It’s that time of year again. Time to report on the gathering of our anime geek brethren known far and wide as Animazement. This year they pulled out all the stops, and made the convention even bigger, and even better. And the fans came out in force in support of the move. In fact, over 4,000 people were confirmed through pre-registration alone! Don’t believe me? Here are the pictures to prove it.
THE LOBBY
The moment you step into the lobby, you are surrounded by gloriously geeky anime goodness. Hundreds of people you have never met, but nevertheless share a common bond with. We’re sort of like Dead-heads, only with more fashion sense and much, much less pot.
THE GAME ROOM
Once again the game room was constantly jammed. With good reason, too; Rock Band and the new Smash Brothers game were featured, as well as some old favorite retro fighting games. M.H. and I even found time to get our butts kicked by Final Fight. PS3 and Xbox 360 are all well and good, but my heart will always be 16-bit.
KOTONO MITSUISHI AND KEIKO HAN
Here we see Keiko Han (second from left) and Kotono Mitsuishi (second from right) discussing their respective careers with the audience. Obviously, Sailor Moon was the hot topic of discussion, and the pair even treated us to an impromptu performance of one of the most famous scenes from the series. Incidentally I’d like to thank the sound guy, whose inability to provide the audio for the clips made it all possible.
DEALER’S ROOM
Dear lord, the stuff they had for sale. Posters, swords, plushies, shirts, figurines; anything and everything an anime fan could possibly want was available, some of it at very reasonable prices. Four volumes of manga for $10? Their prices are INSAAAAAAANE!
JOUJI NAKATA
Personally I thought that meeting Kikuko Inoue last year was the highlight of my life as an anime fan, but meeting this guy was a damn close second. That’s right, I came face to face with Alucard himself, Jouji Nakata. He shook my hand, and even signed the official autograph shirt. I could tell he was happy to meet and greet the fans, as well. Hopefully that will be enough motivation for him to come back again next year.
SHAMISEN CONCERT
A big change M.H. and I noticed this year in the convention format was an increase in the amount of exhibitions centered on Japanese culture, one of the most unique and enjoyable being the shamisen concert. Maya Yamao not only played, but also explained the role of the shamisen in Japanese culture and gave a brief history of the music. It was events such as this that gave the convention a very well-rounded and satisfying feel.
AMV CONTEST
A big crowd showed up for the AMV contest, which yours truly entered for the second time this year. I made a very strong showing, but was unable to take home an award. Not to take anything away from the winners, whose videos were all well done and entertaining, but personally, I feel that I got shafted. You be the judge. Here is my entry for this year:
COSPLAY
The cosplayers were really out in force this year, and the costumes seemed to be much more elaborate. Last year we blurred out faces, but we decided against that this year, for two reasons: One, we’re lazy. Second, if these people didn’t want to get noticed, they wouldn’t have dressed up in costumes. On that note, by viewing these photos, you agree not to ridicule, stalk, or otherwise inconvenience the people who kindly posed for these pictures.
Some cosplayers chillin’ in the lobby. No doubt the guy in the center just wanted to set down those heavy props for a moment.
Wow, Buckethead has really let himself go.
I took cover behind some foliage in an attempt to photograph undisturbed cosplayers in their natural habitat. Turns out they’re even geekier when they think no one is watching.
Lucky for these two the convention center was air-conditioned.
Pyramid Head and Alucard. Two monsters, one notably more stylish than the other.
And so another Animazement goes in the books. Overall I’d say just about everything was improved upon from last year, and it was once again an unforgettable experience. I am very excited to see what Animazement 2009 has in store for us, especially since it will evidently be moving to a much larger venue. So next year, when Memorial Day weekend rolls around, screw the cookout and spend some time with some of the most enthusiastic otaku the United States has to offer at Animazement 2009. You cannot and will not be disappointed.
