Anime Expo Walkthrough

Here’s the first of three LA post I’ll be making. Alright… so here’s a complete overview of my entire  time at this year’s Anime Expo. Don’t expect any awesome photos though… I’m sure there are quite a few others who got the event covered better than I do. This is just a showing of what I snapped randomly ^^;.

First time walking to the convention center and it took me a around 40 minutes… while carrying all my stuff with me. Advertisement for Marvel vs. Capcom. Look! It’s Deadpool!

Itabus

I just walked in and the dude in the red kicked me out cuz I didn’t pick up badge yet ^^;

Hordes of people

Gundam vs. Gundam the arcade! I didn’t get to play it though.

Zangief

Danny’s first panel

Listened to him talk about his life, experience, and how he made it to here he is today. Even though I’ve read about most of it before on his site, it was still very motivating hearing him talk about it ^^.

Danny and Saber after the panel.

Exhibition Hall

Biggest. Dealer. Room. EvAR… for me.

Saw some silly cardboard shenanigans like this all over the place.

Giant Hi-Chew

Hello Panda>>>Pocky. Anyway, so the real Bridget is a trap because he’s a guy right? but… this Bridget is a girl so…. *Head explodes*

She was gorgeous

Power Ranger lives! I can’t believe who I saw running this booth… Zack (Walter Jones) and Rocky (on separate days)! The original black and second original red ranger, respectively. Really hard to believe it’s been like over 15 years since they were Rangers o_o. Couldn’t get any photos of them unfortunately since they were crowded by old fans and they were selling their autographs for $10.

I’ve always wanted this helmet since I was a kid…

Some items were really cheap! and my first time seeing (and feeling) a dakimakura… thought they would be bigger…

Random

Tenga has finally made its way to America!

Those miniature food replicas that girls seem to be wild over these days…

The Exhibition as seen from the press room

The other side of the Exhibition.

Lawl… and this is how it looks after closing.

The Gundam booth… doesn’t it make you depressed looking at it? xD Alright… let’s go back in time to the day before…

This group was standing like this for quite some time…

Cute

WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK HE IS?!

Thanks to a fellow DC comrade (who happens to be a press member), I was able to get into a private press conference with Konishi-san as his photographer. After a few shots, I just sat there quietly listening to Konishi-san talking about his thoughts on his various roles.

Cosplayers… saw many fabulous ones but I didn’t ask any for photos.  It’s nice and all… but not really what I’m interested in shooting ^^;

The Indecent Otaku Comedy Show

Hmm… The title of this event must’ve been a misnomer or something cuz there was nothing indecent nor was there actual comedy. There was a lot of giveaway as you can see and a cosplay contest that I didn’t get to shoot.

This was the only time I wish I could record video on my camera… the Tokyo Dancing Trooper (Danny Choo) dancing in LA.

Like I said, most of this event was just a giveaway through various means… from playing rock paper scissors with Danny to outright just tossing the stuff out there. The latter was when the show got a bit dangerous as people all squeeze to the front to catch the prize (gundam models, figures, dakimakura, DVD, etc) and wrestle for it. I find it pitiful in some instances how even after someone caught it, they will still be fighting over the figure and struggle to rip the thing apart. This is where I missed the rest of the show (the cosplay contest) as during one of the jump, my lens cap got knocked off my camera and flew to who knows where and so I spent the rest of the time looking for it… but I never found it. Anyway, moving on…

I found an itasha!

Closing Ceremony

Every guest of honor present giving their last words to the fans. Here is Nabeshin who wins for saying the energy from everyone has caused his ‘fro to grow!

Danny Choo, Nabeshin, Kyle Hebert, and… sorry I forgot who that person is ^^;

I know some of you love Megumi Nakajima (Ranka) and May’n (Sheryl) so I tried to take some good pics for you guys but I was just too far away and my lens was crappy… This was the best I got ^^;

I half-expected Konishi-san to roar out some appropriate Kamina lines (“Believe in the you who believes in yourself!”) but sadly, he just humbly thanked the fans. That would’ve rocked the house I think ^^;

Those who had to leave the Expo early had their words to the fans recorded some time earlier and played at the ceremony… like Eri Kitamura (Ami-chan from Toradora!)

… and Yui Horie (Minorin from Toradora!). I believed her when she said she is 17. Yup, she is totally 17.

Her left eye glowed red as the picture darkened after her little speech…and it spooked many people ^^;

Just right after the ceremony. The ending was a bit blah as there was nothing spectacular… just a “thank you for coming!” and everyone claps then the staffs start chucking people out the door. It sure was a load of fun while it lasted. I was also dead tired by this time as well. Everything went by so fast and felt so surreal that it seems like a dream now that I’m back home. Even though I didn’t attend many events, I still enjoyed just about every bit of it.  Not bad for my first time actually going to an anime convention as a normal attendee ^^.

Will show Gundam stuff in the next post ^^.