Saturday, July 12, 2014
Here's a little review on what occurred at Anime Expo this year.
Day 0: I was planning on attending Day 0, but the hotel that I was registered at was only for days 1-4. I wasn't planning on cosplaying, but if I did I'd garner my miko (shrine maiden) garb. I was a bit upset because I was scheduled for a photo shoot that day with a good photographer friend of mine, Pika Inc. Photography.
Day 1: I cosplayed my Lolita version of Ghoulia Yelps from Monster High. The day started out great when I ran into a lovely Dawner that wanted a photo with me after parking the car near the hotel where I'd be staying and found another Monster High cosplayer (Rochelle Goyle).
But waiting in that long line in front of the convention center in the scorching heat was horrible. I waited almost three hours to get my badge and I was about ready to give out. My right leg and standing in those wedges... I couldn't take it. I literally felt like crying. My knee was swollen and there was blisters on my feet. The panels that I wanted to attend that day were changed to another time or cancelled.
Day 2: I cosplayed my original kunoichi Ginna Tsukihana and my boyfriend with me present as Shino Aburame from Naruto Shippuden. We attended the Naruto gathering at three in the afternoon and I sorta felt neglected since my cosplay was an original character (OC). To be honest, I don't think originals are appreciated enough like Cannon. It should be treated equal especially when someone puts in the time and effort to make their cosplay. Feeling down in the dumps, I left about half way through the gathering and went to the Sailor Moon panel to sit down and no later than ten minutes to get up because it was over. I was able to film just a bit though.
I forgot which booth it was in the exhibit hall, but I got my badge signed by Cristina Valenzuela the voice actor of Noel Vermillion and a picture with her as well as Patrick Seitz the voice actor of Ragna the Bloodedge. I wish I would've brought my Blazblue: Continuum Shift DS game to get signed, but I had no room in my luggage for any extra stuff. Wandering around the entertainment hall a bit more, I ran into one of my cosplay idols, Monika Lee and got a photo with her. Later that day since I never got the chance to do so, I was planning on posting stuff to my social media sites and my laptop immediately ran out of battery life and better yet my cord was forgotten back was in the car. That's why I couldn't post any morning cosplay previews nor images of my whereabouts for my AX give-away.
Day 3: I cosplayed my original senshi Sailor Aquarius: Guardian of the Winds with my keyblade Wind's Requiem in hand. It was repaired for the time being and went through kind of a color change on some parts to hide the chips and cracks, but it made due since I ran out of time to scrap and make a new one. First thing that morning I went and took my keyblade to the weapon check booth. Apparently my chain was too long and can only be 12 inches. What the hell!? I got my orange tag and was asked to hold the commissioned keyblade, Way To The Dawn while my boyfriend put the chains away in our bag. I was bumped into by a cosplayer and lost my grip of my own keyblade. It fell to the floor and the same part of my keyblade broke again. I was pissed because I'd have to repair it again. I immediately went to the back of the entertainment hall to the cosplay repair section and hot glued the piece back. My wings that were attached to my converse were getting in the way so I secured them with tape while I was there.
I went to the Kingdom Hearts gathering at two in the afternoon accompanying boyfriend since he was cosplaying Roxas. We both were supposed to meet up with a client of ours for the Way To The Dawn keyblade, but he never showed. This made the both of us extremely mad because we had to lug it with us for the rest of the day also due to the fact that he never called nor messaged us before hand that he was unable to make it.
I got to the line in the exhibit hall for the Viz Media booth before three in the afternoon so that I could get a good spot instead of waiting in the back and got a Sailor Moon poster. It wasn't what I expected and I was utterly disappointed. I felt like it was a complete waste and I brought my Sailor Moon tee for nothing. It was NOT the signing of the original cast just a photo op of the new cast. I thought that I would be taking a photo with them, but I was wrong. I was only allowed to take a photo of them and then leave if I wasn't taking photos. It was completely ridiculous and none the less the staff was rude. I was supposed to attend the Sailor Moon gathering at five in the afternoon, but the shun that I got from the Naruto gathering on Day 2, I didn't bother going afraid of the same type of reaction. Since my give-away wasn't going as planned and I had made no posts I decided to cancel it all together and save it for another give-away that I'll have later that's international instead of restricted for those who couldn't attend AX.
Well, it's over and I'm home. Anime Expo was okay for the most part, in spite of the problems and drama I experienced. I'm glad that my boyfriend and my closest friends were there for me throughout the whole convention experience making some of it enjoyable and cheering me up. I wish I could have went to a lot more panels and spent more time with certain people that I wasn't able to hang out with, but it's done and can't be changed. I made a few new friends, some of whom I'm still trying to find. Hopefully I'll go again next year. Here's to hoping, at least.
