A-Kon 24

Last weekend most of nolaanime went up to Dallas for A-Kon 24 (not the singer…). I had mixed feeling on this convention and my primary reason for going was the dealers room and artist alley. Personally I did not look up the panel schedule or special guests ahead of time, but did take some time to hit up a few panels, as well as, drop a whole lot of money on merchandise.

Let us start with the first reason I went, shopping. Anime conventions are known for bringing in several of the better vendors in the nation in hopes of finding goods you can’t find anywhere else. Now being from New Orleans, there is only one anime shop in the city and one shop I know of that carries any form of anime type figurines. Just so you know I can’t stand purchasing things online. In the end as good as the picture may be, you don’t know its the real deal unless it is in front of you. I will pay a good bit more to ensure I am getting the real product. The one exception I made to this was ordering my Busou Shinki, as for the life of me I can not find a vendor nor store who carries them. Prior to the convention I rarely bought figurines (yes they have had them at other conventions I have gone to), but I never felt the urge to get them. Now since I had money for a rare moment, I felt the urge to finally drop some cash on my favorite shows and pick a few up (as in 13). I was happy to find the AGP Bandai Strike Witches II. These figures are very similar to figmas (you can change in out parts and faces). Any who my room is now decorated with Railgun, Oreimo, K-On!, and Strike Witches.

Now I can’t leave out artwork. I was thrilled to pick up several pieces of art and wallscrolls. My room is covered in wallscrolls (and posters), but it was about time for me to replace a couple. I did get my hands on the only Moretsu piece I could find, a wallscroll. My other love is artist alley. It is a location that will showcase tons of independent artist selling their prints and doing commissions on the spot for a good price. I love artist alley as you often get takes on characters in different art styles. I dropped an easy $250+ picking up several prints I fell in love with. One of my favorite artist had watercolor style prints of Princess Mononoke, which I bought. Adding on to that are various comics written by artist there, so I take the chance to purchase several and hope to get the writer/artist to sign it. You never know. Another highlight in the artist alley was the voice actor of Tom from Toonami, he was there selling a comic he had created and was signing it for people. I also geeked out when he was talking to me as “Tom” the whole time. The last part was getting to see a Visual Kei band from Japan, Exist *Trance. Well I was planning on going to see the concert (which I rare), but the first line was for another performance (even though we were in the front). We left the line after being told a whole new line would be made, but they went over time and Exist Trance came on right afterward. I listened for a bit from the outside, but sad I couldn’t get in the front row. The up side is that instead of having to wait through autograph lines (which I never do), we ran into them as they were leaving and had a moment to meet and greet. Win.

After blowing tons of cash, I also took time to enjoy the other reasons people go to conventions. I always enjoy watching the cosplay. Now Shiney and Blueice did cosplay (Mugen and Kirito), Rini plans too for Mechacon and wasn’t much in the mood this time. Now I enjoy looking at craftsmanship and how well each person wears their chosen cosplay. I did snap a few photos, however you would want to catch Blueice on facebook if you really want a large selection. I’ll post a few photos below of the ones I liked. I also enjoyed a few panels. I am really into sociology and took it upon myself to visit panels associated with such topics. I dropped by “Sexism in Gaming”, “Discrimination in Cosplay”, and “Fetishes and the Society Around us”. In short the topics were as titled and nothing I haven’t heard before, but none the less enjoyable. I would always recommend picking one or two panels that might interest you. Remember there are always lines for panels, so make your way about thirty minutes early.

In the end minus having to drive for eight hours each way, I really did enjoy myself. If attend next year I will have to budget better, but will be looking forward to Mechacon in August. Finally a lot of the Spring Anime is coming to a close, we’re on the last 3-4 episodes which means I’ll be in power watch mode. We’ll keep timed with this one, although I felt we managed to get most of the anime up in time (preview wise). Yes we left Hentai Ouji blank and figured by the time it hit episode 4 we would just do a final review. Anyway sorry for the VERY delayed updated, but we’re back and rested!

Sorry guys, we had more photos but never did get a chance to re-size them for here. I believe Blueice has several in his Gallery as well as Storm. If you looking for more photos hit them on Facebook or through e-mail.