The First Ever Anime Expo Chibi
Day 0 was wristband pick up, Night Market and Car Meet day. I wasted $15 on parking just to be able to pick up my wristband on Day 0. Yes, parking was a whopping $15, but I can’t complain since parking in LA would cost more. A lot more. The thing with LA is that I at least can take public transportation to the event and feel good about not having to waste precious cha-ching on parking.
Day 0 was meant to be a day to eat food and watch performances. I didn’t stay until the end (11 pm) of Night Market, but found the traditional performance lovely and Black Rose amusing. Unfortunately, most of the performers faced sound technical difficulties. Although I didn’t stay until the end of the night, I managed to visit a car meet happening adjacent to Anime Expo Chibi. Of course, there weren’t a lot of cars yet when I arrived, however it was nice nonetheless to see some good looking cars before officially calling it a day. (I wasn’t too fond of this one dude that glared at me while he was photographing, though. Like, dude, if you and your posse have an issue with other people viewing your car/cars, leave your car and yourself at home?)
Day 1 was popping. It seemed like this was the day that people really showed up to Anime Expo Chibi. From the get go, the Exhibit Hall was filled with people and I just told myself I wasn’t going to bother with it since I would rather attend a screening. I saw Ryoma! Prince of Tennis and The House of the Lost on the Cape. There weren’t a lot of people present for the screening of Ryoma! Prince of Tennis and all I can say is that it was like having the whole screening room to myself. Talk about VIP experience. The House of the Lost on the Cape screening was a different story, though. It was filled with people and I got annoyed at times because a guy sitting in front of me was blocking my view halfway into the movie. Both movies were good and I’m glad I decided to watch The House of the Lost on the Cape at the last minute, despite originally not wanting to out of fear that it would be too depressing of an anime.
There were a good amount of half naked guys dressed as Hashibira Inosuke from Demon Slayer and all I can say is yay? I say this because I often get turned off with how women’s bodies are sexualized at these events. I realize that some attendees opt to cosplay as sexy characters and that’s fine within reason however I honestly can’t help but to get irked by the obvious sexualization that occurs at these events. Like, I literally saw a woman’s butt and I’m sure without a doubt that someone was probably sexualizing her buttocks just because. Sexy cosplays aside, you’ll find sexualized items for sale which focus on women’s body parts and while I didn’t see an 18+ booth, I wasn’t thrilled to see these types of merchandise for sale because the boundaries between anime women and real women can be blurry for some people.
Anyway, back to Inosuke. I must be deprived or something because the first Insouke I saw, I was like *woah*. Tall, toned and beautiful skin. Somebody tell me why I will always notice if a guy has pretty skin and appreciate it. Yes, I am a weirdo. I didn’t see him in the front but I’m sure he had a six pack based on his arms. I should have taken a flick of this specific cosplayer but I didn’t. The irony is that I actually ran into him again while getting a drink and had the chance to flick to my heart’s content, but didn’t. I just didn’t have the energy to do so since my blood sugar was probably low af (no breakfast and no lunch) and I needed an artificially sweet drink before I could function again. I didn’t want to faint while photographing him, especially since he was with his friends. Although, come to think of it now, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if I were to naturally (cough cough) fall onto his chest. As mentioned earlier, there were other Inosukes around but this Inosuke was lit. Yup, the best of them all.
Unlike at the Anime Expo held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the likelihood of you running into someone again is higher here and that’s a good thing if you couldn’t take a photo of an awesome cosplayer and want a second chance at it. Don’t be like me where you get another chance to take a good photo but skip out on it. It wasn’t just with this Inosuke cosplayer, by the way. I had a similar moment with a Gintoki cosplayer. While roaming the Artist Alley, I had at least three chances to ask a Gintoki cosplayer for a good photo but skipped out on it. Why?!? I don’t know. Maybe he was just too cute or I just didn’t want to betray Takasugi. Ah, I’m just making excuses at this point…
I think it just feels weird at times to take photos of people even if cosplayers are supposedly meant to be photographed. It’s harder when they’re attractive AF but the ugly reality is behind that wig, costume and makeup, they might just be an average Joe/Jane. Yup, I said it.
So, moving on…
Both the Artist Alley and Exhibit Hall were crowded for most of the day. The crowds lessened as it got closer to evening time and that’s when I really got to see what was available and do a bit of shopping inside the Exhibit Hall. Although I didn’t buy a lot, I still managed to regret my purchases simply because I know what I bought would be a lot cheaper in Japan. It is what it is, though. The funny thing is that these purchases were made from the cheapest vendor available, minus the vendors selling $1 vinyl stickers that I didn’t need.
At the Artist Alley, I saw something I liked, but because the vendor didn’t bother to greet or acknowledge me, I was like wtf with this. LOL I told myself I’ll think about it and buy it the following day, if necessary. Plus, I didn’t even know how much the print I wanted was, so I was like F it. (FYI: There was a ridiculously small sign on their counter which displayed the prices.) I realized later (the following day) that artists are stereotypically socially awkward, shy or both, so I guess you can’t expect much from them in the customer service arena but still, wtf. You have to amp your customer service skills if you want to inspire people to spend their money. But then again, I guess I’d prefer them to STFU than be pushy marketers. But small talk isn’t a big deal, is it? Hmm.
If I was good enough in art, would I be able to inspire people to spend their money on my stuff? Am I good enough in art? I have a colleague that said I am. And I have childhood “friends” (peers) that have always known me as the so-called artsy one. Yet here I am, not in the arts most likely because my mom was for it when I was young only to become a hypocrite on her stance in my teenage years. Crazy but I shouldn’t get into that. At least not today anyway.
Night Market was happening again, but I opted out because I wasn’t going to hang around too late into the night. I had already seen Mii and Phoebe do sound check performances earlier in the day and that was sufficient for me. Would their performance at night be better? Probably but I didn’t want to stay around and didn’t want to get bit by a mosquito, either. (Yup, I got bit by a mosquito the night prior.)
Also, the unsaid thing about these types of events is that the later it gets, the weirder things get. I’m not sure about Anime Expo Chibi, specifically, but I know there’s a rumor that people sometimes look for hookups late in the night and that is not my business, but I might flip if someone has a nerve with me. (I doubt that anyone would have a nerve since I wasn’t cosplaying as something, but still, I’m female and was attending the event solo.)
The other reason for my leaving earlier is because I wanted to make sure I woke up early enough to attend Day 2.
Day 2 arrived and I honestly thought I wouldn’t attend Anime Expo Chibi despite it being the last day of the event. I was just tired. After debating it briefly in my mind and running some personal errands, I decided to make the drive to Ontario. Day 2 was noticeably less vibrant or perhaps it seemed that way since I opted to spend my time in the manga lounge before any line would form. Good choice, except I couldn’t find any of the manga I was hoping to be able to read. I even made a list beforehand of which Viz Media manga to find and read. I told myself there had to at least be two mangas from my to-read list in the lounge. I was wrong. LOL Regardless, it worked out in the end. I read 4 volumes total from two different mangas. The manga lounge was what I needed since it was relatively chill and quiet until it started to get crowded and chilly.
Yup, Day 2 was the coldest day of them all. I made the mistake of not bringing a warm sweater with me. The weird thing about this day is that they decided to amp up the AC inside the manga lounge as well as the Artist Alley. Like, wtf. And it didn’t help much that it was super cold outside as the day turned to evening time. Noticing that I had less than two hours left to roam the Artist Alley and Exhibit Hall, I decided to eat and head on over to Artist Alley where I’d spend my money, despite not really wanting to.
I went back to that booth because that print was calling my name. It wanted to be with me and I’m like, yeah, I want you to be with me, too. LOL The thing I need to know is, “How much are you?” and “How big are you, actually?” These were the questions in my mind and I know these questions sound really wrong but after reading from the artist’s itty bitty board, I learned that he’s $20. $20 for a large sized print. I don’t know if I’m down for that because if what I see on display is the large size, it’s not large enough for me. 🙁 I want my money’s worth, you see. After walking around and contemplating on this for a long time, I finally decided that I do need to have this print. (Crazy girl. I know.) I go to the booth, still not entranced with how the booth’s employee doesn’t greet first only to encounter a fan girl of some sort on a haul mission. Okay, I will come back later then. I have no idea wtf this girl bought and how many things she bought, but I had gone around the Artist Alley for a while already when she finally finished. LOL It’s okay…I wasn’t in a rush and it allowed me to be sure that I indeed wanted this print. I confirmed that it needed to be mine’s tonight. LOL 😛
So, I talk to the male worker and I asked him about the size. I think he misunderstood and thought I was talking about the T-shirt. I’m like no. Anyway, I end up getting the print. They’re out of plastic and I’m like wtf because I want to protect this print. But I’m prepared because I have that freebie tote from furya that can temporarily protect him until we’re home.
This should have been the first and last purchase I made from Artist Alley but my idiotic self just had to spend my remaining cash on something. So, I debated between two artists and settled on this one booth, only to debate further between purchasing a print or a postcard. Should I go for both the print and a postcard? But if I go for both, it means I’d go over the limit I had set for myself and I don’t want that. I opt to spend the maximum and go for the poster.
I think this was a purchase I regret. I’m not saying the art wasn’t good but I realized that in my haze, I failed to realize that the material of the print would be thin and I just don’t like that. Maybe I failed to realize the difference between a print and a poster or maybe I just failed to take notice of the wording. So, in the end it’s my fault and I feel as though I should have just bought the foiled postcard instead because I like the thicker paper over frail paper. The poster should be okay, though since I’ve already put it inside a sheet protector but it still doesn’t change the fact that it was a purchase I regret. It is what it is.
Also, it dawned on me that I bought from guys. I wonder if they label their customers inside their brains. I wonder if the first booth has an image about me for making a purchase on a sexy vamp. I wouldn’t be surprised. I also wonder if the artist at the second booth thinks something similarly about me, although the poster I bought was tame. Actually, both works are appropriate with the first just being on the seductive side.
I don’t know what it was about me but maybe after reading two mangas revolving around these types of characters, I just subconsciously had to get my hands on two oni guys… Bah at the coincidence! Or was it not a coincidence? It was meant to be, right? Like I said, that print was calling out to me since Day 2. It wanted to be with me. I saved its life. It’s now with me.
These red eyed guys… They’ve got to be better than human guys, right? Yes, especially when they’re not even 3D. But if they were real, I might just run off with them. LOL
Okay, enough with my crazy imagination. There was one booth I was thinking of spending my money on but couldn’t find it again for some weird reason. I should have just bought a sticker from them from the get go but it is what it is. If I had, I might have not been able to buy the poster which may have worked to my favor as I would have probably just ended up with the postcard. Oh well.
And that’s a wrap of Day 2. I left cold and excited. Yes, it was super cold in Ontario. I can’t imagine how cold the sexy cosplayers were… LOL Didn’t really see any half naked Inosukes on Day 2, but I’m sure some male cosplayers were feeling cold in their maid outfits and whatnot. LOL
Overall, Anime Expo Chibi was a good event despite me not being able to take advantage of staying until the very end each day. It would have also been a better event had I not worried about real world matters. The event is of course over and I am now back to the real world. And yes, me and Kuzu (in reference to the print) are living happily ever after. *smirk*
**Click HERE to watch my video of Anime Expo Chibi!**