Otakon 2013 - Overview
Aug. 21st, 2013 01:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kristenskAs always, my con report is very belated. I really meant to post something while in Baltimore, but it just never worked out. Then, I came home with lingering sinus woe that killed my desire to do much of anything. But, all is better now, and it was a great trip.
Mom and I started on Thursday by taking one of the Baltimore Trolley Tours, which was a fun mix of sightseeing and history. (Although, while our guide was very well-versed in his history, someone should let him know that Otakon is not a "Halloween party" inspired by Japan.) Then, we wandered through the Otakon matsuri (festival) and hit the Power Plant Barnes & Noble where I finally succumbed to temptation and picked up "Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero, which adds some nice backstory to the movie. Of course, the real Otakon adventure began with the con on Friday.
The Con: Ultimately, this was "Kenshin Year" for me. The panel, art exhibit, and movie showing were the highlights of the con. Especially as a number of the voice actors I would have liked to see weren't given their own panel and instead appeared attached to various projects with the focus of discussion being on the series/project in question. That arrangement was a bit disappointing. But, the real disappointment was that Seekersks and I weren't able to get tickets for the Yoko Kanno concert. Early announcements had indicated that tickets wouldn't be required, but either I misread or there was a change in schedule. The concert was held in one of the smaller rooms, and the only way to have even a chance at tickets was to sacrifice the rest of the con arriving early and waiting in line until mid-afternoon, which Seeker and I ultimately decided against. I think it was the better choice as it allowed us to have a leisurely time enjoying the con and saved Mom from some awkwardness with hotel checkout times.
The Panels: This year's standout was "The Real Life of a Manga-ka" with Kaoru Kurosaki, wife of "Rurouni Kenshin" creator, Nobuhiro Watsuki. And now, I know that manga-ka do not sleep. At least not often. Oh, and that Watsuki liked "Pacific Rim". A lot. Most of his taped introduction before the Kenshin movie showing was taken up with showing off his mecha figure collection and singing the praises of "Pacific Rim". And, that just makes me a happy fangirl of both of them. Later, we caught the question and answer session for Japanese actor Tomokazu Seki. The name didn't actually ring a bell... but the screaming did. They do seem to hire him for his ability to belt out lines ;) And, getting to hear quite a few in person was a treat. As was the small gallery of original Kenshin (and "Busou Renkin"!) art down in the Artist Alley. Surprisingly, taking pictures was even allowed. However, they did ask that everyone not re-post them on the internet, so, sorry, but there will be no included photos.
The Anime: Naturally, this year's biggest viewing was the live action Rurouni Kenshin movie. It. Is. Amazing. It captures everything that makes Kenshin a great story even as it deftly tweaks the first few story arcs into a compact, coherent movie. We also caught the sixth Gundam Unicorn OVA. Back at the hotel, Iron Man took over. Seeker and I started with the Iron Man anime, and then moved on to the cartoon Iron Man: Armored Adventures. How did I miss this cartoon?! I will be catching the rest. With the cast aged down to children, it doesn't feel especially "Iron Man", but it's well-written and a lot of fun.
The Random Photos:
It came out terribly blurry, but I happened to catch this guy in the hallway. Yes, he has one of the pay phones dangling off the hook beside him.
The Random Quotes:
"Kamina! Your death destroyed me!" "Yeah, it destroyed me too." -- Overheard from someone speaking to a cosplayer.
"I get to scream all day. I think I've found the perfect job." -- Tomokazu Seki
The Stuff: After my bookstore visit, I was fairly reserved this year. I only got myself one new AnE T-shirt. (Though I've also used my leftover con money to order the Blue Exorcist Movie Guide.) Otherwise, well,jordannamorgan and ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mintysage can expect goodies in the near future ;)
Mom and I started on Thursday by taking one of the Baltimore Trolley Tours, which was a fun mix of sightseeing and history. (Although, while our guide was very well-versed in his history, someone should let him know that Otakon is not a "Halloween party" inspired by Japan.) Then, we wandered through the Otakon matsuri (festival) and hit the Power Plant Barnes & Noble where I finally succumbed to temptation and picked up "Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero, which adds some nice backstory to the movie. Of course, the real Otakon adventure began with the con on Friday.
The Con: Ultimately, this was "Kenshin Year" for me. The panel, art exhibit, and movie showing were the highlights of the con. Especially as a number of the voice actors I would have liked to see weren't given their own panel and instead appeared attached to various projects with the focus of discussion being on the series/project in question. That arrangement was a bit disappointing. But, the real disappointment was that Seekersks and I weren't able to get tickets for the Yoko Kanno concert. Early announcements had indicated that tickets wouldn't be required, but either I misread or there was a change in schedule. The concert was held in one of the smaller rooms, and the only way to have even a chance at tickets was to sacrifice the rest of the con arriving early and waiting in line until mid-afternoon, which Seeker and I ultimately decided against. I think it was the better choice as it allowed us to have a leisurely time enjoying the con and saved Mom from some awkwardness with hotel checkout times.
The Panels: This year's standout was "The Real Life of a Manga-ka" with Kaoru Kurosaki, wife of "Rurouni Kenshin" creator, Nobuhiro Watsuki. And now, I know that manga-ka do not sleep. At least not often. Oh, and that Watsuki liked "Pacific Rim". A lot. Most of his taped introduction before the Kenshin movie showing was taken up with showing off his mecha figure collection and singing the praises of "Pacific Rim". And, that just makes me a happy fangirl of both of them. Later, we caught the question and answer session for Japanese actor Tomokazu Seki. The name didn't actually ring a bell... but the screaming did. They do seem to hire him for his ability to belt out lines ;) And, getting to hear quite a few in person was a treat. As was the small gallery of original Kenshin (and "Busou Renkin"!) art down in the Artist Alley. Surprisingly, taking pictures was even allowed. However, they did ask that everyone not re-post them on the internet, so, sorry, but there will be no included photos.
The Anime: Naturally, this year's biggest viewing was the live action Rurouni Kenshin movie. It. Is. Amazing. It captures everything that makes Kenshin a great story even as it deftly tweaks the first few story arcs into a compact, coherent movie. We also caught the sixth Gundam Unicorn OVA. Back at the hotel, Iron Man took over. Seeker and I started with the Iron Man anime, and then moved on to the cartoon Iron Man: Armored Adventures. How did I miss this cartoon?! I will be catching the rest. With the cast aged down to children, it doesn't feel especially "Iron Man", but it's well-written and a lot of fun.
The Random Photos:
It came out terribly blurry, but I happened to catch this guy in the hallway. Yes, he has one of the pay phones dangling off the hook beside him.
The Random Quotes:
"Kamina! Your death destroyed me!" "Yeah, it destroyed me too." -- Overheard from someone speaking to a cosplayer.
"I get to scream all day. I think I've found the perfect job." -- Tomokazu Seki
The Stuff: After my bookstore visit, I was fairly reserved this year. I only got myself one new AnE T-shirt. (Though I've also used my leftover con money to order the Blue Exorcist Movie Guide.) Otherwise, well,
jordannamorgan and mintysage can expect goodies in the near future ;)
