Are we there yet?
Anime eXpo 2002!
note: this is extremely long.... ^^* be warned.... it might be slow to load because of the size...sorry 'bout that.... if any of the pics don't show, right-click and select 'show picture' ..that should make it work.. ^_^ enjoy!
Yay! Yay! Yay! Is it just me, or does AX get better every year!? Heeheehee..... ^__^ This year was a ton of fun, as expected, and I'm getting better at this conventioning thing, so everything seemed to fall in rather well. ^^ ....well, most things, anyway.... -,o
Traveling companions....
My group this year consisted of me, Tara, Ralph, Steve, and Trevor. Ralph provided the vehicle, as well as did all the driving (bless his soul!!), while I was the one who got the hotel and planned everything out. So I kind of felt like we were the group leaders of sorts. ^,^ And it admittedly felt really good when Steve, at the end of the trip, said that it wouldn't have been possible without me. Not that I crave such words from others, but it was nice of him to say it. ^_^ At the con, Trevor pretty much stuck near Tara, while Steve and Ralph went their own ways (didn't see Steve at all on the first day ^^*), and I was usually found in the company of Tara and Kim. ^_^
Go to the West....
AX2k2 was once again held at the Long Beach Convention Center, as well as the Hyatt, Renaissance, and Westin hotels. It's actually very good that they had it at the same place, so this time around I knew how to get everywhere and our getting lost was cut down a lot. My group stayed at the Renaissance hotel, which I admit I didn't like as much as the Westin....but it was ok. ::nods:: Some things were moved around, but it was still easy to navigate.
Tripping over shackles....
More and more people are cosplaying these days. ^_^ There were quite a few costumes this year that I recognized from last year, and a whole array of new ones. So many were really, really great; I just wish I had more film.... ^^* But my top three favorites had to be:
#3. Kaze (Final Fantasy: Unlimited) - I was stalking her (him?) big time! ^^ Every time I saw her I'd run up and glomp her. ::giggles:: But I think it made her happy; she indicated she was glad to have a fan. ^,^ I'm a walking fan club. The first time I saw her, she was sitting in a chair near the escalator (looking very Kaze-ish), and I started squealing like a fangirl, but I didn't have my camera, so I couldn't do anything.... Later I just went up to her anyway and glomped her...repeatedly. When I later fetched my camera I made up for not getting pictures earlier. ^,^
#2. Yue (Card Captor Sakura) - The wings, damn it! THE WINGS!!!!!!! And the wonderfully androgynous person them self. ^_^ Heeheehee...
#1. Hot Japanese Eikou Den
Tasuki (Fushigi Yuugi Eikou Den) - ::laughs:: Yes, that's my
official title for him. Wooooo-baby! Talk about a god among
men! Perfect hair, perfect look, perfect costume, perfect body, perfect
orientation (^,^), didn't speak English, perfect perfect perfect.... I'm
in love. ^^
I myself did four cosplays; one for each day. The first day was Shuichi Shindou from Gravitation, second day was Omi from Weiß Kreuz, third day was Son Goku from Saiyuki, and fourth day was Yukito Tsukishiro from Card Captor Sakura. Shuichi and Goku costumes went over really well, Omi and Yukito went...basically unnoticed. I don't think I got any pictures taken as Omi..... Actually, it's funny that my most comfortable costumes were the least popular. ^^* Saa...oh well. My Goku costume is a bit delicate...or at least, I'm really paranoid about it, so I was always moving as though there were a bubble around me and threw a fit if anyone intruded upon it. It's also kind of...long.... o.o I mean, like....I had to turn sideways to go through doorways, and take up two seats (sitting in the middle between) to watch any discussion panels so I wouldn't stab anyone with the spikes. ^^* By the end of the day though, no matter the care I tried to take, it was starting to show signs of wear and tear; if I ever wear it again I'll have to do some repairs....
As for my friends....
Tara went as Ryuichi Sakuma from Gravitation on the first day and Ken
from Digimon the rest of the con (Goth version on the second day ^,^
). Hilde-chan was Sha Gojyo from Saiyuki the first day (was
supposed to be Hiro from Gravitation, but got a little mixed up...or so
she says ¬_¬ ), Aya Fujimiya from Weiß Kreuz the second and
third (flower shop version the third day), and Touya Kinomoto from Card
Captor Sakura the fourth day (was supposed to be a pair cosplay with me,
though we didn't actually spend much time together -_- ). Kimmy was K from
Gravitation, Daisuke from Digimon the second and fourth days (Drag
Queen version the second day ^^* ), and Son Goku from Saiyuki Gaiden the
third day (she was going to do Daisuke only once, and regular version of Goku
one day, but made a spontaneous change of plans when she got there ^^ ).
Elisa was miscellaneous cat girl on the first day, and Genjo Sanzo from Saiyuki
the rest of the con. Trevor wore a Star Wars styled outfit, but
wasn't any character in particular, so I kept calling him Darth Otaku.
^,^ Steve was Chichiri from Fushigi Yuugi on the third
day....and....I don't remember anyone else at the moment.... ^^*
Gomen!
Towards the idol....
As usual, I didn't know any of the special guests this year.... ^^* I'm just not up on directors and such.... Well....ok, I did know one guest; Maria Kawamura, the voice of Naga from The Slayers OVAs and movie. She was really cute, and I loved the cackle. ^_^ There was also the J-Pop band Puffy AmiYumi. I don't really know who they are, but it was announced that they were going to be doing a tour of America. ^__^ Not that I'm excited that it's them here, but it's exciting because it could be a gateway for other Japanese bands to come to America. ^____^ Yay! And the woman who did the ending theme of the Sailor Moon R series was there, accompanied by the announcement of a Parra Parra CD being released in America, and she performed. It was neat. ^,^
Supplies....
And what would a convention be without spending ungodly amounts of money that I don't have? ^,^*
What I got:
Angelique - artbook (very very large, very very expensive, very very beautiful)
Angelique - button of Zephel
D.N.Angel - Trilogy CD
Dreamcast game - Wetrix (just because I felt like buying a game, and it was cheap ^,^ )
Final Fantasy: Unlimited - memoir book
Fushigi Yuugi - pin of Chichiri
Fruits Basket - small shitajiki of Hatsuharu
Fruits Basket - small shitajiki of Kyo
Fruits Basket - Memory For You CD
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de - shitajiki of cast
Macross 7 - Fire Bomber American, English Fire! CD
Saiyuki - UFO catcher doll of Goku
Saiyuki - UFO catcher doll of Hakkai
Saiyuki - pin of Goku
Sotsugyo M - animation cel of Arai
Weiß Kreuz - shitajiki of the seiyuu ^_^
What I lost:
about $280 ^^*
my Gundam Wing pin of Duo (probably ran off with my missing Trowa pin.... ~_~ )
my glasses -_-
So I didn't do too bad. ^^ I've taught myself not to spend money on stupid stuff, like cards and knick-knacks, that I won't ever use (was going to say "don't need" for a second there...then realized I don't need any of it in the first place.. ^^* ). So now, if it's not going to do much more than sit on my shelf, I don't bother. And now I have a pin for all but 3 characters I've cosplayed as. ^,^ (but I doubt I'll find a pin of Generator Gawl's Ryo or Sotsugyo M's Mikimaro....) After the first day I'd only spent $12, and I kept saying I felt dirty because of it. ^,^* Spent a whole lot the second day, none at all the third day, and a whole bunch more the last day. Of course...I also spent a lot of money on food...but I never seem to factor that in.... ^^*
Highlights of AX 2002!
I usually do a whole con report, telling every little detail of what I did. But this time around I'm going to school as well as working full time, so I don't really have the time or energy to try wracking my brain and remember everything. So, I'm just going to be giving the highlights, sectioned by The Good, The Bad, and The Coolest!! ^_^
The Good:
spending time with friends (of course)
registering a day early ^_^
dancing with Tara around the registration room, chanting "we're going to AX! we're going to AX!"
fun and...interesting Gravitation photos while waiting for Opening Ceremonies
super fun video shown
during Opening Ceremonies from one of the director guests
all performances ^_^
Maria Kawamura ^___^ (I dig seiyuu)
4th of July fireworks
Yuki!!! Yuki Yuki Yuuuukiii!
standing by my Yuki, someone wanted a pic of us together, so I hugged him (her?). ^_^ They got their picture...and then the next thing I knew we were being bombarded by people "aww"ing and taking pictures ^,^
Yuki... ::happy sigh::
Dirty Dice
playing Dance Maniacs with Trevor
buying lots of stuff ^_^
saw a gorgeous animation cel of Yue and Touya a breath away from a kiss...soooo pretty.... ($300 and well worth it - came by again an hour later and it was gone..)
you know you've seen a video way too many times when you can see this and know what it is ^____^
Kaze! ::glomp::
one arm around one Kaze, one arom around the other (there were 2), "ah, I'm in Heaven." ^^
showing off the letter ^,^ (but that's personal)
yaoi/yuri panel ^_________^
Sandra the tentacle monster ^^*
drinking with Toshi (who wouldn't put on her Nagi outfit for me >.< )
fun and intelligent conversation with Erica (of the yaoi panel)
Saiyuki cosplay
being beaten over the head with a paper fan (I must be a masochist ^^* )
having Sanzo eat my banana ::grin::
having picture taken for Japanese magazine
being on the ball to help Japanese publisher pick up dropped business cards ^_^
breakfast courtesy of the Three Aspects
Sanzo kisses
Saiyuki cosplay photo shoot
"URUSAI!!!" *THWAP* !! sounding loudly throughout the Renaissance
HOT Japanese Eikou Den Tasuki
Hellsing
voice actor panel
Maria Kawamura being cute and replying to the question about if she would ever cosplay as Naga by saying "anou...no breast.." ^_^ And giving a lesson on how to cackle
Crispin Freeman cosplaying as Alucard
Alucard holding me by the leash ^,^
getting into the dealer's room without having to wait in line (it's good to have connections)
pizza by the shoreline
LOTS of bullshitting ^^*
corrupting small children (little girl walking by: *stare*stare*stare* )
a nice family next to us gave us their last two slices of pizza, so Ken and Aya started arm wrestling over who got it. Meanwhile Goku and Goku took the two slices ^,^
fooling around in the Hyatt lobby
Hot Japanese Eikou Den Tasuki ^.^
sitting on the floor, at one point Maria Kawamura walked by, and I watched as she passed. She must have felt me, because she turned and looked back at me, so I smiled. ^,^ She smiled back and waved, and I waved back. ^_^ It was cute, and makes 3 seiyuu who have acknowledged me in my lifetime =p
GokuxGoku pictures ^^*
being mistaken for Kaoru (Evangelion) ^^* (good thing I like him a lot..)
Chibi Shaoran-chan ^_^ (2 years old)
Tara winning the auction she wanted
Final Fantasy: Unlimited book ^____^ (pictures of Nobutoshi!)
Sanzo dancing Parra Parra...with the perfect Sanzo look on face
molesting Hakkai...and his Kyo-Ryu ^^*
Yue! And his beautiful beautiful wings
Schwarz making fun of the Parra Parra dancers by doing the YMCA in the window
sniping pictures
freak store ^^*
raving in the car on the way home
cute poster from Toshi ^_^ ("Nagi says... NO")
Kimmy buying me two pins of Killua from HunterxHunter
HOT JAPANESE EIKOU DEN TASUKI! (::laughs:: he, like, made the convention for me...)
spent so much money ^_^
The Bad:
the lines...my god, the lines!
hot...glaring sun...evil....
my music video not making it into the contest (and they even had me send it twice! bastards!! I should make them repay me the money I spent in shipping that was wasted!!)
being ignored all weekend by the person I thought would be happiest to have me around ~_~
stuffing myself with chicken strips and feeling really fat.....
Summerland
stupid stupid traffic!!
spent so much money ~_~
The Coolest!!!!:
" ::looks to side:: .... ::does double take:: O,O Oh my god.... Is it just me or is Goku sitting in Tasuki's lap??"
Heeheehee.....
Pictures!
I took two disposable cameras (my normal camera doesn't work and my digital camera takes forever and a thousand years to get the flash going but won't take a decent picture without it...), giving me 54 pictures between them. ....I should have brought more..... ^^* But here's what I have.... (no time for thumbnails ^^*)
Ralphy coming up the escalator.
Miscellaneous cosplayers, with the LBCC's large fountain and Westin hotel in the background.
Miscellaneous cosplayers. (actually, I was trying to get a shot of Mink in the background, but she was too far away...)
Trigun's Knives and...Cyclops Chick...plus one.
Dark Vash gets himself two Mikos, while Aya glares on.
A lucky fan gets a picture with Ryuichi. ^_~
Look! Crispin Freeman has me on a leash! ^,^ Goku, Alucard, Aya, and Schuldig.
Gravitation's Shuichi and Ryuichi.
Aya and...some guy who's a voice actor but I don't remember his name..... ^^*
My favorite game this year! ^_^ (and it's not just because a hot guy was always playing it ^,^ )
Digimon's Daisuke and Ken have a tender moment.
Digilove. ^_^ Drag Queen Daisuke x Goth Ken.
From Digi Charat....I think.....
A very...large Digimon.... ^^* (my favorite, actually, though I don't know the name)
Secrets revealed! Gojyo doesn't really have scars, it's makeup! He just does it to get chicks. ^,^
Gojyo with his hand down his pants... ^^* (so what else is new..?)
Trevor rocks on! ....actually...he lost the game in under a minute... ^^*
Harry Potter cosplayers...in all their yaoi glory. ^_^
I will never again attempt to disturb Heero when he's trying to relax. o.o (is bad for my health)
Final Fantasy: Unlimited's Kaze.....
Ah, Kaze! ^^ (actually, these are the result of me acting paparazzi *click*click*click* ^__^ I'm sure someone got a normal, good pic for me...I just need to remember who....)
Ahhh, Keneda! I love a man in red leather!
Silliness... ^_^ More power to ya, brother!
Yaoi/Yuri panel, complete with naked man.
Kenshin cosplayers. Kenny and...some other guy. ^^* (maybe I should watch the series.......nah.... ^^ )
More Kenshin cosplayers! Soujirou and Enishi. (Tara and I asked these two every day if they would pose yaoi-ish for us...they never would agree... ^^* I think they were getting annoyed with us too... ::laughs:: they should have just complied and got it over with!)
(these two, on the other hand....)
Soul Calibur's Hwang and Kilk.
As you've never seen them before. ^_^
Actually, I have to tell the story behind this. ::laughs:: I was standing up on the balcony, and spotted them, not really paying attention at first. Then it hit me who they were, and I flew down the stairs to get a picture. I asked if I could photograph them and they said sure and posed for me, so I snapped the shot. Then I (and Tara) asked if I could get a pic of them posing...provocatively. ^,^ They looked at each other, shrugged, and then glomped on to one another. ^___^ Yes!! Victory!! It was so cool that they didn't really think anything of it. They have thusly been ranked as some of my absolute favorite cosplayers (I love the one's who'll do anything for the fans ^__^ ). I LOVE YOU GUYS!
Kind of a bad picture...something got in the way of the camera... ::coughs:: Gravitation's K, laughing out loud.
Parra Parra, the newest hip thing in the anime/gaming world.
A loyal fan receives a hug from the Great Saiyaman.
Sanzo chills with a cigarette.
You cannot resist the Dark Side...of Otakudom.....
Very cute musical style Sailor Uranus.
Our hotel room came with a complementary naked guy. ^,^
The Saturday night gang. ^__^ (including all of Schwarz, half of Weiß, two Gokus, and one extra ^_^ )
Omake!
Extra little stuff
If you are/were one of the following people, please contact me. I'm in love with you and want to be...friends.
Kaze
Yay! Thank you! x2
Hot Japanese Eikou Den Tasuki ^^*
Yue
Thank you! ^__^
Crispin Freeman ^,^
Notes:
I am not going to be the one to get the room next year.... ~_~ I'm so tired of seeing scary credit card bills...
And how did K's gun get so popular!?
Con Quotes!
I have a thing for quotes, but I can never seem to remember the good stuff people say..... But these are all that I managed to remember/write down, plus some other people have sent in. If you have any contributions, e-mail me! ^_^
"So all that porn is wrong?" "Yes." "Porn is always wrong." "Porn is always right!"
"I'm just not interested in having sex at this time of my life." "I'm glad to hear that, seeing as we're in the same bed."
"It's Transsexual Secret-Agent Neko Sanzo."
"I fail to see why Schuldig would need a cel phone."
"I'm trying to forget that. Same way I'm trying to forget waking up to five yaoi fangirls."
"You get down here, on your knees."
"K...there's something hard in your pocket." "That's my cel phone!"
"Ok, I'm nipples!" "I'm boobs!"
"I apologize if I'm salty."
"This thing burns my nipples when I put it on."
"Does this mean I get to skip my next blow?" "Do you want to?"
"You really love yourself, don't you?" "I do! I turn myself on!"
"I wanna be a drag-queen when I grow up."
"We're changing tease to bite!"
"K's gun has gotten a lot of action."
"Aya has lost his hole...."
"Can I feel your gun, K?"
"Why is the chair damp?"
"His sticks are glowing!" "And they sparkle too!"
"I take more time drawing stick figures than drawing K's ass!"
"I quit, bitch!"
"As if the orange sweater wasn't enough, now I have a neon green apron!"
"As soon as I put on my Shuichi costume, my ass hurts!" "Hey, way to go, Tachi!"
"You people are worse than me, and that's scary...."
Yay! So much fun!
See ya next year!
