There is something to be said when a convention chair’s eyes light up when you make mention of a fan organization’s campaign to bring back a TV show about girls dressed in sailor fuku to save the world from evil. I can safely say that Anime Conji is one of the West Coast’s fan friendly anime conventions that caters to its target audience, the lovely otaku in all of us.

The location is very elegant on the inside and outside. People can recall Victorian decorations in the hotel room and in the Pavilion room. For those of you who are into classic Lolita, this is a great place to take photos of your outfits and coordinates. There were other parts of the hotel that were not used by the convention (ie: area by the Terrace Café) that served as nice areas for cosplay photoshoots. Even if you do not partake in any of the above, just strolling around the area and enjoying the sights is refreshing.

Though the location’s aesthetic receives top marks, the mapping and layout of the convention was confusing. We hope that Anime Conji resolves this issue in 2012. The nice part about the Town and Country Resort that it is large enough for Anime Conji to call it a home for future years as the convention grows. I do not expect the con to use the convention center space, but usage of the area by the Terrace Café would be nice for outdoor events.

The masquerade had a very friendly, yet professional minded team. In all my years of doing masquerade, this would have to be one of the best masquerade staff teams I have worked with. People were generally kind, but when it got down to the wire, no one was messing around. The stage ninjas did a great job in accommodating cosplayers. Overall, I enjoyed being a part of the show. However, masquerade did have its flaws. The stage space was too small for elaborate routines. It also would have been nice if the contestants could also watch the show as well. Otherwise, these are commonplace issues that most contestants address during the feedback session that the masquerade team will look into for 2012.

Because of a few circumstances, I really wish I was able to do more programming and at least get one guest of honor interview. We were originally scheduled for Patrick Seitz, but because of work, he had to bail from the convention. I would recommend for 2012 that Anime Conji actually has a press department available so members of the press can perform one on one interviews and press conferences with guests of honor. One may argue that because it is a small convention that this is impractical to do, but Pacific Media Expo is also a small convention and they do offer one on one interviews and conferences. Michael Tang expressed that there was not much a press badge can do other than get free entry to the convention. We felt that there was so much more we could do such as cover the Lolita Tea Party and the Mochi Maid Café.

Another common issue was the lack of cosplay gatherings. One can argue that it is because of the lack of participation and posts on the official Anime Conji forums as well as the lack of a main Cosplay.com Anime Conji sub-forum. This is unfortunate because there were areas set up exclusively for gatherings, but most of them remained empty during the weekend.

I also felt that the security was just pussyfooting around and abusing their privileges. For example, on my way back to my room, I found three security team members talking really loud at 3AM in the morning. I was able to hear them from the elevator. Even if a security member is off duty, as long as they wear the uniform, they still uphold responsibility.

Despite these issues, Anime Conji is still an event worth checking out. The general vibe was pretty positive. I hardly hear any 4chan memes being spouted out randomly. People were generally friendly. I was really happy that there was an old school vibe to this convention after attending the Everything in Your Childhood that was Awesome panel. Programming was very diverse and well worth checking out even if something is out of your comfort zone, as I learned with the rum party. Normally, I feel weird about non-Asian culture themed events at anime events, but it ended up being a blast and one of Saturday night’s highlights.

Getting our panels into programming was easy as pie. Ryan was able to schedule our panels at decent times. I really appreciate the programming staff for helping me set up my laptop to the projector.

Many thanks to the staff for putting on a great show! I would highly recommend Anime Conji for those of you who enjoy small conventions, but really like to explore different types of programming. Keep an open mind and go with the flow. I would also recommend Anime Conji to people who have hobbies related to getting your photo taken in the most glamorous of ways. There are plenty of nice sites on the resort grounds, so take advantage of it while Anime Conji is at the Town and Country Resort.

Many thanks to my staff for being awesome with extra thanks to We love calamari and midori sours! If there are any questions about the report, or if you would like to contact me one way or another, I am available on the following social networks:

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