At last, it was the final day of Anime Expo. Anime Expo ended on a Monday. Monday was still a work day for most Americans. Meaning, we had to leave the South Bay after Monday traffic. We left the South Bay at around 10AM and hopped onto the Harbor Freeway without any traffic. We ended up parking in the Comikaze lot (aka Parking C). Anime Expo had a lighter, bearable crowd.

Get a Gripe! by Victoria

I was feeling the warning signs of con plague, so I decided to find a panel room where I can sit down and enjoy my morning frappachino. I ended up listening in on the convention gripe. I never have observed an Anime Expo con gripe. While Anime Expo oftentimes has been criticized by veteran otaku and former staff members, it was interesting listening to different points of view. Most of the people who were in the con gripe line were either members of the press or anime industry. Most of them had complaints about waiting in line for registration. Another member of the press made a very profound observation of the crowd control on Friday. The journalist pointed out that though no one was trampled or hurt, the crowd was very overwhelming.

I decided to go up anyway to voice some constructive thought and insight. I disagreed with certain guest of honor choices and programming choices that contradicts the promotion of Japanese animation. Thankfully, post-panel, the director of operations and I decided to talk about my concerns. Though Anime Expo has a reputation of not listening to fan input, it is very telling when the director of operations would like to schedule a more in depth discussion on how Anime Expo can be a better con.

Anime Jungle Presents Daisuke Kishio by Jared

The star of Detroit Metal City had his own panel on Monday.  While not many people are aware of the crazy heavy metal themed anime there was still a good audience at this morning panel.  There were several questions about the split personality of Kishio’s character from Detroit Metal City .  However, there were also questions about some of his other characters and even questions about his hobbies.  Kishio had lots of energy and even sang a few bars for the audience.  It is amazing to see how wild and crazy Daisuke Kishio could be early in the morning.

Artist Alley by Victoria

Tucked all the way back in the of the dealer's hall, the artist alley showcases indie artists from across the country. Not only do they sell prints, but there are keychains, buttons, jewelry, and more. Friends found prints from old school anime like Jojo's Bizarre Adventures. Not only people can find prints from anime, but My Little Pony and Dr. Who related goods can be found. Even after a year, people can also find Nyancat related goods. Lolitas can also find jewelry and accessories catering to their sweet styles.

Dealer's Hall Everything! by Victoria

Everyone loves the dealer's hall. Anime Expo's dealer's hall is a mall full of anime and video game goods. Anime Expo usually has a variety of merchindise available for every otaku demographic. I really liked Anime Expo 2012's dealer's hall. Though I felt most of the aisleways were very narrow, Monday was the best day to comb through the dealer's hall. We were able to find a few discounted games, figures, and dvds on the last day.

There was a booth that had import games for all gaming platforms. I picked up Idolm@ster: Missing Moon from them. Apart from video games and anime, the dealer's hall had a wide selection of fashion. Though the artist alley also sold lolita jewelry, I was able to find jewelry for both classic, sweet, and hime J-fashion styles. Even fashions from Angelic Pretty and H.Naoto were very much present at Anime Expo. I ended up picking up some jewelry for my classic lolita style and perfume from BPAL.

Jared was able to pick up some swag from the Aksys booth. He also picked up Blazblue for XBox. We were able to find some discounted DVDs and manga. I did not leave the dealer's hall empty handed; a Magic Knight Rayeath boxset and some Sailor Moon paraphenelia.

Unfortunately, for figure collectors, there was not much of a variety. If you liked Madoka, Fate // Stay series, and Panty and Stocking, you were in luck.

The dealer's room came to a close at 3PM. Crunchyroll had their tradition of turning their booth into an all out dance party. They played classic tunes like the Power Rangers theme and the Pokemon theme to get everyone to conclude the weekend on a high note.

Leaving Anime Expo by Victoria

Anime Expo 2012 came to an end. We ended up leaving the convention around 4PM and returned to the South Bay for dinner at Curry House in Torrance. It was not as crowded at the Curry House in Little Tokyo. In fact, we ran into dealers from the con at Curry House (hi Manga Factory!). It was a good meal to conclude a fairly good weekend.

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