San Japan 4TW was this past weekend and it was a BLAST. Except for some technical issues at the concert and the general lunacy that went on in Con Alley before the rave, I had a great time.
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The Loliholix are no more, we are now NeRiMa ねりま
UPDATE: The president of the Mizuumi-con sponsoring organization “Patrick “Enzan” Lloyd” replied below, and apparently the empty tables were the result of no-shows.
Mizuumi-Con is special for me because it is where this crazy trip called “creativity” began. I first attended Mizuumi-Con back in 2009, where I attended two panels. The first was with Kevin M. Connolly, who discussed voice acting. The second was Chris Holm’s panel which talked about ‘inspiring artists.’ Kevin provided insight on doing voiceovers, and the message of Chris’ panel was…well, “get off your ass and do something.”
A few days later, I was flipping through old notes, trying to figure out what old ideas might be worth dusting off. A few weeks later, I would meet with Chris and a couple of other guys to form what would eventually become First Storm Manga.
This would actually be my second Mizuumi-Con behind the First Storm Manga table in the dealer/artist area. Unlike other cons, Mizuumi puts both artists and dealers in the same space. Last year, it was a madhouse; the space was packed to the gills with artists, dealers, and more importantly, customers. In an effort to ease the congestion, and I presume, get more dealers and artists involved, it was decided that a second room, dubbed the “Annex,” would contain the spillover.
It was a good idea on paper, but a few things kept it from working as well as it should have:
I went by the Annex a few times to say hi to friends and check up on them. It was crowded, hot and quite a few of my artist friends did not do as well sales-wise as they would have liked to. In contrast, the artists I knew that were in the original location did fairly well and things never got too hot or too crowded there.
Despite the Annex goof-up, I had fun talking to people about First Storm Manga and our own upcoming September event, the Mezasu mini-con. Mizuumi appeared to draw a good crowd and it looked like folks were having a good time. Mizuumi is a fun one-day event, and I try to encourage folks new to the anime scene to attend it as a starting point. I look forward to coming back next year; hopefully they will have worked out the kinks in the artist/dealer area.
A final note: If it sounds like I’m harping about the artist/dealer room thing it’s because I personally know just over half a dozen people that had tables there and I feel bad for the ones that got shafted. Hopefully things will be better next time.
UPDATE: Dress-up is not required, so come one and all!
When I first heard about the upcoming San Antonio Steampunk convention Ætherfest a few weeks ago, I was excited. I noticed that Steampunk had been gaining a larger and larger presence at anime conventions, and it was good to see that they were going to try their own thing. Having more geek conventions in San Antonio is also a Good Thing and I was looking forward to supporting these guys and learning more about what the whole Steampunk scene was about. Thus, I went to the Ætherfest webpage to read up on it. It featured the usual parade of guests, events, and dealers, and everything appeared to be business as usual until I got to the FAQ, which included this little tidbit of info at the bottom of the page:
Appropriately enough, this made me steamed
After reading that, I don’t feel like attending Ætherfest anymore. The paragraph above does not make me feel welcome as a guest. One of the points of a convention is to get folks that aren’t into your particular flavor of geekdom to see what it is all about in the hopes that they embrace it, or at least understand what its really about. Telling people that they might not be welcome because they aren’t dressed up is sending the wrong kind of message to your potential attendees. Yes, it does say: “we’ll try our best not to look peeved,” but that isn’t entirely reassuring. Indeed, the thought of spending a day being looked down upon by a bunch of self-important nerds in costumes and opera glasses is not my idea of a fun time.
If this message was intended to be delivered “in character” then okay, fine, I get the joke. That said, lots of other people will not, and when you’re starting a new convention, you don’t want to give people a reason not to attend. Admittedly, I’m probably making a mountain out of a molehill here, but I hope somebody sees the point I’m trying to make.
If Ætherfest is supposed to only be for hardcore Steampunk fans (steam-core? steam-elite?), then okay fine, do what you like. If, on the other hand, you are looking to get as many people to show up as possible and grow your fanbase, then this is not the way to do it.
Come on guys, we’re better than this!
UPDATE: Apparently some of the Aetherfest folks read the post. They agreed that their wording does come off as a tad ‘elitist’ but their intention was to poke fun at other cons where dress up is required, which is what I had guessed. They have posted the following disclaimer on their homepage and look forward to seeing everybody there for a jolly good time!
Well played, fellows!
To someone raised on a pop-culture diet of Mickey Mouse, Spider-man and Star Wars, the world of anime is an alien landscape filled with big eyes and its own set of strange rules. When new friends learn that I watch anime, the question of just why I watch it inevitably comes up, assuming they don’t themselves.
I watch anime because it is just so different from American animation.
I enjoy anime’s distinct visuals, ranging from the hyper-stylized look of 80’s action shows like Voltron to the beautiful scenery associated with Studio Ghibli productions. Detractors say “it all looks the same” but the same could also be said about comics and Disney productions. Now, anime does have its own set of visual cues and tropes that have to be learned, but once you learn the ‘rules’ it makes much more sense and becomes more enjoyable.
Secondly, nearly all genres are represented in anime: comedy, drama, horror, science fiction, mystery, fantasy, and yes, even fairy tales. As cliché as it sounds, there really is “something for everyone.” I steer more toward science fiction and comedy myself, in my opinion, there isn’t nearly enough sci-fi to be found in western animation and Japanese comedy (animated or otherwise) is just bonkers.
Finally, anime is not confined to being “just for kids.” Mature themes are more prevalent than they are in Western animation. They also don’t feel forced, instead they’re just there. Contrast this to many American cartoons, where characters don’t get injured unless it advances the plot. Powerful, moving stories can be told as just effectively in animation as they are in live-action.
I cite “Grave of the Fireflies” as the best example of this: there are no giant robots, no hyperactive girls or pretty-boys, instead it is the sobering tale of two children trying to survive in World War 2 Japan.
That’s not to say that US animation is bad, mind you. I grew up on the works of Disney, Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbera and I enjoy them on their own merits. For what its worth, though, I think animation in the United States is slowly but surely growing up.
For me, at least, US cartoons were the appetizer, and anime is the main course. Interesting visuals, genres that are underrepresented in US animation, and more mature content will keep me watching. The next time that inevitable question arises, I’ll probably reply by asking that person: “Why don’t you watch anime?”
Eduardo Soliz 