February 14th: A time of celebration that it's Saturday and there's a convention to attend. It marked my return to Animation on Display (AOD) after being absent for a couple years. And I was almost set to miss AOD this year due to the presence of my cold. While confirmed as being not contagious, only a socially apathetic lunatic would dare enter an enclosed area like a convention and potentially affect everyone with his cold.

Oh, right.

With the rain pouring, I opted to simply drive to the convention instead of relying on public transportation. As much as I try to save money on gas, saving time and not getting drenched waiting for Muni and BART was worth the extra money for this trip. With one stop for gas, I made it to the Cathedral Hill Hotel within an hour. I then spent another 15 minutes trying to find the parking entrance. After I parked, I started putting on my costume--Kenji Murasame from "Giant Robo." While probably no one would recognize it, the sheer pink of the trenchcoat and matching hat was not only a spectacle, but it fit in with the February 14th holiday. Then I noticed that that I forgot the amoeba hair extension. It was not too bad since my hair was long enough to pass. But then I noticed I brought the wrong pink coat. Instead of the pink trenchcoat, I brought a pink suit jacket. I could not decide what was funnier: bringing the wrong pink coat or having two pink coats in general. I picked up my Press badge after a quick stop at Con-Ops and began my AOD experience.

The opening ceremonies of AOD showcased the guests and the variety of animation on display, hence the name of the convention. Phuong-Mai Bui-Quang (PMBQ) and MacHall showed off the art of comics. Johnny Yong Bosch of Power Rangers fame, Richard Epcar, and Ellyn Stern were on hand to discuss anime. Ken Pontac's experience in "Happy Tree Friends" and that "You Are A Pirate" song provided plenty of stories to tell attendees. And Kevin McKeever had a lot of Robotech intel and giveaways to spill.

With my limited budget, I didn't want to spend much in the Dealers Room. The Dealers Room was small but had tempting items. The local artists of the Artists Alley had plenty of tempting items as well. I eventually bought some new art for my camera, something to hold the earphones of my MP3 player, and some earrings.

Cosplayers filled in the ranks among attendees. Whether posing for photos, dancing to music, or simply talking to each other, those who weren't at panels were having fun with each other. I made it a point to give every girl cosplayer a kiss after each photograph. I had a whole bag of those chocolate candies to give away.

AOD held several panels about animation and comics. I hopped between panels. For optimum coverage. EigoManga held a marketing research panel regarding their "Palbot and Mr. Kim Come to America" graphic novel. They wanted us to give opinions of the book, price point, and ideas on selling it. Most attendees agreed to promote is as a lesson plan for English as a Second Language classes. One thing of note is how manga fans react to something they don't consider manga. Manga devotees in American only consider Japanese manga by Japanese artists to be manga. Anything in that Japanese style that isn't done by Japanese artists is another genre to them and they will hate it on principle. EigoManga learned that the hard way when they first started. But I give them credit for actually listening to the market.

Ken Pontac and Kevin McKeever held a panel about writing for animation. Essentially, writing for animation should be like writing for a live project. Though animation may have sight gags, childish antics and other visual aids, the script cannot be childish or it will not work. I asked who made the final call during revisions. The answer: The one who signs the checks.

I spent a bit of time at the How to Talk to Girls panel. It's not that I don't like talking to girls. I'm a general misanthrope who hates talking to people in general, not a misogynist. But the panel was a fun way to place my finger on the pulse of the average male anime fan who has trouble understanding those people whose reproductive organs are more aesthetically pleasing and who get their own bathrooms.

As the day turned to late afternoon, more cosplayers began filing into the convention.

The Volunteer Center served as an excellent rest point and field HQ for me. I unloaded photos and video clips into my new netbook and recharged my camera batteries while chatting with friends from the SFSU Anime Club. They sold and served ramen for the reasonable price of a dollar and even threw in the hot water at no extra charge. A tempting offer, but I elected to go with my cargo lunch. In other words, I dug through my car to see what food I forgot there when I was in a rush to go. I wound up with a banana, a Pepsi, a cupcake, and a Souper Meal instant ramen bowl. Guess I would need some hot water.

Pictures are copyright by Traveling Valentine. If we took your picture, feel free to use it on your site or cosplay gallery. While you're here, do sign the guestbook. This site was brought to you by the font Lovitz Many thanks to Chaz Boston Baden for the image resizing and watermarking program.