Ray Reports: Japan Expo USA 2013 - A Taste of European Conventions

When I first heard of Japan Expo making plans to expand to the U.S., I didn't think much of it. That is, until I heard that the show was to be held at a very familiar location: The Santa Clara Convention Center. Knowing that the Paris-based show was to take place in the very city I live in, I was instantly on board with attending.

Japan Expo USA: First Impact (Robbie's Report)

The lead up to Japan Expo USA's first year was a bit of a bumpy road, but it had a nice payoff. As with all things, it had some issues that are in need of addressing, but I think that the good outweighed the bad by far, and sets a nice starting point for its future years.

In Memoriam: Elizabeth Stevenson, 1985-2013

When I got word of Elizabeth's death via Facebook and decided to go to the Saturday mass, I didn't have any idea of who she was. But as a long-time member of the NorCal cosplay community, I wanted to pay my respects for someone who has fallen.

I showed up about 9:50am. I asked some of her friends if they needed help getting a memorial collage, and as I was helping I saw photos of her cosplaying as Vash and Wesker.

I said to myself "Oh boy, things just got a lot harder."

Nate Reports: A Japan Expo Preview

As part of the ongoing coverage of the California conventions, the press team of Japan Expo will be providing a little preview of what we expect to see over at this brand new convention that is conveniently located in the bay area. So without further delay, here's my overall aspect of the new convention, Japan Expo.

Pre-Japan Expo Thoughts (Robbie Edition)

When it was first announced that Japan Expo was setting up in the states, the fans went wild with speculation and excitement. It didn't hurt at all that it'll be held in the Santa Clara Convention Center, where Fanime once called home. Now, with the convention just days away, we have a better look at what's to come.

Ray Pre-Reports: Japan Expo 2013

In the past two years, we've seen a couple of Northern California conventions switch over to Southern California: WonderCon from San Francisco to Anaheim, and Yaoi-Con from Burlingame to Long Beach. Although the two cons are recently making plans to move back up, this trend left us folks in NorCal with two less conventions to go to.

Fortunately, in their place we get Japan Expo, a major Europe-based expo with a 2012 attendence of 208,000 that recently expanded to have a U.S. branch. And by a stroke of fortune, they've chosen my hometown of Santa Clara to host their first American iteration.

Nate's Report: Kinyoobicon 2013

Man does it feel good to be back home. After a month of good times at Anime Expo, it's time to hit up another anime convention and wouldn't you know it, this con is located right next to me! It's called Kinyoobicon, an anime convention made by a gaming club in Chabot College of Hayward. I haven't heard about this place until one of my friends told me to check it out. With a guest lineup of Sonny Strait and Christine Cabanos, how could I not turn down an con like this. It's time to check my "homecourt" con and see how it goes.

The History of Capitol Fight District (So Far)

It all started back in February of 2012, in a small hall known as the Artisan Building in the Del Paso Heights area.

The flyer for the first ever Capitol Fight District.

Matthew's "Heroes of Cosplay" Review

NOTE: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the California Conventions Blog.

Before this show even got on the air, it was already stirring controversy within the cosplay community through cropping out watermarks, some comments from an executive producer regarding women and men cosplaying, and the general idea of the show's nature.

I really didn't want to watch this, but after watching the first episode I really want to see how this series plays out. It's like watching a horrific train wreck: you can't help to watch it to the very end.

Matthew's Anime Expo 2013 Report: Part 8 - Overall Impressions & Epilogue

As another Anime Expo comes and goes, it's safe to say that AX will hold their crown of "North America's Largest Anime Convention" at 61,000 attendees for the 2013 edition. Keep in mind though that it's not the biggest convention in the world let alone North America; San Diego Comic-Con, Dragon*Con, and Japan Expo in France pull in more if not double or triple of AX's attendance numbers.

I will say this: this year's Anime Expo was a blast to a part of, but it could of been much better.