Dinner of Champions, but What Happened to the Appetizers
One of my favorite things from previous Anime Los Angeles events at the LAX Marriott were the happy hour appetizers. A few friends decided to go the the sports bar at the hotel to share a plate of fish and chips and possible mozzarella sticks. Unfortunately, the appetizer menu was gone. This meant, there were no more $4 fish and chips special. While we did not mind paying $12 for chicken strips, it was not enough for the group. The regular menu items were far overpriced compared to previous years. The food was fairly decent, but if you're looking for a quick burger, hit Carl's Jr. a few blocks down or Burger King.

History of the International Thief of Mystery
After the successful run of The History of Lupin III panel at Pacific Media Expo Jared was ready to give the panel a second run at Anime LA. This time the panel had a focus on the history of Lupin III in the US . There was some trouble with getting the laptop working with the big screen, but with some help from Austin Wright, everything ran well. The audience got a kick out of the clips and the focus on the American side of Lupin made the panel flow smoother than the previous attempt. The panel received positive reviews from the attendees and the panel will make a return at the next Scarlet Rhapsody event.

Sailor Moon Manga: From Mixx to Kodansha USA

I attended Serenity and Fer’s Sailor Moon manga panel. The panel was about comparing and contrasting the Mixx / Tokyopop and Kondansha USA release of the famed shoujo series. The panel attracted series purists and people who grew up with Sailor Moon. Serenity and Fer critiqued the dialogue in the Kondansha USA release being very wordy and not something a typical teenager would say. Eyebrows were raised when Luna suggested Usagi to live “more nervously” in the Kondansha release. The panelists also talked about how hard it is to find the Mixx / Tokyopop release of the Sailor Moon manga at the original retail price. Prices of the first edition prints can run from $40-$60 on Amazon.

A Dance Across Time

For the past couple years, Anime LA has had a Regency Ball on the last of the con. I critiqued this event during its inaugural run as not being a ball, but rather, an old man in tights telling people what to do. A Dance Through Time was Anime LA’s first ballroom dance. The only publicity the event received was through a Facebook group. While the ballroom dance was fairly small, it still was a pleasant event. I attended this event with a few of the Vocaloid friends I made during the Vocaloid photoshoot. Swing and typical ballroom waltzes were played courtesy of Brain Age Guy and Alfred. While I was only at the ball for a short time, I have to commend them for the coordinator for putting this together on her own. Should this event be brought back in 2013, I hope it will be bigger and better. Los Angeles area cons need more convention proms!

Let's Go to War: Convention War Stories
The trip to the Convention War Stories panel was a war story. Finding the almost hidden Ballroom E was not easy. Three staff members gave Jared three different answers as to where it was located and lacking a map did not help in finding the panel room. However, by the time he arrived everything was smoothed out. The room was full and all panel members had been keeping the discussion going. Jared joined in seamlessly as he told some of his classic stories with some new stories from last year. Near the mid point of the panel Victoria arrived from her photoshoot to add a female perspective to the panel. This panel was different than most previous War Story panels because we had two guests on the panel. This added a very different perspective to the panel and will hopefully remain part of the panel at future events. Due to Jared’s persistence the panel ran long, but in no way caused trouble for the Pajama Party due to an hour gap between panels.

I Love the Nightlife, I Love to Boogie: Anime LA at Night

The nightlife was in full swing on Friday night. The halls smelled of alcohol and buzzed cosplayers could be seen wandering the halls. We checked out the dance and were not really impressed. The music was an odd mix of industrial and trance, which made it difficult to dance. We wandered about talking with friends and enjoying what we could of the night. There was also the pirate rum party and the pajama party going on at the same time. There were different options kids of all ages can check out at Anime LA. However, seeing police officers in the lobby gave us a good clue that it might be a better idea to go back to the hotel room for the night.

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