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 The summer con season has finally drawn to a close and, although somewhat the worse for wear this year, I have to say it's been a lot of fun, and more eventful than normal. Of course there was Anime Expo, and then there was Otakon, and finally San Diego Comic Con (aka Comic Con International).
Comic Con this year was especially interesting, as Bandai had brought over
some scale Gundam statues, including a Gundam, a Zaku, and the head of the
F91 (see the picture at left). The booth was very popular, as not only
were there people lining up to pose with the Head, but they were also giving
away some free posters and such. Other excitement at Comic Con
International included the appearance of Asamiya Kia揺is first public
appearance in twelve years, and Takeuchi Naoko, creator of SAILOR MOON.
More on this will be appearing in the next issue of EX, so stay tuned!And of course, Otakon's big news was the appearance of Kawamori Shoji. Look
for an exclusive interview with the Master of all things MACROSS in the next
issue as well. Meanwhile, however, the rest of the con's highlights can be
found inside.Rounding out our Anime Expo coverage is the
interview with Hayama Junichi,
best known for his work on JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE and
FIST OF THE NORTH STAR.Now, everyone thinks that going to cons is fun, and it certainly is; if they
weren't, no one would go. And there is a certain amount of nostalgia
involved in returning to San Diego year after year to eat at the cajun
restaurant or catch a movie at Horton Plaza. But when you're trying to
gather information for a magazine, it's a lot more than just hanging out and
waiting for the information to roll in. You have to be in the right place
at the right time, and sometimes that's not easy. I can't count the number
of times I trudged back and forth across the Exhibit Hall at Comic Con to
confirm panel times and autograph sessions, among other things. But
oftentimes, such as the case of finding out that Asamiya was at Comic Con
(which was not announced in any of the program material), the sleuthing and
diligence pays off. Obviously, it takes a lot of time and energy to go to
all these conventions and scope out the latest happenings in the industry,
so forgive us if things are running a little behind.But, all in all, there were not a large number of surprises announced at the
conventions this year. The rumor mill is churning full scale, of course,
but very little has been confirmed at this point. No one is willing to
confirm or deny anything; you would think that we were walking around in an
episode of THE X-FILES. We're not talking national security here, just what
titles US companies plan on putting out in the next few months.And as the summer draws to a close, we come to the period that can only be
described as the doldrums of the US anime industry. Every year there seems
to be a slump in the US releases between the end of summer and the beginning
of the new year. Not a lot is going on; companies are moving forward,
churning out the next volume in this or that series, but the new releases,
the stuff that made the fans salivate earlier in the year, won't be seen
until at least early 1999.But at least that makes my job easier as I'll have fewer distractions for
the next few months. And of course, these companies probably all need time
to recover from the cons as well.
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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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