Where do I begin? Fanime never fails to deliver while holding nearly 15,000 attendees during Memorial Weekend. A convention is what you make of it. Choose to have a great time. Choose to be happy. I want to extend many thanks to Stan, Deb, and Tom for being a great team to work with. Many more thanks to Katie and Kelly for the doll panel. There were so many aspects about Fanime that I loved, I just don't know where to begin.

Well, let's talk about the doll gatherings. Doll gatherings used to turn me off because of the pretentious air that surrounds them. I was surprised to be greeted by the friendly air. I normally don't go to Southern California meet ups, but I was amazed by the maturity and kindness by these doll owners. While elitism does exist in the Asian Ball Jointed Doll community, this group of people was very welcoming to 1/6 scale dolls and vinyl dolls. Everyone was always happy to see Mr. Postman's vinyl kids. I want to say a ton of thanks to Darcy for offering to do Sherry's face up. Many of my friends say Sherry looks fine the way she is, but to me, she still feels incomplete. I really cannot wait to see the results. Congrats to Claudine for getting her mighty Chewbacca. Apparently, Tom does not know if he wants to keep the vinyl gal he won at the charity auction. I think what really stood out during the doll meet up was re-connecting with my friend from high school, Jen. I'm glad to have a hobby that re-connects old time friends together. Congrats on getting your TWO new dolls last Fanime weekend.

I did have an issue with an individual's comments in regards to press. When it comes down it like, like Mr. Postman, we're still fans at heart. We want to cover the convention as it is. We do not believe in focusing only on one or two epic cosplayers. That's only selling yourself short. There's nothing wrong with photo shoots, but as a convention reporter, we cover convention happenings, even otaku dinning out at local restaurants. Maybe for the Anime Expo report (or for the future), Traveling Valentine should have an omake special about dining at a convention. Nothing like a good sit down meal!

Our other complaint is the limited amount of water we could consume during the Black and White Ball. At Anime Central and Anime Expo's ballroom dances, Tom and I average a glass of water every three songs. I found it ridiculous, even by convention center standards. However, the ballroom dance's music selection really did have a ballroom atmosphere, at least until it got to The Macarena. Ew. There were many people who wanted to go to the ballroom dance, people were waiting in line for almost half an hour. I would suggest Fanime getting a larger space, or charging pre-sale tickets (like how Anime Central does it) if they wish to minimize crowding issues.

Everyone had an issue with Cosplay Spectacular's lack of variety. Honestly, it was a better show than last year. We, Traveling Valentine, do not believe in screening entries. Cosplay Spectacular should be a display of talent and creativity in cosplay. True, you cannot please them all, but there were many epic skits this year that went overlooked - Trinity Blood, Sera Myu, Marvel vs Capcom, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Tsubasa Chronicles, Trigun, and of course, our personal favorite, Baccano!

One major let down was the Dealers Room. Where were the industry booths? Where was the wheel of Gaia? Is everyone saving up for Anime Expo? I remember Funimation used to be a regular at Fanime. If you were a doll person, you were in for a treat. Junky Spot was my favorite booth there. Even though I didn't buy anything, I liked looking at the dolls. You cannot control variety either, but I remember the Dealers Room offering more vendors during previous Fanime's. It felt like Fanime 2003 in terms of size.

Many thanks to our friends whom we got to see and hang out with! You guys really make this Fanime experience what it is. This would not be an epic Fanime without you guys! Of course, many thanks to my significant other, Tom. His hospitality, patience, chomping, and love are the foundations of Traveling Valentine!

Clips taken during Fanime can be found here. Please subscribe to see other clips and videos.

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