convention. I felt that this was a great idea with the potential to save time and prevent aggravation for many. Except they sent the badges out entirely too late. Mine didn't show up in the mail until after I left. Brilliant. And what was up with the Premier ticket holders being in the same line? A lot of people including myself were under the impression that having one meant not having to stand in line. In a roundabout way, that's true. Nobody forced me to stand in line waiting for the ticket booth to open up, when waiting until a couple hours afterward meant being able to stroll right up to the counter, get my tickets, and be on my way. And when it came time for the event itself, I could have easily just hung out in the shade and waited until the line finished up, because in the end I would have gotten the same seats anyway. Then there was the dealers room/exhibition hall layout, which had an exit as far from the entrance as possible, so upon leaving you found yourself in another zip code. Again, I'm going to chalk that up to the local fire codes and regulations, in light of the design of the building itself. Lastly, the guest handling. I know I wasn't the only one impressed when they announced so many guests this year, but maybe there's such a thing as too many guests.
AX related firsts and records:
-first cross country trip via commercial airline
-most nights spent in hotel room for single event (5)
-first time at 4-day con for full event
-set record for sleep deprivation (38 hours; damn did I get retarded)
-most pictures taken
-highest hotel bill (5 nights will do that, but at least it's not at Otakon rates)
This is proving to be a rather busy summer. Anime Mid Atlantic, then AX, and I'm going to swing by Shore Leave tomorrow, and a week from now, Otakon. One after another after another. This really isn't much more than usual, but AX felt like three. I need another 7 weekends this month alone for conventions, anime clubs, and AUSA meetings. But more importantly, one weekend so I can disappear and chill.
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Date: 2007-07-14 01:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-15 07:28 am (UTC)