Anime Expo
A Fan's Eye View
by Richard Steele

Last year marked the second time I have attended Anime Expo and was the third year that the convention has been held. First titled AnimeCon, Anime Expo is the largest anime convention on the west coast of America. Held every year on or about the 4th of July, Anime Expo is one of the most exiting events a fan of anime will ever experience. After spending one year as a fan and one year as a gopher I have become familiar with this convention and the dedicated people who help to put it on. This year I am an officer in a branch of Cal Animage, an anime fan organisation with branches at several universities here in California. Through my association with fellow club members, many of whom are now serving as staff for this years convention, I have been able to observe first hand all of the hard work that goes into hosting one of these conventions. In this article I hope to share with anime fans overseas at least some of the wonderful memories I have of the convention and to get them better acquainted with all the different events that go on throughout the convention.

The first thing I wish to mention about Anime Expo are the Guest of Honour. Most conventions try to secure the appearance of special guests from Japan to engage in discussions with the fans, sign autographs and so forth. Anime Expo is no different. However, the calibre of guests at Anime Expo has been incredible. This year they are looking forward to the appearance of Scott Frazier, Hiroyuki Kitazumi, and Haruhiko Mikimoto.

Scott Frazier is the most prominent American working in the anime industry in Japan today. Mr. Frazier was the first American to work in production, be a directors assistant, teach or work at an animation school, and create his own studio (TAO Corp). I was lucky enough, along with quite a few other fans, to meet Mr. Frazier last year at Anime Expo 93. Mr. Frazier is an energetic and personable fellow who seemed to enjoy the convention atmosphere a great deal. The talks he hosted on the state of the industry today were informative and interesting. When I first saw the list of confirmed guests this year I was glad to see Scott Frazier's name at the head of the list.

Hiroyuki Kitazumi is a character designer of great renown having worked on all of the following projects: Z Gundam, Gundam ZZ, Char's Counterattack, Digital Devil Story, Dragon Century, L-Gaim, Dunbine, Iczer-3, Megazone 23 Part III, Legaciam, AD Police Files, His Name is Gold, Dunbine, Genesis Survivor Gaiarth, Greed, and a few characters in Scramble Wars, Moldiver and Bastard!!. With so many great titles to his credit Mr. Kitazumi is a great addition to the list of guest for Anime Expo 94.

Haruhiko Mikimoto. What can I say about the man who has created such characters as Noriko Takaya, Lynn Minmay, and Eve? Nothing except that Mr. Mikimoto is currently one of the most sought after character designers in anime today. His credits include Gunbuster, Macross, Macross II, the movie Macross Do You Remember Love?, High Speed Jecy, Gundam 0080, and Eve from Megazone 23. He is also working on his own manga series for Newtype magazine called Marionette Generation.

The Guests of Honour, and other guests, usually spend their time alternating between discussions about their particular fields of expertise, signing autographs, attending the Guest of Honour brunch in which fans get to share a table with their favourite members of the anime industry, and simply wandering the convention and meeting fans on a more casual basis.

In addition to panel discussions by the Guest of Honour there will be a feature on computer animation. Details are still sketchy but it looks to be an intriguing experience for both fans of computer animation and the just plain curious. There will also be gaming, involving both role-playing and wargaming, parties, a meet the guest reception, and many other fun activities.

One thing that makes this convention particularly exiting are the wonderful costumes worn by many of the guests. It's hard to walk through the dealers room without bumping into Hikaru Ichijo (Rick Hunter), Captain Harlock and Emeraldas, Ranma, or a plethora of other popular anime characters. I myself was dressed as Rig Veda from Explorer Woman Ray. If you are going to attend you should consider attending in costume. There will be a costume contest and masquerade along with other group activities put on by the convention staff for those of you who attend in costume. But even if you don't feel free to drop by the masquerade and marvel at the work that some fans have put into recreating their favourite anime characters.

Another aspect of the convention is the art and modelling show. Showcasing work by talented artists and modellers, the art show is my favourite part of the convention. Much of the art on display will be up for auction, giving a fan chance to won a piece of unique art that will never be duplicated anywhere else. The quality of the work is outstanding and a portion of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to charities around the world. There will also be a modelling contest with prizes to be announced. Last year's grand prize was a Knight of Gold vinyl model from Five Star Stories which stood assembled at over four and a half feet tall.

There will be 35mm and 16mm film programs with theatre seating and stereo surround sound. Last year Gunnm premiŠred to a packed house and this year promises to be no less spectacular with prints donated by major studios both in the United States and Japan. In addition to the film program two of the hotels television channels will be broadcasting anime twenty-four hours a day throughout the length of the entire convention.

Now we come to what many fans consider the high point of Anime Expo. The dealers room. Bigger than a football field, the dealers room will be packed with every conceivable thing a fan might wish to spend his hard earned money on. Laser discs, models, posters, compact discs, videos, cels, toys, Ranma bath salts, anything and everything related to your favourite shows can be found in the dealers rooms for excellent prices. Many major companies will be represented such as Books Nippon, Pony Toy, most of the major subtitling companies, along with individual collectors and merchants wishing to peddle their wares. Tables in the dealers room run $200.00 a piece and come with two attending memberships. Outside the dealers room proper can be found the "Artist's Ghetto" where aspiring artists can ply their trade selling original illustrations and commissioned works.

For the past three years Anime Expo has been held in the San Francisco bay area in Northern California. It may seem like a considerable distance to fly for a three day convention but before writing it off Anime Expo on account of the distance involved you should consider all the other fine attraction that Southern California has to offer. First of all, Anaheim Convention Centre is just a stones throw from Disneyland. In fact, if you wanted to put in an extra day and see Disneyland this would be an excellent opportunity. Other amusement parks such as Knotts Berry Farm, Magic Mountain and Universal Studios Tours are also within easy driving distance of Anaheim. In addition to amusement parks Southern California has to offers many other interesting diversions for tourists, you could visit Venice Beach, Hollywood, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, or many other exciting places in and around Los Angeles. And considering the time of year the weather should be beautiful.

I hope I have been able to convey to you at least a small fraction of what Anime Expo is. For fans of Japanese animation a more enjoyable time could not be had anywhere at any price and I encourage any fan of anime to consider attending. If you ever get a chance to visit the United States and you are a fan of anime let me encourage you to visit Southern California and attend Anime Expo.