CCB Insider: Anime Los Angeles 2012

Anime LA In a Nutshell

Anime LA, a con local to folks who live in the greater Los Angeles area, takes place over the second weekend of January every year at the LAX Marriott hotel. Most notable for being geared towards cosplayers, this con also features a relaxing, friendly atmosphere, a hotel that's used to anime conventions, well-organized staff, and my personal favorite--the beanbag pile!

Features of note: Night Zero Ice Cream Social & Dance Party, AMV Hell Morning Madness, Scarlet Rhapsody's Convention Reporting Panel and the Parents' Lounge.

The Mathematics of Conventions, Part 1: Gatorade

In preparation for SacAnime Winter 2012, I went to my local grocery store to stock up on food and drink, something I recommended in my "Planning for Conventions" guide. During this trip, I stocked up on six 32 oz bottles of Gatorade for $1.00 each plus a $0.10 CRV charge for a total of $6.60.

Now, let's do some math on how much you can really save at conventions, shall we?

Year End Review by Rukazu

I know this is a bit late, but Matt wanted me to write a review before ALA started and I've been really busy during the holidays, but that's another matter. I plan to keep this short and to the point. What matters right here and now is my review for this year's conventions.

Sporting Events + Anime/Comic Conventions Combos

One of my other hobbies besides covering anime and comic conventions is that I love sports. I'm a huge Oakland Raiders and Sacramento Kings fan, and in addition I used to play football back in high school until halfway through my Senior year.

As I type this, I'm watching the Rose Bowl on TV and and thinking how nice it would be to attend both the Rose Bowl and Anime Los Angeles in the near future. In fact, there are a few anime/comic convention and sports events combinations that I would like to attend:

Robbie's Convention Year Review for 2011

I gotta say, 2011 has been a busy year for me. Not just because this has been my first year writing for California Conventions Blog (although it has been, so I hope it's been a year off to a good start), but because I made the effort to go to as many events, conventions, and gatherings as possible.

Matthew's Convention Year In Review 2011

As a preparation for writing this year-end review, I look back at what I wrote last year. I also wonder if I'll say that "this was a year of firsts,'" but at this point I need to find a new catchphrase to say during these year-end reviews. Regardless, 2011 was a year of milestones for myself and the California Conventions Blog, which I hope can lead into success in 2012.

California Conventions Blog: The Podcast Episode 01: SacAnime Winter 2012 Preview

Yesterday we recorded the first ever episode of the California Conventions Blog: The Podcast, the preview for SacAnime Winter 2012. It was up on Soundcloud yesterday night, and this morning the podcast was updated for our iTunes subscribers:

This is part of the end-of-the-year review and convention pre-coverage blitz for both Anime Los Angeles and SacAnime Winter. As I write this, everyone including myself is working on our year-end recaps and we're hoping to get a Year-End Podcast before the next set of conventions. But for now, enjoy the first episode of our podcast!

Soundcloud link
iTunes link (There's also a link to the podcast on the sidebar)

Pacific Media Expo 2011

As promised, I'm back again this year with my review of PMX 2011. Before the con started, I already had much to look forward to. The con returned to the much preferred LAX Hilton location, there was a new impressive block of BJD (Ball-Jointed Doll) panels and workshops, long-beloved J-Rock band, D, was announced to perform not one, but two nights in a row, and my favorite, the lolita brand announcement. Gothic lolita brand, Atelier-Pierrot and it's designer, Yuko Ashizawa, would be bringing their wares for the Fashion Boutique this year. As expected, I was thrilled and selling whatever I could to have a decent amount of spending money.

SacCon December 2011: Con Report

A panoramic view from insiders the Dealers Hall at the Scottish Rite Center.

I remember a year ago coming to this very same SacCon, wondering why I haven't attended any Sacramento conventions in the past year. Since then, I went back to SacAnime this past September and I'll be returning to the winter edition in January. I also came to this year's "the-end-of-the-convention-season" convention in which all of us gather one last time, partly in preparation for next year's conventions but to also chill out in a small setting with finals and the Christmas rush looming. I had a final exam two days after the convention, so for me it allowed me to relax the day before cramming.

SacCon December 2011 Videos

I took some footage from SacCon December 2011 using the new HD camcorder that I got. I can consider this a trial run in a convention setting before ALA and/or SacAnime in January, and so far I'm pretty impressed with the quality so far. Of course, I hope to have more footage for future conventions, but for now this is a start.