FanFicGuru
iBarty
Fanime...is it a good convention? I'm thinking, depending on the amount of money saved up maybe I can go within the next year or two. Fanime is pretty awesome.
Basically, you get about 10-12,000 attendees on average. It kind of sucks because not a lot of big companies come out for panels and stuff, being busy with Sakura con and a lot of other summertime conventions. However, Gainax almost always makes a strong appearance, Hiroyuki Yamaga is a constant guest and this year a TON of Gainax people are going to be there. They haven't even revealed who all of them are, it'll be a surprise when we get our program guides and look inside.
Dealers hall is huge, as expected...nice arcade and swap meet stuff, awesome artist alley and tons of video rooms...it's a great con.
I'd recommend going. ^_^
Remember that the announcement of a ton of people coming from Gainax was in a staff email, not a public announcement. While I cannot confirm nor deny the number of Gainax people at the event, there's also no guarantee that all of them will be Fanime guests. It's not uncommon for some guest-worthy individuals to also come along to hang out.
That being said, I am definitely looking forward to the panels of the Gainax people that I know are guests and have packed some things I want to get signed.
ninja As for Barty's question, it really depends what you're looking for in a con. What is your favorite thing to do?
If you are into dealer's rooms, there are bigger ones at cons out there but Fanime's is decent and there's the swap meet (plug plug) where you can find older and cheaper stuff. While I'm plugging stuff, I think we've grown to have a very good Masquerade and great variety of good cosplay to see. Also, they have a normal anime con dance and a formal one so they offer ballroom classes to prep for that.
I feel Fanime is weak on Japanese guests compared to preferred cons I go to, but they've been getting better. Being located on the west coast is a big advantage. In addition to usually having a Gainax presence, for the past few years, Broccoli Books has also brought someone over. Fanime may be weaker still on US voice actor guests, though generally gets one or two.
If you're looking for Gaia presence, it's pretty much guaranteed since they're based in the same city - though I do not know for sure whether they'll have their big booth with the wheel this year or they're saving that budget for bigger cons. If you're looking for Gaia
n presence, it looks like we'll have a decent number of people around this time, especially west coasters of course. I doubt we'll be so lucky as to have Rae join us every year.
crying If you like video rooms, Fanime has a lot of more recent stuff and a lot of marathons. We've also got a very popular local parody dub group (I wish they would schedule more showings of that.)
When you're just plain bored, Fanime has an open wireless area (or rather, an area right above a Starbucks...), Stage Zero - one of the better new ideas in conventions in my opinion - that randomly keeps you entertained without you having to find stuff, and a good layout for just hanging out. Furthermore, Fanime's location is blessed with plenty of close-by eateries, a lack of which I have seen being the bane of other cons.
This year I hope to get a better look around Artists Alley. I know it's large and there's a lot of talent there, but somehow I always have difficulty making time for it.
crying Fanime also has a MusicFest. It's not really my thing but generally there's one band/musical group there that some people really really want to see.
Fanime is a solid con. It has it's troubles like any con of its size - so let's knock on wood nothing goes horribly wrong this year. I was a little wary when they became a four day con, but they've managed to grow into it. I have been to some really boring Fanime years and these days it's hard for me to say because I keep busy. It's not a bad con to try, but if you're already going to be putting down the money to travel, there are so many to consider. I suggest considering what time of year is best for you and how much it would really cost you to go.
