Animazement 2010

Back in May, I mentioned that I went to an anime convention called Animazement. I know I said that I would post about it, but I never did! So here is my post now. I can barely remember stuff though.... And I only had a cell phone camera, which sucked. I apologize for the crappy pics.

So, this was my third year in a row attending Animazement. It's a 3-day convention usually held during the last weekend of May in Raleigh, North Carolina. The first year I went is still my favorite year, but this year was way better than last year. I really did not enjoy myself last year, and I was so close to not going again. Good thing I changed my mind.

The Guests:

Kappei Yamaguchi (the Japanese voice actor of Ranma, Inuyasha, and L from Death Note) was there! He's the one wearing the green bandanna. He was so energetic and nice and funny! Just adorable. Which reminds me, two years ago at Otakon, the largest anime convention on the US east coast, my sister and I wanted to get Yamaguchi's autograph. But like I mentioned, Otakon is a huge convention, and Yamaguchi was in high-demand because at the time, Death Note was very popular. So even though we waited in line for 2 hours, we weren't able to see him. It sucked, but thankfully, Animazement is a way smaller convention! ;)

Kazuhiko Inoue, the Japanese voice actor of Kakashi in the anime Naruto, was another guest! He's the guy standing up. He had 2 panels during the con. I went to both because the I missed the first 30 minutes of his first panel, and I needed to get an autograph ticket from his second panel. He was funny and cool. Someone asked him if he ever met Kishimoto, and he said that he has met him a couple of times & he mentioned that Kishimoto hasn't changed much in the past 10 years. He also joked that Kishimoto is coldhearted. Inoue's favorite colors are white & blue. He can sing & dance. He said that another Naruto movie is being made and that there will continue to be more as long as the anime is still going on.

Inoue & Yamaguchi's autographs:

This made me happy. And I even got to shake their hands. I was so nervous I only managed a 'thank you' to both of them before I quickly left; it felt a bit surreal. haha Inoue signed my copy of Naruto vol. 47, which is my favorite volume because of Hinata's confession. Yamaguchi signed the Animazement booklet; I wish I had brought my copy of Ranma ½ vol. 36, but I didn't even think about it.

The Only Cosplay Pic I Took:

Like I said, I had a crappy cell phone camera. The only reason I took this picture was for my sister. Well, and also because it was a good cosplay. Anyway, my sister loves video games, and she likes God of War, so I went for it. :p

What I Bought:

Anime conventions are expensive. Paying admission fees, hotel fees, and FOOD (3 meals a day; I don't understand how my friends can go with just eating one meal) and donating to the gas fund definitely adds up. I really had to make sure I did not spend too much money on merchandise. So I bought a few manga/manwha (Happy, Happy Clover vol. 4, Naruto vol. 47, Soul to Seoul vol. 4 & 5), a Sasuke Uchiha charm because I thought it was adorable, and a plushie of Toro, Japan's mascot for the PS3. Toro was for my lil sis. :)

Regrets?
Yes, I do have one actually. I didn't see Noriko Hidaka! She's the Japanese voice actor of Akane from Ranma ½, Kikyo from InuYasha, and Near from Death Note. I also missed her two years ago at Otakon. The reason I missed her this year is because I was at Kazuhiko Inoue's autograph session. Maybe, hopefully, she'll be there again next year. (Oh yeah, I regret not writing this post earlier because I forgot so many details!)

Will I Go Next Year?
Honestly, if had to choose between going to an anime convention or a YA book convention right now, I would definitely pick the book convention. I will always like anime, but reading books is what I love now. ;D