Jared's Perspective: Video Game Voice Acting

Gathering some notable voice actors such as Kyle Hebert and Spike Spencer and lesser known fan favorites like Julie Goldstein, Jessica Strauss, Danielle McRae, and others. The Video Game Voice Actors panel drew in a large audience to match the large amount of voice talent present. The questions ranged from telling a favorite story to listing favorite characters. The wackiness provided by Spike Spencer brought many laughs to the show. Videos of the show can be found on the Scarlet Rhapsody youtube page.

Jeff's Perspective: Video Game Voice Actors Panel

Again we have another round table panel which could have been called Voice Actor Round Table III and at this point some of the actors from previous panels were running out of stories during the Q&A Section. The presence of Jon Allen and Spike Spencer helped bring in loads of laughs especially from Spike as his was sipping on his wine but my favorite part of the panel was hearing Christopher Smiths perfect Kermit The Frog impression (Fun Fact: Christopher Smith is on the short list at Disney for Kermit The Frog soundalikes) singing the first few lines of Caribbean Amphibian. There was some discussion about the differences in voicing for Video Games vs. Anime but it was few and far between compared to questions involving favorite characters and hearing repeat stories from previous panels.

Buried Treasures
As a fan of old school anime Jared hit the Buried Treasures of Anime panel. He arrived expecting to hear about obscure anime, but instead was treated to some of the worst old school anime that never made it to the US . The animation raged from barely sequential art to over the top craziness like summoning the Devil with a computer in Shin Megami Tensei. The panel provided many laughs and showed that bad anime is not limited by decade.

Table Top Gaming
Having some free time at the convention allowed Jared to check out the Table Top Gaming room. The room had several tables setup for card games with Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh as the most popular. However, traditional card games were played at some tables and a Jenga game gathered many spectators as well. There seemed to be a good variety in the room even if it lacked any role-playing games. Maybe next year the room could set up a few games of Big Eyes, Small Mouth.

Masquerade: Behind the Scenes
Anime Los Angeles is one of the few anime conventions that utilizes ICG guidelines for cosplay competitions. For the first time, Anime Los Angeles now as a second division for masquerade; Journeyman. This year, I was placed in the Open division for my Cure Moonlight (Heart Catch Pretty Cure) entry. Cosplayers were herded in the green room for last minute judging. I was able to get my face time with the judges so that they may review my costume. The judges were Karisu, Hoshikage, and Mea. All three are long time veterans of costuming and are often seen in the science fiction convention circuit.

The green room staff were the friendliest staff members at the convention. I was given double sided tape to help keep my boots up. In addition, the masquerade hospitality crew also made sure the cosplayers were fed and hydrated during the show. People backstage were generally friendly. We were able to watch masquerade from the green room via projector. I was one of the last entries to go up on stage. Here is my entry courtesy of ACP:

Once all 25 entries were done performing, halftime started up. Halftime entertainment was brought to us by Angel Hearts and Mikarin. Mikarin and her husband sang a few songs while dressed up as Gintama characters. Angel Hearts did their dance routine to a few selections from Idolm@ster.

Once halftime was over, the judges already were done deliberating on the winners. There were two sets of judges; workmanship and presentation. The presentation judges were Caistarrin and Waynekaa (American Cosplay Paradise). Best of Show went to We're Not Twins Cosplay for their Pony Rock Anthem sketch with costumes inspired by My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. We're Not Twins took home a certificate, prize ribbon, and one membership for Costume College 2012.

It was well known information that I was not present to pick up my award. My partner had a migraine and I had to take him back to the hotel room to make sure he was taken care of before I went back in the green room. Once that was taken care of, I rushed to the green room after Paige (V3 Cosplay Syndicate) text messaged me that I had won. As it turns our, Caistarrin had given me a presentation award for Best Stage Presence.

Many thanks to the Anime LA masquerade staff and participants for putting on a good show for everyone.

And I think the Host Club group deserves another recognition for Bieber Fever Room Award. Scarlet Rhapsody would have a fancy ribbon to give to you, but the reward is in the smiles of people who have viewed this video:

Nightlife
Anime Los Angeles has a reputation for being a nightlife convention. For the first time, Anime Los Angeles held a taco party on the 18th floor. Jeff and I were quite interested to check this out since we knew the people who were organizing it. Unfortunately, the place was very crowded and there was a line to get in. We were not aware about the $2 cover charge; while I don't mind paying $2 for all you can eat tacos, I usually don't carry my wallet with me (with the exception of my ID) while exploring the nightlife. Because it was too crowded to get in, we decided to skip out on it. As we were perusing through the Marriott, we also got wind that parties were also being shut down. For the most part, people were still hanging out in the lobby until the wee morning hours.

Dance II: Electic Boogalo
The rave dance had a much wilder vibe than the previous night. The music was pumping and while not all tracks were great (House beat Metallica comes to mind) it was a much better dance than the night before. Sadly, a better dance also draws in some strange people. While dancing with friends or even the Pokemon Men is fun there was the occasional creeper at the dance. Both Victoria and Jared had their own weird experiences with strangers at the dance. Despite these moments the dance was fun and everyone seemed to be having a good time dancing the last night of Anime Los Angeles away. We got out late and returned to our room to play some Street Fighter Alpha before crashing out late.

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