I Can't Believe It Was Anime by Jared
We began the convention with our panel that focused on children's programming that was based on anime source material. This panel looked at syndicated shows and various children's programming that was anime that was not promoted as such. It was nice to have an audience at an early panel and that the audience was engaged with the content. After the panel we had several questions about various shows that we discussed.

Cosplay Repair Workshop by Jared
This panel was hosted by a team that went to conventions and help cosplayers do emergency repairs to those who need them. The group shared their stories and showed the audience easy fixes that will keep a costume together during an event. They also listed the key items to take to a con to do your own emergency repairs as well. The panel concluded with the hosts giving away emergency kits to the various people in the audience. This was a great panel for cosplayers that want to learn how to prepare for costume problems.

Steven Universe Universe by Jared
This was an unusual Steven Universe panel. The host jumped around from topic to topic so quickly that it made the panel difficult to follow at times. The panel began by looking at the tropes in the series and how it plays with the ideas of feminity and gender roles. This led into a discussion about Buddhist and eastern spirituality that appear in the series. This then became a discussion about the sound design of the show. Finally, it became a discussion about people's favorite episodes and characters. While there were some interesting ideas in this panel it felt so rushed and cobbled together that it was difficult to enjoy. The host should focus on one topic and do a really good panel upon it rather than jumping around several topics and doing a weak panel overall.

Lupin III: International Thief of Mystery by Jared
This was my first time in years running my Lupin III panel in SoCal. A decent sized audience showed up for this midday panel. The panel opened with a general overview of the series then it went into the history of how Lupin came to the US. This led into a discusson of the weird spin off and supplementary materials. The panel wrapped up with clips from Lupin VIII, the Famicom game, and the classic Princess Bride AMV. The audience was engaged and asked a few questions as the panel progressed. It was a great run and it would be nice to come back for the 50th Anniversary.

Disneybounding by Eri Kagami
Hosted by the Adventure Effect, this duo of Disney nerds presented how to Disneybound. Disneybound is a fairly new thing. It was started by Leslie Kay a few years ago. Essentially, it is finding things in your closet and everyday wear to create an outfit based on the color scheme and style of a Disney character or concept. They talked about color blocking and collecting random odds and ends to create a Disneybound outfit. The two also shared photos of their earlier bounds to their current bounds. They shared some wardrobe essentials if you were planning to Disneybound on a regular basis - this included yellow shoes, white button up shirts, purples, reds, blacks, etc. This was a very interesting panel on showing your Disney side. What I liked best was when the duo were sharing photos they took in the parks that matched who they were Disneybounding as. This is different from cosplay in the sense you're not really going for a full on accurate costume; you're working with your personal style to represent a Disney character.

Love Formula by Jared
One of the few joys of going to a small con is checking out time consuming activities that might be otherwise skipped at a larger event. This time we were lucky enough to play a new indie card game called Love Formula. It involves setting up couples and trying to ruin the dates of other couples. While it sounds simple there is a bit of strategy to the game and even if it looks like you are winning the odds can turn against you rather quickly. It is a fun game and recommended to anyone who wants a quick fun card game to play.

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