Anime Expo 2010 Report: Part 7.5 - Epilogue

It's been exactly a week since Anime Expo ended. I'm still recovering as I struggle to find a place for all this new stuff that I got.

For all the talk prior about the potential "failure" of this con, things went really well. Like I said before, I was expecting something like Fanime but that quickly went away when I stood in line for badges on Day Zero. Then again, it's the biggest con in North America and that's why I'm a bit irked about AX not coming through on what they said they were offering. The stakes may be lower at smaller cons, but here at AX the stakes are high - very high. And for a con of this size, you better make sure that you have all your t's dotted and your i's crossed because if you don't come through with what is advertised, expect a ton of angry customers.

I will give them some slack on ticketing since I'm thinking AX probably got screwed over last second with some of the guests of honor declining to hand out tickets because pressure from their representatives who have more leverage over AX staff (i.e. NIS America and Yui Horie). For next year AX, state that they "might" give out autograph priority tickets to give the hint that a guest of honor may or may not give out tickets. I do believe that all these bum rushes, overcrowding, and creating fire hazards could of been avoided with these tickets.

That's only the real complaint I have about AX. I'm not going to complain in detail about what had happened at the SoCal Host Club Main Event since a) we should of been specific in getting a workshop room and b) AX staffers gave us another session which we are thankful for.

I had a ton of fun over the weekend. Met new people, saw familiar faces in a new locale, and got to explore a part of Los Angeles that has eluded me ever since I was born.

The question now is: where will Anime Expo go from here? Like I mentioned, 2011 will be under a completely new staff including the new head of marketing. Chase Wang's work at AX is done, and now we need to see that the new head can bring the same quality as past years next year. Likewise, there needs to be a lot changes if this con is going to survive to live out the contract set by the convention and the city of Los Angeles - if you haven't heard, the mayor of Los Angeles was present on Thursday to announce that Anime Expo is staying at the LACC through 2013. Of course, rumors like charging extra for admission to the Exhibit Hall for 2011 or the low number of dealers who have pre-registered with "conditions" for 2011 don't help.

Despite all that, I'll still go the Anime Expo 2011, assuming there is one.

Well, this concludes my Anime Expo 2010 report. I hope to see you all in Sin City for Anime Vegas and/or FanimeCon 2011 and/or Anime Expo 2011!

私のレポートを 読むためにありがとう。
Thank you for reading my report.

-Anime Expo 2010 Report End-