Animation on Display had humble beginnings at Santa Clara University. Now, AOD had made its home in San Francisco. I like that after attempts of having an anime convention in San Francisco, this has been the most successful. San Francisco is an expensive venue to host an event. The Japantown location is very reminiscent of the older Japan Town Anime Fair that only lasted for a few years. Though AOD hails itself as going beyond Japanese animation, for many, it still does have the feel of a typical anime convention - cosplay, focus on Japanese culture, and events that can be found at the average anime con (masquerade, karaoke, etc). This is not to say that it's a bad thing, attendees dictate the flow with how things go at the con. If attendees want karaoke, they'll find the karaoke room and sing to their heart's content. 

I do not have anything negative to say about AOD. There have been a few stumbles, but that is expected of any event. My panel had to start 20 minutes after it's scheduled time only because the panel before mine went into overtime and I still had to set up technical equipment. I do appreciate the fact that we had technical assistance for laptops and projectors. 

One slight issue I had at AOD was the actions of an industry guest. It thought it was inappropriate of said guest to bad mouth certain people in the anime industry in a public space. While I do not mind honesty and constructive criticism, I found it unprofessional that this was all said in a public space. Off record conversations should be kept 1 on 1, not where others can hear one person's rant within ear shot. 

Masquerade was run very smooth. Many thanks to the masquerade staff for running things accordingly. I would not mind participating in this cosplay show again. If anyone is wondering about participating in AOD masquerade, I highly recommend it. My only critique is that I wish there was a given timeslot for contest judging. I felt weird visiting the judging room while the judges were having a late lunch. Thank you for your spectacle!

Many thanks to the program organizers for setting up my panels and advertising them in the program book. I thought the layout of the con was pretty decent given with what we had to work with. I tolerated the crowds on the first day because of the rain. Something like that can not be helped. I do like the Kabuki and Japantown as a venue for this event. It is small enough and there are plenty of places to eat for any budget. 

I only wish I had more time during the day to check out more of the panels and programming. It seemed that AOD had a great schedule going for them this year, but so many things I wanted to do conflicted with each other. However, I did appreciate the late night events. Many people complain anime conventions lack night life, adding after hour programming is a huge plus. 

Overall, I enjoyed myself at AOD. I would return again if the timing is right. I enjoyed doing my panels and meeting new people, especially during masquerade backstage. I found the atmosphere to be friendly lacking any air of elitism or tension. Many thanks to Claudine for housing and transportation from the East Bay to San Francisco. I always appreciate your hospitality. Many thanks to my friends for making more memories with me. Many thanks to the AOD staff for being accommodating and listening to any concerns. If you live in the Bay Area and have not checked out AOD, try it for yourself. I would recommend buying your tickets in early so you can get the discounted price. 

Rock on, AOD!

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