It is hard to believe that I have been going to Fanime for four years. In some ways it feels like I have gone to Fanime many more times and in other ways it feel like this was my first. There is an odd vibe to Fanime, it fluctuates between feeling really fast paced and feeling really relaxed. To confound matter further I attended Fanime a week after attending Anime Central. Thus I began my event worn out and found myself making unintentional comparisons of both events. My view of Fanime may have been different than previous years, but I still enjoyed myself for the most part.

The layout of Fanime was almost exactly (if not exactly) what it was last year. This makes it much easier for a veteran to get around. However, this year we were not provided with schedules. This is not the first time I have had to deal with Fanime releasing a schedule late (2008 comes to mind) and I feel that this should be over and done with by now. All conventions should have a printed schedule available for those who need it. While I could check the panel schedule in the press room, it would have been far more convenient to look over everything in my hotel room. More than that, the attendees had limited ways of keeping track of panels and some panels suffered for this.

The San Jose Convention Center is one of my favorite convention locales. It has plenty of nearby restaurants, plenty of hotels with varying price ranges, and the convention center has plenty of beautiful spots for cosplay gatherings. I really like how large some of the panel rooms are and the dealer hall was packed with some great vendors this year. I was able to get several rare figures and would have gotten more if I could have afforded it. The artist alley was well done as usual and there was enough variety to keep my interest. The video game room was also set up well with several different games and arcade machines ready in the big hall. The only problem with the game room is that it is also used for the swap meet. This makes things very crowded and it can be difficult to navigate. It would be a good idea to separate these two attractions so that crowding would be reduced.

There was a great line up of guests at Fanime this year. There were some great Japanese guests and some great local guests like Jew Wario and company. There was also a strong music line up for those who go to the concerts. In addition to the line up there were some great panels and stage zero always had something fun going on. On the downside the dances were below my expectations from Fanime. The rave dance had mediocre music and generic lighting. In addition the room seemed to be mostly dead by midnight, which is when it should be heating up. The black and white ball was a complete failure. The music was terrible, the room was over crowded, the dress code did not seem to be enforced, and the constant interruptions by demonstrations made the black and white ball unbearable for me. The black and white ball was the worst part of the convention for me, which is in deep contrast to previous years when it was one of my favorite events.

Despite the flaws this was a very fun Fanime for me this year. I was able to spend time with several good friends, I was able to meet some of the guests, and the programming kept me entertained throughout the weekend. I am looking forward to returning to Fanime and I hope the next time I go, it will be just as good or even better than this year. In the meantime, I would like to thank Nando, Jew Wario, the Sailor Moon cosplayers, Claudine, the NoCal crew, all who attended WoWoWTF, Fanime press staff, the Fanimaids, and Austin Wright. If you have any questions or comments feel free not to e-mail me at Jared (at)Scarlet-Rhapsody.com. Until next time give my love to the inner senshi.

The List:

1. I really need to get that jacket.
2. Next cosplay: Cinema Snob
3. Fanimaid Café is still great.
4. I made the right choice!
5. Too many figures…
6. He talked about ninjas, but he won’t talk about Sonny Chiba?
7. Thank you for moving up our flight Southwest. /sar
8. I think I’ll go a couple months without doing another convention.
9. RE: 8 – What do you mean E3 and AX?!
10. I miss Original Joes.
11. Meow!
12. I avoided all the drama people.
13. It was raining, again.
14. Believe it or not: I forgot to bring a pen
15. My back feels better now
16. Missed the karaoke room, phew!
17. Oh, that fanboy smell.
18. So, Mercury what are you doing later tonight?
19. Note to self: make a longer list next time

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