Anime Expo 2007

[Ishimaru]

As title says.

Overall it was all good but the management was real awful, Long Beach was way too spread out and it practically killed the fun.

It was really dissapointing, the LBCC is barely a quarter of the size of ACC.

Thank god they are having it in the LACC next year.

It was announced at the closing ceremonies that it would be from July 3-6, I guess they knew Long Beach was a bad idea.

Can't blame them for that though...

[BoBe-Patt]

well they had no choice but to have it at long beach because of their contract with the LBCC. From what I heard they were suppose to have it a LBCC earlier, but AX kept pushing it back and keeping it at ACC. Even though it was spread out this year, it still sucked. I never liked the LBCC.

Anyway, the only things I bought there were an Orguss toy 1/40 scale loose with no cockpit cover, missles or gun for only 35 bucks. But it was pretty mint. I also got a deal at celga. The owner had 3 valks, a bandai reissue vf-1s with gun, a 1/60 GBP-1 with 1J no gun, and a 1/48 super VF-1J with gun and complete armor (only missing the box and missles). All three for 200 bucks. I'm like man, I just want that 1/48 so I asked him how much for just that one. I'm thinking the highest I'll pay for that is 80. He thinks about it and says 60 bucks!!! I was what!?!?! I immediately throw him the cash, took the toy and ran off. haha. What a great friggin deal!

Edited July 3, 2007 by BoBe-Patt

[gamerabaenre]

I had fun. Here are my pictures and little con review: http://gamerabaenre.com/ax_2007.htm

[eugimon]

only went for one day, but I had a pretty good time.

I thought the venue sucked as well... well, I always hated LBCC. I felt out of place without one of them big ass Bleach swords though, seemed like everybody was walking around with one.

On a side note, a guy at the registration booth told me that macrossworld is full of a bunch of jerks. haha

[Kamineko]

Non-eventful . . . Went for all the days, skipped every single LP Panel because none seemed interesting. Bumped into Egan and he said he was kicking back this year but focusing on having a panel if he could get someone even REMOTELY related to any mecha. Every single event was late (wouldn't be AX if it were on time). Tried to see the Transformers prescreening, but the line formed pre-7am (rather spend 3 hrs in dealer room than waiting 3 hrs to see a movie I could see on full screen in 2 days). My only highlight was scoring a 1/5000 Wave W.H.A.M. kit. Friggin expensive as hell and damn to the person that bought the other kit!!!

[Ishimaru]

On a side note, a guy at the registration booth told me that macrossworld is full of a bunch of jerks. haha

Umm...your laughing at yourself dude.

By the way what did you tell him after he told you that?

[eugimon]

Umm...your laughing at yourself dude.

By the way what did you tell him after he told you that?

i said that we could be a little snobish... and uhm, that we're pretty argumentative, and that it can be hard for newcomers to feel welcome, but that basically we're good people. he didn't seem impressed.

[BoBe-Patt]

i said that we could be a little snobish... and uhm, that we're pretty argumentative, and that it can be hard for newcomers to feel welcome, but that basically we're good people. he didn't seem impressed.

ok, so what prompt him to say something like that? You didn't happen to be wearing a MWcon shirt now were you?

[Kicker773]

just checked out game's pics.. whats up with the dudes in cosplay dressed up as female characters.. is this the new trend now? Havent' been to a con in a while, but when i use to go i've never seen dudes dress up as girls...erk..It seems that there were only 2 lookers on that event, the one dressed up as black lagoon (taller one) and the ninja girl who seems to be not wearing any underwear

[eugimon]

ok, so what prompt him to say something like that? You didn't happen to be wearing a MWcon shirt now were you?

I was there with someone new to the con, and when he asked us what our nicknames were, she asked me what that was all about. I told her that there's a lot of interaction on forums and that some people are well known by their handles.

The guy got all excited and asked where I was from. So I told him macrossworld, and he got all quiet and said, I posted there once. So I asked him what he thought, and then he said we were jerks. haha.

But you know, he does have a point... a lot of us can be pretty abrasive and pretty snoby. How many threads start off with some newbie asking a question about robotech, or calling hikaru "rick" or some other relatively minor slight, only to have a page of hecklers, who don't answer his question but rant at him about how we're not a robotech board or some crap. I'm just saying.

[Ginrai]

On a side note, a guy at the registration booth told me that macrossworld is full of a bunch of jerks. haha

And he's totally right, too.

[gamerabaenre]

I held a workshop that focused on building mecha and resin figure kits. It was held on 3 of the 4 days of the con. There was also a model contest, a little lacking in the mecha department. I didn't get to spend too much time in the exhibit hall, too busy running around between the damn art show and the workshop rooms. Only got to take pictures of folks while I was between places, so sorry for the lack of hotties.

Next year AX will be at LACC.

[baronv]

I didn't mind LBCC, thought I still would prefer ACC since it's closer to me since I live in So. Orange County. I did like how the outside area where all the cosplayers were was more open, but it did make them spread out more so I had to keep walking back and forth to take photos. Didn't find anything really to buy except a cel, and the artist alley was mostly young artists and I thought it would have more comic professionals like at SDCC.

Though this was my 3rd time at AX, it's probably my last. Most of the anime and cosplayers and items sold are for series that I have no clue about since I grew up in the 80s and the most recent anime I've watched was the new Guyver series. So all the items and people I see I don't have a clue who they are and don't find it interesting. I recognized Lion-O, Soundwave and some Gundam cosplayers, the rest I was "huh?"

Will maybe hit SCC just to get some comissioned artwork and then I'm done with Cons. Officially feeling old.

[orguss01]

URggg..this was gonna be my first AX but i arrived 20min after reg closed on Monday..

all i wanted to do was check out the exhibit hall and buy a couple small items...see my wanted list...

Good purchase BoBe..very good..

Anyway, the only things I bought there were an Orguss toy 1/40 scale loose with no cockpit cover, missles or gun for only 35 bucks. But it was pretty mint. I also got a deal at celga. The owner had 3 valks, a bandai reissue vf-1s with gun, a 1/60 GBP-1 with 1J no gun, and a 1/48 super VF-1J with gun and complete armor (only missing the box and missles). All three for 200 bucks. I'm like man, I just want that 1/48 so I asked him how much for just that one. I'm thinking the highest I'll pay for that is 80. He thinks about it and says 60 bucks!!! I was what!?!?! I immediately throw him the cash, took the toy and ran off. haha. What a great friggin deal!

Edited July 4, 2007 by orguss01

[Pat Payne]

Meh...it was OK, nowhere near as good as last year. The center was poorly laid out and labyrinthine (to get from the dealer's room back to the convention floor using the most direct route, would have taken all of one-two minutes, at most. However, the only route you could [read:were allowed to] take was a route that looped all the way back around the center, was about a half-mile and took 15), the AX staff was polite but clueless, food was expensive inside the Hotel/LBCC grounds, I think I caught a throat infection from the Hyatt hotel room , and most of the fun events from last year were either non-existent or so neutered that they were unrecognizable. But AX still did have some good hings going for it. I became "Haruhiized" while at AX, for instance (don't worry, my first allegiance is to the UN Spacy though ) and found myself a Optimus Prime still in box for only $95

One thing, though -- I came this close to breaking Godwin's Law on a couple of occasions with those StaffPro goons the LBCC hired. Seriously -- they were the most arrogant, obnoxious, stuck-up, power-drunk creatures I have ever had to deal with. They seemed to appear as if we were all potential trouble-makers and were going to keep a tight leash on us. at the ORESKABAND concert, there were StaffPro goons all over the stadium floor as if they were there to quell an imminent riot. WIth me, they gave me the 3rd degree as if I were a Russian spy for having a big, bulky caera, necessitating a half-mile trip back to the hotel (of course, THEY wouldn't let anyone go the most direct and logical route, because that would be "against the rules"... ) to drop it off. They even had freakin' MEGAPHONES and were barking orders at congoers through them ... I heard horror stories of them taking personal belongings from concert attendees for safekeeping...

...and then throwing them in a dumpster, even including backpacks that contained wallets, cash, ID, etc. If I, in the caprice of fate, were ever to take the reins of AX, I would negotiate it in the contract that StaffPro is explicitly banned from the premesis for the duration of the con.

As an aside, I'm thinking of coming to MWCon. There's going to be none of those StafPro goons there, right?

The Good: ORESKABAND's concert, the Transformers preview, the Pirate gathering (even after the %^$% LBPD made them stop serving soft drinks -- wonder what would have happened if the "Rum Party" had actually lived up to its name ), the selection of anime showings in the vid rooms, the panels (especially the NEEC Voice-Acting Hands-On Demo), and the other fans who were there who were all great people to be around.

The Bad: The lines, the waits, the incompetence of the planners (apparently Halko Momoi was VERY annoyed by the AX people for cheesing off the fans by cancelling some of her events -- she actually broke down and cried at her focus panel) the extortionate prices of the food and drink at the LBCC (and the cheap and tawdry practice making peope throw away beverages that they had bought from LBCC vendors outside venues -- so that they could sell them the exact same stuff inside)

The Ugly: The aforementioned StaffPro guards. I now officially despise yellow polo shirts and all who wear them.

But even worse is the idea of having a 24-hour, 4-day con in "beautiful" downtown Los Angeles. As I wrote once in a review of the Weller Court area, there are areas that mentally sound man was not meant to tread lightly on in El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula, or at all if humanly possible -- and they are a few blocks in any direction from the convention center. If they keep to the plan of having the con at LACC next year, I may just not go -- I'm not about to let my tombstone read "He gave his life for anime." Nor do I really desire giving the Crips, Bloods, MS-13, the Avenidas, et. al. the opportunity to use me as target practice. I miss Anaheim!

[eugimon]

LACC isn't in that bad of a neighborhood and it has good freeway access. Just don't come to a complete stop at the traffic lights and you should be fine.

[Ishimaru]

...and then throwing them in a dumpster, even including backpacks that contained wallets, cash, ID, etc. If I, in the caprice of fate, were ever to take the reins of AX, I would negotiate it in the contract that StaffPro is explicitly banned from the premesis for the duration of the con.

That happened to a friend of mine.

Right before the SKIN concert he handed his backpack and wallet as they asked since they noticed his camera.

When he came back and was told that his stuff with a few other attendee's were thrown away in the dumpster due to rules that made no sense and retarded "space" reasons. He went on and ranted at the staff for doing such a thing, he cussed at them, screamed and nearly shoved them.

He had all his belongings in it, excluding his cell phone. It was a real piss off since he was then kicked out of con, but damn he had a right to what he did.

I mean come on if you want to ruin someone's life like that for months by acting like a careless b**** you deserve to be shot like a criminal.

It killed my entire time at AX to know that they did that.

The SOS Brigade themselves and Bandai were just as much as a piss off.

Taking their fame for granted and treating us fans like crap really made me hate them now.

First they don't come to the autograph sessions, then the rescheduled autograph sessions goes for a hour and more then half of the line gets kicked away because of the SOS's arrogance.

Second Aya messes up in her own concert.

Third Bandai/ASOS Brigade on Haruhi Dance Competition disregarded all the damn rules they setup in the ASOS website for the competition, the winning group won by using stripes when the site clearly said that they would be judged on the dance not props. (Was one of the groups and this turned out to be the most unfair acts, they completely disregarded their own planning, what the hell?)

Take your fame for granted and abuse it ;yeah thats smart when people actually care.

I don't even want to think about them anymore, I loved Haruhi but she is a total s*** now so don't bother arguing with me on that...at all.

AX itself

Don't get me started on that, you already know what it is about.

Edited July 4, 2007 by Ishimaru

[Roy Focker]

Only I went anime expo I went to was in 2001 at the same location. I could of told that location sucked. They made us do that long walk around everything as well. At the time there were two other conventions going on. Think they had strict orders to keep the costumed freaks and dweeds away from making any contact.

As for mister registration booth guy, Grow a pair.

[Pat Payne]

That happened to a friend of mine.

Right before the SKIN concert he handed his backpack and wallet as they asked since they noticed his camera.

When he came back and was told that his stuff with a few other attendee's were thrown away in the dumpster due to rules that made no sense and retarded "space" reasons. He went on and ranted at the staff for doing such a thing, he cussed at them, screamed and nearly shoved them.

He had all his belongings in it, excluding his cell phone. It was a real piss off since he was then kicked out of con, but damn he had a right to what he did.

I mean come on if you want to ruin someone's life like that for months by acting like a careless b**** you deserve to be shot like a criminal.

It killed my entire time at AX to know that they did that.

Did he get his gear back eventually from the dumpster? If not, maybe he ought to consider suing StaffPro, the LBCC and perhaps even the SPJA itself, because if they threw away anything that had his personal info on it (particularly if he was carying anything that contained his SSN around), they put him at severe risk for identity theft. At any rate, that was still technically theft and destruction of personal property, so if he feels wronged enough, perhaps he ought to consult a lawyer. That sort of thing was thouruoughly unacceptible.

[Ishimaru]

Did he get his gear back eventually from the dumpster? If not, maybe he ought to consider suing StaffPro, the LBCC and perhaps even the SPJA itself, because if they threw away anything that had his personal info on it (particularly if he was carying anything that contained his SSN around), they put him at severe risk for identity theft. At any rate, that was still technically theft and destruction of personal property, so if he feels wronged enough, perhaps he ought to consult a lawyer. That sort of thing was thouruoughly unacceptible.

Yes it did have all his personal info, and no he did not recover it from the dumpster since he was kicked out of con.

I'm not in contact with him right now and it doesn't seem like things are going good for him right now, I'll feel so bad for him but I'm so pissed off at staff.

[baronv]

I agree with Pat that the food costs were high at LBCC, I saw they were selling greasy pizza slices for a whopping $8. One slice! Convention food for you.

If it's true that next year it's at the LA Convention Center, heck no I will definitely not be going. I worked near that area and I feel bad for the kids cosplaying walking around outside who will get mugged, groped by homeless people and shot in a drive-by by gangs.

Edited July 6, 2007 by baronv

[Sumdumgai]

I went this year, didn't run into any of you (at least I didn't notice anyone), had some fun.

Like people already said, the lines were stupidly long and badly organized. The staff were as clueless as ever. I didn't have problems with staffpro, but I didn't go anywhere but the dealer's room. That sucks about your friend Ishimaru.

God, I felt so sorry for the artist's alley people. They were stuck in that long glass hall, with a tiny path between the tables, and the sun beating down on them all day. I'm so glad I didn't hold a table for my wife there.

It's been a couple years since I went to AX, but my impression was that the dealer's room was smaller. I more or less avoided the booths of the companies. I wanted to strangle the people that set up that horrible contest stuff by the Digital Manga and Square-Enix booths. The off-key singing drove me insane while I was looking at merchandise in that particular area.

I had very little luck with my gashapon/trading figure hunting. Although I did eventually find a SNK Heroines Asamiya Athena on my final try. Also got a sun-dress Asuka Soryu Langley trading figure on my first try. Heh, managed to pick up a Rurouni Kenshin Shinsengumi Saito Hajime for $2. That was awesome, and it was one of the last two at that booth. I even managed to resist getting a 1/60 YF-19, since I'm waiting for a different color scheme. I did finally pick up a revoltech figure which I was slightly disappointed with, since I was expecting a better system of articulation (I prefer more ball joints so the posing is less restrictive).

I did have the misfortune of walking by MF while he was posing and pulling his shorts up his buttcrack and feeling up one of his hairy buttcheeks. [insert vomitting smilie here]

Went to the LACC for Star Wars Celebration IV. I really didn't like the area, and won't go to AX next year most likely.

[orguss01]

Did any one see the Toynami booth, i saw a small pic somewhere online( while i was trying to see what i misssed) and they were showing off the Beta TREAD.

It looked prty sick..Ill look for the page again .............

{edit}OK i just went and searched that RT site and found pix from AX05, looks like they've been working on this for a while ..goes to show what i kow about Toynami.

ANYWAY the pics looked sick all linked up to Alpha...

Edited July 5, 2007 by orguss01

[Sumdumgai]

I saw the toynami booth and took a nice long look at the Beta TREAD. I was surprised to see it in battloid, especially since I last remember reading they were doing it as a fighter only.