First off, there is a week left in the Banner Contest! Check out the page here for all the details, and be sure to submit by 8:59PM PST/11:59PM EST on Sunday!
We are also in the last two weeks of 2010, and soon we'll be in 2011 and a new con season. This means the staff here at the California Conventions Blog will be rolling out their End of the Year Reports. I will be rolling out my report next week, and from my colleagues they will be rolling theirs out soon. Keep an eye for everyone's report and have a safe and happy holiday!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Junpei's White Mocha
I mentioned in my Sac-Con December 2010 report that I had a custom-made Junpei key chain made for me.
Well, here's that key chain on top of a Starbucks cup that has Junpei's name on it. OK, I asked them to put his name on it when they asked for my name. The sad thing is when I got to school I washed it out and when I got back home put it on my anime shelf as a sort of testament to my cosplayed character.
Well, here's that key chain on top of a Starbucks cup that has Junpei's name on it. OK, I asked them to put his name on it when they asked for my name. The sad thing is when I got to school I washed it out and when I got back home put it on my anime shelf as a sort of testament to my cosplayed character.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Deleting Photo Albums
To prepare for the 2011 Con Season, I'm clearing out my Photobucket to reserve space for incoming photos. This means that a lot of old Sac-Anime and Sac-Con photo albums are being deleted but are saved to my external hard drive. If anyone wants to see those photos again please let me know and I will be happy to send you a copy.
Thank you for your understanding.
Thank you for your understanding.
Sac-Con December 2010: Con Report
It's been a year and a half since I last came to a Sacramento convention, and from one cosplayer that I talked to things have changed...a lot. It was nice to see old faces in a familiar setting while taking my new skills and attributes back to my roots of conventioning.
I was there pretty early, almost an hour before the con even opened. This would allow me to lock up my interviews with Laura Bailey and Jason Dube as well as Laura's autograph for my Persona 4 merchandise.
Unfortunately, my video camera needed to be cleaned from the inside (I would later find out that I need to clean the tape head, thanks Robo!) so I went old-school with a pad and pencil. It also allowed me to take notes while I was at the con. I used this con as a training ground for the 2011 con season.
Over at the Dealers Room, I saw some interesting vendors. This one had a coin-operated 10-in-1 NES cabinet. The folks over at Armageddon Potato Games gave me some free play, which I thanked them, then I came back later with a dollar bill to play some more. There was also a comic book dealer that was selling a one-of-a-kind hip-hop comic book series that was the first and only of its kind for over 20 years full of Kanye West, Wu-Tang Clan, and Rick James references. I actually did buy something: a Persona 3 and 4 key chain, which happened to be Orpheus, Minato's starting Persona. With Edward Elric from Full Metal Alchemist getting rusty, I gave away that key chain to a random attendee. I would later go back to that dealers to buy another with a dollar discount and I got Teddie. I did take a quick glance at the Charity Auction, but I didn't buy anything which is a rarity for me.
I also bought a custom Junpei key chain from one of the local artists that were outside. On the front it has Junpei and on the back it has his hat logo. It cost me $4 and I threw in an extra dollar. Thanks for the folks over at Digital-Love for making it!
Over at the Games Room, the people in attendance and I had discussions about last night's Spike Video Game Awards show and the video game industry in general over the pickings of Street Fighter, BlazBlue, Tekken, and Super Smash Brothers Brawl. I also had the first people who recognized me as Junpei from Persona 3, and I talked to them for a bit about the game. I would frequent the room throughout the day.
I was in and out of the Laura Bailey Q&A, but I caught a few of the audience's questions. She said her favorite character was Shin from Shin-Chan, and provided a couple of quotes from that series. She also mentioned work on Street Fighter 4 as Chun-Li and was surprised that she was auditioning for that role because she didn't know originally what she was auditioning for and that she was the only one who recognized Chun-Li from the provided artwork the auditioners provided. There were discussions about how voice actors in original animation like The Simpsons and Family Guy get paid than their anime counterparts because of syndication & the fact that they get paid more for each episode aired in syndication, and how she wanted to be BECK and Mass Effect 2 with a mention that she loves Dragon Age alongside the Final Fantasy and Mass Effect franchises.
During the Laura Bailey Q&A, I caught up with Hikaru Kazushime of Run Around Kazu, another person that I met back at Sac-Anime Summer 2009 and most recently at the FanimeCon Staff Meeting back in January. It was nice catching up with him, and like the cosplayer I mentioned before he told me that a lot had changed.
I went back to Laura's Q&A to hear about accent training and doing research for accuracy before taking off for lunch. I thought there was going to be food available like most Sac-Cons to pair with my one sandwich and a bottle of Gatorade, but there was none so I stuck with what I had. I also saw Team LoveHate's cars outside.
By 3pm the con was already slowing down, and I wanted to see the Masquerade which was supposed to start in an hour. But in fact, it had already started and I got there late.
This has to be the shortest Masquerade that I've ever been to with only 5 entries.
With the con almost dead and done, I went back to Laura Bailey to jokingly ask if she was going to invite me to their wedding since she's engaged to Travis Willingham, and we again shared a couple of laughs. Then I got one last signature for Zanney as Minako before saying good bye for everyone and calling it a day.
It's always fun to come back to where I first started all of this, a laid back and relaxing con where I don't have to worry about running gatherings and Host Clubs and juggling more while hanging out with people that I've grown to more. I wish I could come back to more Sacramento conventions in the near future, and that might me a possibility starting with Kintoki-Con in June 2011.
[Photo Gallery]
I also bought a custom Junpei key chain from one of the local artists that were outside. On the front it has Junpei and on the back it has his hat logo. It cost me $4 and I threw in an extra dollar. Thanks for the folks over at Digital-Love for making it!
Over at the Games Room, the people in attendance and I had discussions about last night's Spike Video Game Awards show and the video game industry in general over the pickings of Street Fighter, BlazBlue, Tekken, and Super Smash Brothers Brawl. I also had the first people who recognized me as Junpei from Persona 3, and I talked to them for a bit about the game. I would frequent the room throughout the day.
I was in and out of the Laura Bailey Q&A, but I caught a few of the audience's questions. She said her favorite character was Shin from Shin-Chan, and provided a couple of quotes from that series. She also mentioned work on Street Fighter 4 as Chun-Li and was surprised that she was auditioning for that role because she didn't know originally what she was auditioning for and that she was the only one who recognized Chun-Li from the provided artwork the auditioners provided. There were discussions about how voice actors in original animation like The Simpsons and Family Guy get paid than their anime counterparts because of syndication & the fact that they get paid more for each episode aired in syndication, and how she wanted to be BECK and Mass Effect 2 with a mention that she loves Dragon Age alongside the Final Fantasy and Mass Effect franchises.
During the Laura Bailey Q&A, I caught up with Hikaru Kazushime of Run Around Kazu, another person that I met back at Sac-Anime Summer 2009 and most recently at the FanimeCon Staff Meeting back in January. It was nice catching up with him, and like the cosplayer I mentioned before he told me that a lot had changed.
I went back to Laura's Q&A to hear about accent training and doing research for accuracy before taking off for lunch. I thought there was going to be food available like most Sac-Cons to pair with my one sandwich and a bottle of Gatorade, but there was none so I stuck with what I had. I also saw Team LoveHate's cars outside.
By 3pm the con was already slowing down, and I wanted to see the Masquerade which was supposed to start in an hour. But in fact, it had already started and I got there late.
This has to be the shortest Masquerade that I've ever been to with only 5 entries.
With the con almost dead and done, I went back to Laura Bailey to jokingly ask if she was going to invite me to their wedding since she's engaged to Travis Willingham, and we again shared a couple of laughs. Then I got one last signature for Zanney as Minako before saying good bye for everyone and calling it a day.
It's always fun to come back to where I first started all of this, a laid back and relaxing con where I don't have to worry about running gatherings and Host Clubs and juggling more while hanging out with people that I've grown to more. I wish I could come back to more Sacramento conventions in the near future, and that might me a possibility starting with Kintoki-Con in June 2011.
[Photo Gallery]
Sac-Con December 2010: Interviews with Laura Bailey and Jason Dube
I had the chance to interview both Laura Bailey and Jason Dube over at Sac-Con today, and it was a great experience.
I asked Laura what it was like working on both Persona 4 as Rise and Persona 3 Portable as the Female Protagonist also known as Minako - the same person Zanney is cosplaying. She said that it was really cool to work on such an awesome franchise. She mentioned that her work on Persona 4 got her the role in Persona 3 Portable, and after meeting the producers behind the games they felt that she fit the role as the character. It was noted later in her Q&A session that it was interesting to do Rise and that she was reprising her role as Lust from Full Metal Alchemist. I told her that Vic Mignogna was also in Persona 3 Portable as Junpei and that added to her list of games that he didn't know he was in that she's voiced in, the other being Disgaea 3. I told her that if Travis Willingham was in Persona 3 Portable that we'd have a Full Metal Alchemist reunion, and we both shared a laugh.
As for Jason, it's been a year and a half since I talked to him at Sac-Anime Summer 2009. A lot has changed as he has established a number of milestones. He has completed the Caffeine Poisoned series, and he established the Sacramento Comicbook Creators Group, or SCCG for short. As of now there are 150 members within SCCG, and they meet once a week. The members come from all walks of life to the point when art teachers are joining the group. Originally it was three people at his house meeting once a week, and after a Craigslist ad the group attendance doubled it all went North from there. All of these people have a common goal: to succeed in the industry and to give back to the community. Twice a year they have a comic book jam, which is a collaboration between all the members of SCCG. They are also raising money and toys for Toys for Tots by holding an art charity auction and toy drive at Empire's Comics Vault on December 18th from 11am to 8pm. People who cannot make it to the event can go to the Livestream feed that day and bid as if they where at the event. I mentioned some of the charity that cosplayers has done such as NYC Hetalia group and UNICEF, and he told me that they are cosplayers in the group who draw comics and want to give back to their communities.
I would like to thank Laura Bailey and Jason Dube for taking their time out during the con today to answer my questions, and I hope to do more interviews in the near future.
I asked Laura what it was like working on both Persona 4 as Rise and Persona 3 Portable as the Female Protagonist also known as Minako - the same person Zanney is cosplaying. She said that it was really cool to work on such an awesome franchise. She mentioned that her work on Persona 4 got her the role in Persona 3 Portable, and after meeting the producers behind the games they felt that she fit the role as the character. It was noted later in her Q&A session that it was interesting to do Rise and that she was reprising her role as Lust from Full Metal Alchemist. I told her that Vic Mignogna was also in Persona 3 Portable as Junpei and that added to her list of games that he didn't know he was in that she's voiced in, the other being Disgaea 3. I told her that if Travis Willingham was in Persona 3 Portable that we'd have a Full Metal Alchemist reunion, and we both shared a laugh.
As for Jason, it's been a year and a half since I talked to him at Sac-Anime Summer 2009. A lot has changed as he has established a number of milestones. He has completed the Caffeine Poisoned series, and he established the Sacramento Comicbook Creators Group, or SCCG for short. As of now there are 150 members within SCCG, and they meet once a week. The members come from all walks of life to the point when art teachers are joining the group. Originally it was three people at his house meeting once a week, and after a Craigslist ad the group attendance doubled it all went North from there. All of these people have a common goal: to succeed in the industry and to give back to the community. Twice a year they have a comic book jam, which is a collaboration between all the members of SCCG. They are also raising money and toys for Toys for Tots by holding an art charity auction and toy drive at Empire's Comics Vault on December 18th from 11am to 8pm. People who cannot make it to the event can go to the Livestream feed that day and bid as if they where at the event. I mentioned some of the charity that cosplayers has done such as NYC Hetalia group and UNICEF, and he told me that they are cosplayers in the group who draw comics and want to give back to their communities.
I would like to thank Laura Bailey and Jason Dube for taking their time out during the con today to answer my questions, and I hope to do more interviews in the near future.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Zanney & the APHWorldConference Auditions
The great thing about the staff members here at the California Conventions Blog is that we have our own separate projects that we do. Most of us, not including myself, can draw and produce artwork. As a group, me, Ryan, and Zanney are part of the SoCal Host Club. Zanney has done some solo fan projects and fan dubs that can be seen on YouTube.
Which brings me to the APHWorldConference, which recently opened up more characters for cosplayers to fill. As of now, they are taking auditions for a number of characters, one of them being Canada.
This is Zanney's audition.
Wish her luck as she attempts to join the ranks of the APHWorldConference!
Which brings me to the APHWorldConference, which recently opened up more characters for cosplayers to fill. As of now, they are taking auditions for a number of characters, one of them being Canada.
This is Zanney's audition.
Wish her luck as she attempts to join the ranks of the APHWorldConference!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Zanney's Con Jams [Anime LA 2011]
I myself like to have more upbeat stuff for con. While I love anime soundtracks as much as the next anime fan, there's so much J-music at a con that I start to miss my good ol' native tongue. Here are my top three choices for this upcoming event.
I'll probably start off my convention experience this year with the theme from the opening credits of Casino Royale since I plan to be everywhere and nowhere for Anime L.A. this time--like any good spy.
This one goes out to any and all convention drama-related anything. Just as a precautionary method. Personally, I like this song in general for simply being what it is--oh so cheerfully pissed off!
And because no con can ever be completed without the regularly prescribed dose of Lady Gaga tunes, I like to keep this remix at the top of my playlist. It's so upbeat that I really CAN'T stop dancing to it.
And those are my three song picks for Anime L.A. 2011!
I'll probably start off my convention experience this year with the theme from the opening credits of Casino Royale since I plan to be everywhere and nowhere for Anime L.A. this time--like any good spy.
This one goes out to any and all convention drama-related anything. Just as a precautionary method. Personally, I like this song in general for simply being what it is--oh so cheerfully pissed off!
And because no con can ever be completed without the regularly prescribed dose of Lady Gaga tunes, I like to keep this remix at the top of my playlist. It's so upbeat that I really CAN'T stop dancing to it.
And those are my three song picks for Anime L.A. 2011!
Themes of Anime Los Angeles 7: Group Tamashii - Tamashii no Sake
The last of three themes for Anime Los Angeles 7 is pretty much self-explanatory. But for those who won't get it, me and Zanney will be cosplaying from Persona 3...I'll let you figure out the other part.
Themes of Anime Los Angeles 7: Dilated Peoples - Back Again
The second of three themes for Anime Los Angeles 7 shows that I'm back again after a successful ALA 6.
Themes of Anime Los Angeles 7: Paul Oakenfold and M-PROJECT
This is the first of three themes for Anime Los Angeles 7, which is about in a month. Given that ALA 7 is going to get a lot more busier than the 1st ALA that I went to, I like some uptempo music that will get me going through the day.
Enter Paul Oakenfold and M-PROJECT.
Enter Paul Oakenfold and M-PROJECT.
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