Mood:
caffeinatedTopic: Other Cons
TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3377: Please Note: Part 1 of this blog series on Anime Conji started prior to the con. Followed up by Part 2, which was on the 1st Day of the con, which Michael attended alone. Part 3 was on the 2nd Day of the con, blogged by Vinnie. Today's post is Part 4 which is a blog by Vinnie & then a 'wrap-up' by Michael. Please Note: This was my youngest son, Vinnie, 1st time ever at a true 'anime con'. He's been to many comic cons, and a recent sci-fi / fantasy con, but not an anime con! ----------------------
We also viewed the 'Cosplaying to the Camera' panel. The host appeared to be well educated on the subject, and the information seemed to be beneficial to any cosplayer. It described several ways to take shots for posing, and included some terms to know for taking pictures.
We attended a Fashion Show from 12:15 pm to 12:45 pm. It was fun as there were many interesting outfits designed by two different people. The first set was styled in the steampunk fashion, and the second was futuristic. It varied quite differently, which made it even more fun! As we were 'Press', we were allowed to get front row seating which allowed us to get great pictures. (Note: At the top right is just one of those pics. More at my dad's Facebook Fan Page Anime Conji Photo Album in the days to follow!)
For our last panel of the last day, we stopped to view a performance called Team Lift which was a variety of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), Parkour, and Freerunning. As I am interested in such subjects, and partake in a little bit of the basics of parkour and freerunning, I found it interesting for any beginners, as this was about the basics. It proved beneficial, in both showing the terms and how to execute the moves. Overall, I really enjoyed this panel, and was in fact, one of my favorites. I know that I stated in Sunday's blog that my dad would be doing this blog, but it ended up being a co-blog. My revised grade for this Anime Conji is a Near Mint (NM), a 9.4 out of a 10.0 grade scale, after attending both the 2nd & 3rd days of the con. ~Vinnie! --------------
I blogged on Day 1 of this anime con, and this is my 'wrap up' section.... First, I thought that for a con that is in its 2nd year, AND moving to a larger and different location, that it was a pretty 'smooth' running con. What went 'smooth' was the registration process, for the most part, and the logistics of being in a place that is a little 'spread out' for panels / programs / activities. Events / Panels / Activities were spread out over the hotel property so as to not have tremendous crowds concentrated in just one area. What was a little 'bumpy', was the 46 additional minutes that it took for the Saturday Night Masquerade to start, which was for only 15 entries. However I did talk to another staffer from another con which held a similar event in the same room, and he pointed out that the room was not that conducive for having such an event. So cons that are setting up there with a main event should become aware of aware of this situation and correct for it... I found the Anime Conji staff and volunteers to be friendly and helpful, and made my own 1st 'official' attendance at a 'true' anime con a fun one. As you can see from Parts 2 & 3, my youngest son also had a 'fun time'! Yes, a few 'bugs' need to be ironed out, such as someone giving a panel moderator the fact that there only 10 minutes left before their panel ended... And there were a few 'no-shows / cancellations' of panels on Sunday, but for the most part the panels / programs went smoothly for a 2nd time con. I would suggest for those of YOU in the Southern California area and interested in anime / manga to 'book' next year's Anime Conji ahead of time, and save on the 'At the Door' prices. There were 'full weekend' and 'daily' badges available. There were some parents with younger kids at this con, but for the most part the 2011 Anime Conji 'skewed' quite a bit younger in age of attendees. A lot of 13 -17 year olds, with a smattering of older folks. Yet it was still a good 'family friendly' environment in presentations until the late evening programs, when there some '18+' activities. Regarding 'grading' this Anime Conji... You'll notice that my youngest son raised his 'grade' for this con after attending the second day... From a Near Mint Minus (9.2) to a Near Mint (9.4) out of a 10.0 grading scale. As for myself, I would give this con's 2nd year a VERY FINE PLUS (VF+) 8.5 out of a 10.0 comic book grading scale. Here's the Facebook Event Page so YOU can check out the latest updates from the 2011 activities that attendees will be posting to! Here's the Facebook Fan Page so YOU can become a 'Fan' and be interactive with others, plus get a heads up for the 2012 Anime Conji! Here's the web site for Anime Conji for even more info! My own Facebook Fan Page will be posting additional pics in the days to come, so that you that those of you that aren't able to attend, can see what happened! Again, My Thanks to the 'Chair of the Con', Hector Reyes, for bringing this 2nd Annual Anime Conji to my attention, and to his making sure that my son and myself were made aware of the activities that were happening each day! ~Michael D Hamersky
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My dad and I took in a small portion of the panel 'Getting Members for your Anime Club'. I found it interesting, as they discussed many ways to keep it fun and interactive for club members. I also found it prove useful for other kinds of clubs as well. I took some notes just in case they prove use for me. 
We viewed the panel 'The Destruction of Tokyo'. It discussed why the Japanese love to destroy their capital city. The host was quite humorous and greatly described answers to questions related to why they destroy Tokyo. He had a well presented PowerPoint presentation that showed snapshots of some movies that all destroyed Tokyo. It shed some light to the pieces of history that are not usually covered in modern schools. 
The 'Origins of Manga' panel was hosted by Edgar Vera. He showed us a PowerPoint about the history of manga and anime. He was very educated on the subject and I felt I learned quite a bit about manga and anime. As we finished early, he also discussed about his convention he runs about manga. Everyone was interested in attending which was cool, as it shows that they want to learn more and more about manga.
Thanks Vinnie for reporting on Days 2 & 3 of the 2011 Anime Conji!
My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and the archived blog posts, now over 3,375 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!
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Welcome to my take on Anime Conji Day 2!
My dad and I viewed a panel about making, using, and wearing props and accessories. It talked in depth about each of those topics, and I found it quite interesting what trouble most of the cosplayers go through to make their costumes. You have to make sure any weapons are equally weighted on both ends, otherwise it will be quite uncomfortable to carry. I also found it interesting when they were talking about proportions, as it made me think of poor costumes I had seen at earlier events due to lack of equal proportioning. A good example would be if one dressed up as Sephiroth from the Final Fantasy series. He has a sword that is longer than he is tall, so when building the sword, you must have it longer than you. A 5 foot tall man will need a 6 foot long sword, but a 6 foot tall man will need a 7 foot long sword to be proportionate to the character. It greatly matters on the proportions. 
My dad and I got the chance to view the game room which was great fun. They had many platforms of games to play, including XBox, PlayStation 2, Wii, and GameCube, all the way to SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System). People were also welcomed to bring any handheld games to play with others in the room. They also had tournaments for some of these games, such as the new Pokemon Black and White for Nintendo DS, SSBB (Super Smash Bros. Brawl) for Wii, and Halo Reach for XBox 360. There were many more game tournaments as well; 7 to be exact. However, they did have an entry fee of $2, but they did offer prizes to the winners. 
In the Charlie's Plaza area of the resort, they held a place for cosplayers to walk around and model for pictures if asked. 
The masquerade was fun to watch, and had a wide array of characters spread between the 15 entries. However, the line to enter the room that was hosting the masquerade was extremely long and led outside of the building. It was 46 minutes after it was supposed to start when everyone was finally in the room being seated. 
So yesterday, (Friday), I drove down to the 2nd Annual Anime Conji. Unfortunately it was pouring rain in the early morning drive. Not good for the 1st day of a convention that is held at a hotel setting, where the panels & events are held either in different rooms you have to access by going outside, or events that were scheduled to be outside. But this being my first 'official' Anime Con, I still wanted to go on the first day!
Again, the staff and volunteers made the line workable and those in line where I was, were very understanding. If you are going today, (Saturday), or Sunday, please allow enough time to either get registered or pick up your prepaid membership badges!
After that I took in the 'Steam Powered Giraffe' musical group, which I watched for a short while, after it took a while to set up. 
While there, I attended panels / programs that both of them either were panelists or presented at. Carolyn is shown to the left during a Hogwarts presentation.
My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,374 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!
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