anime expo news

So, I'm back from Anime Expo (somehow not actually having announced that I was going, eheh.) I no longer have the youth and energy to do con reports, so I'll keep it brief. I spent basically the entire con hanging out with cryogenia, sarubaito, and wiccat. Paku Romi cancelled, which was emo, although actually I didn't get out of the registration line in time to make when her panel would have been. Emo. I didn't bother to go to the CLAMP panel -- too freaking huge and I didn't care enough. I did end up going to the AMVs, which rocked much more this year than last year, with only a few FAIL entries (unlike last year's, which included an awful lot of FAIL.) The AMVs started over an hour late, but they filled up the time with a truly amazing martial arts performance competition.

I also ended up going to the Masquerade the next night, the first time I've ever really attended a masq from beginning to end and if that was indicative of the category, probably the last as well. It was mostly full of FAIL. There was an annoyingly high number of video game to anime entries -- just about half -- almost no games or series that I knew or cared about, and most of the skits were... well... completely incoherent and not at all entertaining. If I didn't suck at cosplay so badly, I would have entered just to have a damn bit of good writing in there, bah.

Speaking of cosplay, I did do that; there was a lot of frenzied costume-making on Friday night (and Saturday in the badge line!) but ultimately my Sloth costume ended up doing about what I wanted it to do, if not what I hoped it might accomplish. Cosplay photos, of myself and others, can be found here. Most of them were taken at the FMA photoshoot, which, just like AX itself, was huge and terribly organized but ultimately fun; but there are a few from around the con as well. I would draw your attention to the two photos and one screencap of the twin redheads in the blue jackets; those costumes, as well as one particularly sparkling AMV, have instilled in me a burning desire to see OURAN. OURAN OURAN OURAN. Hurrah for the Hikaoru Twins.

I did have a lot of fun. I seem to be at the stage where I enjoy room parties and hanging out with other fans more than con events, although that might be a function of anime expo programming/organization, which sucks serious rocks. I didn't even try to attend any of the panels this year; 'fan panels' were a nonexistant entity. Mostly I made do with the AMVs, the Masquerade, the FMA photoshoot, the dealer's room and artist's alley, and cosplay. My own cosplay was for the most part quite eclipsed by cryogenia's cosplay, seen in the above gallery link as The Gate. :D

I'm not sorry I went, but I think this would be my last AX even if not for the going-out-of-the-country thing. In fact, I said the same thing last year, but then they said Paku Romi would be here this year. Emo emo!

I need an Ouran icon. Twinsly. And a Mai-Hime icon and a Ghost in the Shell icon also would not go amiss.