This first (of three) focus on moving on from being "freelance" to having press credentials. Again, I hope this is a stepping stone for pressing at other conventions, like FanimeCon.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Themes of Anime Vegas 2010: Jay-Z - On to the Next One
It's that time again - con themes!
This first (of three) focus on moving on from being "freelance" to having press credentials. Again, I hope this is a stepping stone for pressing at other conventions, like FanimeCon.
This first (of three) focus on moving on from being "freelance" to having press credentials. Again, I hope this is a stepping stone for pressing at other conventions, like FanimeCon.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Coming a Long Way, Part 2
In some previous post I posted the progression of my Ouran uniform from 2007 to 2010 (not counting AX, which I will update in a new post when I get that picture).
Well I can see the same progression in Scarlet Rhapsody's reports, mostly importantly the headers.
Well I can see the same progression in Scarlet Rhapsody's reports, mostly importantly the headers.
I will probably revisit this progression via Scarlet Rhapsody after Anime Vegas.
Anime Vegas 2010 Details
I got lucky when I didn't give the Alexis Park Hotel my credit card information to put the one day + tax for deposit because a couple of days later Erica calls me to tell me not to book over at the hotel since there have been a few negative reviews that suggest that this is more of a motel-type place than a Vegas Strip hotel.
From Trip Advisor:
"If the basic necessities of a hotel room cannot be met everything else just doesnt matter. The bed sheets were full of hair obviously from the last occupants of the room. At 3 in the morning I didnt want to hasle complaining. Then in the morning the shower was another horror. There was absolutely no water pressure. A garden hose would have been much better then the dribble of water coming out of this thing. And the water would drain very very slowly, which ment I was deep in water half way through my shower. I complained while checking out but the desk person could have cared less. I would never stay there again and unless you bring a garden hose and your own bed and sheets I wouldnt recommend this place."
"I stayed at the Alexis Park for three nights for a professional conference. I was told by the reservations people that the "resort" was undergoing renovations, but unfortunately, Building 16 had not been renovated yet. The decor was really outdated and was not as clean as I would have expected (some mold in the shower). The room was very spacious, though. There was some noise - loud upstairs "neighbors" and luggage rolling down the tiled walkways and bouncing down the stairs.
I did not feel very comfortable (safe) at the Alexis Park simply because it is a motel (rooms opening to the exterior of the building) and is off the strip. Had my husband not been with me, I would not have stayed here.
The Alexis Park is about one mile off the strip, but it seemed like much farther away. It's only about a $10 taxi ride to the strip. The Hard Rock Hotel is across the street.
The staff was very accomodating while we were there. We had a maintenance issue that was quickly resolved, and we were able to check out the night before our early departure."
"Traveled for business and did not pay for my room. Older property and it shows. Room was dirty - the bathroom was filthy with mold and mildew in the jacuzzi bathtub spouts. Lame shower. Filthy floor with missing grout. I made the mistake of laying on top of the comforter and was rewarded with itchy bumps on my skin for this mistake. The ceiling of the wing that I stayed in (Bldg 26) was broken. The bed was mediocre. The pluses were it was a suite and the room was quiet. The restaurant had very average food. The catered food at the conference was a hair better. This is a gross hotel and I will never stay there again. If there is an event there, I will stay elsewhere and commute."
The majority of the reviews are in the lower tier, although there are some naysayers who will tell you otherwise.
Since none of us wanted to risk staying at a place like this, we're putting down a bit more to stay at Harrah's on the Strip, which is a 10-15 minute drive over to the Alexis Park Hotel. This also works well for me since we'll actually be on the Strip and this is better for my plans of casino hopping.
Despite the reviews of the rooms, we're expecting the facilities for the convention to be a different story - we hope.
I was planning on taking the train again to LA, but decided to fly in order to get to Vegas faster, basically ~$30 more to be in LA 6 hours earlier. I have to fly out of Las Vegas back to Sacramento on Monday since I have classes the next day, which is going to be more than what I want to pay.
Cosplay plans and themes to come within the coming weeks!
From Trip Advisor:
"If the basic necessities of a hotel room cannot be met everything else just doesnt matter. The bed sheets were full of hair obviously from the last occupants of the room. At 3 in the morning I didnt want to hasle complaining. Then in the morning the shower was another horror. There was absolutely no water pressure. A garden hose would have been much better then the dribble of water coming out of this thing. And the water would drain very very slowly, which ment I was deep in water half way through my shower. I complained while checking out but the desk person could have cared less. I would never stay there again and unless you bring a garden hose and your own bed and sheets I wouldnt recommend this place."
"I stayed at the Alexis Park for three nights for a professional conference. I was told by the reservations people that the "resort" was undergoing renovations, but unfortunately, Building 16 had not been renovated yet. The decor was really outdated and was not as clean as I would have expected (some mold in the shower). The room was very spacious, though. There was some noise - loud upstairs "neighbors" and luggage rolling down the tiled walkways and bouncing down the stairs.
I did not feel very comfortable (safe) at the Alexis Park simply because it is a motel (rooms opening to the exterior of the building) and is off the strip. Had my husband not been with me, I would not have stayed here.
The Alexis Park is about one mile off the strip, but it seemed like much farther away. It's only about a $10 taxi ride to the strip. The Hard Rock Hotel is across the street.
The staff was very accomodating while we were there. We had a maintenance issue that was quickly resolved, and we were able to check out the night before our early departure."
"Traveled for business and did not pay for my room. Older property and it shows. Room was dirty - the bathroom was filthy with mold and mildew in the jacuzzi bathtub spouts. Lame shower. Filthy floor with missing grout. I made the mistake of laying on top of the comforter and was rewarded with itchy bumps on my skin for this mistake. The ceiling of the wing that I stayed in (Bldg 26) was broken. The bed was mediocre. The pluses were it was a suite and the room was quiet. The restaurant had very average food. The catered food at the conference was a hair better. This is a gross hotel and I will never stay there again. If there is an event there, I will stay elsewhere and commute."
The majority of the reviews are in the lower tier, although there are some naysayers who will tell you otherwise.
Since none of us wanted to risk staying at a place like this, we're putting down a bit more to stay at Harrah's on the Strip, which is a 10-15 minute drive over to the Alexis Park Hotel. This also works well for me since we'll actually be on the Strip and this is better for my plans of casino hopping.
Despite the reviews of the rooms, we're expecting the facilities for the convention to be a different story - we hope.
I was planning on taking the train again to LA, but decided to fly in order to get to Vegas faster, basically ~$30 more to be in LA 6 hours earlier. I have to fly out of Las Vegas back to Sacramento on Monday since I have classes the next day, which is going to be more than what I want to pay.
Cosplay plans and themes to come within the coming weeks!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
AX 2010 review (Rukazu)
Whew! So yeah now i'm back from AX and let me tell you, it was quite an experience! With all the rumors about what was happening to the con and the staff and the CEO, I'm actually quite pleased that they were able to pull off a decent con.
Day Zero:
I had class from 4-6pm and right afterward I had to make a stop to buy some white hairspray at a mall. By the time I got to LACC, it was already a little past 7:00, and I was not getting my badge then. So instead what I did was take my friend John and my sister and her friends back and prepared for the next day.
Day 1:
Day one was mainly just getting a feel of the con, scouting out the vendors and exhibit hall booths, and so on and so forth. I mainly just took a lot of pictures and hung out with Matt and Ryan part of the time. I also helped them with their autograph signings for and Asakawa. Today seemed the most tedious day considering so many people seem to kept asking me for help and I had to keep taking more and more of my own time to help them out. My sister and her friends wanted to use my car as a storage place for their stuff when they went to a dance, but couldn't give me proper directions as to where to meet them. Finally, I helped my buddy John move his stuff to his hotel and met up with my friends Poland and Belarus as Austria. We talked for a little bit before I met up with John again for the AMV contest. This was by far one of my favorite AMV contests I've seen in a while.
Day 2:
This day was somewhat more eventful in the sense that it was also my first time cosplaying as Hitsugaya from Bleach. I spent about two hours looking browsing the con, and trying to find any other Bleach cosplayers. I also attended the Bleach panel where I asked Ichigo's Japanese Seiyuu why he never calls me 'Captain Hitsugaya.' In fact, I had to say that about 30 times that day. Right after the panel was the gathering itself, almost half of the cosplayers were captains. The other eventful part of the day was meeting up with Ryan and Matt for the Yui Horie panel. However, that turned out to be the lowest point of the con as we waited an hour for the panel, watch the first episode of Toradora and not ask any questions for the panel. We dashed upstairs for the signing, only to find out that their wasn't any. That was perhaps the worst thing that we felt AX screwed up this year as they didn't seem to follow their policy that all guests of honor panels had priority tickets, but that didn't seem to be true.
Day 3:
This day was make or break for me. After that whole stint with the Horie panel yesterday, today was the day that was going to determine whether or not I would go to AX next year. The morning consisted of going over to the Baka to Test gathering which was by far the funniest of all the gatherings I've been to, although it was the smallest as well. After that, I met up with a Zero and my buddy Katsu, dressed as Knight of Zero and walked around the exhibit hall and con center to talk to any other Code Geass cosplayers about the gathering. Considering that we had a turnout of about 70 people, even though half the people did not show up that was signed up on the forums, it went pretty well. I was considering doing CLAMP as well, but I ended up being way too tired and did a small photoshoot with Empress C.C. And artbook Knight of Zero Suzaku. Right after that I swapped for Austria for the Hetalia gathering, and somehow ended running that one as well just like I did with Fanime. This time however, I nearly yelled myself hoarse because I did not have a megaphone. After that I ran to the Konishi panel, then ran to meet up with my friends, got some much needed food and got tickets for the Masquerade which was better overall this year than last year.
Day 4
The last day was more relaxed as I pulled my Japan outfit for a photoshoot with the Belarus and Poland. We also had some fun passing out cake and wishing all the America cosplayers happy birthday as it was July 4th. We left the con a little after 4:30 and got back in time for dinner and to watch the fireworks. Luckily the next day for me was a holiday and I just rested a bit and started to organize my pictures for AX.
So now that my overview is done, I wish to discuss some of the pros and cons of this year. This is my first con that I've been to twice and its definitely an improvement from last year. The masquerade last year had a few memorable skits, but the majority were not that good. Plus it was held in the west exhibit hall, and not the best place for a masquerade. This year, they held it in the Nokia theater, which was much better suited for the event, and they brought back the winners of the AMV contest, and man that was hilarious! I presume by now, you know which characters I like to cosplay, and if you were there for the winner of the comedy category, you'll know why.
Plus i did four panels, Yuu Asakawa, Yui Horie, Bleach and Katsuishi konishi. All of them, especially Konishi was really fun! The only one that got me down was the Horie panel considering that it was the only one where the fans couldn't really interact with her and ask her questions.
As for my cosplay experience, holy crap this year was crazy! I did a total of 6 costumes, I ended up doing Itachi, Naoi and Austria on day 1, hitsugaya on day 2, lelouch and austria on day 3, and japan for a photoshoot on day 4. Hitsugaya was pretty fun to do, considering that it was the first time people actually called me short, when I almost never do.
However, when compared to Fanime 2010, the staff seemed much more strict than in previous years, the overall business and corporate feeling seemed to ruin the con experience more than helped it, and their seemed more rude people overall than Fanime. When comparing one con to the other, putting in all factors, I feel that Fanime was better than Anime Expo. The staffers at Fanime were much more polite and courteous and they also were very helpful in contrast to Anime Expo, plus everyone seemed much more chill than the sort of more competitive nature of Expo.
Anyways, overall, it was a little more tedious than fanime, but still fun as hell!
Day Zero:
I had class from 4-6pm and right afterward I had to make a stop to buy some white hairspray at a mall. By the time I got to LACC, it was already a little past 7:00, and I was not getting my badge then. So instead what I did was take my friend John and my sister and her friends back and prepared for the next day.
Day 1:
Day one was mainly just getting a feel of the con, scouting out the vendors and exhibit hall booths, and so on and so forth. I mainly just took a lot of pictures and hung out with Matt and Ryan part of the time. I also helped them with their autograph signings for and Asakawa. Today seemed the most tedious day considering so many people seem to kept asking me for help and I had to keep taking more and more of my own time to help them out. My sister and her friends wanted to use my car as a storage place for their stuff when they went to a dance, but couldn't give me proper directions as to where to meet them. Finally, I helped my buddy John move his stuff to his hotel and met up with my friends Poland and Belarus as Austria. We talked for a little bit before I met up with John again for the AMV contest. This was by far one of my favorite AMV contests I've seen in a while.
Day 2:
This day was somewhat more eventful in the sense that it was also my first time cosplaying as Hitsugaya from Bleach. I spent about two hours looking browsing the con, and trying to find any other Bleach cosplayers. I also attended the Bleach panel where I asked Ichigo's Japanese Seiyuu why he never calls me 'Captain Hitsugaya.' In fact, I had to say that about 30 times that day. Right after the panel was the gathering itself, almost half of the cosplayers were captains. The other eventful part of the day was meeting up with Ryan and Matt for the Yui Horie panel. However, that turned out to be the lowest point of the con as we waited an hour for the panel, watch the first episode of Toradora and not ask any questions for the panel. We dashed upstairs for the signing, only to find out that their wasn't any. That was perhaps the worst thing that we felt AX screwed up this year as they didn't seem to follow their policy that all guests of honor panels had priority tickets, but that didn't seem to be true.
Day 3:
This day was make or break for me. After that whole stint with the Horie panel yesterday, today was the day that was going to determine whether or not I would go to AX next year. The morning consisted of going over to the Baka to Test gathering which was by far the funniest of all the gatherings I've been to, although it was the smallest as well. After that, I met up with a Zero and my buddy Katsu, dressed as Knight of Zero and walked around the exhibit hall and con center to talk to any other Code Geass cosplayers about the gathering. Considering that we had a turnout of about 70 people, even though half the people did not show up that was signed up on the forums, it went pretty well. I was considering doing CLAMP as well, but I ended up being way too tired and did a small photoshoot with Empress C.C. And artbook Knight of Zero Suzaku. Right after that I swapped for Austria for the Hetalia gathering, and somehow ended running that one as well just like I did with Fanime. This time however, I nearly yelled myself hoarse because I did not have a megaphone. After that I ran to the Konishi panel, then ran to meet up with my friends, got some much needed food and got tickets for the Masquerade which was better overall this year than last year.
Day 4
The last day was more relaxed as I pulled my Japan outfit for a photoshoot with the Belarus and Poland. We also had some fun passing out cake and wishing all the America cosplayers happy birthday as it was July 4th. We left the con a little after 4:30 and got back in time for dinner and to watch the fireworks. Luckily the next day for me was a holiday and I just rested a bit and started to organize my pictures for AX.
So now that my overview is done, I wish to discuss some of the pros and cons of this year. This is my first con that I've been to twice and its definitely an improvement from last year. The masquerade last year had a few memorable skits, but the majority were not that good. Plus it was held in the west exhibit hall, and not the best place for a masquerade. This year, they held it in the Nokia theater, which was much better suited for the event, and they brought back the winners of the AMV contest, and man that was hilarious! I presume by now, you know which characters I like to cosplay, and if you were there for the winner of the comedy category, you'll know why.
Plus i did four panels, Yuu Asakawa, Yui Horie, Bleach and Katsuishi konishi. All of them, especially Konishi was really fun! The only one that got me down was the Horie panel considering that it was the only one where the fans couldn't really interact with her and ask her questions.
As for my cosplay experience, holy crap this year was crazy! I did a total of 6 costumes, I ended up doing Itachi, Naoi and Austria on day 1, hitsugaya on day 2, lelouch and austria on day 3, and japan for a photoshoot on day 4. Hitsugaya was pretty fun to do, considering that it was the first time people actually called me short, when I almost never do.
However, when compared to Fanime 2010, the staff seemed much more strict than in previous years, the overall business and corporate feeling seemed to ruin the con experience more than helped it, and their seemed more rude people overall than Fanime. When comparing one con to the other, putting in all factors, I feel that Fanime was better than Anime Expo. The staffers at Fanime were much more polite and courteous and they also were very helpful in contrast to Anime Expo, plus everyone seemed much more chill than the sort of more competitive nature of Expo.
Anyways, overall, it was a little more tedious than fanime, but still fun as hell!
Con Announcement: Anime Vegas
It's been awhile since I've been able to say this, but the California Conventions Blog is finally got its shot as press (again) at this year's Anime Vegas held at the Alexis Park Hotel on September 4-6th. This will be the first since Sac-Anime Summer 2008 and the first under the full staff of myself and Ryan - Lucas is pending at the moment.
I'm looking forward do working as press, providing coverage for this convention under the style that everyone has gotten to know over these past four years. Hopefully this will be a stepping stone for FanimeCon 2011, the 5th year anniversary of the California Conventions Blog, where I hope to be part of press as well. (ALA doesn't do press, and I have the Host Club to worry about at SNAFUCon so I won't worry about press there.)
So much to look forward to for an annual con right before I really go back into the grind house that is college over at Sac State...
I'm looking forward do working as press, providing coverage for this convention under the style that everyone has gotten to know over these past four years. Hopefully this will be a stepping stone for FanimeCon 2011, the 5th year anniversary of the California Conventions Blog, where I hope to be part of press as well. (ALA doesn't do press, and I have the Host Club to worry about at SNAFUCon so I won't worry about press there.)
So much to look forward to for an annual con right before I really go back into the grind house that is college over at Sac State...
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Flag Retired
It's official: the Philippine flag that has been featured at FanimeCon 2010 and Anime Expo 2010 has been retired, resting in the place where I found it before: the garage of my grandma's house.
In it's place though, I will be getting a new flag in time for Anime Vegas.
In it's place though, I will be getting a new flag in time for Anime Vegas.
In Case You Missed It AX Edition: Autograph Madness
So, it was true. The section where the autographs were was a complete mess. Luckily, me and Ryan got what we wanted from Kawamoto and Akasawa before things got crazy on Saturday and Sunday.
In Case You Missed It AX Edition: Mario Bueno
In 2008, Mario Bueno was over at MangaNext in New Jersey singing this gem, which I found a bit later on YouTube.
Two years later, he won AX Idol (wearing the same damn Lelouche cosplay, and looking quite good in it).
Congrats to Mario Bueno, and I hope to meet you someday!
Two years later, he won AX Idol (wearing the same damn Lelouche cosplay, and looking quite good in it).
Congrats to Mario Bueno, and I hope to meet you someday!
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