Warpfist's Warband
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Warpfist's Warband |
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This year I didn't have a camera, so check out http://www.anime.me.uk/gallery/index.php for pictures of the costumes. You'll have to be a member to download them though.
Friday Morning
Take two very long coach journeys to get to Northampton in very bad weather.
Weather finally clears up and after chips on the market I stagger into the Moat
House.
Friday Afternoon
Meet up with Claire, Louise, Vince and the Tokomons, Carmel and some others
in the bar. Also spot Ceroblade cosplaying as Zell and mistakenly call him Seifer
(easy mistake to make when you can't see the facial tattoos). Sitting about I
scan the programme and realise I don't know any of the names of any of the shows.
Fortunately Claire grabs my programme and ticks a load of shows, based on her
limited knowledge of my tastes...
Fortunately she's correct with Full Metal Panic, which I watch in tiny vid room
2 with a load of other fans chuckling away. Foolishly I believe Claire's other recommendations
(see Saturday Night)
Friday Night
The Meet the Committee is actually useful, and I see lots of clips from shows
I want to see, particularly Spiral, Azumanga Daioh, and Ghost in the Shell TV.
They also make mysterious references to SaiKano. So mysterious that I now have
to see this show! Bah!
Later Friday Night
I get a good seat for Azumanga Daioh and spend the next hour laughing and fighting
for breath. The intro is nutty and the characters are great (Osaka is my favourite,
or maybe the cat) The rest of the room seem to think so too.
Sadly I'm now feeling the effects of the long journey and early start, so despite wanting to see Puni Puni Poemi, and Hack Sign, I go to bed.
Saturday Morning
Saturday breakfast is later than weekday, so I go for a walk and buy some cheap
CDs.
After stuffing myself silly at breakfast (always take advantage of a free buffet),
I go to see what's up in the dealers room. At 55 minutes till opening there
is already a huge queue! As I enter the fan bar I see my chum Rob and queue
jump to meet him. After 10 minutes (and some bitching and whining from other
queuers) I get bored and go to see Chobits. Its the Panty Shopping Episode.
Mildly amusing, fairly derivative of stuff like Metal Angel Marie (My Marie),
but the cute little Persocon keeps my attention.
More Azumanga Daioh calls instead of the slow moving queue, so I indulge again.
Less introductions but still as funny.
By 11 the queue is thinning so I go take a look, and spend far too much (but
still below my set budget). Annoyingly Trigun DVD and Sailor Moon manga have
already sold out(!!) so I experiment with a few titles. I also pop into vid room 3 to give Raxephon
a try, but get bored. Then its time for Saikano.
Saturday Afternoon
After the big build up, I just have to see this. After 50 minutes I'm thinking
OK so its a love story in war torn contemporary Japan,then the twist hits. I'm
not going to spoil it, but it is a big surprise, but I can't see why the Committee
hid it from us. Obviously the Japanese TV listings gave the full title, so why
weren't we? Definitely decide to see more later this weekend.
Hooking up with Rob's new friends Zoe and Charlotte, we try to see Spiral in
vid room 2. Its packed, so we hang out and try the dealers room again. An hour
later Spiral is repeated in room 2+1. It's still packed so we go to lunch, then
I go to see Ghost in the Shell with Zoe. I'm intrigued, but find it a little
slow. Zoe is bored out of her skull. The we have to clear out as they prepare
for the masquerade.
Saturday Evening
Oh my god! normally a masque is 10 people in various degrees of costume. This
year there are 60 entrants! And they are mostly great. Even the cross-players
(except the two scary guys dressed as the girls from Noir - Hairy legs and stubble!)
After the masque but before the auction I bail with Claire and Louise, and a
whole bunch of scary people (Hi to Sakura, Tomoyo, and Amazing Nurse Nananko
especially!) to freak the mundanes at McDonalds. We get back soaked with rain
to find the Chobits lifesize Chii pillow has sold for £300!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday Night
After much build up the party/Karaoke is a pile of poo, dominated by one or
two microphone hogs and their hangers on. Claire, Louise, and Carmel go to see
Gravitation. After the singers murder the theme to Sakura Wars I foolishly join
them.
Gravitation is actually quite good. Despite being a hetero male I got quite
caught up in this love polygon series, and the tunes are cheesy but kind of
cool. Might have to endure some more...
But then its time for Cosplay Complex! Er... its really really ecchi. I can't
describe it much without worrying normal folk, except to say the cosplay fairy
is cool and I want one.
Given the choice of more crap party or bed, I choose bed.
Sunday Morning
After another heavy breakfast, I meet up with Rob and Zoe and find out that
Spiral is being repeated again! We get front row seats and really enjoy it.
We bore people with the series' catchphrase "Blade Children" for a
bit afterwards.
Eventually Claire and Louise turn up and we all go to see more SaiKano. We're
hooked, and rather surprised when Chusei reveals she is 17 years old - She looks
12!
Food beckons again, then Louise's car crisis.
Sunday Afternoon
Fortunately she returns in time for Hack Sign. Interesting, very interesting.
I decide to check out more later to see if it really has the potential for a
tabletop RPG.
Sunday Evening
More Saikano is dropped in favour of a last meal together before Claire and
Louise have to leave for Wales. Then its back to the hotel for the closing ceremony.
The much missed Anime Music Video Competition re-appears and despite "Princess
Mononoke in three minutes", and a very technically adept video that escapes
my memory, the one we all remember is "Edd's Day" - the useless Edd
from Cowboy Beebop, mugging and pratfalling to Spike Milligan's Q5. "Plinky
plinky plinky plinky plinky plinky plinky plinky plink (long pause) PARP!"
etc.
Also some prizes get given out to gophers and stuff, and we have the dodgy T-shirt
contest. Then most of the people go home. Time for an early night.
Monday (Epilogue)
Turns out not everyone went home, and I have an interesting breakfast with Amy,
Cloud and co.
The journey back is much better with sun and relaxation.
When I go to pick up my car from my mothers, however, I find I'm too tired to
drive and spend the night, annoyed that I have a huge pile of DVDs and no player!
Big shout-outs to:
Claire and Louise
Zoe and Charlotte
Ceroblade and Carmel
Amy and co
The scary Sakura and Tomoyo cosplayers. FAN SERVICE!
And speaking of Fan Service - David Stevenson
Carl Desforges aka Mr Panda, who commented on my website
Vince and the Tokomons, and Gothboy
The amazing Ulala cosplayer
The very brave Nananko cosplayer who came to McDonalds with us
The guy who made the excellent Milligan anime vid
United Publications
and the helpful guard at Peterborough station.