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*wibbleibbleibble* <3
So... AniZona rocked.
For a tiny first-year con, it was remarkably well-organized, with only a few snags. The premises were nice, the atmosphere was pleasant and relaxed, the events were fun and well-run (aside from the LARP which was doomed to failure but fun while it lasted, and the Masquerade which had technical issues out the wazoo), we got great guests, the dealer's room had a decent amount of good swag... to top it all off, the weather was very much in our favor all weekend. :D
There was a surprisingly good cosplay turnout. <3 There were five different FFVI costumes, all of which were excellently done - we had a Celes and Gogo who came all the way out from Florida, a Gau, a Tina/Terra, and the inimitable Lord Masamune in his Edgar costume. :D Adella also showed up in a new Amano-based Aerith costume. We got big-name cosplayers. I'm happy. XD
There was also a GetBackers set of Ban, Ginji, and Hevn. Ban and Ginji WON AT GETBACKERS COSPLAY. They were good costumes, they carried around a sign, they were IC the whole damn time I saw them, and I even paid them a dollar to do a recovery job for someone. They WON AT LIFE.
We also had two Eds with automail arms, a Roy who actually did produce flame when he snapped his fingers, a picture-perfect BlackRose, the hottest and best-done Reno I have ever seen, a set of Final Fantasy creatures, a Petshop of Horrors cosplay... really, the general quality of the cosplay was quite high. And there was a lot of it. <3
Friday, as it happened, was 100% worth missing school for and then some. AMANO.
So... I did get to attend Amano's "Progression of Art" panel. I managed to get called on to ask him a question (I asked about the inspiration behind Tenshi no Tamago), which would in itself have made my day... but oh god, it got so much better.
As the line moved up for the autograph session, I asked one of the panelists if it would be okay to show Amano some of my art as well. It was okayed, so as he finished my autograph, I stuttered out my request in Japanese and handed my sketchbook over.
HE. LIKED. IT.
He called the first picture "sugoi". He liked the second picture and suggested that I color it. (As I understand it. I'm having trouble remembering everything he said and my listening comprehension sucks ass anyway, but I think I got the gist.)
I just... my brain completely shut down soon after this. I thanked him, took my sketchbook and my now-autographed artbook and staggered weakly away with Whitney, gibbering about "He said it was sugoi! He liked it!". Shortly after that, I kind of fell on the floor and hyperventilated in undying fangirl glee. XD My god. Meeting Seki was awesome, but... meeting Amano-sensei, getting actual praise from him, this man who is my GOD OF ART, who has been influencing my art and my creative processes since before I ever even knew who he was... it just MEANT so much more.
MY IDOL LIKES MY ART!!
... And I even managed to use correct Japanese, I think. I used honorific speech with him, and I think I got it right. I'm SO PROUD of myself, I keep having opportunities to practice my Japanese in real conversation and I've never taken them before now. And I managed to talk to my idol without making a complete fool of myself!
So... in a nutshell, that was the con. I burned through my entire budget on art (fifty-dollar Amano artbook ofojhlguhfug so beautiful <3), posters, CDs, and assorted other things, I cosplayed my Gaia avatar, I met my lifelong god of art, I got to chill with my friends and relax... it really was a wonderful con.
For a tiny first-year con, it was remarkably well-organized, with only a few snags. The premises were nice, the atmosphere was pleasant and relaxed, the events were fun and well-run (aside from the LARP which was doomed to failure but fun while it lasted, and the Masquerade which had technical issues out the wazoo), we got great guests, the dealer's room had a decent amount of good swag... to top it all off, the weather was very much in our favor all weekend. :D
There was a surprisingly good cosplay turnout. <3 There were five different FFVI costumes, all of which were excellently done - we had a Celes and Gogo who came all the way out from Florida, a Gau, a Tina/Terra, and the inimitable Lord Masamune in his Edgar costume. :D Adella also showed up in a new Amano-based Aerith costume. We got big-name cosplayers. I'm happy. XD
There was also a GetBackers set of Ban, Ginji, and Hevn. Ban and Ginji WON AT GETBACKERS COSPLAY. They were good costumes, they carried around a sign, they were IC the whole damn time I saw them, and I even paid them a dollar to do a recovery job for someone. They WON AT LIFE.
We also had two Eds with automail arms, a Roy who actually did produce flame when he snapped his fingers, a picture-perfect BlackRose, the hottest and best-done Reno I have ever seen, a set of Final Fantasy creatures, a Petshop of Horrors cosplay... really, the general quality of the cosplay was quite high. And there was a lot of it. <3
Friday, as it happened, was 100% worth missing school for and then some. AMANO.
So... I did get to attend Amano's "Progression of Art" panel. I managed to get called on to ask him a question (I asked about the inspiration behind Tenshi no Tamago), which would in itself have made my day... but oh god, it got so much better.
As the line moved up for the autograph session, I asked one of the panelists if it would be okay to show Amano some of my art as well. It was okayed, so as he finished my autograph, I stuttered out my request in Japanese and handed my sketchbook over.
HE. LIKED. IT.
He called the first picture "sugoi". He liked the second picture and suggested that I color it. (As I understand it. I'm having trouble remembering everything he said and my listening comprehension sucks ass anyway, but I think I got the gist.)
I just... my brain completely shut down soon after this. I thanked him, took my sketchbook and my now-autographed artbook and staggered weakly away with Whitney, gibbering about "He said it was sugoi! He liked it!". Shortly after that, I kind of fell on the floor and hyperventilated in undying fangirl glee. XD My god. Meeting Seki was awesome, but... meeting Amano-sensei, getting actual praise from him, this man who is my GOD OF ART, who has been influencing my art and my creative processes since before I ever even knew who he was... it just MEANT so much more.
MY IDOL LIKES MY ART!!
... And I even managed to use correct Japanese, I think. I used honorific speech with him, and I think I got it right. I'm SO PROUD of myself, I keep having opportunities to practice my Japanese in real conversation and I've never taken them before now. And I managed to talk to my idol without making a complete fool of myself!
So... in a nutshell, that was the con. I burned through my entire budget on art (fifty-dollar Amano artbook ofojhlguhfug so beautiful <3), posters, CDs, and assorted other things, I cosplayed my Gaia avatar, I met my lifelong god of art, I got to chill with my friends and relax... it really was a wonderful con.
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Am seriously debating on moving to the US right now. You guys get all the fun. XD
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Isn't it, though? *_* Nothing, NOTHING will ever compare to that.