So Little Time, So Much to Do: A Report of Otakon 2002
by Team Ryuhana
Another year, another insane weekend of Otakon. Unlike last year, when we spent most of the time wandering aimlessly, we actually got a booth in Artist's Alley to help promote our work. The response was great, and we got to meet lots of cool people. (Justin was awestruck with many of the creative hairstyles as well... don't ask.)
Ed, Justin, and Kate pack up the booth on Sunday afternoon. (Photo by Lindsey.)
Learning our lesson from the previous year that "Parking is Poo", we were able to talk one of our friends (who just happens to work in a building directly accross the street from the convention center...) to chaffeur us around in a big van all weekend. (He gets to park for free!) In return, he got some free "art-slave" work, and, of course, was graced with our witty banter for three days.
Since we had a booth to set up, we couldn't roll in as late as we did last year, and instead got to participate in the hel.. FUN that was the registration line. Last year, the pre-registration line had been so long, that it seemed everyone thought it would be easier to just not pre-register.
We did make it to the Music Video Contest, arriving early enough to see the tail end of MAT3K (Mystery Anime Theater 3000). There were a couple of funny jokes, and we had to admit, the movie itself, "Attack of the Supermonsters", was absolutely horrible, and deserved everything it got.
The Anime Music Video contest itself was pretty good, and this year's official "Stuck in our Heads" song was "Life's Gonna Suck" by Dennis Leary, which actually ended up being in two of the final entries!
The Dealer's room was much, MUCH bigger this year. Many of their wares could be found online for better prices, but for the lazy anime/manga merchandise shopper, it was heaven.
Although Kate didn't get a chance to do Karaoke this year, this guy's dancing kept the crowd entertained for some time.
Even though we ran into a few snags along the way, the weekend was a success. We didn't get nearly as many cosplay pictures as last year, but we haven't developed all the film yet either. Also, we've got this huge banner to lug around for a year, and about 45 extra glow bracelets. Hmm, this reporter smells a give-away in the future. ^_^
Thanks to everyone who stopped by and checked out our work. We really enjoyed talking with all of you, and hope to see you again next year!
-Team Ryuhana
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