This year the dealer hall felt weaker than previous years. It was held in the same small room as last year, which did not provide for many shopping options. If memory serves, the dealer hall has been in a bigger room in the past, but perhaps I am mistaken. On the good side the artist market was great this year. It had plenty of booths despite the space that seemed small. I also really like the name “artist market” as it adds some more class to the usual artist alley. Finally, there was the fashion swap meet, while it was easy to find one of our staff members found it lacking. Granted this is more due to who signed up for the event, but I do like the concept and I hope it continues.

This year the guest list was mixed at best. It is great to see the gathering of the Skull Girls voice over team as Christina Vee and Danielle McRae are friends of the site. However, the level of voice actors this year pales to last year’s gathering of the Tenchi girls. Additionally, having the actors from Power Rangers Samurai is nice, but it really did not mean much to the members of our team and there did not seem to be much excitement amongst the attendees for the panel. The biggest name this year was Dante Bosco, who has earned popularity due to his roles in Hook and Avatar. While, I have no real personal connection to his work, many people were excited to see him and it was the main buzz of the convention. The press conference was well done and his appearance was one of the highlights of the last day of the convention.

The overall vibe of PMX was weak. While the lobby was alive and loud everything else seemed ignored by most people. The crowds just did not seem to care about anything this year. Panels were usually empty, with the exception of a few guest panels, and the secondary events had a weaker turn out than in previous years. There was plenty to do and it is a shame that no one seemed to care (for the most part) which seems like a waste when this convention has so much to offer. This convention used to have one of the best vibes of any anime con and this year it just did not seem to be flowing. This is not the fault of the convention, but it does hurt my overall opinion of the event.

As I think about it and as I write this report I realize that this was a weak year for PMX. The vibe was shallow, the guests did not live up to expectations, and the game room was hidden away. It was not a great year, but a weak PMX year is still better than most small cons especially in Southern California . Hopefully, next year will be up to the standards that are expected of PMX. There is little advice I can give as this con is usually really good. Hopefully, next year the vibe will get improved, but if other SoCal anime conventions are any indication that might not happen. Still, I wish the best for this convention as I do usually look forward to Pacific Media Expo.

When all is said I still recommend PMX and hopefully it will be up to the usual standard next year. As I wrap up the report there are several people I would like to thank including: Miguel, the PMX staff, Dante Bosco, Victor, Gaston, Ginger, Ashford, Danielle, Stan, Deb, and everyone who came to our panels. If there are any comments or questions feel free (not) to e-mail me Jared(at)scarlet-rhapsody.com. Until next time I leave my list and request that you give my love to the Skull Girls.

The List
1. Football!!!
2. Sports Panel, good first try
3. Spy Donut Joe, total failure
4. Nice to meet you Dante
5. Eddie Garcia vs the World
6. Choco-Cake FTW
7. I & I, you and you
8. Better late than never
9. RE: 8 – Better never late
10. Bond, James Bond
11. At least I didn’t get lost
12. If I have to hear that song one more time…
13. Gaming Room where are you?
14. Finally got to use Huey Lewis
15. Next Cosplay: New Q
16. RE: 15 – Bond Q not Trek Q
17. Didn’t have time to do a photo shoot
18. I need some new cosplays
19. Note to Self: Get a better camera
20. Apple
21. Lupin panel is better with the laptop
22. Didn’t get a room this time
23. I missed the dance… sigh…
24. It’s just not the same
25. Smile and Nod
26. So many memories overall those years
27. I look good in the suit
28. All I wanted was a nice d20 game
29. The lobby gets more and more crazy
30. Artist Market, nice touch
31. Is there anybody out there?
32. Let’s just go to Silent Hill
33. Can’t just choose one
34. Fight, fight, fight!
35. Sometimes, it’s just a weak year
36. I really want to have a team again
37. I still haven’t gotten over that tie

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