Convention Report - Anime Mid-Atlantic - June 2009

We're back from Anime Mid Atlantic 2009! Some things were changed, some guests cancelled, but everything ended up great and flowed more smoothly than expected thanks to the wonderful staff and volunteers.

Let's first mention the cancellations. Voice actors Greg Ayres and Chris Patton and artists Robert and Emily DeJesus weren't able to attend for personal reasons, and we all wish them the best during these difficult times for them. We were afraid that voice actor Johnny Yong Bosch and his band Eyeshine wouldn't make it either, but they did; a lot of issues with weather and other issues at airports delayed their arrival until Saturday morning, well after their scheduled panels on Friday and just in time for soundcheck. Almost as quickly as they got there, they had to fly back to California early on Sunday, so we all hope they made it home safe and are taking the next few days to recover from the weekend.

Now, onto the panels and events! The AMV Contest had some good entries this year, but several of them didn't strike me as all that great. In some the synching was obviously off, in others the choice of music was horrendous, and some were just plain boring. There were three, however, that really stood out to me, one of them solely for the song choice. "Pretty Sparkles Remixed" by JaddziaDax set to ATC's "So Magical" was my pick for best in the Upbeat category as well as Best in Show. Featuring a plethora of magical girl anime such as Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, Cardcaptor Sakura, Ah! My Goddess, and others, the editing was nearly flawless with high quality video footage even from older movies like Revolutionary Girl Utena and The Vision of Escaflowne. Another one that touched my heart and choked me up was "You Are Loved" by MeliChan923 set to Josh Groban's song of the same name. It was an incredibly sad video with scenes of adorable girls from series like Air, Clannad, Kanon, and One: True Stories crying forlornly. The editor put such effort into this work and it clearly showed. To keep it from being too depressing, the ending is happy, so MeliChan's message is made very clear: life can be hard and may seem hopeless, but there is a light in the darkness that will shine brighter and make you smile again. The one that caught my attention solely for the music was "Special A Ballet" by jubjub2. The editing was good, but what really grabbed me was the fact that the editor set the footage to a classic piece of music: "Russian Dance" from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky. It's not often that AMVs use classical music, so hearing such a familiar piece at an anime convention among the endless rounds of "Carameldansen" and "Hare Hare Yukai" made me very happy and put a smile on my face.

A staple of most cons for me is the Guests Uncensored panel. For congoers 18 and over it's an hour and a half of dirty jokes, embarassing stories, and any other zaniness that may come out in the open. I highly recommend attending one of these at a con if you haven't yet...just make sure you have a sense of humor that can be slightly twisted!

Saturday was the big day for most everyone. International cosplay idol, writer, designer, model, and TV star Yunmao Ayakawa had her own panel where she spoke about her career and answered some questions from the audience. She also debuted the first promotional cover for her manga series called "Yu Yu Maid", which is currently in talks to be released in the US. The cosplay contest was later in the evening, opening with a Zelda prelude performed by the Agents of Cosplay that had everyone in stitches. There were fewer entries than I was used to, but most of them were very fun and well done. The Sailor Moon skit won Best in Show (and rightfully so as everyone performed well and their costumes were gorgeous), but my personal favorite was the winner of Best Presentation in the Journeyman category: Tamaki (Ouran High School Host Club) and Naruto (Naruto) randomly meet up and must contend with the disembodied voice of a yaoi fangirl; I think that was the hardest I laughed during the entire weekend. Before the awards were announced, we were treated to a special performance by the Power Kix Taiko Drum Team, an energetic and powerful show that introduced many in the audience to the art of traditional Japanese drumming.

Immediately after the contest was Eyeshine's concert. The room was flooded with artifical fog before being flooded by congoers, the lights on stage and from the numerous glowsticks in the crowd emphasizing the mood and atmosphere of the show. Johnny, Maurice, Eddie, and Alex all performed beautifully and such high energy; the band and the crowd seemed to feed off of each other throughout the show. My only complaint is that the cameramen could barely manage to keep the band members in focus on the side screens. Very distracting for those who weren't in a primo spot on the floor. The autograph session afterwards was packed, but went very smoothly and quickly thanks to good planning and organization. The band was all smiles and laughter and love despite the exhaustion they had to have been suffering.

Sunday was a bit more laid back as everyone was getting ready to head home, but the day still had some neat things going on. A panel on the basics of fan fiction was a good beginner course in understanding the types of fics that authors write along with definitions for some acronyms used to describe the content of a story. As we finished the handout provided, everyone in the room turned to what we love to do in and out of cons: bash and mock the Twilight franchise and Naruto (all in good fun, of course). Right across the hall was a showing of "The Ten Funniest AMVs of All Time" (although a couple of them didn't make me laugh at all, honestly); "AMV Hell" took the top spot, as expected. Just around the corner, Chris Ayres gave his own panel on ADR directing, relaying some interesting stories on what really goes on in the director's chair. Immediately following his panel, I had the opportunity to talk with Chris about his career, his disapproval of bootlegging and illegal downloading, and his life in general; we'll be bringing you our interview with him soon. Closing ceremonies was a chance to reintroduce the guests and let them give their parting words to AMA attendees...or run from the room in fear and terror; X-Strike Studios had to run into the hallway to escape the wrath of a staff member who had left to find them for their closing remarks when she thought they weren't in the room. MCs Daniel Taraschke and DJ Jesse James gave the yaoi fans some good photo ops as they posed and mock-groped each other on stage, which later prompted artists Dave Lister and Robert Aldrich to try and outdo them in yaoi goodness. Even though closing ceremonies are generally tinged with sadness because the con is over, this one was very entertaining all the way to the end.

Throughout the weekend, cosplayers roamed the halls and graciously stopped for pictures. There was a particularly good group consisting of Cobra Commander (G.I. Joe), Iron Man (Iron Man), and another comic book character I'm ashamed to say I didn't recognize who all looked fantastic! An Ouran High School Host Club photoshoot took place on Saturday, complete with a human Usa-chan, a cameo appearance from Momiji (Fruits Basket), and not one, but two Nekozawas and Haruhis! And Wonderland Tamaki has always been a favorite of mine, especially when crouching in the Corner of Woe. A Boba Fett was spotted upstairs, along with a Snow White, a DJ SiSeN, and even Josie and the Pussycats! Even though I didn't see it for myself, I had gotten word that there was also a Star Trek cosplayer wandering around! Cosplay: it's not just for anime anymore.

The Vendor's Room didn't have too much of a selection this year. Jhouse-Rock had some magazines (Fool's Mate, Cure, Shoxx) and CDs, many released domestically through JapanFiles for much better prices than importing directly from Japan. Anime Pavilion brought a bunch of DVDs and manga, and other booths had some wall scrolls and posters available, but Anime Fan Zone had the best assortment of anime merchandise that I saw; scrolls from several series (all in marked bins), well-displayed jewelry, plushies, messenger bags and figurines at the best prices in the hall. There was little to no bootleg material that I found (although I have my suspicions about one vendor in particular), which is a good sign that this con at least is cracking down on bootleggers.

Anime Mid Atlantic 2009 was better than I was honestly expecting it to be. Great staff and guests, wonderful attendees, and nifty panels and events made for a fun weekend despite the humidity and heat outside. We got to meet up with our friends from Chisuji, who have more merchandise for sale and have completely revamped their webcomic from the beginning, along with Dave and Christine from Paradox Lost, as well as Chris Ayres, who we sent back home with our best wishes for Greg. I got to meet up with old friends, see some amazing cosplayers (the "Girlycard" cosplayer from Hellsing I'm still looking for pictures of since I never seemed to have my camera with me when she was around), enjoy some fun and funny panels and a great concert, and fed my Code Geass addiction in the Vendor's Room. All in all, it was a good weekend at a good convention.

Special thanks to James Bullock and AMA staff and volunteers, Chris Ayres, and all the guests and attendees who made everything possible.

Report and photos by Mistress Mu