I was just reading Cosplay.com's Feedback forum for Anime Expo 2012. I usually don't read those Feedback threads, but I guess since I missed a lot of the usual Anime Expo experience, while stuck at my Artist Alley table, I wanted to know how the con was for everyone else.
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| Lindsay Plaza taken over by X Games. Oh, Lindsay, how I missed you for cosplay gatherings! ;o; |
Though the majority of criticisms for AX2012 were about the X Games and crowds, I was surprised to hear so many people call the programming "meh". Over the years, I had begun to feel the same dimming excitement about AX, but I thought that was caused by my jadedness increasing with age. So I took it upon myself, to proactively make AX fun again. I took on more copslay, I became a gathering videographer, and now I'm doing Artist Alley.
No matter how lackluster the programming may be some days, you can always rely on the cosplay community. Especially AX is jam-packed with cosplay gatherings. A lot of cosplayers use AX to premier their best cosplays. And because of AX's massive size, the chances of seeing cosplayers from obscure, underrated series, goes up. This year, I saw several Natsume Yuujinchou cosplayers! ^u^ The gatherings are a lot more huge and playful, compared to some other cons. For a few years, the gatherings took up so much of my time, that I barely attended official AX programming. Even that time leading up to AX, gets revived by cosplay. Instead of the days before AX seeming so unbearably long, out of anticipation, when there's cosplay to be done, they seem way too short. Even as just a cosplay photographer, the gaps between good programming are alleviated. My brother barely goes to any programming, because he has too much fun photographing cosplayers. In fact, having so much to do at AX, just in terms of cosplay, is the reason why I was reluctant to do Artist Alley again. Cosplay can really make AX fun, no matter what else in the con changes.
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Not that I haven't seen some unsettling changes with AX over the years.
Figueroa Blvd being closed off by X Games in 2012, and causing attendees to detour into twisting, unknown streets in the middle of the night, reminded me of the Long Beach venue. That was scarey. Especially when your cosplay or huge bag of artist alley stuff won't let you run if there's trouble. It was nice that event staff (for LA Live?) were dotting the streets, so they weren't desolate. But I did get lost and end up in a much scarier street, with no staff. Maybe better detour signs are an order?
Last year, my problem with the programming was running to a room, only to be turned away because it was too full. I thought I got away from that, after leaving Comic Con. I was afraid it was still going on at AX this year. Thankfully, I didn't see any comments like that (so far) on the forum. I just hope that AX solves the cramped space problem better than other cons, for both panel rooms and exhibit hall.
And after AX went "corporate", they suddenly started charging for things that used to come free with general admission. Like main events, including AMV contest and Masquerade. So I dropped them. Besides, I was getting tired of the hairpins under my wig, setting off Nokia Theater's metal detector. And my brother isn't even allowed to take his tripod in there. ;_;
I hope that the "red carpet" for Guests of Honor will be on stage from now on. At 2012's red carpet, obscured by photographers, it was hard for the audience to get excited or be aware that the GoHs where there. On stage, the GoHs immediately interact with the crowd, instead of just the photographers, and the room doesn't go unusually stale, like it did this year.
Something AX can solve right away, is that unnecessary clearing of the Charity Auction audience before Closing Ceremonies. It would make more sense if Closing Ceremonies was a packed event, but it never is. And most of the people in the Charity Auction are just waiting for Closing Ceremonies, with nothing better to do anyway. But if I knew they were going to kick us out, just to get in line, to end up with the same seats again, I would have gone back to the hotel instead.
And it was sad to hear on the forum that some staffers are still being too rude about informing cosplayers about peacebonding. Some of them need to understand that we _just_ set foot on the con, after getting on the cosplay made us unreasonably late, and we haven't been able to go to the peacebonding station yet.
But thankfully, a lot of the problems with AX are things I've been able to speak about in the past tense.
In other ways, AX has been improving, over the years.
This year, they just stumbled upon the brilliant idea of having Opening Ceremonies on Day 0. Everyone keeps saying the general registration line was unusually fast/short this year. I suspect more people were drawn to pick up badges on Day 0, to attend Opening Ceremonies too, and that may have alleviated the line on Day 1 and on. Just a theory. But I did like the idea of having time for more panels on Day 1, instead of Opening Ceremonies (even if I was stuck at Artist Alley instead).
AX also seems to be dedicating a block of panels to more scholastic lectures about anime and manga. Very reminiscent of the Comic Arts Conference Sessions, which I miss from Comic Con. I await the day when Crispin Freeman's anime and mythology lectures return to AX. *u*
As many problems as increased attendance causes, I do love AX for its massive number of attendees. Fandom is just more fun with more people. Whether its the cosplay gatherings, the panel discussions, or even just everyone laughing at the same parts of a video together---The comradery makes fandom more enjoyable.
As long as AX doesn't become unnecessarily pricey and cap off the attendee number, I won't have to drop it, like Comic Con. I'd hate to drop AX. I've been going since 1996, and I'm too sentimental to give up on my first con. In fact, even if it got bad, I'd probably still attend (at least 1 day), for the cosplay and exhibit hall. You can always be sure to see interesting stuff at AX because _everyone_ goes to AX---both cosplayers and industry companies.
