Reporting on Subcultures Gone Wrong

There's always been interest in the subculture of Japanese and American animation and everything associated with it which includes dressing up in cosplay and attending conventions.

Tom's History of Anime Cons: Before There Was Anime Expo...

Hey everyone, Tom Gifford here.

After a long absence, I have returned! And today, I have uncovered an interesting tidbit on a con that started anime conventions in California as we know them today.

Anime Expo 2011's Last Comic Standing

I had the great honor of attending last year's Last Comic Standing and I had a great time. But since I didn't go to this year's Anime Expo, that meant that I didn't go to this year's Last Comic Standing.

Luckily the people over at Otaku Wanted filmed this year's event and put all the parts on YouTube. Check out their videos and have a good laugh while you're at it!

Nico Nico Douga Medley (Fanime 2008 Remix) (ft. Yukie Dong)

As mentioned in Lucas' interview with the AX Idol winners, I did a remix with Mario Bueno's MangaNEXT 2008 performance with the original "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay.

I also did a remix with the original Nico Nico Douga Medley with Yukie Dong's rendition at the FanimeCon 2008 Masquerade. You might recall this moment from my interview with her at Kintoki-Con.

Well, here's that remix I've been wanting to release all this time until now.

Once In A Lifetime: Thoughts on Last Exile S2 and Hatsune Miku's World Debut

Yes, the title is very long. And I'm sure all of you were expecting art from me, considering I'm the lead artist. But in a sad bit of luck that I won't dwell on, all my things--including my computer, scanner, and tablet--are all in a storage locker in Vancouver for the moment, and I can't get to them. My deepest apologies, guys, but for the next little while, I'll have to be just like everyone else.

AX 2011 FULL Review from Rukazu

Anime Expo 2011 FULL Review

WOOT! This year was absolutely amazing!

Anime Expo 2011: Avi's Point of View

After much flip-flopping and struggling with the funds for it, I was able to make it to AX this year. Here is what I covered that weekend.

acksonl, AX 2011 Edition

For Anime Expo 2011, Ackson Lee has three four five fan videos plus the sequel to Pokemon Men from FanimeCon and other videos that he has planned (such as the Macross Frontier Showcase video). Again they'll be posted here but I highly encourage you subscribe to his channel.

Matthew's Thoughts on Hatsune Miku's First US Performance

I wasn't able to make to this Hatsune Miku's first performance in the United States in Los Angeles at Anime Expo 2011, but there were premium streams via Niconico for 1500 yen (18 USD). So, I plot down my credit card and prepare to have my mind blown by a virtual idol.

And sure enough, my mind was blown by a virtual idol.

Anime Expo 2011 - Tsunami Scoreboard, Pre-Coverage Edition

The forecast calls for a slight lull in the usual summer swell we expect from Independence Day weekend in the Golden State where the summer sun, sand and surf are world famous for tourists and locals alike, but here at CaliConBlog we allow neither glassy nor shark-infested waters to dampen our spirits. As the saying goes, the calm comes before the storm and in just a few short hours, thousands of shoebies, locals and gurus from all over the west coast, and even internationally, will take the Los Angeles Convention Center by storm and spend their hot and steamy summer nights doing what nerds do best--the infamous Anime Expo con-crawl!

Don't get us wrong--the attendees of Anime Expo are anything but sluggish. With the second-largest anime convention in the country sitting right here in the backyard of the Greater Los Angeles area natives, there's always a mad dash for badge pick-up and last-minute concert ticket purchases. Cosplayers lurk in the pre-reg lines as though the sidewalk is a fashion runway, gamers bring their portable systems and geek out on the front steps and fangirls and fanboys trade opinions and series recommendations as a gaggle of housewives might swap recipes for pot-stickers at a PTA meeting.

The hallways buzz with excitement and even though it's a whopping 100 degrees in the shade, the atmosphere is cheery and as bright as the sun. Not a cloud in the sky today as our five-member team suits up and ships out for the 2011 Press Junket at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Downtown LA, and the the million dollar question remains.

Only one person comes to mind when I think of the best possible phrasing of the question, so I'll let a certain One-Eyed Dragon take it from here:





Will Anime Expo finally come out on top or will this summer's swell be a total flop? The Tsunami Scoreboard predicts one of the hottest summers yet, so you definitely don't wanna miss this!