Ax 07'

[Kevin K]

ya ya too early, i got bored so whos "tentatively" attending? :lol:

[Bishoujo Senshi]

I am definately attending. As soon as registration comes up I'll be signing up. I had a blast in 2005, was saddened that work required me to miss 2006 (I wanted to see CLAMP!), so now I am able to attend in 2007 which I shall do.

[Animegrl/Parnaz]

Of course I'm going to AX07! This will be my first time at the Long Beach Convention Center. I just hope the AX staff will control the attentdance. Oh I will be cosplaying as usual. :huggles: :spin:

[Bishoujo Senshi]

I'm going to try to get an outfit together so I can cosplay this year. We'll see if I can get it made in time.

[Kevin K]

hey parnaz what happend this year? lol we didnt see you at the meet, you gotta go next year, you too senshi!!! :lol: and that goes for all of you whos goin too!!! ...um free beer and cookies! :lol:

[MrAnime]

I'll be going for sure.

[kenshin77]

Yeah, I am going again next year. I don't know if I will meet you guys, but hopefully we can do something together. Oh and I don't want to volunteer for AX again! (too much work!)

[kazuma92123]

Im probably going as kakashi in '07, anyone know when signup starts and where? Please get back to me

[Gasaraki]

They start online, just search "anime expo 2007", although the site probably isn't up yet. If you don't sign up online you can do it AT the con but the line will probably be huge and it'll be quite a bit more expensive.

[Kevin K]

ya better to do it online, at the con... well lets just say your better off finding a monkey with a pistol and million dollars with a dancing leprechaun and his pot o gold than trying to get help from the con workers.

[kenshin77]

ya better to do it online, at the con... well lets just say your better off finding a monkey with a pistol and million dollars with a dancing leprechaun and his pot o gold than trying to get help from the con workers.

True...very True. Many of the Con Workers are very busy, but also be kind to them people! Please listen to what they tell you to do, and don't give them a hard time! ;) :P

[Samurai Drifter]

I'll *try* to come, if I don't get the same temp job I had last summer, that kept me from going.

[Kevin K]

True...very True. Many of the Con Workers are very busy, but also be kind to them people! Please listen to what they tell you to do, and don't give them a hard time! ;) :P

only the ones who actually listened, i still wanna punch out a few.

[Kevin K]

so hows everyone doing so far? gearing up for turkey day...umm i mean halloween? whos gonna cosplay? ( halloween )

[CorvusX]

so hows everyone doing so far? gearing up for turkey day...umm i mean halloween? whos gonna cosplay? ( halloween )

For halloween I'm going to be Yan Valentine from Hellsing.

I'll be at AX 07 just have been at AX for the past 10 years.

[cynicallywired]

I'm hoping I can go. Yay!

[Hexon.Arq]

I'm already registered; didn't show up for '06.

[Kevin K]

ok people i know its early for this as well. But for our annual usual get together at AX,
We are probably go grab some grub over there. and I want to see new faces in the get together not just the usual suspects :lol: no offense hahaha, last year we we ate at Shinsengumi and that one awesome mexican food place on harbor....does anyone remember its name? its was right by the 7-11.

[Kevin K]

ok ok people anyone wants to go get some food Nov.18 ? we're trying to get people to meet up for a little get together. its gonna be at a korean bbq joint in k-town. anyone intrested?

[Kevin K]

bump.... we have just about 9 people so far anyone else wanna go let me know before
11/11/06 k.

[Uniqua]

I'm definitetavliciously going to AX 2freakingThousand7!
I would love to attend the BBQ too, but I'm planning on cosplaying that day and the next at JX 2006. They'll have a sushi eating contests I'm totally looking forward to. :ph34r:

[Anime Gee]

Ah yes. AnimeExpo2007. Mr. Jones & I will be there & we might not work in the video rooms this year. I think that we'll finally be able to kick it with the rest of the clan & do miscellaneous things this coming year! (^o^ ) <3

http://community.webshots.com/user/mrjonesthebear

http://www.myspace.com/mrjonesthebear

^ We'll be taking a ton of photos & meeting a lot of new people! ( ^o^) <3

[Kevin K]

Ah yes. AnimeExpo2007. Mr. Jones & I will be there & we might not work in the video rooms this year. I think that we'll finally be able to kick it with the rest of the clan & do miscellaneous things this coming year! (^o^ ) <3

http://community.webshots.com/user/mrjonesthebear

http://www.myspace.com/mrjonesthebear

^ We'll be taking a ton of photos & meeting a lot of new people! ( ^o^) <3


ya your gonna kick it with the ninjas weather you like it or not muahhaahahha... beer in the room ok?


OH YA IF ANYONE IS INTRESTED SOME OF US ARE GONNA GO GET SOME SHINSENGUMI RAMEN IN FOUNTAIN VALLEY, DEC.17TH

[kenshin77]

Hey just giving you guys a heads up! Anime Expo Registration rates will go up on March 17 to $55!

[Animegrl/Parnaz]

I've already pre-reg. really early when the rate was $45 for all 4 days.

[MrAnime]

Hey just giving you guys a heads up! Anime Expo Registration rates will go up on March 17 to $55!

Guess I better register soon. Of course I'll probably end up forgetting and do it until around April. :P

[Bishoujo Senshi]

I registered on the first day they were available on the site. Got my pass, my hotel room, and my plane ticket. Hopefully in the next month or two some guests start to be announced, I'm especially interested in who the special events are going to be. I get a free pass to one of them, so I can't wait. Two years ago I used my pass to see Maaya Sakamoto, and other than the fact that waiting in line for the concert took hours, it was great!

[Kevin K]

i dunno if im gonna make it all 4 days.... i gonna be on probation for my new job :lol: yes i finally am leaving Suncoast :lol:

[Tiiba]

I plan to go in 08. But I have a question. Is it reasonable, for this con, to come on the day of the con? How long does the pre-reg line usually take?

[Nabechu]

I plan to go in 08. But I have a question. Is it reasonable, for this con, to come on the day of the con? How long does the pre-reg line usually take?
I went to pick up my badge on day 0 last year and I was in line for less then 10minutes. Some of my friends that got their on the first day of the con had to wait almost 5hrs in line to get their badges. So if you pre-reg, try your best to get there on day 0.

[Kevin K]

i want to get a room and have anime parties..... anyone down? :lol:

[Usagi]

I havent been on here in soooo long. But yes. I'm attending. Got the hotel and all that jazz.

Did anyone book their hotel uber early? Cause I booked in march and it took me forever to find one that had available rooming. >__<

[Bishoujo Senshi]

I booked back in January or February, and I had a heck of a time finding one. I know I checked at what was then all three official hotels of the convention and there were no rooms available for the entire con, but then I tried again a couple days later and I got a room booked at the Renaissance at the con rate, so that pleased me. Seems like this is a little way away from the convention center though. I liked it better when it was in Anaheim where I could book the Hilton and be basically connected to the convention center. Ah well, I'll live.

[Kevin K]

Hopefully i'll see you all there, dont be shy to say hi ok? :lol:

[Usagi]

I booked back in January or February, and I had a heck of a time finding one. I know I checked at what was then all three official hotels of the convention and there were no rooms available for the entire con, but then I tried again a couple days later and I got a room booked at the Renaissance at the con rate, so that pleased me. Seems like this is a little way away from the convention center though. I liked it better when it was in Anaheim where I could book the Hilton and be basically connected to the convention center. Ah well, I'll live.

Yeaaaaa. I'll miss that about AX in Anaheim. If I don't enjoy it as much in LB as I do usually in Anaheim....I just hope it'll be there in 2008. xD

The Renaissance isn't that far from the con center, it's less than a block, I believe.

[Bishoujo Senshi]

Well, if that's the case, then it's ok. I live on the opposite coast, so I'm not really familiar with Long Beach. As long as I enjoy myself, that's all I can ask for. Since I can only go every other year, it might be at a different location when I go again in 2009.

[usaginthemoon]

I am excited as well, booked my hotel in early January at the Hilton. It is not too far from the convention and the rates were actually cheaper than what AX site had. I am happy that I will be at a 4 star hotel, haven't been in one of those since forever! I am actually looking forward to the change in location. I went to the AX 2005 and am glad that I can make it this year.

[MrAnime]

Just booked my room and really had no problem finding one. I'll be staying at the Westin. Though I still haven't registered for AX yet. Well, not until a few minutes from now.

[MrAnime]

Do you guys have a specific way of managing your funds for AX, (i.e. food, merchandise) or do you just go flat broke on the first day. I try to hold out until the last day to buy merchandise since that's when you can get the best deals. Though sometimes there's not much left.

[Bishoujo Senshi]

I bring a lot of money so I run out of things to spend it on instead of the other way around. No way will I wait until the last day to buy stuff, I don't want anyone else getting their grubby hands on my resin statues! I'll likely have around $4000 available to me for food, hotel, and dealer's room stuffs.

[MrAnime]

I'll likely have around $4000 available to me for food, hotel, and dealer's room stuffs.

Wow! I only have as much to spend. I can understand about not waiting 'till the last day to buy some things. And the only things I really by on the last day are DVDs. Or maybe an artbook.

[Kevin K]

i have a better job now soo im gonna go broke on the 3rd day :lol:

[JaidaDv]

I might check it out this year

[Usagi]

The way it works for me[as far as buying things goes...] if I know that I can find it at the anime shops around where I live, I won't buy it at AX. I probably spend more money in Artist Alley than I do in the dealer room.

As far as food goes, out hotel room is usually stocked since we go grocery shopping beforehand. xD

[JaidaDv]

Is ax worth going to?

[Usagi]

I've gone for the past 5 years, and I've always enjoyed it. Then again, sometimes it's just not peoples scene.

[JaidaDv]

whats the scene there like?

[Usagi]

Wellll...I meant more the convention scene but.
If you don't enjoy huge crowds, or people touching you randomly, or sweaty/smelly kids, or sh-tty cosplayers[well, not all of them suck]. Then I wouldn't suggest going.

But if you don't mind those things, or can ignore them and have a group to chill with yourself, then you should be fine.

[JaidaDv]

so definately go in a group?

[Jack_Bauer]

find some friends who are willing to go with you. Its easy to make friends there if you are cosplaying. I notice that there are a lot snobs in AX, especially the cosplayers. Have fun!

[MrAnime]

Seems there have been a few rooms (about 50) added at the Hilton. In case any one still needs one.

[Kevin K]

well guess i'll throw it out there lol same thing like always, we're gonna have a meet up this year as well , if you can make it cool if you cant, thats cool too.
well see ya there

[MrAnime]

What day and time are you planning on meeting up?

[Usagi]

I'd switch hotels, but I'm quite happy with the one we have. :3

And yea, when's the meet up going to be!? xD

[Kevin K]

most likely Saturday not sure what time, and not sure where, umm im a gonna confirm with AnimeGee

[JaidaDv]

having a meetup sounds fun :)

[Blue_Bull]

It's official; I hate America :P:

AX’07 Guests of Honor: Aya Hirano, Minori Chihara, and Yuko Goto. (http://www.moetron.com/2007/05/25/ax07-guests-of-honor-aya-hirano-minori-chihara-and-yuko-goto/)

EDIT: ANN piece (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-05-25/japanese-haruhi-cast-to-perform-live-at-anime-expo).

[Anime Gee]

most likely Saturday not sure what time, and not sure where, umm im a gonna confirm with AnimeGee

I don't know if we should even bother doing a meet. No one ever comes. Not even the mighty Mr. Jones can bring them in! Hahaha! ( ^o^) <3

[Caster13]

It's official; I hate America :P:

AX’07 Guests of Honor: Aya Hirano, Minori Chihara, and Yuko Goto. (http://www.moetron.com/2007/05/25/ax07-guests-of-honor-aya-hirano-minori-chihara-and-yuko-goto/)

EDIT: ANN piece (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-05-25/japanese-haruhi-cast-to-perform-live-at-anime-expo).

i just found this out. i now HATE CALIFORNIA!!:$%&#!: this year is gonna be full of stuff, and you people had frickin CLAMP last year. your state has way to much frickin money in it. give us east coasters a lot more love!!

[Animexcel]

i just found this out. i now HATE CALIFORNIA!!:$%&#!: this year is gonna be full of stuff, and you people had frickin CLAMP last year. your state has way to much frickin money in it. give us east coasters a lot more love!!

I agree >=(
la la land always gets the goods when it comes to the guests.

[Animegrl/Parnaz]

Another meetup huh? I don't know my plans yet at AX besides cosplay but I'll let you guys know. :dance:

[Caster13]

as far as i know, the last time we got someone really major was Megumi Hayashibara at Anime Boston a few years ago. wasnt there. at AnimeNEXT last year we got the creator of BECK, whos manga i hadnt read yet so i didnt go and get an autograph, should have just bought the first manga anyway to get it signed...DAMMITbut other than that nothing REALLY major other than MH.

whats next, you guys get the creator of Bleach!? i hope an earthquake destroys the convention center if that happens, so they can go to Otakon:devil:

besides the east coast having good taste in food and not going organic and hyper healty on everything(i eat healthy, but i like to have taste to my food),we have, well, lack one more thing, but in a very good way.....not a lot of hippies or liberals:D

[Kevin K]

I don't know if we should even bother doing a meet. No one ever comes. Not even the mighty Mr. Jones can bring them in! Hahaha! ( ^o^) <3


lol well just tossing it out there, hey you gonna go june 2nd?
hey parnaz good to hear from you! :lol:

[Anime Gee]

^ What's going on June 2nd again?

Dude. I might be sporting a new car by the time AnimeExpo rolls around! ( ^o^) <3

[Tuna]

Decided to skip Fanime this year and give AX a shot - hopefully it will be worth it...
^_^

[Caster13]

they announced another big person.......WHAT THE HELL!? *stares at the sky*

if i lived close to there, id be having MULTIPLE heart attacks from the excitement. other than that, i hope theres an earthquake.:devil:

[ZeroRyoko1974]

as far as i know, the last time we got someone really major was Megumi Hayashibara at Anime Boston a few years ago. wasnt there. at AnimeNEXT last year we got the creator of BECK, whos manga i hadnt read yet so i didnt go and get an autograph, should have just bought the first manga anyway to get it signed...DAMMITbut other than that nothing REALLY major other than MH.

whats next, you guys get the creator of Bleach!? i hope an earthquake destroys the convention center if that happens, so they can go to Otakon:devil:

besides the east coast having good taste in food and not going organic and hyper healty on everything(i eat healthy, but i like to have taste to my food),we have, well, lack one more thing, but in a very good way.....not a lot of hippies or liberals:D

Only time Megumi has been to an American con was back in 95, and it was Anime America (Anime Expo?) in San Jose

[GreatNekoKoneko]

...the female seiyuu leads of Suzumiya Haruhi, Halko Momoi, and big names from Death Note...

damn it. i wish i could go. im camping out for Aya Hirano and Halko Momoi.

[Animegrl/Parnaz]

I am really let down by the honored guests this year at AX. J-Rockers???!!!

[ZeroRyoko1974]

I thought this part of a recent press release for AX was funny. When have you ever seen this from a "not for profit organization" even if they do have an "entertainment property"
The statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. The Company cautions readers of this press release that a number of important factors could cause Anime Expo®/SPJA's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation, product delays, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, vendors and third-party developers, international economic and political conditions. The Company may change its intention, belief or expectation, at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in such factors, in the Company's assumptions or otherwise. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

[kenshin77]

I am really let down by the honored guests this year at AX. J-Rockers???!!!

Well its not really all J-rockers....the 3 Japanese lead actresses from the SOS brigade (Haruhi) will be there this year. I even got a ticket to their concert.

[MrAnime]

Well its not really all J-rockers....the 3 Japanese lead actresses from the SOS brigade (Haruhi) will be there this year. I even got a ticket to their concert.

I picked up a ticket myself. Hope they don't make you buy one for the Transformers movie. That would suck.

[kenshin77]

I picked up a ticket myself. Hope they don't make you buy one for the Transformers movie. That would suck.

Hey wanna go together? I don't have anyone to go with to that concert.
I'll also go to Animenation meet up too!

[MrAnime]

Hey wanna go together? I don't have anyone to go with to that concert.
I'll also go to Animenation meet up too!

Sure. I don't have anyone to go with either. I'll send you my cell number.

[GreatNekoKoneko]

...wait. where's the AN meetup and when?

[cynicallywired]

This is so weird. Normally, I'm ecstatic about Anime Expo but this year, I don't care so much. I mean, I paid for it and everything but I can't seem to get excited.

By the way, did anyone get their card for their badges yet? I registered back in March but I don't recall receiving anything in the mail.

[cynicallywired]

Geez, and one day, I should meet you guys at an AN meet. I've been on this forum for almost 6 years now... =(

So, what are the details?

[MrAnime]

Geez, and one day, I should meet you guys at an AN meet. I've been on this forum for almost 6 years now... =(

So, what are the details?

As far as I know, there aren't any at the moment.

[Anime Gee]

Everyone says that they will come, but no one ever comes, so I don't think we're doing one this year. Everyone's at the workshops, panels, concerts, or whatever.

So yeah... Just look for this dude at AnimeExpo.

http://www.myspace.com/mrjonesthebear

^ At least you'll get to meet one AN member! Hahaha! ( ^o^)

[Kevin K]

Everyone says that they will come, but no one ever comes, so I don't think we're doing one this year. Everyone's at the workshops, panels, concerts, or whatever.

So yeah... Just look for this dude at AnimeExpo.

http://www.myspace.com/mrjonesthebear

^ At least you'll get to meet one AN member! Hahaha! ( ^o^)


hey gee so we gonna go half on a keger right :lol: oh i will say there will be a meet up but ehh like gee says, not everyone will do it lol, if your intreseted how about this you just meet up with the " the usual suspects" :lol: just pm me for my cell #

[Anime Gee]

I'll be hanging with all you crazy mofos all 4 days! (^o^ ) <3

[Kevin K]

hey gee hellz ya beer runs right? lol

[FUNiRepBlue]

I'm bummed I won't be there this year. Last year was pretty fun (although exhausting as I spent most of my time working the booth).
Our conventions team wanted me to pass along this as well. We know have our schedule up on AX:
Anime Expo: FUNimation schedule of events
Anime Expo is upon us and here is the VERY full schedule of events FUNimation has going on at the show.
Highlights:
- Exclusive FUNimation Room
- 15 US and Japanese guests
- 15 panels
- 27 screenings
- 5 Premiers

I won't post everything here but you can get more info on our site too. http://www.funimation.com/f_index.cfm?page=conventions
Just passing along the info!

[SlackerDude]

Shouldn't there be like ... photos of hot asian professional cosplayers/models?

[kenshin77]

Shouldn't there be like ... photos of hot asian professional cosplayers/models?

Ah there usually are at AX, but you have to look around to find any photos. :)

[Lunay]

Hey guys! I don't usually go to Anime Expo since I live near San Diego but.. I just found out that Aya Hirano is one of the guests of honor (http://www.anime-expo.org/?q=guests/guests_of_honor/aya_hirano) this year (along with the SOS Brigade Tour or whatever), so.. I will definetely have to go now. But the problem is I can't find what day Aya is scheduled to appear at the official AX site (http://www.anime-expo.org/index.php?). Does anyone have any information regarding her autograph session? (Time, date, how, etc). If I do get to meet her, I want her to talk to me in her Konata Izumi voice! ^^; I am melting just thinking about it.

[Kevin K]

ok guys see y'all there, i got permission to take of from work :lol: its freaking awesome cuz the following week i get four days off :lol: oh yeah if anyone is interested they're hiring at my call center ( Wells Fargo ) lemme know if your interested my fellow anime fans :lol:

[GreatNekoKoneko]

...ok. it's official. this jersey boy is going to AX.

see you there. im gonna be that Filipino with fiery red hair. don't forget to say hi.

[kenshin77]

If you see another Filipino with an Anime pulse T-shirt on the front or "wanna see my Bankai!" on the back. Thats me!

[MrAnime]

If you see another Filipino with an Anime pulse T-shirt on the front or "wanna see my Bankai!" on the back. Thats me!

Now I know who to look for. :P I'll call you so we decide on a place and time to meet up.

[GreatNekoKoneko]

...dude. AX is BIG. i'm talking, MASSIVE - like a friggin MMO.

anyway, i hope there arent too many Filipinos with the same shirt on.

[kenshin77]

No there isn't too many Flips with the same shirt on.
I had to buy one from the Anime pulse podcast.
I don't think there are too many filipinos who in to podcasts.
Pretty funny though.

Now I know who to look for. :P I'll call you so we decide on a place and time to meet up.

Ok, I can't wait to get their autographs (I hope). I gotta find a poster to have Hirano and the gang to sign:P

[cynicallywired]

Everyone says that they will come, but no one ever comes, so I don't think we're doing one this year. Everyone's at the workshops, panels, concerts, or whatever.

So yeah... Just look for this dude at AnimeExpo.

http://www.myspace.com/mrjonesthebear

^ At least you'll get to meet one AN member! Hahaha! ( ^o^)

Okay, I just had to. I added Mr. Jones to my myspace (http://www.myspace.com/owwitreallyhurts) page... :)

[greg]

Anyone have any blogs with photos and coverage? When I go to Comic Con a month from now, I intend on uploading all my images to some photo server each night for everyone to see.

[Lunay]

I'm not good with coverage but here are some of the things that I did at AX:

Friday - I had to work on Friday so I got there late in the afternoon. But I was just in time to see the J-rock supergroup, S.K.I.N. I really loved Miyavi when he played the shamisen! Ju-ken was also there as their bass player. Although, their set was rather short, it was amazing! After that, I went to check out the AMV contest while hanging out with some random cosplayers.

Saturday - Started my day by going to the Geneon panel. They announced their Nanoha license and talked about their future releases such as Seirei no Moribito and Shana OAV. After that was the ADV panel in the exact same room. They announced their acquisition of Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora, Gurenn-Lagann, and Devil May Cry. The second half of ADV panel was mostly about people asking about Air TV. ^^; One guy asked if they are considering licensing Kanon 06', they replied with something like "pay close attention to annoucements at a future con". After that, I went on a shopping spree. At 3pm, I lined up for the SOS Brigade Tour which started at 4:30. It was wonderful to see both JP and US seiyuus join together up on stage! I had missed Aya Hirano's panel on Friday so this was my last chance to see her and it was worth the hour and a half wait in the hot sun. After that, I went to see the ramen eating contest.

I plan to go to Michael Arias panel tomorrow, see the screening of Tekkonkinkreet and check out the Funimation panel. Sadly, I am not attending on Monday because I have to work. :(

[Anime Gee]

The only thing I don't like about AnimeExpo being hosted in Long Beach are the walks. Man!! I sure have walked a lot this weekend! The only thing that I do like about Long Beach is the amount of cheap or free parking available & the insane amounts of restaurants that are just a jump, skip, & a hop away! Rock Bottom Brewery, here we come! ( ^o^) <3


Anyone have any blogs with photos and coverage? When I go to Comic Con a month from now, I intend on uploading all my images to some photo server each night for everyone to see.I have a crapload of them. I'll post them all up on Monday evening. I even have some of the insane line for the registration that almost stretched a mile!

[Anime Gee]

Okay, I just had to. I added Mr. Jones to my myspace (http://www.myspace.com/owwitreallyhurts) page... :)

Ah! Hahahaha! So you're the one. OK! ( ^o^)/

[Lunay]

The only thing I don't like about AnimeExpo being hosted in Long Beach are the walks. Man!! I sure have walked a lot this weekend! The only thing that I do like about Long Beach is the amount of cheap or free parking available & the insane amounts of restaurants that are just a jump, skip, & a hop away! Rock Bottom Brewery, here we come! ( ^o^) <3

Seriously! The area is so huge I felt lost without a convention map! I love how there is much more space between the booths in the exhibit hall; it's still crowded since the number of attendees is high but not as suffocating compared to other conventions I have attended. Speaking of restaurants, I couldn't believe the number of good restaurants that are on one street (Pine Street). I have always wanted to try Rock Bottom and me and my friends went there on Friday night. I couldn't believe the size of their Brewery Club sandwich! It was delish. Their kettle chips was tasty, too. It's an amazing location to have a convention.

[JaidaDv]

:( had to miss it this year hows it been so far??

[Tuna]

My AX experience SUUUUCKED, but that's probably just me.
-_-;

[Hara!]

I'm not good with coverage but here are some of the things that I did at AX:

Friday - I had to work on Friday so I got there late in the afternoon. But I was just in time to see the J-rock supergroup, S.K.I.N. I really loved Miyavi when he played the shamisen! Ju-ken was also there as their bass player. Although, their set was rather short, it was amazing! After that, I went to check out the AMV contest while hanging out with some random cosplayers.

Saturday - Started my day by going to the Geneon panel. They announced their Nanoha license and talked about their future releases such as Seirei no Moribito and Shana OAV. After that was the ADV panel in the exact same room. They announced their acquisition of Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora, Gurenn-Lagann, and Devil May Cry. The second half of ADV panel was mostly about people asking about Air TV. ^^; One guy asked if they are considering licensing Kanon 06', they replied with something like "pay close attention to annoucements at a future con". After that, I went on a shopping spree. At 3pm, I lined up for the SOS Brigade Tour which started at 4:30. It was wonderful to see both JP and US seiyuus join together up on stage! I had missed Aya Hirano's panel on Friday so this was my last chance to see her and it was worth the hour and a half wait in the hot sun. After that, I went to see the ramen eating contest.

I plan to go to Michael Arias panel tomorrow, see the screening of Tekkonkinkreet and check out the Funimation panel. Sadly, I am not attending on Monday because I have to work. :(

OH DAMN IT ALL.

On another note, I heard Momoi Haruko passed out, and some weeaboo on the AX forums complained that it was held in a ghetto.

[Hara!]

Even the GUEST OF HONOR hated it. (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.tsutaya.co .jp%2Fmomo-i%2F8494&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&safe=off&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools)

[ZeroRyoko1974]

you would think that with this being an industry run con they wouldn't have those kind of problems:lol:

[Bishoujo Senshi]

My AX experience SUUUUCKED, but that's probably just me.
-_-;


Wasn't just you. I hated the con this year. The Staff Pro staff, which I assume are attached to the convention arena, were incredibly rude and unhelpful, plus the whole wait in line for 2 hours in the scorching sun and THEN be told that you have to go back and put your camera in your room did not help my mood one bit. The SOS Brigade show, the only one I went to, was horribly done. The two MC's shouldn't have even been on the stage, the video engineer didn't know what he was doing, all in all I felt bad for the Japanese guests, who still did their best despite not getting any help from the people who were supposed to set things up. And everything held in the arena was late. Even the auctions! This is stuff for charity, and they didn't even have the decency to start that on time. So, no money from me for the charity.

Plus the venue was way too spread out, they didn't set things up right. How stupid was it that you couldn't go back up the stairs when you left the dealer's room? You had to walk all the way back around just to go back to where all the panels were being held.

Basically, it boils down to this. Next year, due to work, I won't be able to go again. If I hear that they still have these problems, then they can forget about me going again. I won't put up with that kind of garbage a second time.

[Hara!]

It reminds me of the last BAAF held in the NYC. It failed so hard, they never held it again.

[Lunay]

Wasn't just you. I hated the con this year. The Staff Pro staff, which I assume are attached to the convention arena, were incredibly rude and unhelpful, plus the whole wait in line for 2 hours in the scorching sun and THEN be told that you have to go back and put your camera in your room did not help my mood one bit. The SOS Brigade show, the only one I went to, was horribly done. The two MC's shouldn't have even been on the stage, the video engineer didn't know what he was doing, all in all I felt bad for the Japanese guests, who still did their best despite not getting any help from the people who were supposed to set things up. And everything held in the arena was late. Even the auctions! This is stuff for charity, and they didn't even have the decency to start that on time. So, no money from me for the charity.

Plus the venue was way too spread out, they didn't set things up right. How stupid was it that you couldn't go back up the stairs when you left the dealer's room? You had to walk all the way back around just to go back to where all the panels were being held.

I have to agree with everything you said, the rude staff members, especially! I was asking for some help from one of the staff members and she was practically useless. Plus, she was too busy talking on her cell phone with her friend or whatever.. And I agree that the area was too spread out, but I truly didn't mind it.

I don't think it was in the ghetto at all. If you go further south on Ocean Blvd, then you start to enter the ghetto, but I think the con was in a pretty nice area next to the Queen Mary attraction and near the beach. And the wonderful restaurants on Pine St was a nice addition for me. I do feel bad about GoH being treated poorly, though. Also, I do think the hour and a half/two-hour wait for a concert event is not acceptible, but I don't have any suggestion as to how they should have handled it since the line was insanely long. Obviously, it wasn't a perfect con.. but I wouldn't call it a failure, either. One other thing that bothered me a bit is the fact that the Exihibit Hall closed at 6pm, which I think is too early. Overall, I truly had a great time, regardless of some problems, and it was wonderful to see many wonderful cosplayers! I went this year on a whim because of Aya Hirano but next year I will be prepared and possibly cosplay as well. ^^v

P.S.- Poor Momoi Haruko-san, I hope she is okay.

[greg]

My friend should be on his way back from AX'07 by now. I swear, every time I talked to him, he was doing something else in the LA area, like eating ramen at Orochon and hitting up Jungle in Little Tokyo, or visiting the various Book Off locations. I find it significant the amount of time he did not spend there. He's getting tired of the Narutard crowd and the events that they put on. Maybe I can talk him into going to Comic Con with me next year instead.

All I want to know is when ADV will be releasing Keroro Gunsou/Sgt. Frog on DVD. I hope they announced it at AX.

[tofuman]

I thought it was okay. I was only there on Friday for 4 hours so I didn't see much. One of the things I didn't like were the workers. when I got there I asked one of the workers ware you pick up your preregistered passes and he told me I had to wait in the huge line that went around the building. So I wasted 1 hour in that line and when I got tired of waiting I went back and asked again and then they showed me the right line. That pretty much pissed me off for the rest of the day. Plus the Skin concert didn't start when it was supposed to.

[Tuna]

I totally agree with everyone - it was a pretty sad affair.
I hear that the beach was not too far away, but those of us who were stuck with traveling on foot really couldn't enjoy too much outside of a few square blocks...

My major gripes:

- As tofuman mentioned, those of us registering on Friday had quite the experience. If you pre-registered (like me), you were told that the pre-reg and regular-reg were the same line (which made pre-reg completely pointless), so we all tromped the block-plus to the end of the line and waited in the blazing sun in the middle of the parking lot at the end of the line. After sweating for over an hour, word reached us that they had regained some sanity and given the pre-regers their own line - yay! Of course, it started back at the con entrance and snaked down the road in the opposite direction from the line we had just been standing in, so we ended up back in the sun, but at least the line was shorter...
:P

- A third of the viewing rooms were at the Westin hotel, which was a four-block trek from the rest of the con sites. That doesn't sound like much, but it was seriously inconvenient and time-consuming (and no fun after walking for ten-so hours)...

- As Bishoujo Senshi mentioned, there was a flight of stairs leading from the Artist's Alley area into the main entrance to the Dealer's Room - which was very convenient...until you tried to leave. The was when you were informed the you could not walk UP the stairs, and had to exit the massive Exhibition Hall through another exit - no, not the side exits...those were enter-only also - you had to leave out the very baaaaack exit, all the way on the opposite side of the Hall. This was obviously intended to force you to walk through the little Marketplace/Festival area that had been set up outside of the Hyatt, but geebus, you had to walk allll the waaaay arooouuuund the entire Ex. Hall, just to get back to the main Con venues (Artist's Alley, etc). ...and were there any signs showing you how to traverse the maze of paths back? Nooooooooooo...
>.<

- The LINES. HOMYGAWD. Lines to register. Lines to get in the Dealers Room. Lines to get into any viewing room, no matter how crappy the show was, or what time it was. Lines to go to the john. Lines at the elevators. Lines to the panels. I missed the Masquerade, so I can only imagine what that one looked like... I mean, I know that cons=lines, but the handling of them at AX only seemed to exacerbate an already bothersome obstacle. Case in point: There was only one ATM in the Dealer's Room that I knew of (in the back), so that in itself was a good 20-30 minute wait. With all of those dealers, and all of those willing to buy, one would have expected a bank of teller machines, and not just one little ATM tucked away in the back.

- As many have noted, THE STAFF. Wow...just, wow. Some did indeed try to be helpful, I will admit, but most...well, they just didn't seem to care - at all. First thing Saturday, after walking through Artist's Alley, I realized I had forgotten my program, so I wandered over to the AX Info Booth and asked if they had any little maps or flyer-type programs - maybe a photocopy of the schedule grid...anything? They just said "Nope." So...I asked where the viewing rooms were, and their only response was, "Don't you have a progam? It's in that. Pshah!" Needless to say, I was not impressed...

...and I'll not even get into how resting my twisted ankle on the chair in front of me in one viewing room was deemed a "fire hazard"...
:rolleyes:

I dunno...maybe I'm just being hypercritical...it was just so ill-planned and lacking in any...well...any heart, y'know? There were many times that the people around me (whom I didn't know) and myself all practiced loudly bleating like sheep...because that is how we were made to feel a lot of the time at this con. It just didn't seem to have any of the love/respect for anime fans that I've felt at other cons...

So, next year, it'll be Fanime for me.
:naughty:

[greg]

IGN has a wrapup video here. (http://media.comics.ign.com/articles/801/801145/vids_1.html) The ADV guy says there is no date set yet for Sgt. Frog. D'oh! They're obviously pushing the anime bigtime at the event, yet there's no release date set yet. Oh well. Maybe by Comic Con they'll have a date.

[Lunay]

My friend should be on his way back from AX'07 by now. I swear, every time I talked to him, he was doing something else in the LA area, like eating ramen at Orochon and hitting up Jungle in Little Tokyo, or visiting the various Book Off locations. I find it significant the amount of time he did not spend there. He's getting tired of the Narutard crowd and the events that they put on. Maybe I can talk him into going to Comic Con with me next year instead.

All I want to know is when ADV will be releasing Keroro Gunsou/Sgt. Frog on DVD. I hope they announced it at AX.

Hehe. I don't blame your friend for hanging out at Little Tokyo instead. ^^; I truly love that place since it's a cheap alternative to traveling to Japan. Anime Jungle and Kinokuniya Book Store, what more do you need?

I am also going to the Comic-Con in 3 weeks or so.. and like I said in the Comic-Con thread, one thing that I truly hate about Comic-Con is the fact that it is too American comic/movie related. You may see many annoying Narutards at AX, but at Comic-Con, you get the best of both worlds, Narutards and Star Wars freaks! And the cosplaying scene in general is rather small; with the exception of Storm Troopers, of course. :P Don't get me wrong, I love going to the Comic-Con annually (S.D. baby!), but I just wish they had more anime related special guests. I was certainly impressed by the guests and performers at AX, people I will never see at Comic-Con.

As far as Sgt. Frog, ADV didn't announce anything for it. Although, during Q&A time, this Sakura (Naruto ^^; ) cosplayer asked ADV if "there will be some sort of licensing issue since Sgt. Frog has many Gundam references." I just thought that was funny. But believe me, I am impatiently waiting for Sgt. Frog region 1 DVDs as well! I can't wait!

I dunno...maybe I'm just being hypercritical...it was just so ill-planned and lacking in any...well...any heart, y'know? There were many times that the people around me (whom I didn't know) and myself all practiced loudly bleating like sheep...because that is how we were made to feel a lot of the time at this con. It just didn't seem to have any of the love/respect for anime fans that I've felt at other cons...

It's funny you say that because I was talking to my co-workers today and one of them mentioned how the 'smaller' cons in general are more intimate with the fans. I couldn't agree with him more. But I'm sure the smaller cons are more easy to organize as well.

I have read online somewhere that AX's attendance has risen by thousands every year-- if I remember correctly, the total attendance for AX06' was 40,000 or so. Now that is a lot! Obviously, the long line is a huge problem.. but the question is what can they do to improve on it? With attendance that high, I would think a big capacity - in this case, using nearby hotels - is absolutely necessary, otherwise, walking space will be too tight. But on the otherhand, people will complain about the con being too spread out. It sounds like a lose/lose situation for them. As far as ATMs, that is easily solved by making more machines available. Pre-reg and regular registration sharing the same line sounds like absolute BS to me! And there is just no excuse for clueless and careless staff members to act the way they were. You can bet I will submit these negative feedback to them, and hopefully, they will improve upon them.

[greg]

Well, I haven't been to the SD Comic Con since 2001. That year they had both Rumiko Takahashi and Monkey Punch. I'd say that's fantastic, but it was probably a rare year. Anime is great, but I'd rather get a good dose of sci-fi and other stuff while I'm at it. Especially since everything at AX focuses on only newer anime. I hope they made a big deal about Fate/Stay Night. I'd like to see some cosplay of Saber.

Lunay, are the lines at the SDCC these days as crazy as at AX? The SD Convention Center was doubled since I was last at the con, and as a result the con itself has doubled. I pre-registered, so I hope I won't have to stand in line too long (I assume the lines are under the sails still) and I should have my pass and Bugs Bunny figure in hand after not too long of a wait.

Smaller cons may be somewhat interesting, but the ones local to Phoenix, AZ look boring. From footage on TV, it's a bunch of twerps playing Magic the Gathering at tables and such. I can go to Denny's at midnight to see that. And the local anime cons are a joke. They only get the idiot English dubbing voice actors as guests of honor and not much on the actual people making the shows.

[tofuman]

are the lines at the SDCC these days as crazy as at AX? I went to ComicCon the last three years and the lines were big, but no ware near as big as the lines at this years AX. If you bought your pass ahead of time you should be safe from the lines.

[Anime Gee]

I've been going to Anime Expo for quite a long while & I have to say that this year was the worst year for Anime Expo. The retarded registration line that formed on Friday was insane. That line stretched more that a mile. Then the staff decided to put everyone together instead of sending the people that prepaid into another line. I was fortunate enough to get in early & didn't have to go through that long line. I could easily say that it probably took about 4 hours or more to get though that line.

The stupid ProStaff & the Anime Expo staff didn't help much either. most of them were rude & didn't konw what the hell was going on anyways. Useless, if you ask me. I walked so much that I thought my legs were going to fall off. Most of the anime that was played kinda sucked. It seemed like cosplayers weren't that easy to find, so that I could take some photos. I didn't take a single photo on Sunday. That's how bad it was. No one knew where anything was. Fortunately I've been to the Long Beach convention center several times & I'm quite familiar with the entire area, but most other people are not, therefore I was constantly getting bombarded with questions about how to get here or there, not that I'd mind. The stupid maps that they gave out were pretty retarded too. The lines for everything were insane! Did you guys see the line for the Transformers movie!! I'm like, "No way!! All these people are not going to fit in that theater!!" ( 'o') !

Now they announced that AnimeExpo2008 will be in Los Angeles. Man! If you guys thought that Long Beach was ghetto, Los Angeles is even worse. It takes the gold. Not only is the location pretty bad, but there are hardly any restaurants around there. If you are lucky enough to find one, it will cost you an arm & a leg to eat there, so most of us will be stuck at eating at the crappy places in the con or trying to find a restaurant nearby.

Then there's the parking issue. If you can't get a parking spot in the convention center, be prepared to park REALLY FAR! You have a choice of walking or waiting for the shuttle that is usually crammed with people. On top of that, if anything goes down at the Staples Center, we're all going to be screwed. Have any of you ever been to downtown Los Angeles when there's a basketball game or something going on at the Staples Center? The traffic & amount of people there are insane! Now add about +40,000 extra AnimeExpo attendees to that... ('o' ) !

I don't think that AnimeExpo will be receiving my money next year.

[Kevin K]

im pissed now!!!! Gee i agree with you, yosh and chris also agree. we are thinking about skipping AX 08 and just hitting up Fanime. I still might go to AX 08 but i gotta see who they are getting. But yeah the staff and volunteers are just getting more and more retarded every year. :lol: i just shot them a comment laced with words :lol: imagine if they ban me :lol:

[greg]

The LA Convention Center is total crap. However, there is the subway station close to the LA Convention Center, Pico Station. So, you could stay at someplace like the Days Inn in Chinatown and take the subway from Union Station to Pico on the blue line, but you'd have to book way in advance for that. But most importantly, it is a ghetto. Too bad it's not in Anaheim.

[Lunay]

It's too bad AX won't be held in Anaheim Stadium next year. I have been to Anaheim Stadium for KROQ Weenie Roast and to see the Angels play, and I truly love it. It's a wonderful stadium. The Staples Center, not so much. ^^; I will probably attend AX next year, but it will depend on the GoHs. I am curious about Fanime since three people have mentioned it. Is it truly better than AX? And how so? If Fanime isn't that far, I might also want to attend there, too.

[cynicallywired]

Anime Expo.

I've been to AX since 2002 and I have to say, I was practically bored out of my mind. In fact, I've been bored since about three years ago. What happened to the really good guests of honors? Well, last year's was awesome but other than CLAMP, I wasn't that interested.

Now, put in long lines, and the fact the couple of panels my boyfriend and I DID WANT TO GO SEE were full. WHAT?! When did we have to wait in an insanely long line to go see a panel? Come on it's just Atlus USA's panel...

Anyway, even though AX had its points: the Masquerade turned out great (it started on time, and it was in a bigger venue) and the dealer's hall line moved pretty fast (unlike AX 2002 where it took us 2 hours to get into the dealer's hall... NO MATTER what the time was).

Other than that, it wasn't that great. I miss Anaheim. Even though LBCC had lots of food nearby, I miss Anaheim. There was just something nice about it. And truthfully, it really depends on who the guests of honors are next year. I want a mangaka or at least a creator. I think those are always more interesting than VAs. (Although the SOS Brigade Tour wasn't so bad. I thought it was pretty nice considering it was the only new anime I knew of.)

Anyway, I'd rather reminisce about previous year's GoHs. Ah yes... I remember...
- CLAMP - 2006
- Koge-Donbo - 2006
- Maaya Sakamoto - 2005 (didn't get to hear her... T_T)
- Nobuhiro Watsuki - 2002
- Read or Die creators - 2002
- Yoko Kanno - 2004 (or was it 2003)?
- Excel Saga's mangaka - 2003?

I'm sure there were many other good ones but I don't remember them. T_T

[GreatNekoKoneko]

...i went to 3 concerts:

Oreska band, the SOS dan, and the Halko Momoi concert.

the oreska concert was good. they were the only one with the live band in them. as for the SOS one, well... the only good thing about it was that they have Aya Hirano and her posse. forget the rest of the people there - especially, the VAs (damn it. why did i have to see wendee lee.)

fact: Aya Hirano, in the flesh, is made of pure hotness.

HALKO MOMOI. being a fan for YEARS, i thought the her concert was the best of the 3 mentioned. i almost bawled like a ***** when she started crying on stage. she did all the songs that i wanted to hear - though it would have been really nice to hear a KujiUn song... oh, and Manzo? that guy is freakin' awesome.

but the fact that they had to turn people away for the SOS autographs - that was just plain BS. they only took 50(?) people in for the autographs, on a 15 minute window.

let's face it. BANDAI, BANGZOOM, and AX are f*cking up.

[Flopsy]

I miss the days when Anime Expo was staffed by UC Berkeley...

[katana1206]

I went to SOS autographs and they acutally took 65 people who hold the red ticket and 50 for Bandai ticket. (I wait for 8 hrs and I still couldn't get their autographs). The part I don't like is when I got there 4:30am, there are only 15 to 20 people, yet by 9am their are 60 more people ahead of me (nearly thousand people behind me). I didn't feel mad at all since I don't want their poster (not signing for other items).

There are hidden treasure at AX2007 but seem most people didn't know, that at the Art show, there are displaying work of Okama and I got his Okamarble art book with autograph, also they are selling some orginal art works (Akemi Takada for example) but the cost...;)

The guy who cosplay as Faye Valentine should get banned from AX.

[Animexcel]

I came, I saw, and it wasn't easy. There was a small line a staff guy was running for ppl with Bandai reciepts. Me and my friend told him that Bandai and the other staff had us running around like crazy and stuff. So, he let us in.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/A-20/hposter.jpg

I high-fived Aya Hirano, that's right...physical contact xD

[Hara!]

I high-fived Aya Hirano, that's right...physical contact xD

MOTHER FUUUUUUUUUUUU-

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f55/malomeat/1183498089010.jpg

[Lunay]

The guy who cosplay as Faye Valentine should get banned from AX.

Is this the one and only Man-Faye? I actually wanted to take a picture with him but I didn't manage to see him. ^^;

I came, I saw, and it wasn't easy. There was a small line a staff guy was running for ppl with Bandai reciepts. Me and my friend told him that Bandai and the other staff had us running around like crazy and stuff. So, he let us in.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/A-20/hposter.jpg

I high-fived Aya Hirano, that's right...physical contact xD

I hate you! ^^;; I had my Konata (Lucky Star) pencil board ready to be signed by Aya Hirano in my car, too. I heard Aya Hirano did the "timoteii" bit (caresses hair) from Lucky Star. That would have been hilarious to see in real life!

[Animexcel]

They were only signing the Bandai posters. lol yeah, Aya did her "timoteii" line at the focus panel; and at the concert, a guy was screaming out "timoteii!!", and she stroked her hair xD so cute.

[katana1206]

About the SOS concert, what I heard the reason of delay is the fire marshal inspecting the building.

[Gasaraki]

...i went to 3 concerts:

Oreska band, the SOS dan, and the Halko Momoi concert.

the oreska concert was good. they were the only one with the live band in them.

I saw the ORESKABAND Concert, the SOS Dan, and S.K.I.N. ORESKABAND was BY FAR the most amazing concert there. The energy was intense. It took a few songs for the crowd to really open up but it turned out awesome.

Highlights: Cellphones, "1! 2! JUUUMP!", and Leader teaching Osakan JP.


There are hidden treasure at AX2007 but seem most people didn't know, that at the Art show, there are displaying work of Okama and I got his Okamarble art book with autograph, also they are selling some orginal art works (Akemi Takada for example) but the cost...;)

The guy who cosplay as Faye Valentine should get banned from AX.
I got the signed Okamarble too, good stuff. If I had the money I woulda bought one of his prints, but no can do =(

[GreatNekoKoneko]

... but the MOMOI concert was by far BANGING. seriously.

i love her because she doesn't f*ck with the TRUE HARDCORE fans - not like the SOS did with the THOUSANDS waiting in line.

i really DO hope she comes back again next year.

[Gasaraki]

I heard Momoi was bashing AX like crazy on her blog, as far as the staff and all that goes: http://blog.tsutaya.co.jp/momo-i/

I can't read it personally but possibly you can or know someone who can.

[GreatNekoKoneko]

I heard Momoi was bashing AX like crazy on her blog, as far as the staff and all that goes: http://blog.tsutaya.co.jp/momo-i/

I can't read it personally but possibly you can or know someone who can.

...i read a translated version of it somewhere. yeah, she was bashing AX like crazy. i don't blame her.

but she did love the fans.

[katana1206]

How about Chiaki Ishikawa concert? I didn't have chance to go

[Gasaraki]

Man, I wanted to catch that, but I wiped myself out from the oreskaband concert. Yelled, jumped, waved, clapped, the entire time. I was too tired to do anything else til later that night.

btw, GNK, what was the song oreskaband played as the encore? I can't recall it as I listen to their CD.

[GreatNekoKoneko]

Man, I wanted to catch that, but I wiped myself out from the oreskaband concert. Yelled, jumped, waved, clapped, the entire time. I was too tired to do anything else til later that night.

btw, GNK, what was the song oreskaband played as the encore? I can't recall it as I listen to their CD.

...i was wiped out from the Momoi concert - due to the fact that i had no dinner the night before, AND add MAD liqour to the mix of no breakfast...

but i still had the energy to harrass someone for not having PREMIER(aka BULLCRAP) tickets. i was shaking so bad after the concert. but it was all worth it.

as for the Oreskaband encore... i can't really say. but either way, it still kicked ***.

[Yukito Kunisaki]

The guy who cosplay as Faye Valentine should get banned from AX.

Actually, they tried banning him, but in the end, the con-goers rebelled for him, and they got him back. I don't see the big deal. He is just cosplaying. No rule saying you HAVE to be completely shaven or MUST be a girl to cosplay as certain characters. Let the guy have fun, he has fans too.

[Gasaraki]

...i was wiped out from the Momoi concert - due to the fact that i had no dinner the night before, AND add MAD liqour to the mix of no breakfast...

but i still had the energy to harrass someone for not having PREMIER(aka BULLCRAP) tickets. i was shaking so bad after the concert. but it was all worth it.

as for the Oreskaband encore... i can't really say. but either way, it still kicked ***.
Damn straight, we were chanting "MOU IKAI!!" but noone seemed to understand so we switched to "Encore". I almost thought we weren't gonna be able to get them back out but they came right as we were about to give up haha. They went above and beyond.

I've been in total fanboy mode for days now D:

[GreatNekoKoneko]

Damn straight, we were chanting "MOU IKAI!!" but noone seemed to understand so we switched to "Encore". I almost thought we weren't gonna be able to get them back out but they came right as we were about to give up haha. They went above and beyond.

I've been in total fanboy mode for days now D:

...you are not alone. i was, like, 5 feet away from Halko Momoi. im still reeling in awe and excitement. i can't help it. i heart WANDAMOMOi.

[Anime Gee]

She passed right next to me as I was sitting under the tree & she was walking with 2 guys. I didn't even bother her. Hahaha! ( ^o^)

[Anime Gee]

http://community.webshots.com/user/mrjonesthebear

^ AnimeExpo2007 photos with Mr. Jones the Bear! ( ^o^) <3

[kenshin77]

I came, I saw, and it wasn't easy. There was a small line a staff guy was running for ppl with Bandai reciepts. Me and my friend told him that Bandai and the other staff had us running around like crazy and stuff. So, he let us in.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/A-20/hposter.jpg

I high-fived Aya Hirano, that's right...physical contact xD


I absolutely hate you!!! I was in that Autograph line at 7:00Am but apparently that was not enough to get an autograph with the SOS Dan voice actresses. I was there till 11:50 and I missed the panels with Momoi-san so I could not get to see her. :( I was also in the first autograph line that got postponed. I missed so much just to get an autograph with these ladies. I wish that Bandai or the talent agency that told us they were going to limit the number of autographs could have just told us this at the SOS Panel. It would have saved many people so much time.

But anyways congrats you were one of the lucky ones, and not one of the pissed off ones.

[GreatNekoKoneko]

I absolutely hate you!!! I was in that Autograph line at 7:00Am but apparently that was not enough to get an autograph with the SOS Dan voice actresses. I was there till 11:50 and I missed the panels with Momoi-san so I could not get to see her. :( I was also in the first autograph line that got postponed. I missed so much just to get an autograph with these ladies. I wish that Bandai or the talent agency that told us they were going to limit the number of autographs could have just told us this at the SOS Panel. It would have saved many people so much time.

But anyways congrats you were one of the lucky ones, and not one of the pissed off ones.

...i know how you feel. i missed the Momoi panel too. i felt that i let her down, being a hardcore Momoi fan.

[MrAnime]

I wanted an autograph so badly. But having the little red ticket AND a Bandai receipt wasn't enough. Guess I should have gone to get in line at 4 in the morning when I woke up to use the restroom instead of going back to sleep for two more hours. Eh...maybe next time. At least I was able to get a really cool Mahoromatic figure. The one with the red sportsbike. An MV Agusta F4 to be exact. :P

[GreatNekoKoneko]

...just a head's up: the concert recordings are on toshokan.

just lettin' you guys know.

[Gasaraki]

And yet they're missing the only one I care about, Orrrrrreskaband =(

[Animexcel]

I came from Illinois just to meet these ladies and I wasn't taking "no" for an answer. me and a friend I met that weekend decided to go the Bandai booth right after AX staff announced the 50 ppl cutoff. The guy at Bandai didn't know about the signing in room 101 and apologizing for the mix up, we were devastated. We went back and spoke to the staffer organizing the line and he asked us if we had reciepts. we quickly pulled out our Bandai reciept from buying a Haruhi item. Apparently we're supposed to have it marked but we told him Bandai didn't and told us to come back here. "Hmmm...that's weird cuz they're suppose to mark the reciepts" he said. Some how...some way...we got an okay from him to go in. We saw the guy from the Bandai booth at the autograph session and he said "I'm glad you 2 got in."

Learn from Haruhi and do what you can to get what you want. ^^;;

[GreatNekoKoneko]

I came from Illinois just to meet these ladies and I wasn't taking "no" for an answer. me and a friend I met that weekend decided to go the Bandai booth right after AX staff announced the 50 ppl cutoff. The guy at Bandai didn't know about the signing in room 101 and apologizing for the mix up, we were devastated. We went back and spoke to the staffer organizing the line and he asked us if we had reciepts. we quickly pulled out our Bandai reciept from buying a Haruhi item. Apparently we're supposed to have it marked but we told him Bandai didn't and told us to come back here. "Hmmm...that's weird cuz they're suppose to mark the reciepts" he said. Some how...some way...we got an okay from him to go in. We saw the guy from the Bandai booth at the autograph session and he said "I'm glad you 2 got in."

...good. we were gonna jump anybody who had the autographs. when they cut the line off, we went on to have and morning boozing session out of spite.

but the Momoi Concert calmed us down. that made us happy campers.

[HSaabedra]

Can anyone tell me why AX is considered the biggest con in the US when it has the worst planning I've ever seen for a large event? This is why professionals are hired and sponsorships exist, kids. Strictly fan-run and non-profit doesn't cut it anymore. It doesn't help when they'll be moving back to LA in the middle of gang territory during Lakers home games next year.

[kenshin77]

Can anyone tell me why AX is considered the biggest con in the US when it has the worst planning I've ever seen for a large event? This is why professionals are hired and sponsorships exist, kids. Strictly fan-run and non-profit doesn't cut it anymore. It doesn't help when they'll be moving back to LA in the middle of gang territory during Lakers home games next year.

Laker home games will be between July 3 and July 6? Thats news to me!

I agree though that AX is the biggest convention in the country, yet they are handling a convention like a small run convention in the middle of the desert. Granted they have tried to improve things over the years, apparently this year they have taken a huge step back in organization. Attendance next year will be affected.

[HSaabedra]

I agree though that AX is the biggest convention in the country, yet they are handling a convention like a small run convention in the middle of the desert. Granted they have tried to improve things over the years, apparently this year they have taken a huge step back in organization. Attendance next year will be affected.

It's best if they just let sponsors take care of everything and have the holding company act as a repository for all of the profit from the convention.

I went to A=Kon and was disappointed with how things were done. I guess I'm used to conventions in the vein of CES, CTIA, and SEMA where the entire industry shows up and sets up shop for a few days making announcements about product and other things while industry reps interact with press/customers and answer questions.

[Flopsy]

Anime Expo is staffed mostly by volunteers. Industry conventions of >40,000 are staffed mostly by professionals (e.g. San Diego Comic Con).

[Usagi]

Laker home games will be between July 3 and July 6? Thats news to me!

I agree though that AX is the biggest convention in the country, yet they are handling a convention like a small run convention in the middle of the desert. Granted they have tried to improve things over the years, apparently this year they have taken a huge step back in organization. Attendance next year will be affected.

Oooo, I hope so, less people will mean that I won't get so annoyed. I'll definitely consider going to 2008 then. XD