Last year I decided to skip out on AM2 as it was going up against Anime Expo and I decided to go to the convention that has been around for twenty years instead of the first year convention. During that weekend various friends told me what AM2 was like and the majority of the stories were not flattering. This year the convention took place two weeks before Anime Expo and took place not too far from where I lived so I decided to give the second year of AM2 a chance.



I went to AM2 on Saturday with limited expectations. It was nice being back at the Anaheim Convention Center , but it was far too big for this event. Everything could have easily been on one floor or in a hotel. One of the other issues with the space chosen is the panel rooms being too small. This was especially true for the guest panels which filled up quickly and some panels had to turn people away because the room was full. In addition the convention center was being used by other events which led to the usual odd stares and unnecessary commentary. However, this is not uncommon at the Anaheim Convention Center.



There was one hall used for the dealer hall, artist alley, gaming, band stage, and brony lounge. While this may seem crowded on paper it was spaced very well, but that was partially due to the most of the sections being very small. There was not much of a dealer hall and most booths appeared to inflate the prices of their goods. On the good side, the artist alley was decently sized and had a good number of vendors. The Brony Lounge had a TV showing My Little Pony episodes and some crafts for those interested. There was also a midway type area, but it looked mostly vacant with very few people really seeming to care. The stage was small, but that did not matter as most bands that came on stage were rather terrible. Finally, the gaming area was made up of four TVs and way too many chairs. Overall, the main hall was a disappointment.



It is difficult to recommend AM2 as there is very little to do at the convention. It is sad when the highlight of the convention is making eyes with a cute girl at the Brony Lounge. I will give points to the convention for their guest list as it was pretty good for a small event. However, it looked like most people were just hanging out rather than doing things at the convention. The bands on stage were terrible, there was very little at the dealer hall, and the interactive events did not appeal to me very much with the exception of the Blue Rose Academy . Despite this, if you are in the area, there are worse ways to spend a Saturday. I do not recommend this convention for out of town conventioneers as there is nothing to make this worth a long trip.

the cute girl at the brony lounge

There are several things that could make AM2 a convention that could be recommended. The first is to improve the band stage. Better bands make for better entertainment and that will make for happier attendees that will be more likely to buy band merchandise. Second, bigger panel rooms as people seem to attend panels with higher numbers at AM2 or have a larger room set aside for popular guest panels. Shorten the convention to one or two days. Keep Saturday and maybe Sunday and compress the programming so that people stick around past six in the evening. It would be nice to see a better AM2, after all it is always fun to hit conventions in your home town.



I would like to extend my thanks to the Scarlet Rhapsody staff, the AM2 registration crew, Miguel, comfy chairs, and that cute gal I made eyes with at the Brony Lounge all of you made this event a much more pleasant experience. If there are any comments or questions about this report feel free not to contact me Jared(at)scarlet-rhapsody.com. Until next time, give my love to "Peg Bundy" - she is much cuter without the wig.

 

The List

  1. I almost forgot about this con
  2. One day is all you need
  3. I really like the ACC
  4. Note to self: bring back Reno
  5. At least there are plenty of chairs
  6. Only four TVs?
  7. Didn’t cosplay, felt good
  8. Bronies be crazy
  9. You want to charge me how much for a Figma?
  10. Let’s wrap up the list
  11. RE: 10 – The End

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