When arriving home, I checked my Twitter. My friends asked me if I was in a New York State of Mind. Fools, I am always in a New York State of Mind. Yet, my body was still calibrated to Eastern Standard Time. Even writing up this report, I cannot tell if it is 7:00PM or 10:00PM. Either way, I still feel tired and I am still recovering from the trip. I think the air circulation from the flight home gave me a cold.

Despite feeling worn out like a rag doll, I had one of the best weekends ever at New York Anime Fest. Sometimes I look back and wonder if I was there for the con or for the city. What does it matter now? Either way, I had a great time and I would do the adventure over again in a heartbeat.

New York Anime Fest is a very well run convention. I was surprised that the press department were able to respond to my questions in a timely manner and keep up the consistent communication. As mentioned before, the layout of the show was very well thought out. Having it in the lower lobby area prevents con crashing. Panel rooms were very accesible and they had a schedule and signs. The Apple Kissa Stage was very reminiscent of Fanime's Stage Zero, but with a more formal schedule to let us know what will be going on throughout the day. The eateries in the convention center were nicely priced. I was expecting overpriced and mediocre convention food, but $9 for a panini - I got what I paid for - a filling meal that can last me for most of the day that is just as delicious.

New York Anime Fest had an all star guest roster. You had movers and shakers from Japan within the anime industry, you had influentual musical acts, international cosplayers, American voice over artists, independant artists, comedians, and so much more. I really liked that the Voice Acting 201 panel had my favorite voice actors take the lead. I learned so much from them! I only wish we could have made it to Voice Acting 301. The panel line up was very interesting and unlike most California anime conventions, New York Anime Fest had panels that grabbed my attention. Even if I was bored and just needed to sit down at an arbitrary panel, I still found the panels to be very engaging.

I know New York Anime Fest is an industry con. Sometimes I ask if World Cyber Games is a necessary feature. I think it should be better associated as a stand alone event or affiliated with New York Comic Con. However, that will not be much of an issue in 2010 since both New York Anime Fest and New York Comic Con will be held at the same time for the price of one. I learned that New York Comic Con draws 70,000 people. I am an Anime Expo regular, and 45,000 is a lot of people at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I cannot imagine Jacob Javits accomodating for New York Comic Con and New York Anime Fest. Then again, the numbers may cross over. Who knows? We will have to wait until 2010 to find out.

I still would return again. I find the New York fandom to be very chill and very relaxed. I found it easy to talk to skilled cosplayers without feeling any air of drama or elitism. This was a refreshing change from the California scene. No one was too caught up with photo shoots or being on a tight schedule. I am glad to met some of you in the New York cosplay scene.

I thoroughly enjoyed the voice acting workshop on Saturday. It was a shame that I could not be there for the Sunday workshop. I am glad to be a student of prolific voice actors in the anime industry. It was also pleasant meeting aspiring voice actors!

The one major complaint I have about New York Anime Fest is the shuttle system and transportation. I was not quite sure what public transit lines go to Jacob Javits. While I know Manhattan is a walking type of city, I really do not want to walk alone at night - cosplay or no cosplay - after major events. Hence, why I had to call the con a wrap earlier than usual. It was not until Sunday I learned about the 34 bus line from Penn Station. I knew Penn Station was the closet line to the center, but did not know how much walking that would be. The shuttles from the Hampton Inn were at an inconsistent schedule. Neither were the bell hops informed about the schedule. At Anime Vegas, the hotel had flyers detailing where the shuttle will be and what times they operated. We did not get that information until we were at con.

Otherwise, this is a convention I do not mind attending again. It was nice to see familliar faces like Julia and Yaya and meeting new people. Feel free to drop me a line at v @ scarlet-rhapsody.com. Most of all, thanks to my partner Jared. I am very happy that you enjoyed your first time in the city.

Pictures are copyright by Scarlet Rhapsody . If I 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 Milton Burlesque. Many thanks to Chaz Boston Baden for the image resizing and watermarking program.