09.30.09
Posted in Conventions, Events, Fandom Tags: anime industry, bloggers, Cencoroll, directors, fan community, fans on fans, manga industry, New York City, panels, panels run by us, press, Tomino, 交響詩篇エウレカセブン ポケットが虹でいっぱい, 富野 由悠季 at 10:32 am by reversethieves
Everyone’s question was would NYAF live up to, exceed, or fail compared to the two previous conventions? There was quite a bit of talking with the announcement that NYAF would join with NYCC for 2010 so there was also the question of what would NYAF do as its last year as an independent convention? Although those are all pressing questions my main question was if I was going to have fun? Was I going to be able to do as much as I wanted to? We were also running two panels one of which had a lot of people looking forward to it. The Bloggers Roundtable had some big names on the marquee but it was a the first time we ever ran the panel. I had the most expectations for the panel because I felt it could succeed or fail so much more than any of our previous panels. On top of all that I had two guests staying at my humble abode during the convention so I had to play host as well as press.
It was no secret that we were looking forward to New York Anime Festival, probably more than any other con previously thanks to a killer guest, director Yoshiyuki Tomino. This sent NYAF which I always enjoy but never as much as say Otakon right to the front of the line this year. That being said, the rest of the con experience remained the same though I was happy to see quite a few license announcements this year. Since NYAF’s space has basically stayed the same from its first year, there weren’t too many surprises but that also means it still has some of the same problems. Javits, is Javits, its a bit of a walk from the train, the hotels, and most food. Though it also means that for the most part events went off without a hitch and things seemed to be well in hand with the staff.
The convention for me started on Thursday night since most of my main convention group went to see the Eureka Seven movie. Although not officially a part of the convention experience it felt like a great way to spend an evening before the big show. The movie itself was bizarre. I will never forget the line, “I am an enemy alien spy robot” as long as I live. It was a visually appealing movie but otherwise a utter train wreck. I appreciated their attempt to do something new with the original story but their execution left something to be desired. Though I was happy to watch a film with my friends and be able to talk about it afterward because I often feel like I hardly watch any anime at anime conventions. On Friday morning my two guests the spectacular OGT, the amazing PatzPrime, plus the remarkable SDShamshel all met up and went to the Javits center early to get Tomino autograph tickets. We were all a little worried when we heard that people were already starting to line up at 7am. We finally arrived at 10 and got progressively worried when we saw how the VIP line was growing but we were able to get our autograph tickets. Since we got there before the con officially started getting our press badges was a snap. We all went for some delicious Go Go Curry before starting the convention. Starting the con with curry is a tradition I could get behind.
Once again, the staff of NYAF as far as tickets goes were on top of it. Not a moment more than one was I in line for my press badge, which incidentally looks very different this year. This goes for the weekend con badges and VIP ones as well and only half for individual day passes. I’m not sure what to make of them, on the one hand I really like the hard plastic but on the other hand the badges aren’t very fun. Maybe that sounds like a stupid complaint, but too bad, many of us have a grand time trying to guess what show or characters will appear on the badges before going to a con. The speculations can even spawn forum threads, so it has become a popular and expected part of anime conventions. And I was surprised to not at the very least see the badges sporting the logo from this year’s contest winner. Since I never made it to the convention center before opening time, I have no idea what the lines looked like but from the massive crowds on Saturday I can imagine there was a pretty good wait in the morning. However, panels seemed to be well organized in this regard though having a press badge prevented any problems for me. The Javits space allotted for NYAF was insufficient for Saturday but was tolerable on Friday and Sunday. Happily this mean the Tomino panel was rightfully full.
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07.27.09
Posted in Conventions, Events, Fandom Tags: anime industry, anime music, bloggers, directors, fan community, fans on fans, Fred Schodt, Hidenori Matsubara, manga industry, Masao Maruyama, MELL, Naomi Tamura, Noburo Ishiguro, panels, panels run by us, press, producers, Yukio Kikukawa, Yutaka Yamamoto, 丸山 正雄, 山本 寛, 松原 秀典, 田村 直美, 石黒 昇 at 7:14 am by reversethieves
If you have never been to Otakon, let me just say that it is like a whirlwind of anime, manga, costumes, music, fans, panels, guests, and friends. You are practically going non-stop from the moment you touch down in Baltimore. Maybe it is just the way my mind works, but it seemed to be ten-fold this year! The amount of things seen and done in just one day sound almost impossible. I distinctly remember some of us talking on Friday night about how things done that morning felt days in the past rather than just hours before. But I’m not complaining, I call Otakon the highlight of the summer for a reason! This year only went on to prove that statement further.
Otakon came and went in an amazing and thrilling blur. I remember the highlights but the details even a few days later are still sort of fuzzy in my head. So in many ways this con report is just as much for me as it is for anyone reading it. This is my chance to sort out what I felt and what I did in my own mind because there was just so much information to process. I was almost always doing something. In fact, I wore myself out so much there was two or three times I just had to stop and nap or get food even if it meant missing out on something awesome. At first I was worried that there were not going to be any Japanese guests worth talking about but in the last few weeks before the con they pulled some great guests out at the last second and turned my perception of how great this was going to be right around.
Friday
No Means No, Defense against Fanboys and Fangirls panel
Know Your Creators panel
Yutaka Yamamoto panel
Mobile Suit Gundam: Celebrating 30 Years panel
Anime Recruitment
Legend of the Galactic Heroes: History’s Future panel
Mecha Appreciation panel
Opening Ceremonies
Kikuko Inoue panel
I Can’t Believe You Haven’t Seen This!
MELL concert
Guess the Melons 18+ panel
Saturday
Gundam Model Building workshop
Funimation panel
MELL press conference
Maruyama, Ishiguro, Kikukawa, Matsubara press conference
Anime and Manga Studies panel
From Kenshiro to Kenshin: The Neo-Shonen Revolution panel
Fred Schodt panel
Fred Schodt autograph session
Return of the Anime Old Timers? panel
Otaku TV panel
The Problem with Otaku panel
Review Anime the Right Way panel
Sunday
Without Watching the Anime: Opening & Ending Themes panel
Hidenori Matsubara panel
Osamu Tezuka, Astro Boy, and the Manga/Anime Revolution, with Fred Schodt panel
Naomi Tamura concert
Narutak, Kohaku, and I all met up at my apartment. The anticipation was practically visible! Before we left I got an early birthday present of some very choice pencil boards, one of manga art Hayate No Gotoku and a cute Gakuen Kino one. We fortunately got a ride to the MegaBus pick up in front of Penn Station. I must agree with Mike Dent, MegaBus rocks! I will never ride a Greyhound again unless forced to. The free WiFi was awesome and the ride was smooth and clean. We took over the back of the bus where we pretty much had a pre-Otakon party. The Baltimore public transportation was a little slower than we had first anticipate but we arrived at our hotel by about 6:30PM. Here we encountered the first and only real major problem of the convention: the Radisson overbooked the con rooms. They tried to throw us into a super small single when we had booked a double. Thankfully Narutaki is a master of getting what he needs and they eventually gave us a bigger room.
If you saw the amount of stuff being lugged to Otakon, you would think we were moving there. Heck, at the very least you would have thought everyone was a cosplayer bringing gear, but no. However to be fair, when I say we, I mean 9 people and also a lot of it was free stuff for our panels and food that was quickly eaten up. I wouldn’t say I was nervous about MegaBus, I had done some research, but a new experience is always a little worrisome in these cases. Though really with so many friends along, a misstep can easily turn into an adventure! Luckily we didn’t have to prove that rule as the bus was great, well-organized, and on time. While the bus stop is certainly far out from the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, the price tipped my hand and everyone seemed satisfied. I was a bit miffed at the Radisson because they have served me so well in the past. In the end, things turned out fine once a larger room was acquired, remember: calm persistence! I will just mention that I use quite a bit of the tips in our Con Survival guide and they serve me quite well.
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06.22.09
Posted in Conventions, Events, Fandom Tags: anime industry, bloggers, fan community, fans on fans, manga industry, panels, panels run by us, press at 6:36 am by reversethieves
Narutaki and Hisui’s schedule:
Friday
Anime Through the Generations Panel
Anime’s Pirate Legacy Panel
Anime Princesses Rule Panel
Japanese Crime Fiction in Anime Panel
My Stereotypes are More Offensive than Yours Panel
These are a Few of My Favorite Scenes Panel
Saturday
I Can’t Believe You Haven’t Seen This! Panel
Psychology of Anime
Vertical Panel
ParaPara Dance Workshop
Directing! Panel
Funimation Panel
Bad Anime, Bad! Panel
As the Otaku Grows Panel
Sunday
History of Manga Panel
Otaku Perceptions and Misconceptions Panel
Anime Blogging Basics Panel
Aren’t cons exciting? No matter how many I go to, I always look forward to another one. This has become especially true in recent years as I meet more and more people from blogosphere and other outlets. AnimeNEXT usually kick starts my con season every year and this time around is no exception. It was one of those inbetween conventions that holds a special place because of the dates it usually lands on. There was a major location change this year so it the con had a bit of a unknown factor going in.
I have to agree with Narutaki. As I am more and more a part of the menagerie that is the anime community, I look forward to going to conventions more than ever. It is a great opportunity to see old friends, meet up with people you have only talked to on the Internet, and discover awesome people you have not yet met. I know people are always disappointed that I am not actually an emotionally dead red-headed magical maid when they meet me. Then again I am actually emotionally dead so that is something, right? AnimeNEXT also has very good panels thanks to some very knowledgeable old time fans attending every year. There is also a strong and growing blogging presence. Since the thing I like the most about anime conventions, besides Japanese guests, are the panels it is always nice to seem some quality lectures about fascinating topics.
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03.30.09
Posted in Conventions, Fandom Tags: fan community, panels, panels run by us at 7:02 am by reversethieves
So do you want to go to a convention and get in for free? Do you have a topic you are an expert on? Do you have something you want the rest of the anime community to know about? Do you constantly get asked the same questions again and again in real life and on the Internet? If you answered yes to any of the question then you might be perfect to run a panel. It is great because you almost always get in for free and you get a little soapbox to spread you addition to the anime gospel. The real question is why doesn’t everyone do it? Because is it is a lot of work. If you do it right, even a simple panel is enough work equal to the price of admission. So lets get down to business. How do I do a super special awesome chocolaty fudge coated panel that will get me invited back again and again?
You’re right, everyone’s first inclination for running a panel is that you can get in for free. Though you have to check that before you get excited, many smaller cons only give you a discount on your ticket or none at all. Doing a panel because you want to and are actually going to put in the effort necessary without getting paid, that is when you separate the men from the boys. It is really important to think hard about doing a panel before signing up, you are placing yourself as a event of the convention. It is a responsibility.
Clearly the first thing to decide is what you want to talk about. There are a wide variety of topics you could do a panel or workshop about. Next is deciding who to do your panel with. If you are really confident, you can go it solo. However, the on stage banter between two or more people can keep the panel fresh and lively. If you are super cautious you can check what panels the convention ran last year. Typically if the same person is doing the same panel year after year your are much less likely to get accepted as a panelist on the subject. Now it is time to write your proposal. When you submit your panel idea you want to sell it hard. First list all the accolades that would sell your panelists. If any panelists have professional, scholastic, or amateur experience mention it in the proposal. For example, studying for a literature or animation degree, heading an anime club or other fan activities, or a job related to your topic are all good things to put down. Also if you have ever run any other panels mention that, too. You want to present yourself as overqualified. You want to sell the person reviewing your proposal that you know what you are talking about. Don’t just write a two line description if you can avoid it. Try to outline the whole panel with all the topics you are going to hit and about how much time you are going to talk about each category. It won’t guarantee success but it will help.
Panels are just more fun when you are doing them together. Of course it throws in a set of problems like making sure everyone shows up and puts in the needed effort. Nothing is more frustrating than having one member totally unprepared. Once your panel is accepted there may be a little bit of paperwork involved depending on the convention. Typically there is some sort of release form that each member has to sign and turn in prior to the panel. Now it is time to start working on the actual panel. Do not leave this till the last minute! Start work on your panel atleast a month before the convention.
If you are already quite knowledgeable about your panel subject then it is a simple matter of organizing your thoughts. Otherwise you are going to have to sit down and do some research on the subject. Once you have decided on the subject make a quick outline. Decide all the things you want to talk about in a big brain-storming session. Then take all those ideas and sort them into categories. Once that is done, write down what highlights you want to touch upon in each category. You don’t have to write everything out like it was an essay. Just lay down talking points so you always know the flow of the panel.
Now when planning out the panel it is essential to think about your time frame. Some subjects will be too grand to cover in a mere hour and some things too narrow. So after picking your subject you should break it into segments. Here is a breakdown for our Anime Recruitment panel as an example:
- Intro to us/panel – 5 mins
- Do’s and Don’ts – 10 mins
- Recommendations – 30 mins
- Q and A – 15 mins.
total: 60 mins.
You actually need to run through the panel to make sure your breakdown is realistic, too. It is wise to set aside some time for questions at the end, however if it is your first time running a panel leave only about 5 or 10 minutes. Otherwise you may have dead space in your panel. My advice is to also ask your audience to hold all questions till the end because you need to make sure to get through all your subject matter. I find this to be the biggest folly at panels. And it is better to have more questions than you can answer that flow into the hall. Also in that time be packing up your stuff to make way for the next panelist.
The old joke is someone asks, “Pardon me sir, but how do I get to Carnegie Hall?” and the other man replies, “Practice, practice, practice.” The best panels have probably been rehearsed at least three times before they were ever given. This is even more true for any workshops, demonstrations, game shows, and scripted events. Even if you have it all written down in front of you it will flow off the tongue more naturally if you practice before hand. Rounding people up to watch you practice is even better. It gives you a good opportunity to make sure you are making eye contact with the audience and you can gauge their reactions. Ideally you would have one person in the audience that has no idea what your panel is about and one person who is knowledgeable about it then get their thoughts at the end. Also an audience can shoot you some questions so you have some idea ahead of time what you might be asked at the actual panel.
While it isn’t necessary, we highly recommend the use of visuals like a PowerPoint presentation. It gives some pop to your panel, makes sure the audience isn’t only looking at you, and makes you look slightly more professional. This can easily keep the audience from getting bored and it makes your job that much easier in trying to describe things. You can also create hand-outs for the audience to keep with them after your panel. For example, if you are talking about many different shows the hand-out could list them, who released it, and how long it is. You can also use that space to promote your blog or website. Finally, a good way to draw attention to your panel is to give things away. Does that sound sleazy? Who cares! It works. In the convention guide be sure to mention a give away in your panel description. Then just gather up a few DVDs, books, etc. you aren’t too attached to and presto! Instant audience!
Now that everything is done it’s time to cover your behind. You want to throw any presentations, videos, handouts, and notes on at least two separate back up sources. They can be either laptops, CDs, DVDs, portable hard drives, or written copies of all the panel information. That means no matter what happens you should be able to do the panel. A girl who was giving several panels had her laptop die right at the beginning of the Providence Anime Convention. Her presentation contained rather scholarly panels with a great deal of information, pictures, and charts on her PowerPoint slides. Since she had a backup CD and a back portable HD she merely borrowed a laptop from someone in the audience or staff and ran her panels without a misstep. Ideally everyone on the panel should bring along a back up copy of all the panel materials. No matter who drops out the remaining members can still do the panel without them.
Now comes the moment of truth, you have to get up there and do a panel. Our first panel, I was slightly nervous but the convention was small so it wasn’t too terrible. My second experience was much more nerve racking! Otakon was a whole different ball park with a lot more people. Plus you had to get up on this stage area! Something about being elevated made it far worse. Don’t panic, if you are nervous when you get up there tell the audience so. Start talking with them to loosen yourself up. In any case, I’m just pointing out that I get terribly nervous but make it through. And then you feel a nice exhilaration after it is all over! But when it is all over, how do you know if it went well? People will clap, hopefully, and some will probably talk to you after the panel. These are good signs. Con staff in the room are also good people to ask because they are typically keeping an eye on the audience. And finally check out the forums and ask around. Remember, all panels have the potential to be good it just takes some foresight to make it memorable! Good luck!
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