Where are they now? Claudine practices family law. Deb is training for the peace corps Tom quit medicine, said he makes more modeling anyhow (just like his younger days). Shane ran for governor, but was defeated of course and his wife (Carolyn) hired Jared to handle their messy divorce. And hey! Diana married Brendan (the American psycho from UPS)! And now they have two kids And one more on the way And they live out in Worcester. Diana bought a new salon.

Okay, none of that happened...yet. Anime Los Angeles 2009 was an all time high. While there were moments of adrenaline rush and pre-masquerade jitters, I managed to have a great time. I am very glad to see that ALA has kept their promise to be a fan friendly event, catering to their attendees and respecting their needs. While others still have grudges against the various incidents during ALA 07 (read: badge Nazis), Southern California's winter classic still remains strong. I never had a single problem with staff. For the record, I was not harassed for not having my badge on my costume, as I had it clipped to my purse.

Masquerade was a great experience. It reminded me how much I still enjoy being on stage. I have to thank my group members - Tom, Deb, and Stan for sharing this opportunity. More importantly, we must thank Faire Goddess for a job well done running masquerade in the smoothest possible manner. Though the show ran late (what else is new?), the green room catered to the costumer's physical needs (food and drinks). It was a relaxing environment and I was glad to talk to other cosplayers. I felt no tension or heavy competition in the room. We were all in the same boat - geeks who love making costumes for fun. Though Faire Goddess still owes Traveling Valentine a crashing chandelier for Anime Los Angeles 2010.

Anime Los Angeles has the best public relations of any anime convention I've seen. You can see Chaz at almost any anime convention in the general California area or see him serving lemonade at a local Southern California cosplay gathering. He is always friendly and approachable. Of course, he's always thrilled to talk about his January event. The staff was not only helpful, but older staff members were concerned about the health and well being of attendees. I really appreciated the fact that one staff member reminded me that eight hours of sleep during a convention is just as important.

I have to thank my friends for always being there for me. You know me. I always enjoy sharing a meal with good company at any convention or post-gathering party. Many thanks to Jared for talking me into attending my first anime music video show. Julia, Caitlin, and I were happy to be a part of your entourage. I have to thank all of Traveling Valentine for all their hard work as performers and fan journalists. It is always a pleasure working with you guys.

The only complaints I have about Anime Los Angeles 2009 are 1) karaoke room and 2) revised rules for the anime music video contest. After speaking to the karaoke room coordinator, I was under the impression that the karaoke room was going to be an all day and night set up. I had no idea it was a shared room with the concerts. Not to mention, I was starting to get annoyed with the delays to start up the karaoke room on Saturday evening. When it finally was Tom and my turn to go up on stage, only one microphone was working properly. In regards to the anime music video contest, several of my friends did not appreciate the fact that the "Be a Man" (Gurren Lagann) video was able to enter after winning awards at major conventions (Fanime and Anime Expo). I would advise the anime music video contest department to discourage trolling, particularly when a video has placed at major conventions.

True, cell phone reception was not the best at the new location, but it is not ALA's fault. I had worse reception during Anime Expo's Anaheim days. Situations like that cannot be helped by the convention, but perhaps the location itself can find a way to request a cellular tower near by. Ironically, ATT had decent reception. However, though I could make outgoing calls, my friends on other services had several missed calls from me.

Otherwise, Anime Los Angeles is one of those rare feel good conventions. Though the new generation of anime fans dominated the demographics, it still had a very fine atmosphere. I wish I hit up more panels and had known that Kevin Lillard was in the dealer's room earlier, though Tom managed to cover panels. I had a great time with many people. It's you guys who made this convention one of the best convention experiences I have had in a while.

They ask you, what was the high point? The hall of dealers, taking pictures of all those cosplayers, pulling Sherry out of the hat - it was all great. But the first time the four of us were on stage - when everything dropped away and all there was, was the music - that was the best. And I'm still out there cosplaying and going to conventions like that bunny on TV with the battery, I just keep going and going and going- chasing the music trying to get home.

And if home is on the Eastern horizon, at least Anime Los Angeles' early post-holidays January date would make it easier for me to attend in 2010.

K Valentine on Associated Content
Tom is one of the few writers covering anime conventions on Associated Content and published his Anime Los Angeles Field Report there. He may be antisocial but he is quite observant.

And here's the part where we cue "Who Loves You" in one show stopping finale number.

Pictures are copyright by Traveling Valentine. If I took your picture, feel free to use it on your site or cosplay gallery. While you're here, do sign the guestbook. This site was brought to you by the font Dance Club. Many thanks to Chaz Boston Baden for the image resizing and watermarking program.