After a long weekend I have returned home. I am no columnist, and I will not attempt to be one, but this years convention was intense. The convention was jammed packed and completely sold out. Tip to those traveling in groups, always put the smallest person in the front to wedge through the crowds and always remember to bring a LOT of water with you. A room filled with 1000 people means a lot of body heat and it gets hot quick. So if you're not cosplaying, try o dress light and remember to plan, but don't worry if you don't get to do everything you wanted to. You never will.

This year's highlight was obviously Green Lantern due to the movie in production. Anime wise there was a ton of Soul Eater cosplays. With Funimation's strong marketing campaign for the series it's no wonder why this series has become such a hit. Of course you still have your massive Naruto and Bleach cosplays. I don't think they will go away for a long time. Sadly there was not a single Evangelion cosplay that I saw the entire day. Oh well, what is there to expect.

One other notable part of the con to mention is the well done panels. You know you're old when you enjoy the industrial specific panels over the overly popular ones. That would be Gaia, Viz, and a few others. Which I was unable to get into Viz's panel in time. ANN gave a very well done panel, despite the lack of their crew. Another well done was Changing Faces in Anime that went over the history of character design in anime. Bandai's panel was a bit of a disappointment since it appeared to be more about coming out releases then a focus on the company itself. The trends of the industry seem to be going more towards online streaming and merchandising. It'll be interesting to see how anime series evolve in the future. With the increasing demand of streaming anime it's only a matter of time until more companies seek out an ad based revenue in the industry. 

Until then I look forward for next year and I may go back and edit this post later when I'm not as exhausted. Remember to try to take a day off after the con to get yourself back in shape. You need it. And stretch! Sounds unimportant, but if you don't you'll regret it later. Feel free to comment below or post your own event stories in another thread.

~Webmaster