You’ve sat through parts 1-3. This is it! The official Otakon 2010 Convention Report, through my old tired eyes.

Otakon was a big deal for me this year. Even if it was my very last Otakon, it was still the first time I got a real chance to be around people (aside from work) and enjoy what was my first anime convention and rave on a good leg. After the whole getting shot thing, it was really hard to say whether or not I’d ever return to the world I love. (Eventually however, that didn‘t turn out to be the case, thanks to Anime Matsuri & the fact that I couldn‘t go to the rave anyway.)

Thursday was fraught with hobos and asshats. Even though the line had started the Wednesday prior(!), there was a couple of last-minute line waiting directives that weren’t delivered until, well, the last minute. There was a lot of last minute stuff at the con, like the artists, panelist, and dealers who got pulled in last second, or the events that got postponed or canceled. Pre-reg Thursday’s usually a good indicator of what the weekend attendance is going to look like, and when the hobos are saying that the line looks slim, perhaps it’s not your best year of attendance.

*It should be noted that Pre-reg Thursday (the Thursday before the event actually starts in which attendees grab their passes for said event) is not an exact predictor for how attendance plays out, the crowd did feel slimmer this year & there were a lot less cosplayers floating around, and while [at time of writing] there was an estimated 30,000 in attendance, Otakon was offering replacement badges for anyone that lost their original; so unless there’s some way to distinguish the replacement badges vs. original sold, Otakon could very easily inflate their final numbers.*

Thursday marched on with little excitement until 12 noon. Maryland has been suffering a pretty wicked heat wave all summer and while most of the attendees hadn’t bothered to check the local weather, the little Dark Angel that could managed to snag a look the night before. In fact the whole week building up to Ota, every weatherman had been proclaiming rain for that Thursday, with child-like giddy. So while I was happy I’d packed an umbrella, it was still not less of a surprise when the rain came. In the span of 20 mins Baltimore’s Inner Harbor was terra-formed from a desert into monsoon wetland. And it was cool too (everyone played in the rain), until the winds picked up. It evolved like a Pokemon in the span of minutes. Light rain, to thunderstorm, to heavy storm surge. Anything that wasn’t attached to your body or bolted to the ground, went flying away like a kite. And if you didn’t have an umbrella, you might as well have been naked in the shower. Logically, the staff let us in. The good news was, we now had shelter (most of us), the bad news was, the BCC (Baltimore Convention Center) has a convention practically every weekend, so the A/C never stops running; essentially it’s the coolest place in Baltimore all Summer. A couple hundred soaking wet anime fans, crammed into arguably the coldest building in the city, does not make for an awesome beach party. Though that didn’t stop some fans from stripping down to the bare essentials. We weren’t soaked, we were “if I squeeze my shirt, I have 2 buckets of water now“ drenched. Once pre-reg started, everyone was accommodated briskly. And that kids, was the day the ‘Hurricane of Otakon 2010’ took place. That was also the day IT came, the arrival of the Buttscratcher.

If Otakon was my anniversary con, it was certainly a throwback. This was the first year in a long time that I couldn’t stick around over night for a convention. I missed all the parties, all the raves, all the crazy that went down as soon as the sun did. If I had to break my 2010 experience into themes, Thursday would have been water (clearly), and Friday, regret. It felt terrible, because no matter how many people I got to see [again], how many things I got to do, how much fun it was to be back on the scene (and not walk around after hurting my legs), the experience never felt complete. Regret also sprang from the loss of my camera, which was stolen earlier this year. I’d had that thing for so long, I’d forgotten what it was like to not have one; I felt so naked. You could tell the Buttscratchers were multiplying by mid-Friday.

Saturday, July 31st, 2010. A day that will not be forgotten anytime soon. A day that will go down in Otakon’s chronicles as it’s greatest day of infamy. This was the day the fire alarm got pulled. But before all those crazy shenanigans, it seemed like a perfectly normal day at Otakon. Costumed characters walking rampant through Baltimore’s streets. Lines for everything longer than the DMV. People from all over the world celebrating anime. I spent today getting things done. I went to panels, I (pardon the 90s) got my game on, I got to meet many influential artist like Mookie & Garth. I met up & hung out with friends; it felt great, and yet so alien. Ever since the big Recession, I hadn’t really gotten a chance to relax and be me, I’d just been so busy working, and dealing with regulars, and making sure my bosses were happy, and it never felt like I was ever taking a minute to just chill; so it was weird doing so now. I somehow wound up working at one of the booths in the Dealer’s Room – Anime Pavilion. That was a different experience to say the least; it was nice to add the experience to my con scene resume. 1/2way through my 1st shift the fire alarm goes off, and at first, everyone ignores it. Then the Fire Marshall starts clearing us out. Everyone! Fans, staff, guests, etc. Fire drills were never like this in high school, and the amount of people was sheer MASSIVE. If the 30,000 estimate is to be believed, then there were at least 18,000 cleared out of the convention center. All of them seemingly packed onto Pratt Street, in Baltimore‘s Inner Harbor. It was like watching an epidemic break out, or the makings of a zombie apocalypse. So many people….and at first no one was moving, everyone just kinda congregated in the same area. Just this massive outbreak of anime fans. After this little stunt, I think it’s safe to say that Anime Expo will never have ANYTHING that will ever come close to that exciting; and it’s amazing to have been part of it. Now rumor has it that the culprit(s) range from a faulty stove to Rastafarians to 4chan. Course I’m inclined to agree with those who think it was Charmander. Or maybe Vic Mignogna actually picked up some tricks from all those recordings of FMA & Brotherhood. Fortunately (or unfortunately) however, according to the big cheese running the show, there was no actual fire.. The evacuation was definitive testament to the staff’s organization, because if there was actually something wrong, then they did a great job of getting us out of danger. Once the commotion died down, I went back to roaming with old friends, got back to work, and made some new friends. It still sucked that I couldn’t stay, but it was overall, a pretty good day. And you realize at this point that the viral buttscratrer meme has simply multiplied out of hand. It started as a rave, but within the first few days it had grown to something I think no one could control. I had a friend suggest that vuvuzelas (which had been preemptively banned this year) be allowed to combat the septic beast; however I countered in that his solution would be tantamount to trying to use the Aliens to fight the Predators; everyone loses as the problem gets worse. What amazed me the most was not the stamina in which this idea virus spread, but rather the various strains that derived from the original bug, seemingly all in one weekend, in the same building. You had opt-in buttscratcher, passing buttscratcher, Vendor buttscratcher, Buttscratcher cosplay, and even a couple of [people literally] running buttscratchers. Notably the Dealer’s Room was packed as always, and they weren‘t selling 3-month old merch (for the most part, and as far as I could tell). A lot of the vendors really seemed pressed to try to bring up the bottom line with some outstanding lineups, but even in a recession I think most have discovered they are still losing to the Internet. I think there’s got to be a new business model if those guys are going to survive.

In all the years I’ve spent going to cons, researching cons, and working (at) cons I’d never seen anything like Otakon 2010 to date. Hurricanes, no parties, fire alarms; it was starting to pre-qualify for free range pandemonium. It only felt slightly normal because it was all happening in Baltimore. So even though I shouldn’t have been, I was really surprised at what went down Sunday. See it was bad enough not being able to stay for any of the overnight chaos, but on top of that I had to run back to town to work (about an hour away) with no car, which essentially made my commute about 2.5 hours (because we all know how reliable public transportation is). So imagine my unnecessary surprise when I got to the train stop Sunday only to find out that they were all running about hour late. Bad enough it’d take an hour to get into the city, but an hr late for these things to boot, would mean I probably wouldn’t get there until noon; just as everyone started going home. Pissed as usual, I randomly relayed the bad news to a small group of cosplayers. A chance encounter really, because they then offered to take me to the show. Hitchiking to Otakon, what a way to travel! I made it in around 10, got a chance to say goodbye to some old friends, new friends, do a little last minute networking. And as the last of the festivities began to wind down I got a chance to go to my 1st anime convention wedding. The couple are friends of mine who you may remember from Otakon 2009. The groom proposed to his bride in the middle of the rave last year. This ceremony was more a recap than the actual ceremony , but it was still cool. Nowhere near as cool as my wedding will be, but awesome nonetheless.

So that was my Otakon 2010. Nothing at all like I was expecting, but hey, is it ever? But it’s the end of the ride for this old cowboy, no more Otakons. To quote myself, “I, Dark Angel, will never, ever again, as of the end of Otakon 2010, attend the Otakon convention ever again.” What’s next for the future? I’m the wrong person to ask, but I’m sure it’s gonna be crazy.

Parts 1, 2, 3

Anime Conventions, huh? What can I say that Team XP’s book already hasn’t? I’ve been going to anime conventions since 2004. My 1st was Otakon. I [honest to goodness] can’t remember a damn thing about that show (even though I‘ve got a whole freaking cache of swag from it), but I know it compelled me enough to keep coming back year after year.

I typically write epic jaunts about anime cons, but this time, I thought I’d try to break it up into pieces; so maybe you too can savor the last few moments I’ve come to reflect and experience with the Otakon convention.

It’s been one Hell of a ride; I still can’t believe how far it’s taken me.

So for the unaffiliated, Otakon’s this MASSIVE anime convention out here on the East Coast, in good ol’ Baltimore, MD. People get together for a few days to celebrate Japanese culture and all things inspired by it. Did I mention it’s the 2nd biggest show of it’s kind in North America, to include Mexico & Canada? 1st biggest on the East Coast.

This was my 5th and final Otakon. I’ve already written extensively about it, but it really was a significant year for me, all things considered. It was kinda like a big anniversary for yours truly. A culmination of old choices; decisions I’d made in passion or had been thrusted into in my quick lesson in adulthood, all coming together. Their consequences and ramifications echoing louder still, after all these years.

I seriously can’t remember anything about Ota ‘04, but I still marvel at all the swag I have left over from that show. ‘05 is one show many of the regulars will tell you was the best to date. A lot of great things came out of the convention that year. That’s when I 1st started looking into voice acting. ‘07 was the year I made it a personal goal to have the greatest Otakon EVER; in efforts to make up for missing ‘06. Talk about an anime convention! Guns, booze, rave, friends, massive hikes to 7/11, hookers, drunk kids who thought I was God. This con had everything! And for all the friends I made that year, this was the 1st year I got a chance to meet the lovely Amber, The Hentai Pirate & Light It Up’s own Xavier, probably the only other person around I know as badass as Dark Angel. Had I known the impact(s) they (and other good friends I made that year) would have had, we’da been friends so much, much sooner. Not to mention, the greatest book ever written was kinda born here, in a line, waiting to meet THE legendary Steve Blum. Damn, ’07 was a fucking epic year! ’08 was the 1st real time Team XP got a chance to meet up in person. You might not think so, but the fact that we’d come from all over the country (Cali, NYC, Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina) just to take one picture, or merely talk about one project that no one believed would ever see the light of day, astounding. Simply astounding. Amazing how far things came along still. ‘08 was the year I started really looking at out-of-state cons, as opposed to just out-of-state travel. Otakon was big that year too. Otakon ‘09, my 1st time working the Dealer’s Room. For the first time at any con, I got the chance to work and see a lot of the behind the scenes. I was privilege to Dealer’s Room setup before Otakon put it all over their website. This was also primetime spotlight time for Team XP, and pulling it all off required nothing short of giving the cool katz of Ota a show they’d never forget. And [all of] Team XP pulled that off to the tune of still remembered at this year’s Otakon. It’s been a roller coaster to be sure, never once as easy as expected, but Otakon has always been worth it. And 2010 was just the icing on the cake I needed to bow out gracefully. But more on that later.

And despite all that crazy history in good old Baltimore, I decided now was the best time to say goodbye. There have been a lot of mixed opinions about my (apparently) controversial decision, some people say I’ll be back, others are unable to fathom the words “Last Otakon” in the same sentence, so I’d like to take the time to document a little “for the record” quote.

I, Dark Angel, will never, ever again, as of the end of Otakon 2010, attend the Otakon convention, ever again.

Am I open to guest paneling, assisting in the Dealer’s or Artist spaces, staffing, or autograph signings? Of course. But I’m not going to be doing it at Otakon anymore. I’m glad for all the things I’ve gotten a chance to experience through this event. If I could go back, I don’t think I could bring myself to change anything. 2010 wasn’t the best con I’ve ever had, but for this Angel’s closing ceremony, things ended things on a high note.

Parts 2, 3, 4

So I made the decision to make this Otakon [2010] my absolute, very last Otakon. EVER. An ending I will never change. No ‘just going backs to say hi’ or ‘last minute do-overs’. No ‘guest spots/speaking’ or ‘publicity stunts’. This is the end boys & girls.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Otakon as much as the next catgirl. I’ve gone every year (save for ’06) since ’04, I’ve waited the lines, friended the fans, photographed the cosplay; I’ve endured the best of IRL-anime’s insanity firsthand.

But my choice comes at a time when this old man realizes [much regrettably] that I only have so much life to live. I look around [Otakon] and I see the same things, the same people, the same complaints and wonders, year in and year out. And you know what I realize? We’ve all gotten old. Every Otakoner (it seems) is content with going to Baltimore (of all places, really(?) *rolls eyes*) and yucking it up for 3-4 days every year, and no one wants to ask, what’s next?

*(Yeah, snarky asshole, I realize some Ota-con-goers/guest do in fact go to other conventions in their area/region/country; the remark is largely a knock at those who basically stick to the same 1-3 cons a year.)*

And I just can’t do that anymore. Because there is a fire in me named Discovery, and it will not be put out. There is so much more out there to do and see and experience, that I will never, ever get a chance at if I’m always going to Otakon. And that’s well in regards to things outside of anime conventions and urban tourism. There’s a whole world to explore, and I want to see it!

And I want to OVER EXAGGERATE (as much as humanly possible) that I never made this decision under the impression that I was pressured to leave the con, that I (suddenly) hate the con (Otakon will always rock; even when it doesn’t), that there’s too much drama to deal with (no one’s more complicated than me anyway, lol), that I’m absolutely bored with the con, that I have a problem with anything happening with the con’s management in 2010 (I made this decision well before then), that I’m fed up with the people at the con or think it’s too expensive, and/or that I just stopped liking anime conventions.

This is just a decision I made. Plain and simple.

However, this will not be a sad occasion by any means. Least not for me. My announcement has been met by a little resistance from alleged “friends” who are worried we’ll grow apart or that we’ll never see each other again. News Flash! If we’re friends, we’ll find a way to make time for each other more than once a year. This is actually going to be 1st thing/dance/rave/event I’ve actually gotten a chance to go to since the night I was shot. So even if the con sucks (which I don’t think it will), and all I get is the rave, this will still be an epic con. It’ll be nice to be on my legs after being left for dead.

EDIT: Significance on the shot, not the shooting. I was shot in the leg. EDIT 2: I did go to Anime Matsuri’s rave, but had injured my legs prior to the weekend, so I couldn’t dance even though technically that had been my 1st dance event/setting since the shooting.

There are, however, 3 things I’d like to absolutely clarify in the spirit of not giving people the wrong idea.

Paramount? Work is still being done on the book, How to Avoid Hara-Kiri. We’ve added a few things, and the talks with publishers have taken a longer toll than expected, but the [coming] end result is going to “blow your minds”, as my friend X would say. And that’s all I can say about it until we drop this thing on the public. Just get ready. Secondly, I’m still going to anime conventions. Not even on principle as the guy who started the book about anime conventions, just because I love em so much; yeah, I’ll be doing these for a very, very, long time. I’m just done with Otakon. Neko’s lined up right after that. Lastly however, I will not be doing ANY travel (of any sorts) in 2011. No cons, no raves, no conferences, no meetups. Nothing. This isn’t so much a full guarantee, but rather a precautionary status update. As of now, I know there’s still a lot of “housework that needs to be done” financially, scholastically, fundamentally, if you know what I’m saying. I don’t see that changing any time soon, but I’m sure if I had what I needed in order, travel (for any reason) would only be a matter of how soon I can commander a plane ticket.

Things change, people grow. And my time in Baltimore has come and gone. Long as I’m not dead, I know I still have a story to tell. So when this Otakon, my last Otakon, is over, I want to go out and tell it. I just know now it’s time to turn the page.

I vaguely remeber a rare time where nobody cared what I wore to an anime convention; or any other random gathering for that matter. Yet as the years have gone by, my colleagues have grown increasingly more and more fond of [what is known as] cosplaying.

Cosplaying is essentially dressing up as a character or pop icon of some sort. You get points for really making an effort to act like the character. People cosplay at conventions & trade shows. There’s even cosplay porn (not a typo & not cosplay hentai, though there is cosplay hentai; yes, actual cosplay porn; between two people). (There’s A LOT more to it than that, but I want to distill the definition for all the readers who’ve no association & I don’t cosplay, so I’m none too qualified to be telling you lot anything about it with any authority).

Now historically, I’ve never cosplayed. And I have no intention whatsoever about picking up said habit. However, as more and more associates get into cosplay, or get better at it, I am increasingly asked, “Dark, why don’t you cosplay?” So I figured I’d write this, to go on the record, at least once.

I don’t cosplay, because I don’t want the attention. It’s not that I can’t make a costume or get into character. I’m in college studying Theatre; that’s 80% of what I do. I can handle the attention, I get it everday. But that’s the crook kids. I like the idea that for a few days out the year not every one has to shower me with attention. So that’s why I don’t cosplay.

#fail, #fluke, #willneverhappenagaininthislifetime

This is Dark Angel’s modest play by play of Anime Matsuri 2010.

*Disclaimer 1: At the time of original writing, I haven’t slept in about 24, so I’m sure there will be a more polished copy after this.*

So Anime Matsuri…Houston,Texas…where to begin? I got turned on to the con thanks to a friend (thanks DF) & somehow wound up going. Texas is 1 of the few I’ve actually lived in, but I haven’t been back here since I was a baby. So it definitely felt surreal.

The accomodations were okay. Sizable room. Free breakfast. Homemade cookies (courtesy of staff) every other hour. Yum, yum. If you managed to catch the companion pics, then you probably realize that I didn’t take as many as I normally do, sadly, my leg decided walking wasn’t a nessecary function this con/week. For some reason it just felt swollen and raw all weekend; I really had a hard time getting around believe it or not. If that wasn’t bad enough, my phone decided to die all permanent like just 2 days before the con! Like seriously?!

So despite everything agsinst me, I went to Texas. A vacation very much needed. Now this Anime Matsuri is a very small convention; their 4th year if I’m not mistaken, but they definitely took the con to a grand scale. The venue hotel for the event was pretty massive. Not convention center big, but ‘roomy’ enough to host everything comfortably. The hotel & surrounding grounds were absolutely beautiful. I can’t remember ever being more awestruck by the lanscaping, as opposed to the cosplayers.

And cosplayers there were, they came in troves. I mean this was a fairly small con; couldn’t have been more than 7,000, and yet, cosplay was probably one of the biggest draws this entire event. Even bigger than the costume deviants was the gaming scene aura. Yes, aura. Don’t laugh. Apparently, the guys running the con run a local game shop that specializes in imports & domestics tournment gems. F-Zero, Blazblue, Street Fighter, DDR; there was massive variety. Tank-size arcade hubs littered the 1st floor, only to be outdwarfed by the sheer numbers for qualifier & free play modules set up in the offical game room. If that weren’t enough, there was an entirely seperately room just for full-on tournaments. Yea, gaming was definitely in full effect here.

Now two of the hardest things to not notice were the vast innovations & the quite informal schedule. There were a maze of smart moves made by the con staff; little touches that really helped the con in a big way. For example, there was water stations at every corner of the con & they eve had a personalized cosplay repair station. Little things that just seem ike common sense & make you wonder why other cons can’t seem to implement. However, like I said, it was kinda hard to ignore the lax in schedule. I can’t think of 1 event that actually started on time or ended as planned. So there was a good deal of wandering the con as a result. However, and call me crazy, but this actually seemed to work for the Matsuri. Because while you may have ahad a 10-70 min wait, the wait was almost always worth it. The content, the events, the actual meat & potatoes were always top notch. It just seemed like everything was just really well prepared, no matter how long you had to wait. Kinda like Thanksgiving dinner.

As far as enjoying the festivities went, I borrowed Team XP’s Femi & we hit up the con. Some gaming here, some picture hunting there. I did a photoshoot. Yea, that’s right. Lol, what? I can’t photoshoot now? Not a very good shoot mind you, but enough to add some new pieces where needed. Friday was indeed a day to be impressed. And I’m pretty stoked I met a couple of cute cosplayers. Never a complaint in my book there. Of course, nowhere near as stoked as I was to meet [the] Crispen Freeman. It was like something out of a dream. I almost didn’t believe he actually existed, but sure enough, it was him. Was an good chat & I’m glad I was lucky enough to meet him. I went to the rave, but given my leg’s current condition & the fact that I don’t know how well the leg that got shot would fare back on the dance floor, I abstained from busting any moves. the Djs were pretty sweet too, and that annoyed me big time, cause I really wanted to party.

Saturday got even crazier. Femi awakened his sleeping samurai. There were smoking hot cars all over the entrance (note to self, get a Lotus). the cosplayers really came out tonight & they came to party. We saw one of the sickest Blazblue Tournement matches; played by one of the game’s developers no less. And then we met said developer. And if that wasn’t crazy enough, we got to see, straight from Japan, BACK-ON, preform live. and yea, they did ‘Chain’. Greatest part of this trip? I’ve killed 2 birds with 1 stone yet again, as Texas is now officially indited into the 50 State Challenge! Just one more down in this epic journey.

Con wasn’t perfect, but it was worth every penny. Anime Matsuri? Can’t wait to do it again!

In 2009 I planned to go to Momocon. A [free] anime convention in Atlanta, GA. After moving from Georgia (yet, again) I took measures to commandere reservations for night clubs & local dives, secure accomodations in the heart of Hotlanta, & even weaselled my way out of work to make absolutely sure my schedule was free for the totality of the convention.

And then the week of the 18th came around & I didn’t go back to Atlanta. In fact I cancelled all my plans for that week; eventually that month. Rather rash for the guy who wrote a book about anime conventions.

I decided (after more budget cuts than a benihana can shake a stick at) that if I’m going to wrap up all my financial issues for good & serious, then I’m going to have to continue to keep myself in check. It’s what most financial pros call, ‘making hard choices’. (Pfft! Story of my life..)

See I have this plan; a plan I took a really long time to put together; a plan that’s required more diliberation than any game of Monopoly; a plan to change the world & salvage my future. I knew it would work, and as I see the progress [continue to] unfold, I’m only futher justified. But I can’t afford to slip up, no matter how [f#$%ing] hawt the girl is, no matter how wonderful the con is [supposed to be], no matter how just a tiny bit more the extra thing is going cost. I have to remained disciplined, especially when things have only, really just begun. We haven’t even begun to start moving full steam ahead and start bringing out the heavy hitters.

So I sacrifice, and drudge onward. Pfft! Story of my life…

Episode 3 & we’re talking all things blogging, manga review & anime conventions w/Otaku No Video’s Brent Newhall & Anime3000′s JD Banks.

*We love to hear from our fans. Record a soundbit & send it in.*

Send me your track

[ConSeq Podcast]

In our 2nd foray, we’re talking Rave 101. It’s the perfect crash course for someone who’s never been.

*We love to hear from our fans. Record a soundbit & send it in.*

Send me your track

[ConSeq Podcast]

Welcome to the podcast about anime conventions. In this episode special guest Madi & Khris are with us to talk about cosplaying from a girl & guys point of view.

*We love to hear from our fans. Record a soundbit & send it in.*

Send me your track

[ConSeq Podcast]

I always have like really massive con reports that take forever, and i just didn’t feel like writing that much, so I did a podcast. This isn’t a very lively report, in fact, it’s pretty boring; slightly depressing even. In fact, stop reading now & go look at someone else’s report.

DARK’S CON REPORT

I’m gonna be at Otakon this weekend, but I’ll be leaving early. How early? By the time you read this, I’m already on the road.

I’m going into this con with VERY high expectations for my group, but seemingly low expectations for myself…I hope to have a report up within 24 hrs of con’s end.

I’ll be Twittering the weekend over at my group’s Twitter, so be sure to follow us to catch all the shenanigans.

After Ota, I should be back on here on a more regular basis, until then though, have a great weekend! I know I will.

In case you couldn’t tell, I’m pumped, VERY pumped. Otakon’s always been a big deal, but this year….this year it’s a whole new monster. The show notes:

Team XenoPhoenix is coming to Otakon in a big way! We have sooo much planned!

We’ll be selling our book in the Dealer’s Room, at a very special table! The ‘Light It Up & The Grand Illumination’ booth (tables 619 & 720). The one known for it’s props, rave toys, accessories, weapons, and other cool gadgets. Or as most fans know, THAT neon booth, with the shiny stuff and rave music. Come on by and say hello, & support our vendor, Xavier. If you’re lookin for a souvenir, he’s probably got what you’re looking for. Plus, anyone who buys one of our books will get discounts on his merchandise. Discounts vary from piece to piece, but tell em XenoPhoenix sent you, and they’ll hook you up proper.

Then we have our panel, ‘Spoiler Alert’! This is an 18+ panel, that will be held in Panel 1, Sat midnight-1am Sun morning. We’ll be talking about how to survive some of the wackiest, craziest, & most terrifying con horror stories. We’ll also field questions about our book & group. Come on by if you’re looking for a fun late-night panel. 1st 10 people get a $2-off coupon for our book.

Not to mention the vast amount of web coverage we have planned for the convention weekend. We will be Twittering, Facebooking, Myspacing, & Youtubing the con throughout the weekend. Don’t miss out on this fun little experiment!

Twitter
Facebook

Of course, it takes a bit to fund our con-to-con operations, so donations are always greatly appreciated. And if anyone wants to come down to the booth and donate $4 (or more), we’ll gladly draw you your very own chibi commission as our way of saying thanks.

Hope to see you at Otakon!

So I went to CHS Otaku Fest a few days ago, and decided to record a podcast. Feel free to enjoy my misadventures, or mock me for me lame attempt at entertainment.

CHS Otaku Fest.mp3

Many ask me what anime conventions are like, so I write little reports like this from time to time. This is the analysis from my most memorable con to date.

Otakon ‘07

You’ve seen the pix. Now read how it happened & what went down. If you were there, feel free to add a comment or two.

Thursday

Me & my siblingss get into B-more around 8:40am, so we were mad early and had a very good spot in line, albeit, our friends ended up with better ones. Hotel check-in wasn’t supposed to occur until 3:00, but we lucked out. Thursday being pre-registration pickup day. After texting everyone I knew goin to Otakon this year, I set out to explore the surrounding area. I tried to snaps some shots for a photoblog of the old Burger King that used to be right across the street from the convention, but this cop started raggin me about taking pictures. Demanding I stop and asking who the hell I worked for? Moving on, I ran into The original Sheraton (My party just so happened to be staying in The Sheraton that was recently put up & no I have no Earthly idea why there are 2 Sheraton hotels in downtown Baltimore). Like I said, we lucked out, cause when I did get to our hotel, they let me check in at half past 9. I met up w/Dennis & Andy & their friends after returning to the BCC to get back in line. We played Pokemon & slept most of the day away. Oh, and I told everyone’s fortune via tarot. Thinking back, it would have been more fun to charge ppl. The line didn’t get movin until 5 that afternoon, so while we waited, everyone ended up showing up, even Ken, who almost didn’t make it, showed up. Ryan & Kate got there about an hour/hour & half b4 anything got started. They’ll tell ya, parking was no walk in the park this year. We were all there, everyone except for Joe. LOL, just what is it about your friends that gets you into so much trouble. I go to meet Joe at the hotel, and we’re really pushing it for time. Ticket pickup starts in 20 minutes. 20 minutes that included rushing my ass over 2 blocks, up 5 sets of stairs, dumping all of Joe’s shit in the room, back down said stairs, running [and by running, I mean dodging buses & sliding over cab hoods] through Baltimore traffic at this point, and we just barely caught back up with our group at the last minute. What a rush! The great thing about getting in line early for pre-reg is that you’ll have a spot saved and it won’t take 3 or more hours to get your ticket, the bad thing is, there’s another 20 min wait once you get in the convention center. So I’d been hangin around Baltimore since 9-something AM dat morning and here it was, after running through Balitmore-traffic at that, 5:20/30ish and I was still waiting for my ticket. Ken gets the brilliant idea to get the crowd riled up. So we start clappin & cheerin, ya kno dat slow clap dat gets everyone pumped, waking everyone up. Dat was cool. So yea, originally Ken wasn’t supposed to make it, but I gave him a ticket I had originally bought for….someone else. I think we cut it kinda close, cause everyone kinda looked at us funny when we tried to do it, and sending us to the next person on STAFF, and we finally got to this one guy & after almost beggin him, he let it go, and Ken was good to go. My siblings split [or so I thought]; my kid sis was crying cause she couldn’t go to Otakon. We had our tix, it was time to get everyone checked in, finally! Room 432: Dark, Joe, Dennis, Andy, Dusty, Sean S[Brim]. Room 431: Ryan, Kate. Room 430: Sean G[Epic], Ken, Mike, Milt, Rick, E-Man. We weren’t too packed in our rooms; or so we thought….In 432, the group took time to reacquaint themselves and goof off. The last minute ticket rush had driven Joe temporarily insane. Since everyone had already stopped by my room/Rm 432 to raid some of my food, I decided to try & find a grocery store and re-up. There just happened to be a Superfresh a couple of blocks away, so I went shopping. New to the city, the Superfresh was not too well known, thus making it all the more hidden. I missed this place twice trying to find it; it def did a better job of hidin than most of the ninja there (cosplayers, ninja, and/or STAFF). The store continued to astound me w/its size. It was a full-size supermarket packet into 1/10th the space. It really was like a maze. I kinda wanna shop there again now, lol. I hooked back up w/Dennis & Andy & we went to Hooters. What?!?! We just wanted to try the wings. It was a 10 min walk from the room 2 da Double-D Boom, in which time we ran into some nice Deathnote & Air Gear cosplayers. Made me smile all the more to see the [Air Gear] characters had left their marks all over Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Yep, just like in Air Gear, there were tons of stickers, magnets, and graffiti left all over Baltimore’s Inner Harbor! Now I don’t know if it’s destiny, or if all of my life’s irony seems to focus around this place, but this night was made all the interesting by Hooters. If you’ve ever been, you know you get those lil wet naps that always say something on them. Last time I got one of these [from one of the most awesome guys I know] it said “Insomnia is nothing to lose sleep over”. That was FUCKING HILARIOUS, especially considering I’d only gotten maybe 10 hours of sleep that entire month, haha. So this time I get the wet nap, it says, “What is the speed of dark?” And while I know only some of you reading this will see the irony here, it doesn’t make me any less sarcastic. Can’t wait to go next time, wonder the wet nap will say then. I tried to sleep that night, but should’ve realized from the getgo, that wasn’t going to happen. I kept poppin up every 15 mins to the sounds of my roommates until morning rolled around.

Friday

Friday started out at 6 in the morning for me. Dusty and Joe would not sit still, so I dragged them to Burger King. Yes, thankfully there was still a BK left in the city, & less than a block from us at that. We were in line for the actual event itself about a hour later, even though prep time for everyone’s cosplay made it seem a lot longer. There were A LOT of AnimeNEXT con-goers @ Otakon this year, so it was kinda surprising to run into them again. Joe cosplayed as FMA’s Hughes & Dusty as Kingdom’s Heart’s Roxas (srry if I didn’t spell dat right). We toured the pre-reged line, which was massive in its own right, but the @-con registration line on Friday pretty much engulfed 1/3 of lower downtown B-more. Now I don’t cosplay, and have NO INTENTION OF EVER DOING SO, despite numerous pleas from friends. It’s got nothing to do with the time, energy & upkeep I’d have to put into it, or the fact that I’m limited by the lack of matching ethnicity, nor is it the fact that I’d have to stop every 5 mins to pose for 20 because ppl loves my costume. My reason for the anti-costume approach is the numba 1 reason I love conventions. In case you missed the memo, my name’s Dark Angel, it’s who I am, though some have argued what in some cases. And while my title & identity may mean beans to you, it means interview after interview after interview for me, almost everyday of my life. Conventions are the one place I can go, and no one gives a shit about who I am, nobody chases me around asking me questions they swear they don’t really want the answer too, and nobody tries to pick a fight with me about my name. It’s not that I hate or even mind the attention-I’m used to it, but too much of anything will kill you, and any change of pace is welcomed. Hughues, Roxas & I make our way down the presumably 700-900+ [attendees in line] all the while stopping to have their pictures taken every 20 secs. Dusty was a rarity and a damn good one at that, and there aren’t too many who’ve forgotten Hughes death so quickly. I think it was the only time this whole trip I played pack mule. We get in the doors of the convention, and the 1st thing we do is split up! Some group, lol. I wanted to check out the bank, but instead ended up runnin into an old friend [Krista Camp] from high school. We checked out a new anime, I forget the title, then we split. I caught up with the others only to end up helping them track down some n00b who’d never even been to the BCC before. We lost his trail, but eventually ran into him. Joe & I decided to go check out the con and ran into a lot of good cosplayers. While strolling thru Hall A of the convention center we witnessed a live masquerade fight of Ken & Ryu. That was sweet! Sonic & Shadow happened to be floatin around for their own lil photo shoot and I’m not sure why, but the most awesome picture idea came to mind then. “Why don’t I get Shadow to kick Sonic in the balls?!?! It’s brilliant!” Yea, my best friend looked at me with the same face you’re making now and quickly reverted the grin you probably have on your face as well. Sadly despite the superawesome idea, I didn’t get that shot. We waited around like 10 mins to get an opening. And the more we waited, the more ppl just gathered and took pictures. So Joe & I moved on; a lost cause…for now. Probably didn’t help that the hedgehogs stood out being like 10 feet and all, and we were in Hall A. Hall A of the BCC is where pretty much everyone comes to get their picture taken or take pix of all the kickass cosplay. After running into my good friend, The Burger King ^.^ we decided to meet the group up for lunch at the Inner Harbor. While it didn’t quite turn out exactly as planned, it was still good, and good food, and cheap cause local businesses give special discounts for Otakon every year. As I made my way back to the con (The convention center [Baltimore Convention Center or BCC is about 2 blocks from the Inner Harbor]) I ran into the 1st of a minority of Marvel Comics’ playlsit. Then I ran into a Deathscyhte Hell; for those of you old enough to remember Gundam Wing. Joe had managed to catch up to me & was trying to tag along. He suggested I try to lose him. I just laughed to myself and went on my way. Incidentally, later that day, I overheard STAFF talking about a dust cloud sighting following a blur of some sort…I booked a seat in line to meet Jennifer Sekiguchi, the voice actress for Bleach’s Orihime, Hare & Guu’s Guu, Tenjho Tenje’s Aya Natsume, Naruto’s Hinata, and FLCL’s Mamimi. It was cool meeting her, but things were only just heating up. I went the Dealer’s Room (Dealer’s Room-imagine 4 football fields of anime merchandise. Normally stuffed at a shoulder-to-shoulder pace, this year, there was actually breathing room) for all of 15 minutes, then I met up with Joe & my blood bro, and we got in line to meet Vic Mignogna & Aaron Dismuke, or as you may know them, the voices of FMA’s Edward & Alphonse Elric. I’d already met Vic in ’05, but it was still cool. Aaron was a whole nother story. He’s 14 & I’m Dark Angel, so suffice to say the 1st meeting between Alphonse Elric & Dark Angel was dat of skepticism. But then we ended up cheesin over the unbelievablness of it all and he signed my stuff. I had the brothers Elric sign my FMA movie, lol, now it really is a collector’s item. I made sure to get my picture with those two, because that’s one memory I don’t want to forget for a good loooonnnnnggg time. Wait time for them, oh maybe 3 hours, not too bad. Still star-struck we proceed to the Videogame room. Mountain Dew was product testing a new drink, so I’d be on the lookout for that this fall. Ran into another old friends down there, namely Tito. We wound back up in Hall A for some of the group photoshoots, and from there it was back to the Dealer’s Room. Now this time yesterday we had found out that our friend Epic was turning 21, and strolling by all the naughty things in the dealer’s room we (Now just Joe & I; my bro had split) come across giant yuri posters and I get another brilliant idea. “Hey, let’s get this for Epic for his birthday!” Joe & I go 1⁄2 on it, and once purchased, my common sense comes back on. “Oh crap, we have a giant 2×4 yuri poster we’re luggin around”. Which, in hindsight, wouldn’t have been such a bad thing if we had a bag to put it in; Other than the plastic bags the guy had used to cover the “yuri” everything else was in plain view, and with my skinny tail carrying it around, you’re pretty much gonna see everything on the poster. So we hightailed it back to the rooms and left it, in all its glory, on Epic’s bed facedown. Now we were back in the Dealer’s Room by the time he found it, but from what we heard he went to all 3 rooms making sure everyone saw his new gift. I got a call about 15 minutes after delivering the good to thank us & he hasn’t stopped thanking me and Joe since. Back in the Dealer’s Room we ran into another history making cosplay. The Bud Lite Samurai! They were on the hunt for the Mountain Dew Warriors. I don’t know if the 2 ever confronted, but everyone wanted them to fight. I made sure to stop by Madi-sempai’s panel on the Tale’s game series. I wished I could’ve stayed longer, but I needed to recharge. I took some pix & bounced. Now as things started coolin down I really started getting pumped, the day was over, sun was settin, it was officially time for the rave!!!! OMFG! OMFG! OMFG!!!!!!!!!! THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH WORDS TO DESCRIBE…LIKE…..O MY GOODNESSS!!!!!FUCKING A!!!!!!!! JUST LIKE THE GREATEST THING EVER!!!! Well, not really, but pretty damn close. Yeah, I had fun the 1st night of rave. Musiq was okay the 1st night, not awesome, but good enuff for a party. It was a real blast. My only regret is that I really didn’t hit the dance floor as hard as I could’ve. Up til now, I’ve never hit up the infamous ‘Otakon Rave’, and while it’s not on anyone’s Top 8, its still fun to go to. Oh, so fun to go to. Let me forewarn anyone who confuses the ‘Otakon Rave’ for a real ‘rave’. It isn’t, plain and simple. It’s popular because it happens at Otakon which pulls in 25,000+ ppl nowadays. It’s a great place to dance and watch real B-boys, ravers, *cough D-2-da-A!*, and party girls shake their asses & strut their stuff. The musiq can be good or bad depending on what the DJ brings/has on hands, but since these guys don’t get paid, more often than not they’re sampling the stuff they’re playing on tour during that time. There are no drugs, or alcohol, and the ppl in the rafters are not go-go dancers. 1⁄2 the crowd is underage. There is ALOT of dry humping. What?!?! At a real rave it’s usually sex 1⁄2 da time. I mean the differences are mad obvious, but if the music is bumpin, you feel the energy, and party like it’s Zion’s last day, you’ll have a blast. I partied my ass off for 3.5 hours, and it was time for bed….or so I thought. Tummy was rumbling, and I wasn’t the only one. Everyone in the group had the munchies, guess we played too hard for our own good. To make matters more irritating, my brother had somehow hoodwinked my father into letting him stay with us in downtown Baltimore. Only reason I didn’t kick him out was cause his R&B were paid for. Great! One more mouth to feed! So I go from pumped-up dancer to pooped-out grouch in less than 5 minutes. I needed food, and to make matters worse no one was open, no one was taking orders, and no one felt like delivering. Ken had spotted a 7/11 earlier, so 1 or 2 ppl from each room ventured there to grab food for everyone else. We get to the 7/11 and pick out our food, and yet another idea pops into my head. I almost throw my camera at my brother, and I’m like “John, take a picture of this!” He laughs it off, “Yea right. You high?” I was dead serious. “We are out at 7/11 at 1 in the morning, TAKE THE PICTURE!!! If this doesn’t count as a memory for this trip, I don’t what does” I’m pretty sure even the hobos heard me. Looking back, it was probably due to hunger-induced anger, but sure enuff we got some pix of that lil adventure. Our stomachs quelled, everyone else fell asleep to the sounds of Inu-Yasha. I drifted in & out, cursing my irony. I paid for this great bed, and yet, I can’t sleep in it. Stupid insomnia!

Saturday

This is pretty much every con’s hump day. The real meat & potatoes. The one day of any 3 day con, you can’t afford to miss!!! The part that sux about being an insomniac is having to get up early. 6 in da morn again! Sigh….to the BK for breakfast! Woohoo! Joe & I were up way too damn early to get Colleen Clinkenbeard’s autograph (FMA’s Hawkeye & Trinity Blood’s Ester). We started off in the empty Otacafe; a small lounge where ppl come to chill & sing karaoke. Then we moved on to watch this anime called Zoids. I still don’t understand it fully, but the dialogue for the episode we watched sounded mad dirty taken outta context. The wait for CC was def one of the more interesting. We met a lot of good cosplayers. While we were waiting around playing DS & cards & trying to pass the time Channel 9 news shows up outta da blue! Dat was cool, they interviewed Joe, and part of me was jealous, until the interviewed aired. The press did us otaku so wrong. That interview was a sham, but the fact that they were interviewin kats at da con, dat was cool. Maybe once day, the perception of anime culture, and the ppl who indulge in it, won’t be so misunderstood. 2 cosplayers spawned the weirdest conversation of dat day. Alphonse (movie ver.) & Spider-man were walking by. I jus wanted Spidey’s picture, but Joe insisted I get Alphonse’s, & then both. I countered w/”Why bother, I’m never gonna bring up Spidey & Alphonse in a conversation”. I had both cosplayers stop dead in front of us & pose for one picture, and as I’m taking this picture, I turn to Joe & say, “There! This is the only time I’ll bring up Spidey & Alphonse Elric in a sentence together.” The Urahara next to us got a laugh outta dat. Then we got into a a debate on who’d win in a fight between Spider-man & either Edward or movie ver. Alphonse. Trust me, not as easy a call as it seems. After Colleen’s autograph, we went to lunch after meeting up w/ Brim in the Dealer’s Room & buying some delicious doujinshi. I split from the group after lunch and wondered around the con, eventually landing in the unofficial line for Steven Blum autographs. That line merged with a another unofficial line, and we fans just grew & grew & grew, til we were 600, 700+ strong. Now by this time, the STAFF had blocked off the official line space, so you had 600, 700, or more ppl all standing around a 45×45 square, hungry fans all salivating at the chance to get in the line to meet Steven Jay Blum. We all waited outside the square for about an hr & 10 mins, then STAFF let us form an official line, and the bumrush was instantaneous. Now, it was bad enough outside the square, but inside, ppl crammed & packed so tightly, that you couldn’t even sit down. I have honestly been on subways in NYC that were less packed. Eventually the line did thin out, and I did get to meet my idol. On dat day, I met greatness. Some voice actors alter their natural voices to do certain characters, some naturally sound as such, Steve sounded like any other character he’s done, so everything he said, and more importantly, what he said to me, sounded like just like he sounds (yea, retarded, I kno), it sounded just like Spike, Roger, Cunningham, Oroachimaru, etc, etc, etc. His words and autograph are all the more, if not my greatest source of now, inspiration to be a voice actor. Being the fanboy I am, I glomped da shit outta Blum, and nearly fainted in the process. If he hadn’t glomped back & held me up, I probably would have. That right there was the single greatest moment of that weekend for me. Now for those of you reading this, and going WTF is Steve Blum, this guy is one of the greatest voice actors, hands down, no one is going to dispute that. He’s helped the industry substantially (both anime & voice acting). This veteran VA has done some of biggest & most recognizable roles in anime to date. Cowboy Bebop’s Spike, Naruto’s Orochimaru, Big O’s Roger Smith, IGPX’s Cunningham, Final Fantasy’s Vincent Valentine, Ghost In A Shell’s Laughing Man, Toonami’s Tom, oh does the list go on…. Meeting Mr. Blum was so important to me, because he is the primary reason I want to be a voice actor. That day was a dream come true, and when I do become a voice actor, maybe, just maybe, I’ll get a chance to work with him. I left the autograph area faint, starstruck, hellz yea, but I’d been waiting to meet this guy for close to 6 hours outta this Saturday, and I was a wee bit tired. After stopping by the Artist Alley (The place where tons of fans, webcomics, and freelance artist display, sell, and auction off their art), I headed back towards the room. On my way outta the con, guess who I run into, Sonic & Shadow. They were posing with kids, who ran off giddy as school kids after pix w/da icons. I figured my earlier desire was pointless, but it turned out the posse surrounding was just the group they were taggin along with. My chance in hand, I not only got Shadow taking down Sonic, but Sonic gettin some sweet revenge. This day was just getting better & better. After restin up, I went straight for the rave. I was so pumped, so hyped for round 2. I was kinda bummed though cause I couldn’t get ahold of enuff glowsticks (next year I bring my own). I get there, and my mood is sliced by the music. Friday was okay, but Saturday sucked. Sure it was good enough to listen to, but you couldn’t rave to it. I tired to groove, but I couldn’t feel the rhythm. On the verge of leaving, I noticed the train was dying. All I could think about were the con-virgins, I don’t know why, but I couldn’t let it end like dat. I knew what I had to do. So I hopped back on the track, and grabbed the train, and brought it back. We were killin it! The train just could not be stopped from then on. I think the max ppl I saw riding were like close to 80, and even then it was till goin! Eventually, I decided to break off, and a new conductor took over. I only meant to have a good time, help pick up the party, I had no idea my actions would have ppl recognizing & thanking me. You know how hard it is to pick someone out of a crowd in a rave, so the fact that anyone could do that blew me away, but there were close to 20 or 30 ppl givin me props for my part in the rave. It was official, Saturday had rocked so damn hard! The only real prob w/Saturday’s rave, other than the lackluster tunes, was RAVE + DARK ANGEL = TOES STEPPED ON. Now while I did my part to keep the party goin, I’m pretty sure anyone who recognized my face after I stepped on them probably isn’t too happy with me… but dats the thing about a rave you know, it’ll happen. Ppl bump into you, your toes get stepped on, you get bumrushed, etc. Only 3 rules you need to remember for a rave. 1. Stay hydrated. You like livin right? 2. Party your ass off. Don’t go to a rave and sit in the corner, cause then you take up perfectly good space ppl can used to battle, but would more than likely dry hump in. 3. Most important rule! Never ever ever, under any circumstances, STOP MOVING or FALL DOWN. If you do, you best had made peace with your maker, cause no one’s gonna stop for you, best believe you’ll get trampled. Back at the room now, it’s time to sleep right? Wrong! So wrong Mr. Angel. Sigh….what I thought would be a routine night turned out to be anything less. Here’s the short version of what happened Saturday night through my eyes, however I won’t go into anymore detail than this, ya had to be there to see it, feel it, and live it. How what went down in B-more, stays in B-more.

Saturday Night

Guns, booze, new friends, rave afterparty, prostitutes, broken elevators, cosplay goddesses, sake hunt, Red Light district, drunks, hot zombies, fumbled hotel security, underage stowaways, tree humping, subways, tagging, pranks, West Side Story, Sandstorm, interesting uses for a guitar, caroling, gangstas, and so much, much more.

Oh what a night….

Sunday

This is always the “Hangover Day” for Otakon. Other than its quite literal nickname, Sunday is the last day of the con and it’s about now that everything from the entire weekend starts catchin up with you. On top of that most ppl start checking outta their hotels that morning, if they haven’t already. Con always seems to go out with a whimper, never a bang. It’s rather depressing. I was still pumped from everything that happened last night, so I was up at the crack of dawn ready for more con. 1st things 1st though, we had to clean all the rooms, Saturday had wiped everyone else’s energy, but destroyed all our rooms. Then it was off to the con for some last minute pix & a panel on FMA. I get back to the room to find everyone has decided to stay in and watch Cartoon Network; can’t be helped though, Sunday can be mad dull. After all the rooms were cleaned, it was time to checkout, and I’m getting keys, only to find dat Ryan & Kate had disappeared. Turns out they’re in the Dealer’s Room. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but we have 10 mins to checkout. Now normally, I like to hold back, I really have no need to move like there’s a rocket strapped to my back, but 10 mins on the clock, I made it from my hotel room (2.3 blocks away) to the Dealer’s Room in less than 5. Snagged the keys, said goodbye, and checked everyone else out. Those of us still left in the city attempted to find out when the dates for Otakon ’08 were gonna be, and then left the city. I managed to see Madi-sempai for all of 5 seconds. Later that day Glen Burnie, Maryland would come to speak of an incident that involved a lite rail train & a yuri poster. ^.^ With the end of the con comes a bittersweet sense of awesome. I mean, for all the hassle, all the screwups, all the mixups, all the things that went wrong & could’ve really gone wrong, it was all worth it. Can’t wait for Otakon ’08!