November 2011
56 posts
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Anime USA is moving!
If you need another reason to get excited about AUSA 2012, here you go: AUSA is changing locations! The Crystal City Hyatt has served us all well, but AUSA is growing and our needs are changing. So next year AUSA will be held at the Washington Marriott Wardman. Conveniently located nearby the Woodley Park-National Zoo Metro station, the Marriott will offer a larger, convenient, and more cell phone...
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A small gift, from the bloggers, to you.
Three days’ convention goodness, and awesome anime. We decked out in our neon and hung out at the rave. But now we’re out of Red Bull and our sticks no longer glow. And even though I love cosplay, I’m sick of all these trolls.
Thanks for coming to AUSA And having a great time, But now it’s time to say goodbye, To get back to our lives. We had our fun, made some new...
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Charity Auction
Good morning (afternoon), AUSA, it’s almost time to say goodbye. Before you leave, be sure to stop by the Taylor Anderson Fund Charity Auction. All profits will go to the Japanese Red Cross towards relief for the March 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. You can check out the items that will be auctioned off in the Art Show room (same level as the Dealer’s Room). Stop by after you’ve done...
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HomestuckUSA 2011/Bucket Full of Homestuck
Your name is AUSA CONGOER. You enjoy ANIME and COSPLAY, but you have been wondering who are all of these STRANGE CHARACTERS with ORANGE AND YELLOW HORNS. You notice that they have overtaken the CONVENTION. You wonder if they come from some OBSCURE ANIME that you have NEVER SEEN, but you think they might actually be characters from a WEBCOMIC instead. You get the feeling that this comic has all...
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Hilarious J-Commercials
This panel of hilarious Japanese commercials began with a 15 marathon of Arnold Schwarzenegger commercials, followed by a toilet cleaning penguin. Need I say more? For these, and other commercials, check YouTube or Japander.com.
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Kowai
I’m an anthropology major, so I love Charles Dunbar’s panels. This one didn’t disappoint. A fascinating dive into Japanese superstition and monster myth. There were some familiar faces, like the kappa and yuki-onna, and some new ones as well, like the “teapot samurai” who attacks the head chefs of restaurants. This was Dunbar’s last panel of the con. If you...
10 Things I Hate About Webcomics
Kevin Bolk led a panel on the common mistakes of webcomic artists, from tropes to avoid or subvert to website layout. I learned a lot (and not just about how obnoxious Mary Sues can be). Not a rant, thankfully, but plenty of humor.
And if you need a good dose of Mary Sue, check out Bolk’s Ensign Sue Must Die! It’s hilarious.
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“Five or six years ago I was doing this panel…and I gave examples of...”
– Kevin Bolk, of InterroBang Studios, on the dangers of giving a panel like “The 10 Things I Hate About Webcomics.” While not naming any names (some examples don’t need to be stated out loud…you know who you are), Bolk made several good suggestions of what not to do if...
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Resurgence
The one show I didn’t expect to see such a large presence of at AnimeUSA2011 - Gundam Wing.
This anime is 15 (FIFTEEN) years old! Many of us cut our anime teeth on Gundam Wing when it aired on Toonami. Two major Gundam series, Seed and 00, have aired since then. You would think that fandom had moved on. Yet there’s Wing fanart in the Artist Alley; at least two Duo cosplayers (and a...
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japanjunky:
ANIME USA HERE I COME!!!!
We look forward to seeing you, too!
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A message from Matenrou Opera
Attention J-Rock fans: if you’d like to get your photo taken with Matenrou Opera today, the band has asked that you first support them by purchasing $30 of merchandise at their booth first.
If you’ve already bought merchandise from the booth, use your receipt to count toward your photo. Finally, make sure to bring your own camera for the shot.
Thanks!
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Bad Anime Bad!
The one scheduling choice that baffles me about AUSA this year is placing the popular Bad Anime Bad panel at 2:30 in the morning. But for the sake of laughing at some incredible failure, a good two dozen fans showed up, about half-a-dozen or so lasting until the conclusion at 6. Bad Anime Bad is a staple of east coast conventions, so if you missed it (what, you needed sleep?) then you can catch...
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Anime Parliament: Brilliant Confusion
In all my years of attending conventions, no panel has entertained as consistently as Anime Parliament. In the latest session it was decided that Captain Olimar from Pikmin was declared Space Pope, animals from Final Fantasy are to be provided with weapons to better defend themselves, and more funds are to be allocated to the Mad Sciences by means of selling Mad Scout Cookies. Context...
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Crime Fiction in Anime
A short run-through of different crime animes, from Lupin III to Detective Conan to Milky Holmes. Mostly this meant watching the opening sequences for the shows, but there was also random trivia and an episode featuring Kaido Kid.
This is another panel where it would have been more fun to have seen the shows. Panel goers were welcome to join in the discussion, and celebrate favorite moments.
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AUSA Host Club
If you’d like to play games, enjoy cotton candy martinis, or be cheered on as you chug $40 champagne, the rooftop restaurant is for you. Bask in the attentions of a handsome man or two. Request a favorite tune from the guitar-playing host. Bring lots of money (don’t worry, it all goes to a good con!). It was a relaxing and enjoyable part of the evening - stay tuned for a video of the...
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“Their [Operation Meteor’s] idea of rebellion is, we don’t like the...”
– John, one of the panelists at “The Honor of a Greater Power: Rebellion, Social Activism and Terrorism in Mobile Suit Gundam,” discussing the distinction between rebellion in Gundam Wing and terrorism in Gundam 00
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Panels in Workshop 2/Arlington Room...
Have fun listening to the Video Games next door and NOT the panel you’re attending! Turn up the volume, guys, you didn’t quite manage to drown out the speaker the entire time!
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Why Would Anyone Play a Visual Novel?
Well, he didn’t answer that question exactly, but it’s okay: most of the people attending the panel have played at least one, anyway! Brent Newhall of http://www.otakunovideo.net went through the history and style of Visual Novels (which, for the uninitiated, are basically Choose Your Own Adventure games, frequently involving a romantic story, and frequently but not always about sex).
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