Category Archives: convention

Looking for a place to eat during NYAF weekend?

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If you’re in town for the New York Anime Festival, and you have a desire to try some authentic and tasty Japanese food at a reasonable price that is relatively close to the Jacob Javits Center, I would highly recommend Go Go Curry.

Originally a chain of restaurants from Japan, Go Go Curry serves large portions of Japanese-style curry. Last year, it opened its first store abroad right here in New York City.  Located on the 38th St in Manhattan on the corner of 8th Ave (the Javits Center is at 34th St and 11th Ave), if you haven’t tried Go Go Curry before, I really recommend that you do, especially those of you who like characters who like curry, as this will give you a clearer understanding of their beloved cuisine. Also their mascot is a gorilla named Gorry. Their other mascot is Hideki Matsui of the NY Yankees.

Go Go Curry’s curry is a little different from the norm, with a strong and robust flavor. It’s also made with pork all the time, so avoid it if you cannot eat pork or meat in general.

If you’re looking for something a little more upscale, but not necessarily Japanese, on that same block is a place called Djerdan Burek, which serves Balkan food.

The Best Reason to Go to New York Anime Festival that isn’t Tanaka Rie

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Pierre Bernard will be a guest. Bring your Bubblegum Crisis DVDs and posters, ladies and gentlemen.

And the worst reason?

I’LL SHAKUGAN YOUR SHANA. I’LL MASTER YOUR MOSQUITON. I’LL TELL NO JOKES WHATSOEVER.

Ugh.

Flaw Magnification at Conventions

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A week after Otakon, about a month away from New York Anime Fest, and knowing my friends are going to PAX at the end of this month, I have conventions, or more specifically congoers, on my mind.

I support fans doing what they want with what they love. One might call it one of the pillars of the concept of fandom itself. However, even I find myself being at times bothered by some of the behavior at anime conventions, even things that I normally would not be too bothered by outside of a con. It bothered me as being hypocritical, and it still might be, but I knew something was different about each situation. I mean, a lot of things are different about a con, but the main one is that it’s a lot of similar people in one area.

When you have one person who loves being the center of attention, it’s a perfectly okay personality trait, especially when you have people who can reciprocate. However, when you have 100 of those attention-craving individuals, and ten times that many people reciprocating and giving them attention at the drop of a hat, it magnifies the negative facets. It’s like inbreeding, where the more it happens the more concentrated the disadvantageous genetics become (no Koi Kaze jokes, please). And because so many people ARE vying for attention, their individuality tends to get lost in the mix, making them faceless, making them “attention whores.”

Being the center of attention is just an example, and not any sort of focal point for criticism. And it doesn’t just apply to personality traits but also tangible ones as well. When everyone who is not in a costume is wearing a t-shirt (myself included), you start to notice that fact.

Once you get to know someone individually, this sort of thing almost always stops mattering, but it is in this initial stage, this first sighting, that these judgments are formed, for better or worse. Moreover, many geeks, nerds, dorks, and otaku are bad at making first impressions in the first place, so this doesn’t make it any easier.

And though I say this is “at Conventions,” I know that this is less about cons in particular and more about human behavior and the interaction between individuals and masses. This is just to put it all in a context which is meaningful to me so that I can think about it more readily.

Otakon 2008 Artist’s Alley-ooplah

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I’ve heard recently that there was some kind of scheme going on at Otakon’s Artist’s Alley this year, where one or two artists bought around 14 tables and put their friends at each table to sell their artwork. Otakon is apparently looking for ways to prevent this incident, provided it actually happened.

I couldn’t find any reliable sources stating that this actually occurred, but it makes sense given the content of the artist’s alley this year, awesome Vegeta’s aside. As I went through the alley, I kept seeing this one specific, airbrushed style used on largel Shounen Jump characters. At first I wanted to make the joke that, huh, these asian girls sure do draw alike (and also draw like asian girls), but after the fourth and fifth artist’s table with the exact same style I started to get concerned. While I was there, I just thought it was an incidence where a bunch of artists really liked another artist and so they aped that style. I’ve seen one artist copying another’s style before, so it wasn’t too farfetch’d.

At best, this was just coincidence, and all that needs to happen is for a bunch of girls to try and find their own style, not just copy what they think looks good.

At worst, these people took away valuable artist’s alley tables that could have been better-used by those more deserving, regardless of the quality of the artwork itself. After all, the artist’s alley isn’t really about selling huge amounts, though I won’t fault you if you do make some hefty sacks of change. Well, provided it wasn’t done by completely eliminating someone else’s opportunity to show their art at a convention.

Looking back, it is pretty unusual that artist’s alley tables sold out so quickly this year, and this may go a long way in explaining it, provided it happened.

Anyone got any reliable sources I can use to verify this whole incident?

More Than Enough: Otakon 2008

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I went to Otakon with one purpose in mind: to go see JAM Project. Everything else on my priorities list could be postponed or sacrificed as long as I would be able to not turn away, and not show my tears, because I have the power of love to take back tomorrow. I am glad to say that not only did I see JAM Project, but the overall experience of Otakon 2008 has made it one of the best times o my life. It’s a culmination of various parts of a long weekend which turned out to be all too short.

I arrived Thursday afternoon by train along with a number of friends who I’ve known for some varying numbers of years. The first pleasant surprise was the hotel itself. We had taken two rooms in the Radisson, and found the rooms to be spacious, far more spacious than the place we stayed at last year. This was very fortunate, as it meant sleep would be comfortable and not the hassle it usually is at a con. We were later joined by kransom and astrange of welcome datacomp, two happening guys, one of whom is currently on a plane to Japan.

Actually, scratch that. My first pleasant surprise was on the train watching episodes of Cosmic Baton Girl Comet-san. I can’t believe how good that show is.

Thursday night was spent sitting back and playing Smash Bros Brawl with friends in the hotel room. The character choices among everyone were quite diverse, and this became a mainstay of practically every day we were there. As is always the case, Smash is simply a great way to unwind during conventions. kransom also showed me a copy of Patrick Macias‘ new book, Otaku in USA. The book is in Japanese, but it doesn’t seem to be a difficult read so I may pick it up at some point.

Friday morning, I went to the dealer’s room. While browsing DVDs, a dealer asked me what I was looking for, to which I responded, “Something for JAM Project to sign.” Luckily, a female dealer standing nearby pointed me out to a Gravion + Gravion Zwei combined thinpack that she was selling. She mentioned to me that the only reason she was here in the dealer’s room was so that she could be at Otakon to see JAM Project. To the kind woman who helped me out, I thank you, whoever you are. Other than that, I also accomplished another major objective that day.

(I also got an Eureka Seven poster.)

My first sighting of JAM Project was at the opening ceremony for Otakon, though I arrived pretty much just as they were leaving. I was there to see the Madhouse-produced opening animation, which basically involved Otakon’s two lackluster mascots fighting every anime character ever on their way to the convention center. Could have been worse, could have gone without it, the result was that I applaud their desire to celebrate their 10th anniversary with something big.

The JAM Project concert was to be held at the 1st Mariner Arena, a few blocks away from the convention center. After a bit of hassle, I managed to find a place in line with Sub from Subatomic Brainfreeze, and his friends, who I’ve met in the past thanks to a mutual friend of ours. There, we spent time enjoying the wonder and prestige of Sasaki Isao English renditions of Maginzer Z themes, who teaches us that, although humans can fight for good, give it all they’ve got, men are weak and they’re flesh and blood. Mazinger, however, is not. I could not think of a better way to pass the time.

At 7:00 we walked inside, me carrying a glowstick which I accidentally snapped. Sitting only a few rows away from the stage got me feeling anxious as I chatted it up a little with the people around me. Smoke began to fill the stage as I realized I was without my DS and could not participate in the inevitable pictochat. This only made me more anxious, as I knew it was almost upon us, the Japanese Animesong Musicians Project, albeit minus a few members I would like to have seen.

I am not a concert-goer, but I do not think any concert will ever top this one again. JAM Project are the masters of keeping the crowd excited with both their choice of music and musical style, and their sheer stage presence. JAM Project introduced themselves in English. You had the Lover of Amateur Rock Music Yoshiki Fukuyama , the Only Female There Masami Okui, the Youngest Member of JAM Project Hiroshi Kitadani aka Dani, the Most POWERFUL Member of JAM Project Masaaki Endoh (said while flexing his bicep), and the Leader Hironobu Kageyama. With an introduction like that, greatness was inevitable.

Their set included a large number of their combined efforts, such as Nageki no Rosario, Hagane no Messiah, and Breakout, as well as individual songs for which they were famous, which included Chala Head Chala, We Are!, Rinbu Revolution, Angel Voice, and Yuushaoh Tanjou! Knowing I had plans for karaoke the next day, I sang my heart out anyway, actively trying to destroy my throat as I yelled GOLDION HANMAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH. Totally worth it.

Especially impressive during the concert was Ms. Okui, who without Rica around had to sing twice as many lines as she normally would. Not only that, but Okui sounded better than I’ve ever heard her sing before. Usually her live voice is different from her studio voice, but on this night the two were one in the same. This, of course, is not to say that the others were anything less than outstanding. You could tell they enjoy their careers, and have a genuine love for anime music.

They finished off the main concert with GONG, then followed up with an encore comprised of Soul Taker and SKILL. I really couldn’t have asked for anything more, besides the presence of the God of Anime Songs Ichirou Mizuki! Sadly, my “Mizuki” chant did not work. By the way, that’s how I think Kageyama would have introduced him.

After the concert, a woman walked by with a sign saying,”Give your message to JAM Project!” All I could do was close my eyes and smile while clapping. I then gave a deep bow to them to show my gratitude. I hope you see it, JAM Project.

With the concert over, this was already the best con ever. I could have gone home that evening and been totally satisfied. Fortunately, the weekend was not over. After greeting Erin from Ninja Consultant (she asked me what I thought of the concert and my first response was to pump my fists), I ended up eating dinner with a mighty group indeed, perhaps the mightiest ensemble in all of Baltimore that evening had JAM Project not been around. This group consisted of myself, astrange and kransom, Mike Toole (whose panel I attended earlier in the day), ricequeen, Daryl Surat, and Gerald Rathkolb. It was an enjoyable dinner at a humble chain-like mexican food restaurant, where we discussed various anime-related topics. Kingdoms fell at our feet, while my ears continued to ring from being too close to the speakers during the concert.

The social aspect of the convention, which I was concerned about prior to attending, turned out to not be a problem, and was in fact one of the most enjoyable aspects of Otakon. While I ate with some anime titans of the internet on Friday, I ate with a different group of people every night that I was in Baltimore. Thursday night, I enjoyed extremely delicious Brazilian buffet at Fogo de Chão with my close friends from New York and college in Pittsburgh. There, while chowing down on lambchop, leg of lamb, pork sausage, garlic beef, filet mignon, filet mignon wrapped in bacon, chicken wrapped in bacon, etc (I tried to eat as wide a variety as I could), I talked to a waiter from Brazil. He mentioned his fondness for Saint Seiya and Evangelion.

Fogo de Chão is very pricey, so I wouldn’t recommend it as “con food” but as a place to enjoy the company of others while stuffing one’s face with protein-based brilliance, it is worth checking out.

Saturday evening, I ate with the internet. It was a Vegeta-mongling good time.

Afterwards, I ran to attend karaoke, where I gave a poor performance of Disarm Dreamer. There, along with astrange and kransom, I sat down and had a grand old time with wildarmsheero, Link, Omo, Anna, among others. You’ll forgive me if I forgot all of your names, but you were many. I sang along with a number of tunes, including Pegasus Fantasy, English and Japanese Pokemon themes, and SKILL, and tried my hardest to do my Souther impression for wildarmsheero. Watch out for it on his site. I was surprised to find someone singing the ending theme to the Sega Saturn racing game, Sonic R. I salute you as well. Unfortunately I did not have time to sing Minna Daisuki from Shugo Chara, which I had also planned.

While signing up for karaoke, one of the people working there asked me where I got my badge (see all the way up top), to which I said I made it myself. As he looked closer at my badge he suddenly said, “I read your blog!” Thank you, SSJSquall. You made my day in a day full of things which can make days with little difficulty.

On the same day was the JAM Project Q&A, which was a good time for all. There were many highlights to the whole session, but the absolute best was when Masami did an incredible Mizuki impression. Very few things in life will ever top Masami going, “[Mazinger] ZEEEET!” but one of them might be Fukuyama’s sheer antics. This guy is a joker through and through.

Sadly, I missed the Katsura panel because it interfered with the JAM Project autograph session, but I managed to attend the Maruyama/Madhouse panel, which is always a treat. I also sat in for the Fansubbers and Industry panel, which was informative if disappointingly peaceful. John Sirabella, head of Mediablasters, was a blast with his crotchety-yet-informative ways. I wanted to ask how buying region 2 dvds directly affects the region 1 industry if at all, but I was cut off. Maybe next year.

As for the JAM Project autograph session itself, I got to shake hands with them. As Kageyama signed my Gravion box, I pointed and said, “Sparking!” to which he responded in kind. After my friends and I all got our swag autographed, we got together in the dealer’s room to do a Whoa Bundy, the second Whoa Bundy of the day.

I also saw two incredible cosplays during the convention. First was a girl cosplaying as Rosalie from Rose of Versailles. Her outfit was this bright pastel blue, perfect for a shoujo character, and it was as if she stepped out of the pages of Riyoko Ikeda’s work. Second was a cosplay of Billy Mitchell, the first man to ever conquer Pac-Man. I failed to check if he had a bottle of Rickey’s Hot Sauce in hand.

At the train station, I saw Erin and Noah from Ninja Consultant, and wildarmsheero. Along with the friends who I came with, we had a good conversation to wind down the convention, and one of my friends read my blog for the first time. I hope it’s as frightening for you as I think it is.

There are two main lessons I took away from Otakon 2008. First is that on the internet it can become very easy to caricaturize those you talk to, to focus on only one aspect of their character and personality. In real life, we can get along without necessarily needing to debate or to try and make things “interesting.” Those things will come in time.

Second is that, according to Kageyama, this was one GAY 2008.

(It actually says 9 Aug 2008)

JAM Project JAM Project

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JAM Project Jam Project JAM Project.

JAM Project? JAM Project JAM Project JAM Project.

JAM Project JAM Project! JAM Project, JAM Project JAM Project JAM Project JAM Project…Jam Project?

JAM Project! (JAM Project)

Priorities for Otakon

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-JAM Project concert, that Katsura comedian guy.

-Finding something for JAM Project to sign, preferrably a cool, relevant poster or a DVD box set. Something like Scrapped Princess for example, or Gravion.

-Ogiue merchandise. I will not be denied again, unless it’s of course by virtue of there not being anything.

-Meeting with cool people.

-Avoiding the Yamaguchi Kappei line, as much as I’d like to meet the man who voiced Sai Saici. He plays L (from Death Note) and Inuyasha (from Pokemon). The fangirl barrier will be impenetrable.

-I may or may not want to watch a few episodes of the classic Casshern anime.

-Kick, Attack, Lightspeed Punch

I can’t promise anything~

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In anticipation for a certain get-together at Otakon karaoke, I’ve taken it upon myself to memorize one or two anime songs. I don’t do this normally, and when I do it’s usually for some easy-to-sing Super Robot openings, so actually sitting down and practicing and looking at lyrics has been quite an experience in learning about myself.

1) I can’t sing. This is compounded by the fact that one of the songs I picked turns out to be quite difficult.

2) I think it might actually be easier to memorize the lyrics when reading the original Japanese and not the romaji. When written in romaji, the pronunciation is there, but the meaning of the lyrics is gone and makes it more difficult to keep in memory. At least that’s how I feel.

So I’m looking forward to it. As for what songs I’ve chosen, well I’ll leave that a secret for now. Except for Yuushaou Tanjou! because I have to do that every time.

Otakon and the Social Con

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As we approach Otakon 2008, which promises to be full of auditory burning passion the likes of which will scar the very cement and bedrock on which the Baltimore Convention lies, albeit without Matsumoto Rica (which looks to be some kind of last-minute decision).

Aside from JAM Project and this awesome guy though, I’m not really beholden to the events schedule. However, after the previous two years, I’m still not sure what is the ideal ratio of attending panels, hanging out with friends, shopping in the dealer’s room, etc. is for me. I’ve somehow ended up as a part of many groups over the years, and while I would want to hang out with most, if not all of them, preferrably over lunch or dinner, there’s only so many lunches and dinners in a day unless you’re a hobbit (note to self: chop off shins). Whereas once I could just go with the flow, it becomes increasingly difficult to do everything I want and still remain relaxed.

I’m sure I’ll be on some degree of autopilot anyway during Otakon, but the question for me becomes, WHY do I go to Otakon?

For JAM Project, of course, but other than that, why?

Otakon is designed for as many people (who like Japanese culture) to enjoy themselves in the way they want. That’s why there’s a gaming room. That’s why there are cosplay and AMV contests. That’s why there’s anime at all. And of course with a con I get to meet people I don’t see normally, and there’s even the off chance I’ll get to know people I’ve never met before, online or off.

I think my worry is that the pressure of a schedule is the last thing I want from Otakon. That said, I’m sure it won’t happen when the time comes.

See you guys there. I’ll be mostly indistinguishable from the rest of the nerds, but you might be able to find me as I scour the dealer’s room for Ogiue merchandise.

…And I also might be wearing an Ogiue badge. Maybe.

Angelic Marathon

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As anime conventions consider what to put in their video rooms, I think one good idea would be to come up with a specific theme for a room which can cover a wide range of anime from every decade. This will provide a firm foundation for anyone who watches, and I am faithful that the show lists generated will be nothing but the cream of the crop.

For example, why not a video room devoted to Angel anime? And by that, I mean anime with the word “Angel” in their titles.

A sample list would look something like this.

-Angel Sanctuary
-Angel Cop
-Galaxy Angel
-Burst Angel
-Angel’s Egg
-Angelic Layer
-A Cheeky Angel
-Steel Angel Kurumi
-D.N.Angel
-Angel Blade

As you can see, the possibilities are limitless.