It was a good..."meet people" con.

I really am feeling less and less enthused with the Artist's Alley selling aspect since again I don't really buy prints. I just don't have room for it. With a few spots the atmosphere for the alley...well just isn't the same anymore. Keep in mind I've been at Anime Expo all the way back in the mid to late 90's (not at every one but been there a few times). Sketchbooks pamphlets are cool and I don't mind getting those or minibooks.

Doesn't feel friendly, nor do I appreciate people rough-housing at tables. That was just crass.

I did drop chocolate mochi bombs on people, so if you got one, enjoy! Some people got the Japanese Gummies too.

For future AXs held here in LA (I should still be around). I will have a Daikokuya Ramen night where we all head to Little Tokyo after the Exhibition Hall closes. Just have to make sure it's not ON July 4th. I tend to buy a round of appetizers too.

For people attending the con for future reference - Please for God sakes stop being Pocky cosplaying zombie idiots and PUSH THE WALK BUTTON when we're at the intersection. The light will not give you a walk signal, do not assume! I can't tell you how many times I've walked up irritated because no one pushes the damn button and confused faces because they don't see a walk sign.

I am such a nervous twit at times it took me several times to walk up and talk to some artists because I don't want to feel I'm bothering them. I think it's because some of the artists at the Alley were rather unfriendly or disinterested.

I mostly hung around with 's crew but on Saturday hung out with who is like some red headed stepchild everyone thinks looks EXACTLY like their friend. It was just funny, even his friend Drew, got that too. I hope I wasn't a pain in the ass, lol.

is a sweetheart, shame I couldn't meet Dan. Also talked with and and also got to meet :iconjaddice: and also ran into .

I think I've found some artists I'll commission because like I said...not into the prints thing.

There were a lot of crafts this year but the problem with anime characters these days is they don't have...the longevity as other characters. What I mean is it took a long time for Ranma and Sailor Moon characters to die off in popularity. There are so many anime characters now it's just hard to latch onto one for a long time. So that's why I can't buy a keychain or other good like a charm. This isn't going to stop anime fans from buying this stuff...but yeah as the crowd gets older and drops out of the scene...something needs to help that buying power. I haven't seen much that will keep those that start to burn out on anime...the average lifespan of an "otaku" once stated by me ex bf is about 10 years. With the proliferation of anime expect that lifespan to become much shorter. That doesn't mean however, these people won't spend. Just don't expect them to spend it on fanart prints. Keeping that in mind with the internet...why buy a print you can download?

Having said that, my other major complaint with Anime Expo is that there is no sketch artist's alley. Sure there was a mixer for ARTISTS ALLEY artists only, but why can Expo have a dedicated room full of unwashed gamers 24/7 but not a nice Sketch Alley room for artists? It does not take us two hours to just draw but many days weeks or even years. Why not have a room that's dedicated for artists who can potentially be the next group that will be part of the artist's alley. Not all artists can be at the alley every year either. Many artists come to get advice to get better too, while it's nice there are workshops, a sketch room can help a lot. So please Expo, let's have this room!

Convenience of it being at the LA convention center is great because I can easily travel on one of the many bus lines or rails to other places.

Oh yes, by the way. If you asked about how to mod your intuos tablet or where to get Painter brushes at the con, I sent you a note with more detail.