Sleep deprived Kenn here. Hope you all can read the title in the image, because I sure can't.




Title: Bad Bye
Producer: Koman
PV: CAxis
Genre: Pop Rock?
Vocaloid: 初音ミク

Kenn's comment: I'm not sure how long this song has been out but I like it! The guitar work for the song is pretty darn spiffy, though what really got me is that wonderful chorus. It's nothing spectacularly new and amazing, but it's really grown on me.

Discovered this song through a cover by Mi-tan (and his glorious voice).

After her father having run away due to gambling debts, and being evicted from her apartment, Nanami meets Mikage, a strange man who is afraid of dogs. Nanami "saves" Mikage from a dog and tells him her story. He gives Nanami his house as a thank you for saving him. Nanami accepts the offer, due to having nowhere else to go. Mikage draws her up a map showing her where to go. Upon arriving, she finds that it is a rundown shrine. Nanami is then almost killed by Tomoe, who was expecting Mikage to finally return after his 20 year absence. She is then greeted by both Onikiri and Kotetsu, as the new land god of the shrine. Unable to accept Nanami as the new land god, Tomoe mocks her then leaves the shrine, which, without Tomoe's power transforms back into a run-down state. Not wanting to rob Tomoe of his home and realizing that her powers as a god are too weak anyway Nanami leaves, but eventually is brought back by Tomoe after she seals a contract with him, making him her familiar.

Kenn's Comment: From what I remember back when I read a bit of this many moons ago, it's a fairly standard, orthodox shoujo series. Granted, I didn't exactly read a lot of it, but that's the impression I got from it. Standard, yes. Bad? Not at all. Nanami's balancing between godhood and human creates an interesting dynamic, especially when it comes to the guys in the story.

The art looks great, and Tomoe's voice is, by all means, probably going to be quick the bishounen kind of voice.

PV:

In order to capture the vampire lurking in the school, Mana the exorcist transfers in, but Okamoto-kun, the vampire in question, says vampires have evolved and no longer preys on humans but lives on blood transfusions! What is Mana to do with this not so threatening, carefree, easy going vampire? 

Kenn's Comment: From the get go, this one comes off as cute and happy as can be. Okamoto really steals the show with his unabashed happy-go-lucky attitude...to everything. Later demon boys share a similar pattern of making the exorcist's life difficult.

The art is really quite nice, complete with sparkles when needed (for fabulous characters). It's not a heavy series, so it's quite a nice series to wind down to. Maybe Okamoto will share some of his happiness?

If you ever have the chance, check the first chapter (or was it the prologue?). It'll give you a quick bite of how the series will feel, with it's comedy and easy going atmosphere.

It's been a long time since I had Lily on the blog...






Title: WAVE
Producer: niki
Genre: Electronic - Pop
Vocaloid: LILY

Kenn's Comment: It's pretty darn good. Well, I like it a lot. I think this may be the first time I've listened to something by niki, and I think I might have been missing a lot.

Vocaloid activity on channels I follow have slowed down a lot, so if I do skip a week, it would be because either I haven't found a song I really like, or there hasn't been any updates.

Anywho, enjoy the awesome Lily!

Jonah is a child soldier, born amidst the chaotic conflicts that rage across West Asia, his family lost to a war fueled by weapons supplied by the so-called Merchants of Death--international arms dealers. Despite Jonah's hatred of weapons and violence, he employs both extremely well in the service of high-flying arms dealer Koko Hekmatyar and her band of mercenaries. Their journey through the dark underbelly of the world's arms markets may lead only to damnation, but will Jonah one day make his way back to the light? Only one thing is certain: it's going to be a long, hard road out of hell... 

Kenn's Comment: Before I say anything, if you take a quick look at the official site, you'll notice a little Black Ops II crossing with the series. What is it? Beats me, but if I had to guess it'd likely be something to do with DLC stuff in Japan. Who knows?

Anywho, really looking forward to this. Jormungand was one of my favourite series of the spring and that one was really good too. If you haven't watched the first season yet, I strongly suggest you do. Violence wise, it's a bit toned down compared to Black Lagoon, so it should be fine for those who found Lagoon too much. Jormungand also has much more emphasis on the business side of things, while Lagoon's on the shooting.

I'm only comparing to two because of how similar they come off from the surface. But I digress. Watch it.

PV:
 

Yoshino Takigawa is visiting his friend's family grave. After getting there, he encounters Evangeline Yamato, a woman in search for his friend, Mahiro Fuwa, who left a month ago to find his family's killer without any clues to who it might be. Evangeline informs Yoshino that two places where Mahiro has been spotted have been quarantined, due to an epidemic.

When Evangeline is questioning Yoshino at gun-point, Mahiro comes out of nowhere and swiftly saves him and can stop bullets in mid-air, claiming to have a deal with a sorceress; not just any, but the strongest sorceress, Hakaze Kusaribe, who promised to help find his family's killer with her magic so he can kill the killer himself.

After saving Yoshino, Mahiro informs him about the epidemic, a curse that turns living things into metal, claiming the Kusaribe clan plans to revive the Tree of Zetsuen that could destroy the world. 

Kenn's Comment: I've read the manga and (I think) it's pretty darn good. And with BONES at the helm, we can at least be guaranteed a pretty picture if all else fails. For those looking for the next big battle shounen, I'm afraid you're barking up the wrong tree. Zetsuen no Tempest has some action, but the brunt of it lies in in mystery and bluffs the characters pull. It's pretty impressive in the manga, and I'm looking forward to how the voice cast plays it out.

In one of the PVs, the song playing is, fittingly, Beethoven's piano sonata No. 17, op. 31 no. 2, more commonly known as 'Tempest'. 

More PVs up at the site under 'Movie'.

PV:

It is the year 201. A device called the PhoneDroid, more commonly called the PokeCom, has gained wide-spread acceptance.

On the island of Tanegashima, Central Tanegashima High School's Robot Research Club is on the verge of disbandment. Yashio Kaito shows absolutely no interest in the Club despite the situation and being one of the club's only 2 members. He is fully absorbed in developing a robot fighting game. His attitude causes friction with Akiho, the other member.

Senomiya Akiho is the reckless Club President. She is determined to save the club by completing construction of a giant robot.

One day, whilst Kaito was in a park, working on his computer game as usual, he hears a girl's voice and discovers the A.R. annotation of the Kimijima Report. It is an allegation of a plot by one Kimijima Kou's with world-wide implications.

Kenn's Comment: The lead girl's hairstyle is like a cross between Hamuko (P3 Female Protagonist) and Poplar (Working!!).

Anywho, robots, clubs, and world domination. VN's from the people behind Chaos;Head and Steins;Gate (I'm noticing the semicolon relationship), so it's a bit hit or miss at the moment (C;H wasn't that great, S;G was amazing).

I'm all for giant robots, so long as they don't end up with annoyingly bad designs or action scenes as slow as the Reideen remake.

PV:

After being kicked out of the main dorms for bringing in a stray cat, Kanda Sorata is forced to live in the smaller Sakura Halls where problem students are sent to live. Although he doesn’t mind his roommates, Sorata can’t wait to move out of Sakura Halls. But when Shiina Mashiro moves into the dorm, everything changes. Mashiro is an artistic genius who, at a young age, won many awards for her skills, but due to her childhood being so focused on art, she has no common sense and social skills. Forced to take the role of taking care of Mashiro, Sorata learns about himself and begins on a path of self improvement. 

Kenn's Comment: I don't know too much about this series, though I might find myself disliking Mashiro...for her lack of common sense. It's like a baby character...except not. Never was fond of those characters.

I'll be probably checking this one out. Looks and sounds interesting. The art and characters look really good...though it does still have J.C. Staff's trademark colour palette.

PV:

Mei Tachibana has spent her 16 years without making either boyfriend or friends. One day, she drop-kicks a popular boy in school, Yamato Kurosawa, because of a misunderstanding but for some reason it seems that he takes a liking to her and one-sidedly claims that they

Kenn's Comment: A good, serious shoujo. MangaUpdates had comedy listed in this one, but after giving it a quick read through, I honestly don't feel that the comedy makes enough of a presence for me to list it as well.

The art is gorgeous (with fabulous male lead), and some realistic characters. The story doesn't meander around a lot, very often being straight to the point. It's directed towards an older audience compared to something like Special A, so don't be surprised if topics of sex and stuff like that come up.

If you're in to these kind of series, by all means, give this one a chance. You won't regret it!

Ryota Sakamoto is one of the top-ranked players of BTOOOM!, an online battle game. But no amount of simulated warfare could have propared him for what is to come ...Ryota wakes one evening to find himself dangling from a tree by a parachute with no recollection of how he got there. Before he can orient himself to his unfamiliar surroundings, Ryota is attacked. As a barrage of explosives rain down on him, Ryota realizes that he too has a pack of bombs ...bombs that look very similar to the ones used in BTOOOM! Ryota may have mastered the online game, but can he come out on top in this real-life game of survival?! 

Kenn's Comment: Another anime of a manga I featured up on the blog. Granted I believe I mentioned it getting an anime adaptation in that one, so I can't really say that I nailed it.

Anywho, I'm most certainly looking forward to this one. I'm a bit wary of how the staff will handle the violence.

Another thing to note: Ryota is voiced by a rookie voice actor. He's an actor, most known for his roles in Nana 2, and Prince of Tennis live action, as well as various other drama and movie works. It'll be interesting to see how he translates his experience on set to going behind the mic.

Opening is by Nano (she began on NND, fluent in English and Japanese, great voice too) and ED by May'N (need I say anything about her?).

PV:

This one's a really bouncy, fun and cheerful song.




Title: Clap Hip Cherry
Producer: Junky
PV: たま
Vocaloid: GUMI (Power)

Kenn's Comment: Happy and bouncy perfectly describe this one. The detached guitar chords, and the...I'm not actually sure what it's called, but the synth'd melody are what really give it that feel. The vocal line follows suit. The line kind of rolls along, bouncing every now and then. Listen to it, and you'll see why I say that.

Also, I'm pretty sure this is another Red Riding Hood themed song. 

The story is about the Himenokouji twins named Akito and Akiko who got separated due to certain circumstances and after years of living apart they suddenly began to live under the same roof once again. Things were fine at first until Akiko began expressing her love for her older brother. Now Akiko must fight to defend her extraordinary love for her Onii-chan as she battles against all odds and three other girls who are after her beloved Onii-chan. 

Kenn's Comment: I haven't a clue about this series. I think I might have glanced over a chapter of it's manga adaptation at one point, but I honestly don't remember. From what I've read (not the novel, but off forums), the story itself isn't the interesting part - it's the characters. I'll be approaching this one with curiosity and mild expectations.

The site has slider puzzles of the various characters. They can be pretty challenging if you get a tough shuffle.

I think I wrote the abbreviation wrong.

PV:

The continuing stories of the daily life of the students of the Hidamari Apartments at Yamabuki High School. This time, a year has passed since the first season. Yuno and Miyako are second years, Sae and Hiro are third years, and two new students, Nori and Nazuna, move into the Hidamari Apartments.

Kenn's Comment: YEEAAAAHH!! Hidamari Sketch is easily one of my most favourite and beloved series. I've been watching it ever since it first started all those years ago. I've always had a soft spot for this series. It's really relaxing in it's gentle pace, with comedy that will turn that frown on it's head. Even it's comedy is gentle on you. It's a genuinely funny kind of comedy, rather than the slapstick humour or exaggerated reactions that come up so often in series.

I'm hoping that Gotou's fully recovered before she sets out to take up the reins as Hiro once again. Hidamari has a passionate following, and I hope it's continued for as long as it can.

PV:

Mizutani Shizuku is the type of person who only cares for her own grades. But when she accidentally delivers the lesson notes to Yoshida Haru, Haru becomes convinced they are friends.

Haru turns out to have a very innocent personality, but who would've thought that Haru would actually confess to Shizuku?

Kenn's Comment: You might remember this title from a while back when I featured it in a Manga of the Week. Just another one of the series I've put up that ends up becoming an anime! I've got a knack for finding them!

Anywho, this is one of a few Shoujo series this fall, so fans of the genre rejoice! Of the three, I'm quite fond of this one, as well as 神様はじめました. Never actually heard of the other one, but I'll get to that one eventually.

The manga is really good. The characters are quirky, and the story isn't bogged down by the common problems that plague rom-coms - constant denial, absolute density (though I'm guilty of that irl), and perhaps too much comedy. This one's a rom-com with emphasis on the rom. Comedy doesn't take away from what makes the series good. And with Brains Base at the helm, I'm certain this one will be great.

And that PV is awesome.

PV:
 

Is it odd that I can recognize Wakamura's MMDPVs without having to see the credit splash?






Title: Fake Doll
Producer: 八王子P
Genre: Pop
Vocaloid: 初音ミク

Kenn's Comment: An electronic-pop song by HachiojiP and it's pretty darn good. I'm more of a rock person myself, but I'm always up for a good pop song, especially when Miku sounds this good!

Visual wise, it's more or less your typical Wakamura PV. I've always found the MMD models to be a bit stiff in motion in his (or her) PVs. The effects are pretty spiffy though, I have to admit.

Don't mind the title - the song more than makes up for it.




Title: Masked bitcH
Lyrics: Q*Left
Music: ギガP
Genre: Pop
Vocaloid: GUMI

Kenn's Comment: If this doesn't remind you of K-Pop, I don't know what will. It sounds kind of like something an idol group would do! GUMI sounds really good in this. Like really good. The effects on her voice as well as all the background masks any imperfections. Unsurprisingly, heavy breathing using a vocaloid still sounds a bit funny.

Anywho, I chanced upon this song through two very, very awesome covers of the song.

The first, 96猫. Her cover  is quite similar to GUMI's version. A little bit lower in voice, but all in all, a very sturdy performance. The song itself suits Kuro's voice.



And here's the other one by おつも. Holy mother of God. He's great. Like awesome. He makes the song sound like it was an idol group song. If he had maybe one or two other guys with him (if they all sounded like おつも, we might have a dangerous song), then I think we'd actually have an idol group.



Anywho, enjoy the song and the two covers! I'll see you all back here for tomorrow's manga of the week.

Hey hey hey hey! It's the post where we (me and Zelos) show off what we got!


So pictured above is my 'haul'. It's limited to pretty much those three items which is why I'm hesitating to call it a 'haul'. Maybe more of...a catch? Either way, it was a pretty pricey catch.

Gracing the boxes of the LEBD boxes are Madoka, Mami and Homura! The lettering is done in a shiny gold foil, and the box itself is entirely white with polka dots corresponding to the colour of who's on the box. I'm both a bit happy and sad that there's no Kyouko and Sayaka. Happy because it means it's 2 less that I had to buy, and sad that those two aren't represented. The two of them have a lot of dedication in info books though.

Sayaka graces the back of  volume 2. There's a sticky note on the back of the boxes that's essentially the back of the case where all the information is. I thought it was actually part of the box until the bottom corner lifted. They're still on the box, mind you. Can't bring myself to take them off!


Inside Box 1. Included are the info book (bottom right), the OST (black, middle), the discs themselves (both BD and DVD are included), the end card illustrations (on post card sized cards, middle) and a double sided poster. I don't think I'll be putting up any of those posters...the fold lines irritate me and I don't know how to get rid of them.


Inside the info book are interviews with various people involved in the series, like Shinbo, Urobochi, and the various voice actors. There are also character sketches and designs (the sketches and drawings by Aoki Ume) and illustrations of the witches that appear in the episodes included in the box. At the end are a set of humourous 4 panel comics based on situations in the episodes drawn by Aoki Ume.


Box 2, though Mami is on the cover, has a lot of Sayaka and Kyouko in it. It comes with two double sided posters, one of which (if memory serves me correct) more or less dedicated to Sayaka and Kyouko. I probably should've taken photos of the posters by themselves, but the double sided-ness put me off.


Another thing the info books have are episode previews of the ones included. I read through them and they're not only well written, but are written so as to not spoil major events. Even the pictures don't spoil enough to ruin an episode for you.


The third and final box. You can't see it too well, but like box 2, it comes with two double sided posters. I also like the cover of disc case the best of the three (the one with all of the girls). If I were to put a poster up, I might put that Ultimate Madoka one up. It's not exactly this, which I'd make into stained glass and use it as the Cathedral of Madoka's altar window, but it's still pretty!


Almost forgot about this one. This is the limited edition poster from Aniplex USA that C&L was giving out with every purchase (of Madoka, I'd like to assume). I bought the three volumes in two runs, so I ended up getting two of the posters; Zelos has the other one.


Have you read A Day with Kenn 110-3? No? What are you doing?! Get over there and read it! It'll only take a few minutes! Read it here!!

For those who have, this is what I got autographed by Nakata Jouji, the voice of Giroro. On the left is the autograph, and on the right (though it's a bit hard to read) is 「目を食いしばれ!!」 If AR somehow gets another voice actor who has a character in Keroro, I'll have them sign on this colour insert beside their respective character! It'll be awesome and great!!


Speaking of Zelos, this is his haul. I forget the artists, but all of these were done by the various artists selling at the Artist's area of the Vendors Hall. Except for that Madoka one, of course. And the dakimakura at the top right of the photo.

Also, pardon the poor image quality. Zelos...doesn't have access to a proper camera.


If memory serves me correct, the top two (Mio and Samus, as well as the League of Legends poster ) are done by one artist, then the Tales and two Miku ones are done by another artist (I think), leaving the others by a third. Samus is probably my favourite of the bunch. The artist who did that one had some other amazing posters for sale too. Including a Nyancat one.


Last part of Zelo's artist purchases. The small one is a book mark!


Flynn! Made by Alter, this plushy has Nendoroid joints in it's body (legs, neck, arms) making it pose-able, albeit very limited. I don't think it can stand, but he sits well. The sword is attached by a magnet to his hand, so you can use it as a fridge magnet too (I think).



"Last" but not least, is The Last Story! Saving this for last because it's not directly related to the convention. It's really, really pretty...the box that is. I haven't started the game yet. The box is designed to look like a book. Not sure if you can see it, but between the 'covers' of the box, it's designed to look like the side of a book (with the pages).


Inside, we've got an art book (middle), the soundtrack, by Nobuo Uematsu!! (left), and the game itself (on the right). I haven't cracked open the soundtrack yet, but I'm sure it's amazing. It's Uematsu after all.


The art book is gorgeous. Full colour images as well as character sheets and sketches. The characters look very...Final Fantasy-ish, but it's to be expected when you consider the game (made by Sakaguchi, formerly the producer of the Final Fantasy series). I've only heard good things about the game, with the only bad thing being "It's too pretty for the Wii".

Anywho, that concludes my coverage of Anime Revolution 2012. If I'm still in town next year, I'll be going again with Zelos (hopefully) for another round of coverage. Maybe I'll have a better camera and won't have to wait for a certain person to send theirs (hint hint nudge nudge). See ya the next time I do a Day With Kenn entry!

Welcome back. It's become apparent that I won't be seeing any of the requested photos until the next transit of Venus, so I figured I might as well just finish it off...

That's me on the left (obviously)

...With my own photo of Nakata Jouji!! Got the convention center early to line up for his autograph session. I had a volume (V16 of Tokyopop's NA release) of Keroro signed. I had him sign beside Giroro and write a little quip 「目を食いしばれ!」, Giroro's catchphrase. You can't see it very well here, but there'll be a better shot of it in the next post.

When I got to the lineup (about 30-45 minutes before the convention started) there was a huge lineup and I was a bit worried about how long I'd be in the lineup. A staff member came by calling for anybody in the lineup for Funimation's "Behind the Scenes" panel. More than half the line disappeared and I ended up about 6 or 9 people from the front. Hells to the yeah!

Zelos (on the left, obviously)

Zelos showed up later and joined me in the lineup. Thought he was going to try and make the NND livestream, but I guess Nakata trumped that one. He had an autograph board signed, and asked for a little quip of Otoo-san from Working!! (if you didn't know, Nakata voices Otoo).

Oh and the third and final day (Sunday) I came with the ladyfriend.


Here's a picture of her with a Bane cosplayer. He didn't have a voice that always sounded like it was in your ear, no matter how far away he was. Nor did he have that odd voice. Oddly enough, there's a Chinese Electric Batman in the background (Hei, Darker than Black).

Walked around the Vendors Hall for the third and final time (first for the lady). Looked at things we (me and Zelos) really pay too much attention to (like jewelery and plushies). Didn't spend any money this round, though Zelos picked up a Flynn (Tales of Vesperia) plushy. It's got Nendo Petit joints in it, pushing it's price well above the average cost of your normal plushy. Over the three days, I think we blew clear of $300 combined (most of it on my part).


There wasn't too many things to take a look at. Most of the events were scheduled on the Saturday, or Sunday evening, which I'd miss. The only panel I went to was Nakata Jouji's second panel, the "Dark Side of Nakata Jouji", which was supposed to focus on his more serious, darker characters, like Kotomine and Alucard, though like his first panel, it was mainly just a mish-mash of everything.

Pictured above was a team of TF2 cosplayers, though the teams are so ridiculously skewed that I'd just quit if I was on the Blue team. Also, the scout on the far right is a friend of the ladyfriend's.

On the Red Team

• 2 Medics
• 2 Spies
• 4 Scouts
• 1 Engineer
• 1 Sniper
• 1 Heavy

On the Blue Team

• 2 Scouts
• 1 Heavy

There was also a Boomer hiding in the crowd, though I'm not sure what team a character from another game would be in.

Here's an amusing shot. Jesus and Master Chief. The first thing that went through my mind was "God mode activate" (or for Starcraft players, Power Overwhelming). Two great cosplays that are even better side by side.


Also spotted what I believe (ladyfriend says it is at least) a Ciel Phantomhive. Really didn't see too many of him at the convention and this one is really good. Photo is a bit wonky (a bit too dark), though it doesn't take too much away from the awesomeness of the costume. No Sebastian sighted though.


Caught this pair while we were heading back to the trains. On the left, Yuna, with her FFX look. On the right, Pit. Both are really great costumes (though Yuna could've done with her staff for completeness).

All the cosplayers hanging around outside must've been a real spectacle for all the toursts coming off the cruise ships or walking around downtown. Even moreso for customers of the Fairmont, seeing all the cosplayers in the hall's lobby.

Anywho, headed back to Richmond to pick up The Last Story (which I haven't started yet) and headed back home to get ready for work.

Stay tuned for next time when I put up our (Zelos included) haul! I've got my 3 Madoka bluray boxes as well as shots of The Last Story (not from AR, but it's during the same time frame, so why not?).

A girl with a rare growth disorder that leaves her in the body of a child at the age of 19 meets a boy with a mental disorder who has the mind of a small boy in a 17 year old form. A Friendly Winter shares with us the endearing story of their day-to-day lives, joys and tribulations.

Kenn's Comment: I don't think this is the first time that I've featured a DAUM serialized webcomic. Unlike the ones I feature in the Weekly Webcomic (which I haven't really touched in a long time), I consider these series to be full manga (manhwa in this case) series that are serialized online. In a way, GanGan Online is similar, as Yandere Kanojo (a manga I featured many moons ago) is serialized both online and in print (the serialized content is slightly different where the print edition has the brunt of the story).

Anywho, this one's a nice little romantic drama of reversed situations. The characters are an endearing bunch, from Min Seong's innocence to Da Jeong's haughtiness, each of the main characters and their close family have something that makes them stand out. Da Jeong's situation is pretty darn complicated too.

Anywho, enjoy the series!

The song and video...are so sad.

You know what else is really sad? How slow my computer has been these past few days.






Title: HEAVEN
Producer: はりー
Genre: Pop
Vocaloid: 初音ミク

Kenn's Comment: It's always a speeding truck isn't? The same kind of truck is the cause of pretty much every single tragedy I can think of Japanese anime related death.

Anywho, cynicism aside, this week saw a three way battle between this, an emotional Miku song, an energetic electronic song with a great looking PV, or a rockish GUMI with godly tuning. Tough choices resulted in this one being chosen. Maybe I'm just a sucker for watching people die or something but I do feel like this was the best of the three. Wait until you get to the end of the PV before your tears start welling. Damn.

Also, here's a cover of the song by KK. It came out really...really fast.

Welcome back to Part 2 of my Anime Revolution experience. Rather than waiting and hoping that Ivy gets me them photos, I'll go on without them. I've got lots of photos for Day 2, though having the ones of Jouji would have been really, really cool. Like really, really cool.





First thing in the morning: awesome Danbo cosplay. There's a switch on the side of his head that turns on lights behind the eyes. Absolutely amazing.

Day 2 begins fairly slowly. We didn't have line ups impeding us and the didn't really have any panels planned for the first few hours, so we trudged slowly through the Vendor's hall. Zelos went through the Artist's section, mentally bookmarking stalls and posters he wanted. As for me, I picked up the 3rd volume of the limited edition blurays for Madoka, pushing my spendings up well over $200. Again, I'll be covering the haul in it's own post.


Spotted a Keima in character. I wonder what he was playing on his PFP PSP. I should've brought mine. It'd help a lot with the lineups.

Compared to Friday, Saturday's vendor hall was fully set up and packed with people. We were there in the earlier hours, so the crowds were still fairly thin, but there still were visibly more people there.


One of the few Gintama cosplayers we spotted. It's hard to say what the most common cosplay was, but I was surprised to see that so few people were going as Bleach / Naruto / One Piece characters.

Zelos and I headed for the first panel, Voice Actor Idol. Think AI, except instead of singing, you're reading a script, putting yourself in character. Cue some lineup mishaps, a massive lineup and a text from Ivy which sent us heading to a completely different panel - Indie Games 101 (not the actual panel name). Can't say it was too interesting. Without their programmer, the panel (the first for the group) was fairly dull. Indie Games are great and all, but when all they are able to talk about is the mind set you'd have to go through, it doesn't feel a lot like a panel about making games at all. Speaker at the panel (from SpaceCat Studios) had to compete with the crowd and contestants over at the Voice Actor Idol; it was often hard to hear him making the panel hard to pay attention to.


Several failed attempts to meet up with Ivy later, we finally catch a break and catch her in line for the first of two Nakata Jouji panels (insert complaints of lack of Jouji panels here). The first panel was supposed to be of Nakata's more comedic characters like Giroro (ケロロ軍曹) and Otoo-san (Working!), though it ended up being filled with questions about his roles as Kotomine (Fate/Zero) and Alucard (Hellsing). It was pretty darn cool though. People would ask questions, often requests for lines from their favourite characters. My favourite questions were the ones related to Giroro, from his ギロギロギロギロ to his more comedic wailing "Natsumiiiiiii!". Zelos' favourite ones were ones related to Otoo-san (Working!). I bet people were surprised to know that Nakata voices such a feeble character when they see other roles he's done, like Kotomine, Alucard, and Sol (Guilty Gear).



Just an example of what things were like.


Three cosplayers from 未来日記 (Future Diary). Not sure which number they are, but Zelos is pretty sure that they're No. 13, so I'll go with that. The one in the middle back was saying "hurry up with the photos!". I'm sure we can all guess why he'd like us to hurry up.


This was an impressive cosplay. Might not look like much from this, but this guy is on stilts. Yes, you read right. Stilts. He stood well over a foot above everybody, and left Zelos and I wondering how the heck he managed to get in and out of the convention hall's doors. He even had an escort clearing the way for him to walk! I think this is One Piece? Correct me if I'm wrong, not a One Piece reader.

I've more of less run out of things to talk about, but I've still got lots of photos to run through.

Pictured here is the lineup for the Sailor Moon 20th Anniversary panel. Many of the voice actor guests for the convention had roles in the English dub of the series, so it was nice way to celebrate 20 years of the series. As you can see, the line is pretty big, but it's also chock full of a Sailor Moon cosplayers. This lineup started outside of the hall's doors, but other lineups were in Exhibition Hall A, an entire hall for lining up. Didn't learn about the lineup hall until before the Nakata panel. Blast.


One of the couple K-ON! cosplayers spotted at the con. Interestingly enough, it can be split down the middle - Black shoes on the left, white on the right. I don't think I saw a single Azusa cosplay. Azusa fan slightly discouraged.


Here's another one you didn't see a lot of. Sword Art Online! Kirito and Asuna cosplayers. I'm pretty sure these two were the only two SAO cosplayers, which makes them the best of the convention! These two were spotted in Exhibition Hall A, hanging around outside of the slew of lineups.


Aside from anime and game characters (there was a Team Fortress Medic cosplayer above), you also had comic characters, like Scarecrow (pretty sure this is Scarecrow) from the Batman series. I can't tell you which variation this is (variation referring to which story).


Here's a bad photo. My camera doesn't handle backlight hella well, so the cosplayer of Nell is unfortuntaely, ominously lit.

Anywho, that's it for today, look forward to parts 3 and the haul post. Catch you next time!