Often I have heard Anime Los Angeles called “the anti-Anime Expo." I find that in many ways this is true. Anime Expo has Japanese guests, ALA does not. Anime Expo has a huge dealer hall, ALA does not. Anime Expo draws in guests you recognize, ALA does not. Anime Expo has more programming than you know what to do with, ALA does not. Anime Expo remains in discussion year round, ALA does not. While this may be a harsh comparison, I feel it is an apt rebuttal to those who feel that ALA is superior to AX. If I based my opinion of other conventions on Anime Expo then most conventions would receive a brutal review. However, I rate conventions based on size, which still gives Anime Los Angeles a large pool to compete with from Anime Vegas to Pacific Media Expo.
Anime Los Angeles is one of the few winter conventions and is the way that most LA area cosplayers and anime fans begin their year. Due to this, there are a large number of people who find their way into the convention. While there may be an attendance cap of 4,000 on Saturday anyone could tell that there were far more than badges would allow. It is not surprising to learn that people have stuffed ten bodies into one hotel room nor is it shocking when people inform you that they are ghosting the event. As there is limited programming and a small dealer hall there is not much reason one would need a badge. With so few reasons to have a badge it is not hard for one to imagine that badge sharing or ghosting might occur. Before the convention there were rumors that security was going to be increased, yet this reporter could find no evidence of the new security. If anything this convention seemed to lack security. Rarely did I have to show my badge to get into a panel and if all you want to do is cosplay then there is nothing stopping you from just taking a trip down to the pool deck.
There are more staff related issues that came up at this convention that cannot be ignored. The first is that some signs were not up on the first day and some signs were misprinted. In addition it was not always easy to get around the convention as often times staff members would give bad directions to different panel rooms. Beyond that the program guide lacked information on several guests and panel hosts. While a member of Plastic Joint received a section in the guide there was no slot for Spike Spencer, Richard Epcar, and several other industry guests. Beyond all this, we have eye witness accounts of ALA staff members being drunk or drinking on the job. While I do not feel it is appropriate to reveal the names of those found at the event drunk I do feel it reflects poorly on the quality of ALA staff.
The convention gave the attendee exactly what is expected of ALA. A small dealer room with a few hidden gems to make some fans happy, a small artist alley that provided a fair amount of booths, a video game room featuring all the expected titles, and a table top gaming room for Yu-Gi-Oh fans. While none of these things were out right bad, there is nothing to really write home about either. The programming was passable for a small con. While I did find myself running to a few panels the majority of the panels held very little interest for me. The panel room sizes were fine, but some rooms could be hard to get into due to hallway crowding. The dance was fine, but not all the music was that great. The vibe of the dance is weak even when it has a good number of people gathered. This convention also holds the status of being the first dance that creepers came on to me and made me feel uncomfortable. The convention has no control over creepers at the dance; it is merely another anecdote for my War Stories panel, and a warning for those who like to go to a chill dance.
The guest list was better this year than most years. While some guests made no sense, such as Panda Cubed, there were plenty of anime alumni that were at ALA. From voice actors like Kyle Hebert and Spike Spencer to convention heads and noted members of anime production. The lack of Japanese guests still hurts this event and after eight years there really is no excuse to not have a Japanese guest of honor. The general treatment of panelists was better than previous years. There was very little problem with running a panel at ALA and the panelist lounge was a nice place to take a break and get a snack. This was the first year that I actually felt respected as a panelist at ALA a great improvement from my previous appearances.
This convention gives the attendees the bare minimum that a convention can give while holding the title of “anime convention”. This makes the at door price of $50 seem outrageous. More than that, it has been revealed that next year will have an at door price of $60. That is a high price to pay for a very limited convention. I will not speculate as to where all the money goes, but with prices that high it is not a surprise that people would ghost to show off their new cosplay and go home. If the prices are going to rise then hopefully content will rise as well, but if eight years of bare minimum has taught us anything it is that this convention will not change no matter the price.
While I may be critical of this event I did enjoy myself and I had fun running my panels. However, that does not make this a good convention. If ALA was not as close as it is to me I would avoid it entirely. I go to this convention because it is close and provides me a place to fine tune my panels before the big guys like Anime Central and Fanime. If you are a SoCal cosplayer then you may as well go to show off your new outfit and hit a masquerade with limited competition. If you are from anywhere else then you should just save your money for a better event.
There are some people who made my time at ALA enjoyable and I would like to thank them now. Special thanks go out to: Austin Wright, Ray, Butterfree, Shorty, Diana, Masoud, the Scarlet Rhapsody staff, David Merrill, Kyle Hebert, Jake Tarbox, Vincent Martinez, and everyone who showed up to my panels. While I do not know if I will return to this convention I am glad I spent my time with some cool people. If you have any questions or comments feel free to not contact me at (Jared-at-ScarletRhapsody.com). I will now leave you with my list and until next time give my love to all the little ponies.
The List
- Football!
- So many ponies…
- War Stories rocked the house
- Street Fighter Alpha 3, that brings back memories
- I could have reviewed this con with two words
- RE 5- Of course you don’t get that reference
- I’m so bored
- I need to remember my little hiding place
- Only 4,211? Yeah right!
- Where’s Richard?
- The secret elevator
- Food costs how much?!
- Wow, the pool deck… so many people…
- Rick Daglass will return…
- What is that smell? Oh, booze.
- Lupin stole the show and will steal it again
- I need to get a net
- Next Cosplay: Producer-san
- Hey Bear, you are not even funny in 3D
- I just need some space
- Jenga, jenga!
- Missed by that much
- Note to self: spread the panels over all three days
- I’m the guy in the trench coat
- Yanki for fun and profit
- Maybe I will get back into AMV production…
- At least I didn’t get sick
- Dear Princess Celestia...
- Do the creep
- Fire!
- If this is the beginning, I’d hate to see the end
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