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 Another Anime Expo has come and gone. I don't mean to be blas about it, but this is my seventh year, so things are starting to get a little hazy. I can't, for example, remember exactly which year it was that we were served the infamous Breakfast Burritos ("now with even more tortilla flavor!") or when exactly people decided to start putting vodka in watermelons at parties. And to be quite honest, those are the sort of things that I really don't need cluttering up my remaining brain cells. So it was with my usual level of enthusiasm and fatigue ("that's nice") that
I approached this year's Anime Expo. We had all done a lot of work and, to
be quite honest, we were all pretty darn tired the week before the
convention as we made the few remaining logistical arrangements (such as
"how am I getting to the hotel?").But every year it happens just the same, as soon as I set foot on site for
the con, something changes. I don't know if it's something in the air or a
lack of something in the air (like oxygen, perhaps?), but suddenly I am as
optimistic and hopeful as I was when I went to my first convention. Perhaps
part of that was due to me meeting up early with one of my partners in crime
on Wednesday, Mr. Scott Frazier. When we got to the hotel, we decided to go
to lunch. Scott said, "This place is great—it's been under the same
management for over 40 years." I said ok and we set off.As we were walking towards the supposed location of the restaurant, he kept
saying, "it should be on the next block or so." So we kept walking. And
walking. (Ever seen LAWRENCE OF ARABIA?) So finally, I see this sign that
said "Belisles. Happy 43rd Anniversary!" And under the sign was not the
proud restaurant described to me, but a pile of rubble. It was not a good
omen.The rest of the con, however, went much more smoothly in that no
other major buildings that we were interested in had been torn down. And in
other ways as well, of course. But judge for yourself as you read the
AX
coverage, which included in-depth interviews with several of the Guests of
Honor.And of course, the EX panel was
entertaining as always. At the beginning,
we were experiencing technical problems that at one point not even anyone
from Starfleet seemed capable of solving. So Scott said, "Let's just start
babbling while they work on it." And with those auspicious words,
the EX
panel began.Scott and Dave talked about how they write their columns and how they don't
think they have anything to do with the magazine at all. "It seems like I
just send them into this black hole and they show up in the magazine," Scott
commented. He also apologized publicly to Keith for all the "horrible
things" he does to "the magazine's beautiful format." (note: Keith
usually fixes up the formatting.)My favorite question, however, came from someone who asked, "How often do
you guys see each other? You seem to get along so well, you must see each
other all the time." I explained that indeed it had been nearly a year
since I had seen Scott in person, but we did keep in contact via some very
strange and unusual e-mail of the type that would make you think that James
Joyce was just a regular guy.But I was really gratified to see that the spirit of camaraderie that goes
on behind the scenes of EX shines through in the magazine, as well as when
we are all insane enough to appear in a room on stage at just the right
height for people to throw things at us.
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  Charles McCarter
All contents submitted to EX are submitted and published on the basis of full assignment of copyright, unless otherwise agreed in advance and in writing. EX recognizes all copyrights and trademarks. Where possible, we acknowledge the copyright holder. Please contact us if we haven't credited your copyright and we'll correct any oversight. EX is a publication of The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation. EX: The Online World of Anime & Manga ©1996-1998 EX, The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation. All Rights Reserved. |
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