OTAKON 2009 FEEDBACK THREAD: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY, Please post your constructive feedback and suggestions here! Options

[ZGL]

Another year is over and the staff has been placed lovingly into their cryochambers to sleep the sleep of the dead for the next week or twelve.

In the meantime, we'd love to hear from you about your experience at this year's Otakon.

Did you have a mindblowingly awesome experience at some point? Was there something you'd change, or would like to see done differently? Post about it here, in the official feedback thread. We'll listen, and the staff involved will try to comment on or somehow address your concerns, but keep in mind the one groundrule that will be strictly enforced:

No flaming. Yes, some parts of the weekend were very frustrating - chances are, we're aware of those problems and will be working to fix them.

You're welcome to post about your negative experiences (in fact, we want to hear them so that we can address them for next year), but please keep it civil - it's much easier to solve "I couldn't get into the 18+ programming without a wristband, even though I'm 47! Why is that?" than it is to solve "How dare you not let me into the 18+ programming without a wristband, I'm 47 years old and clearly not some little kid!!1!"

Things that we are already aware of:

1. The situation with the Bleach panel.
2. The situation with Anime's Craziest Deaths panel.

With that in mind... go!

[DDR BIG C]

Convention was 100% awesome, congrats to the staff and no doubt, I'm coming next year and every year after that. You guys make the magic happen every year and I applaud you to that. Take care and god bless.

[DDR BIG C]

When's next year's otakon?

[Darthy Storms]

Kudos to the staff for a fantastic convention because you make the magic happen & it gets better every succeeding year!!!

This post has been edited by Darthy Storms: Jul 19 2009, 01:57 PM

[Confero]

Feedback: Thanks for another awesome year!

It is easy to overlook things that in the end are somewhat minor, such as the Bleach panel or people not hearing the song they wanted at the dance. In the grand scheme of things everyone usually walks away from this with a magical experience. This is a massive event and everyone deeply appreciates you all making it happen! Thank you!!

This post has been edited by Confero: Jul 19 2009, 02:34 PM

[FlameLordPhoenix]

Overall, the convention itself was awesome, as it is every year. I would also like to thank whoever schedules the dates, because next year's Otakon dates work out perfectly for me.

The only complaint I had this year didn't even involve the convention or its staff, but rather what appears to be outside help brought in. I posted a thread about it, the "Baltimore City Special Police" thread, so if you want to know what happened it's all in there.

[Purple One]

Great con! The guests/videos/panels were all awesome! I'll be sad to leave for home in the morning.

Please staffers, I know you are all busy and have a million things to do, but please be a bit gentler when pushing your way through crowds. I was practically tackled from behind a couple times by staffers who didn't even bother saying "excuse me" as they came through.

I'll see you all next year (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) I'm already planning.

This post has been edited by Purple One: Jul 19 2009, 03:38 PM

[Ryouko]

We went to the last concert on Sunday, but had to leave because the speakers were just too loud. I've been to several concerts at Otakon over the years, but this is the first time I had to get out during the first song... was really disappointing.

Otherwise, we had a really nice weekend. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) What are the dates for next year?

[Dither]

I loved the new large panel room at the Hilton - seeing it filled for the "Who's Line is it Anime" panel was awesome. The bridge for the con was also great, and I hope there will be more con space at the Hilton next year - I'm definitely getting a room there again next year!

We got lucky with the wristbands this year - we came by when there were only 5 people in line, but actually publicizing a time for when it's open would be helpful. We were told three different times for three different staffers, and ended up just poking our heads in a few times to see if it were open yet or not.

The fan parodies were (mostly) great, and the Eva premier went well too, aside from some technical difficulties. Having it in HD next year would make for a great draw, too.

[squirrel3d]

Well this was my very first con of any kind. And I have to say I was extremly impressed. I didn't get to meet or hang out with any friends as I planned to (we still can...right?), but luckly I knew a friend from CT who I justed hanged out with throughout the whole thing. For those of you who saw sailor iron mouse, or Makoto and Usagi in PJs in the SM hentai panel...I was the dude in the black and orange with a bookbag hanging out with them.

I will defintly come back next year...heck I live in baltimore anyway so it's odvoius I'll be back!

[olivepd]

I was pleasantly surprised. It's not like I was expecting horror and death, but there were a lot less snafus than the average con and it was high even for Otakon's already high standards. Panel misunderstandings (*sigh*) are inevitable, but staff was on-point without being aggressive (a nice change from last year) and it seemed like scheduling and programming was at it's best. Good job, guys!

[The Eva Monkey]

I was really pleased with the Eva premiere, glad to see quite a few people saw it. My only disappointment was that both showings were in dub, and I would have preferred to see one sub, one dub, in order to cater to both sides of the table, because let's be fair, it shouldn't be selling a dub, it should be selling a movie. I realize that Video Ops has to go with what is supplied, and that any distributor is going to strongly push the dub, but with two showing times, I would have liked to have seen it available as a sub as well.

Also, the online schedule that was constantly updated and the big screens with the schedule on it in both wings was a much needed addition, thanks goes out to whoever made that happen!

This post has been edited by The Eva Monkey: Jul 19 2009, 04:28 PM

[Revengel]

As usual a GREAT con! Had a blast and looking forward to learning when the next one is (currently searching the boards to that effect)

The one thing that actually got to me was the Saturday showing of Eva 1.0. I tried to be understanding but after the 6th or 7th time that the video feed went "POOF" my friends and I threw in the towel. Eva is one of my three favorite stories so for this to happen was truly a disappointment. Is there a way to test the projector and/or have a stand by ready in the future?

Thank you all for your VERY hard work!

[HightopNinja]

I don't think I can come up with any real solid complaints this year.

I probably would have complained about the outside area on the second floor having construction done on it, if I still smoked. But, since I quit, it wasn't a bother in the least.

Thanks for an awesome year, can't wait to find out when next year is going down and when the hotels will be up. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)


-Ninja Vanish!

[Kirarakim]

I only managed to go on Friday this year but I was very impressed. I kept worrying that I would be unable to attend all the panels that I wanted because of space and time but that wasn't a problem at all. Everything that I went to seemed to be in the right sized room so no one was turned away.

My only issue is while I really enjoyed the NGE movie it was so close to whatever concert was going on Friday night that we could hear the music during the movie. It just added an unwelcome soundtrack.

I was also really impressed by the dealer room selection this year. It seemed to me that there was a lot of good merchandise direct from Japan. In fact I had to force myself to leave so I didn't spend too much money.

This post has been edited by Kirarakim: Jul 19 2009, 04:37 PM

[ReanimationLP]

The only problem I had was the band before Kanon on Saturday.

I could not understand anything they were singing, it just sounded like 15 minutes of someone screaming into a microphone.

[webyugioh]

I loved the Con and everything was great.

Just two things...

The Friday Night Eva Movie Dub was a very unique way of watching it,
since the whole thing had a MELL soundtrack to it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
I felt like I was able to see the concert and the movie all at the same time.

Also, I only went to the Wakeshima concert, but what was with that band before her?
I don't mind other bands, but they at least they need to be similar music styles.

Other than that, I had a blast.
Every panel I went to was great,
even though the Fansubbers vs Industry panel could have been promoted more.

Hope I can come again!

[Aresef]

The good:
-Schedules on the monitors. THANK YOU. MORE OF THIS PLEASE.

-The @Otakon twitter feed. Though to whoever was on the other end, remember, people are keying these to their cell phone. It's good to know that you love moist delicious cake, but not when there are schedule updates and things to get out there.

The bad:
-Was AC in the Alley even on before the Alley opened to the public? Didn't feel like it.

-I didn't spend too much time in the Hilton stuff, but when I did, not many people were there. I really hope to see the Hilton events expand in years to come. It's good, plentiful space.

-Echoing the feedback session, having the ID check booth open during peak registration times (and during Thursday pick-up) would rock.

-Sharp/Otterbein doors closed until noon (really annoying for artists). Lower Charles St. Lobby doors closed, period. Blah.

-Despite only a slight jump in attendance, the con felt a lot more crowded. I don't really know why. Meh.

The ugly:
-Waiting half an hour for a sandwich at Einstein Bros. Aramark needs to drop the axe on some slow-moving clowns.

-Said by multiple people at the feedback panel and noted up top. Anime's Craziest Deaths went from full to canceled in 15 minutes because somebody forgot to read the tin, I guess? Give those guys a late night spot next year in panel 4.

The meh:
-Where did all the really big dealers go? Sign of the times, I guess.

I'm sure I'll come up with more to riff on later. Sleep now...



This post has been edited by Aresef: Jul 19 2009, 05:20 PM

[ColonialForces]

Ok, I know staff was tired, but they were hugely overzealous during the clean up of the Artist Alley, we got told by a staffer to pack up and leave the alley because it was closing, so we were picking up stuff and getting ready to leave when, not 5 seconds later, another staffer came over and told us to leave immediately... We continued towards the door when a third staffer ran up to us within another 5 seconds of the last staffer leaving us, and told us that we needed to leave, while he was in the middle of his speech, another ran up and told us to leave... It was a little ridiculous guys...

The bathrooms were a post apocalyptic wasteland by the end of Friday, complete with noxious fumes... and the Artist Alley only had one bathroom, which consisted of one toilet for the entire male populace in the room.

And, I'll stop whining, but can someone please stop the Yaoi dealers from screaming "Yaoi" every 10 seconds? Massive Overkill was massive...

[Purple One]

I'd forgotten about Einstein Bros' horrible service! 45 minutes for them to toast a bagel and smear some cream cheese on it! There was a line, but the workers didn't seem to understand the basic concepts of food service. My friend who ordered his bagel directly after me didn't get his for about 20 minutes after I had mine. So they just served the orders randomly? Some people had very short waits while other people had insanely long ones. Why the poor service? Did no one tell them we were coming? Were they staffed completely by new hires?

I missed the huge, flashy booths at the Dealer's. But times are hard, you know? I was really pleased with the dealer's room this year! Great selection compared to previous years where everyone seemed to be selling the same things.

[The Eva Monkey]

-Said by multiple people at the feedback panel and noted up top. Anime's Craziest Deaths went from full to canceled in 15 minutes because somebody forgot to read the tin, I guess? Give those guys a late night spot next year in panel 4.

You're only partially correct. We probably should have read between the lines, caught it, and made it an 18+ panel. Unfortunately in this case, it slipped through the cracks. It's regrettable that it happens. We don't like pulling panels, it's not fair to anyone. However, the panelist was well aware that content of a graphic nature was not acceptable, and that we're an all ages event. You should also know that it was content of a SEXUAL nature which was NOT in the panel description that was the final deciding factor. The "Well what do you expect?" defense is not good enough. The panelist warning the audience is not good enough. It's a matter or law, and liability. It's no different from us having to tell people not to run, not to crowd exists and walkways, and disallow live steel props. We have to make these judgment calls, otherwise we run a greater legal risk, and we don't want to endanger Otakon's ability to operate in the future. So let me ask you, what's worse: the occasional canceled event, or no Otakon at all?

[RTeker]

the only 2 gripes I do have is regards to the closer of the walkway between the dealers room entrance and the art show entrance. I complain about is because on Friday it was open to con traffic, but came Saturday it was closed off making people walk ALL the way around. As someone wearing those wooden sandles (forgot what they are called exactly) that Urahara wears in 'Bleach' that was a painfully long annoyance when I went from the game room to the dealers room. and also the fact that someone had shut-off the escalator going down from the 4th floor to the reg floor.

[stephb]

I thought you guys did a great job this year! Panels were scheduled in appropriate sized rooms 80% of the time, and the schedule didn't change much. It was awesome. Case Closed was shut off halfway through by mistake, but that was rectified in minutes. Good job! SOOOO much better than last year. And adding the Hilton was very nice!

[maybe_melancholy]

the only 2 gripes I do have is regards to the closer of the walkway between the dealers room entrance and the art show entrance. I complain about is because on Friday it was open to con traffic, but came Saturday it was closed off making people walk ALL the way around. As someone wearing those wooden sandles (forgot what they are called exactly) that Urahara wears in 'Bleach' that was a painfully long annoyance when I went from the game room to the dealers room. and also the fact that someone had shut-off the escalator going down from the 4th floor to the reg floor.

AGREED. same thing happened to me ~_~

what was really bugging me was how LATE the dealers room, game room and artist alley opened. From what I remember from last year, the dealers room was full and open around 10 pm or 11 on friday & saturday.... but this year, everything opened around 12pm and 1pm @_@;;; Does the staff not consider how incredibly CROWDED this makes the convention because the BIGGEST events of the convention haven't opened yet? And all the lines for the dealers room/artist alley/game room that clog up the hallways doesn't exactly help the traffic very much. And with the big events closed off, it's hard to enjoy panels because they're ALL packed since no one has anywhere else to go... the organization this year just wasn't as good as last year.

Here's another thing that kinda bugged me. So I picked up my pre-registration badge on Thursday after waiting like 2 hours, which i didn't exactly mind cuz i was thinkin "hey, we'll just walk straight into the convention on friday at least!"
... my theory was incorrect. When i got to the con at 8, there was a line, not as long as the other lines...but still. a line is a line. What bugged me even more was that there were only like 2 staff members checking the badges and they were going at an very slow rate. But in the end, the line took like 10 mins and the line moved at a moderately slow rate but at least we got in the con faster than other people did (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

I also didn't particularly like the people who were working at BCC. I understand that they're not otakon staff, but they keep making attempts at "crowd control" when no one is even blocking anything. When I was standing in line for the mell concert, they kept attempting to control the line and make room so that people can pass through but i was just thinking "no one is even trying to pass through >_> and they're smart enough to walk around the line >_>;".

Anyways, that kinda concludes my rant. Most of this applied to Friday, but Saturday & Sunday moved pretty smoothly organization-wise. But this was the first year that I felt pissed off at the con :/

[MissV]

The only problem I had was the Thursday night line, although I do understand fully that it was crowded. Otherwise, I thought the con was fine. I had a problem with the Nazi cosplayers (not the Hellsing ones...The actual SS Officers) but thats out of Otakon's control.

[ReanimationLP]

The only problem I had was the Thursday night line, although I do understand fully that it was crowded. Otherwise, I thought the con was fine. I had a problem with the Nazi cosplayers (not the Hellsing ones...The actual SS Officers) but thats out of Otakon's control.

That offended me too.

I know that movie came out, but the movie has nothing to even do with asian culture.

Was very tasteless and rude.

There was also a kid who had made an armband with a swastika on it, which was also pretty crude.

[Kirarakim]

The only problem I had was the Thursday night line, although I do understand fully that it was crowded. Otherwise, I thought the con was fine. I had a problem with the Nazi cosplayers (not the Hellsing ones...The actual SS Officers) but thats out of Otakon's control.

Wow I am really glad I did not see that. I think that would have made me really uncomfortable. Actually I am not really sure what I think Otakon's policy should be regarding something like that. I am all for freedom of speech and I understand it is just a costume but something like that can be really unpleasant for other guests because of the thoughts such a costume can bring up.

[Clutch]

On the whole it was a good con. Thanks to the staff. (no hand clapping smiley)


Only a few minor annoyances:
Where is the line? The Storyboarding panel appeared to have 2 lines. The people in my line were not very happy at the thought of waiting an hour only to be bumped for a full room, because the second line started filing into the room. Suggestion: Assign some designated areas for lines and taped off areas on the floor for doorways, so they aren't blocked.

Did the no signs rule get dropped? I saw a plethora of them this year; some of which would be considered 'solicitation.'

The video selection was weak compared to previous years, and the descriptions were missing from the Program Guide. Many entries only listed a time.

My con-mate wanted to go to the Japanese Cooking panel, but it disappeared from the schedule.(as they told me)

[MissV]

The only problem I had was the Thursday night line, although I do understand fully that it was crowded. Otherwise, I thought the con was fine. I had a problem with the Nazi cosplayers (not the Hellsing ones...The actual SS Officers) but thats out of Otakon's control.

Wow I am really glad I did not see that. I think that would have made me really uncomfortable. Actually I am not really sure what I think Otakon's policy should be regarding something like that. I am all for freedom of speech and I understand it is just a costume but something like that can be really unpleasant for other guests because of the thoughts such a costume can bring up.

I actually talked to some staffers about it (well, it started with one staffer who is a friend of mine, and two others joined in.) Basically, they were not causing a scene or being rude, and they have the right to wear a Nazi uniform. One staffer even made the point that a white supremest could run for office. I'm Jewish, my whole family is Jewish, and seeing something like that is horribly unsettling.

[Darthy Storms]

The only problem I had was the Thursday night line, although I do understand fully that it was crowded. Otherwise, I thought the con was fine. I had a problem with the Nazi cosplayers (not the Hellsing ones...The actual SS Officers) but thats out of Otakon's control.

Wow I am really glad I did not see that. I think that would have made me really uncomfortable. Actually I am not really sure what I think Otakon's policy should be regarding something like that. I am all for freedom of speech and I understand it is just a costume but something like that can be really unpleasant for other guests because of the thoughts such a costume can bring up.

I'm offended as well. As there are actual Nazi groups, I just hope they're not hiding under cosplaying using Otakon as a vehicle to seek out new recruits.

[ReanimationLP]

I got a good question - Who is the voice of Otakon? Is that Jim? :3 Some of the stuff he was saying before the concerts was absolutely hilarious.

This post has been edited by ReanimationLP: Jul 19 2009, 06:40 PM

[rozone]

I only have two problems.

1.It seems like Starbucks was always running out of stuff. I went there friday night before the EVA screening and no problem. But Saturday they had tons of problems..plus one of the guy employees refused to make my Frap because he was supposed to be off
2.Blue shirt security people. My friend lost his cell phone somewhere in the Con Feedback panel so he tried to re-enter the BCC to find it but was turned away by security.And they got rude with him

Also, if anyone found this cellphone, please let me know

[JinKazusa]

Did the no signs rule get dropped? I saw a plethora of them this year; some of which would be considered 'solicitation.'

No it didn't apparently, because I had a sign around my neck as a joke, and was told it wasn't allowed even though it was a joke that was part of my costume. Just wasn't really enforced I guess as I walked all the way from Charles Street entrance to where the Dealers Room line was, and halfway back before anybody said anything to me.

But for the topic I didn't really have any problems with anything really.

This post has been edited by JinKazusa: Jul 19 2009, 07:39 PM

[gotenks794]

Bad (no particular order):

-Evangelion 1.0 Technical difficulties-- I know these things happen but it took a very long time before someone decided to fix it (unless they were trying when it was still running). This really caused problems for everything after. The AMVs were delayed by about a half hour which delayed the results in the Iron editor.

-Overcrowding in Video 1-- This really bothered me. I almost passed out from hunger on Saturday while trying to watch the AMVs because I was expecting to step out briefly and grab some food right outside, but I couldn't because we weren't allowed to regain entry if we left. (OK I exaggerated a little but it was annoying.) Maybe you could hand stamp or something, or at least offer concessions inside the room. Ideally i would like it if you could do the Hall D+C huge room again...which kind of goes along with my next statement:

- Lack of screens in Video 1-- Remember in 2007 when there were 5 screens in video 1/main events? It was good. This year, how many screens were there? 1. How 'bout in panel 3? 2. How 'bout in panel 2? 3 (they were small, but still).

-Hilton security guards were quite rude*

-Thursday Pre reg line-- This seemed really out of control. I didn't want to stand in the heat so i decided to go later, as did so many others. I got in line a little before 9:15p figuring that it would take about a half hour like previous years. This was not the case. By the time I actually started getting somewhat close (about halfway around the building), the staff began telling us that we "might not" to "probably won't" get in to collect our badges. Really? Why would you let us get in line if there was even any question about being able to get in? There would've been a riot if they didn't let us in (we made it luckily).What's worse is that a few staffers suggested that we stay in line overnight.

-Einstein Bros ran out of most food by Friday. I don't think I will ever eat another egg and cheese bagel.*

-Dealer's Room-- especially the Industry booths...or lack of I suppose...I guess that has something to do with Funi's takeover of the worl- erm anime.

(*indicates something that wasn't really Otakon's fault, bet I felt like ranting about for great justice (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) )

Good:

Everything else, especially:

-Escalators!!!! yay

- "No Cameras" sign at highly congested areas. Quite clever.

-Hilton Expansion...although I'm not sure they liked us too much, especially the security guards.

-The fun we had during Eva 1.0 tech difficulties. GO GREEN!!!! hehe lasers. And funny vid ops guy: "first there was sound and it was good" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

-To a certain staffer, you know who you are. The one who was controlling the Thursday pre reg line, shouting continuously "Single file!", "Go around me!" etc. and then controlled the dealers room line the next day with the same energetic authority. You get a gold star. I'm not sure how you were still speaking after Thursday.

-and anything else I can't think of....

[FlameLordPhoenix]

It's not really Otakon related per se, but the dancing guy in the Hyatt room was great! It was like watching a lava lamp...my friends and I wanted to walk away and go back to our hotel room, but we just couldn't stop watching for a good twenty minutes! If you saw it, you'll know what I'm talking about.

[kreidas]

This year was seriously the best Otakon ever...definitely outdone yourself this time.

A question regarding the karoake booths and the concerts - is it normal for the instrumental volumes for both areas to be louder than the singer most of the time? At both of the locations I had to literally cover my ears so I can hear the singers..well... sing.

[Light_kun]

Overall, I have to give this year a 7.5/10. I know I was pretty dang annoying this year, but it was fun. ||I like being loud >;3|| Regardless, MANY staff this year were VERY, VERY arrogant and rude. I appreciate the help I've received from the many I've asked, but the ones who yell and scream unnecessarily, don't staff, ever. EVER. Another thing, The people this year. Whats with the arrogance? This is an anime convention. People are coming here to have fun and to get away from the every day, boring life that people ||might|| have. So many people seem to have anger issues or something. If you don't like people asking for hugs ||Which, by the way, when asked is NOT considered a form of sexual harassment when ASKED first||, being loud and fun, dancing or just being happy, Don't come to otakon. You're putting everyone around you down and giving off a really bad vibe. The rave? CHECK. FOR. DRUGS. MORE.||AND DRUNKS, GOOD LORD|| Seriously? There were TONS of stoned drunk idiots raving,b****ing and not respecting anyone ||PLUR baby!||. One kid, when asked to leave the dance circle, stood there, yelling at me that he didin't care about what anyone told him to do. Also, if anyone saw that "party" boy running around, we allll felt uncomfortable. >>; Kick him out next year please. I'd rather him not grind his 2/3'rds naked self against me. Ehh, Over all, it was nice. Dontmovethecontoadifferentstate,ori'llnevercomeagain>>

[w-deremer]

I loved the Con and everything was great.

Just two things...

The Friday Night Eva Movie Dub was a very unique way of watching it,
since the whole thing had a MELL soundtrack to it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
I felt like I was able to see the concert and the movie all at the same time.

*(snip)*

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) I was at the MELL concert, 5th row center section, directly in front of one of the hanging speaker stacks, so I can attest to how loud it was... it was also 17,000 kinds of awesome, especially "Red Fraction"... they also had multiple cameras there to broadcast it to the side screens (2 hard cameras, along with one on a trolley right in front of the stage, and a handheld on stage... makes me wonder if Geneon Japan (MELL's label) was filming this for an R2 DVD, which I will immediately import if there is one...

Thank you for bringing us MELL... how about KOTOKO next... or in one that'll NEVER happen & would need the 1st Mariner Arena, Hamasaki Ayumi...

[SirLadySketch]

We had a really great time this year, and are definitely looking forward to next year. I have only two complaints, both involving the Kanon concert:

1. Who decided it would be good to have a Screamo band open for the Kanon concert? It was sort of like having Metallica opening for Mozart.

2.I felt really bad for Wakeshima-san when she announced it was her last song, and then there was a mad rush of people getting up to stand in line. I thought it was in really poor taste of the people who interrupted her song (she kept looking over at the growing line and frowning), and I thought the staff could have handled it better. For instance, at the Eminence concert a few years ago, people got in an orderly line and things moved at a really rapid pace. This year, people were so pushy and rude that we skipped the autograph session, although we would have loved to thank Wakeshima-san for a fantastic concert in person. Granted, the Eminence concert was on a Sunday, but I think it could have been handled better.

That being said, other than a few other lows that the staff have no control over, we had a fabulous year. All the staffers we talked to were really friendly and helpful, so thanks to everyone who worked hard to bring us another awesome year. Looking forward to seeing you all next year!

[sukibeth]

Had an excellent time as always! I had little to no problems (except for rude Starbucks girl on Saturday morning, but eh... details).

The one thing if I could change of anything was the lack of descriptions of the anime titles that were being shown in the program book. I probably would have stopped in to see more than the one or two that I did if I would have had a little insight into what they were all about (or know which ones to stay away from). The movies were well described but no so much for the anime. It was kind of hit and miss if you didn't have chance to do some reseacrh on what they were about beforehand.

On the other hand I loved loved loved the Hilton and it's additonal space plus skywak between buildings. I totally recommend it for next year. I didn't have a problem with the security people (I must have walked across that walk from the convention center to hotel 50 times over 4 days) and I made sure to say my goodbyes (and thanks) for all the hard work they did dealing with all of us!

See you next year!

[IceCreamGuitar]

I have utterly no complaints. It was one of the best Otakons I've had. The schedules you gave out were AMAZING. I hope you give them out every year. Scheduling was awesome and having that extension on the Hilton was amazingly convenient. I was able to just wake up and troop out to the first panel on Sunday morning very easily. Great costumes, nice people, and the panels I attended were great.

Let's do it like this again next year, guys~.

[Brand]

My personal issue:
Thursday night we got in line for our badges. We were rather shocked to get in line late and see that it was so incredible long. We have for many years now gotten in the line for badge pick up late and gone right in with very minimal waiting. This part was annoying but not a huge issue it's the next part that bothers me.

My fellow panelist and I were in line, and even though we were getting closer to the door we were worrying more and more about being able to get in before the doors closed. We had an 11:30 am panel on Friday, and we were worried if we didn't get our badges Thursday night that we might miss part of our panel on Friday. We asked a very nice staffer about it and she said she would talk to her boss, which was great. It was the reply, that killed it. It would have been fine if a simple no had been the answer, but the answer was that we should have gotten in line earlier like everyone else. OMG! WTF! Do you really want to make it hard for panelist even be on time for their panels? I know in truth you don't but that whole statement bothers me.

People have to work and it's been often that I have had to get to Baltimore late in the evening because I've had work all day. Also Katsucon had it set up this year panelist got into a get in their own line which made getting bandages so much easier and Anime Boston had the great bar code scanner system for badge pick up. I really hope in the future a better system for badge pick up for panelist is worked out. Also sometimes the best answer to a question is the shortest...

Now we did get in to get our badges on Thursday with like two minutes to spare which was awesome, because I was so dreading Friday morning and if we would make our panel.

Other issues:
This might have been just how it worked out this year but there was not a lot of 18+ stuff, my friends and I really wanted to do the Hentai dubbing this year but there was none.

Along the 18+ lines it seems a lot of people did not realize you need an arm band to get into these types of events. I understand why the armband is used but it might have been good to note it's need on the program schedule as that is the paper that will be most looked at during the con.

Winx Club, come on really?

Panels that have been popular in years past not being in the largest rooms (like Dub Actors After Dark and The Dubs Time Forgot). We were turned away from Dub Actors After Dark and went to the Yaoi-ing game which was fun but it was in a larger room which was only half full.

I would have also have liked to see panelist names included in the booklet of descriptions. I'll often base what panels I am going to go to depending on who is running it.

Also there might not be anything Otakon can do about this but the Convention center still needs more trashcans. It looks like people want to try to put their trash in cans except they were often over flowing.

The good stuff:
ROOM CLEARS – I really liked the break between panels. It was great to go in and set up and not have to worry about shoving the previous panelist out or being shoved out we could set up and run pretty close to our end time. This was awesome!

Escalators – Working all weekend...hell must have frozen over...srly...

Even though I have a lot of complaints please don't get me wrong I had a great weekend and can't wait to go back again next year.

[kreidas]

We had a really great time this year, and are definitely looking forward to next year. I have only two complaints, both involving the Kanon concert:

1. Who decided it would be good to have a Screamo band open for the Kanon concert? It was sort of like having Metallica opening for Mozart.

2.I felt really bad for Wakeshima-san when she announced it was her last song, and then there was a mad rush of people getting up to stand in line. I thought it was in really poor taste of the people who interrupted her song (she kept looking over at the growing line and frowning), and I thought the staff could have handled it better. For instance, at the Eminence concert a few years ago, people got in an orderly line and things moved at a really rapid pace. This year, people were so pushy and rude that we skipped the autograph session, although we would have loved to thank Wakeshima-san for a fantastic concert in person. Granted, the Eminence concert was on a Sunday, but I think it could have been handled better.

That being said, other than a few other lows that the staff have no control over, we had a fabulous year. All the staffers we talked to were really friendly and helpful, so thanks to everyone who worked hard to bring us another awesome year. Looking forward to seeing you all next year!

I thought the exact same thing when I saw the 50-60 people running while she was preforming her last song...Kanon was nice enough to give us a wonderful concert...as the audience, we should have at least given her the same courtsey and waited to get into the item line AFTER she was 100% done, ya?

[fatalthread]

1st timer and just had to say I had a blast and really didn't know what to expect. I'd go into a room and bam I see something new and didn't expect. The thing that sticks out in my mind was the MC for the masquerade did a superb job. He looked very comfortable on stage and was very entertaining. I'd come back just to watch him haha =P.

[The Eva Monkey]

My fellow panelist and I were in line, and even though we were getting closer to the door we were worrying more and more about being able to get in before the doors closed. We had an 11:30 am panel on Friday, and we were worried if we didn't get our badges Thursday night that we might miss part of our panel on Friday. We asked a very nice staffer about it and she said she would talk to her boss, which was great. It was the reply, that killed it. It would have been fine if a simple no had been the answer, but the answer was that we should have gotten in line earlier like everyone else. OMG! WTF! Do you really want to make it hard for panelist even be on time for their panels? I know in truth you don't but that whole statement bothers me.

Whoever stated you should have lined up earlier was misinformed. In instances where a panelist has a limited timeframe to get their badge directly prior to their panel time, we escort that panelist to the special needs booth to have their registration expedited. We're sorry for the confusion. Hopefully you won't have this problem in the future and will continue to present panels with us.

This post has been edited by The Eva Monkey: Jul 19 2009, 08:30 PM

[oakzap425]

Con was amazing. I only have two gripes. One, the schedule was way too big. I know there were complaints last year, but I've never had a problem with the compact schedule. having to lug this years schedule was not only taking up space (i bought lots of stuff in the dealers room) but hazardous as well. the compact one makes it easier to navigate halls and read it at the same time. Also, i'm slightly upset about the very last minute schedule changes. I know it happens, but when I'm banking on seeing something all day, and then, when something different starts, with out prior notification, it can mess up peoples plans. Case in point, my friend an I planned, that after ice-cream, we were going to Video 6 to see D.Grayman and Kinichi. Well, we got to watch D.Grayman, but Kenichi (from what I could tell) was last minute scratched off. Evangelion was played again (what, the third time?) in the Video 6, which, mind you, was moved from Video 1. We figured, a little common sense was in use, and checked every video room, including one, thinking the rooms were switched. Well, there was no Kenichi, and no warning, and further more no updates on this new "nifty" screen display. It still had the incorrect times on the screen as it did on the site/schedule sheet.

Otherwise, I had an awesome time.

[Adv1sor]

This was my fourth Otakon and it was the best ran I have ever seen!

My thanks to everyone who gave up their time so we could play all weekend!

Just one note about the Kanon concert and the large group of people who got up to run to the autograph line at the announcement of the her last song: This looked bad, but I see it as a great compliment to the artist. These people really really wanted that autograph and knew that if they didn't get in line quickly they may not get one. This could have been avoided by having a separate autograph session on a different day or at a different time.

I will have a full review and pics on atthecon.com soon.

[kreidas]

This was my fourth Otakon and it was the best ran I have ever seen!

My thanks to everyone who gave up their time so we could play all weekend!

Just one note about the Kanon concert and the large group of people who got up to run to the autograph line at the announcement of the her last song: This looked bad, but I see it as a great compliment to the artist. These people really really wanted that autograph and knew that if they didn't get in line quickly they may not get one. This could have been avoided by having a separate autograph session on a different day or at a different time.

I will have a full review and pics on atthecon.com soon.

It basically happened for all the concerts...not just the Kanon one...

[nevena]

This is my tenth Otakon event, and needless to say, I was rather bored.

It seemed like there were a lot more panels than anime opportunities. It seems like it's more like a colloquium rather than an anime convention. I'm usually pretty open about seeing whatever anime I can, but everytime I looked in the pocket guide for a description, there was none or it was poorly written. Or dubbed. Why a whole video room reserved for dubbed anime?

Secondly, the line for pre-reg is ridiculous. I waited almost two hours for my pre-reg badge. Whereas on Friday, I waited with a friend for only an hour in the non-pre reg badge line. It seems that every year, the pre-reg badge is getting longer and longer, and the incentive of pre-registering is almost not worth it for the ridiculous wait.

Thirdly, I'd like to ask staff to reinforce lines for some of the more popular events and videos. I had waited in line (that was CLEARLY marked on the floor with tape) for a while before the start of the show/video, and when it was time to enter, everyone just broke out of line and ran in. So not fair for the people who actually waited patiently to get good seats.

Fourth: Maybe more booths for the 18+ wristbands? Maybe get them while registering since you're already taking my ID, might as well get banded, ya know?

Fifth: Can you guys do a mini-schedule in the pocket guide? I really liked having everything all in one thing.

Sixth: omg. Why was there a line on Friday morning? Can you guys please have more entry ways open, or have more people check badges? Because there was many a time where I would enter into the convention during the day and there was NO ONE checking for badges.

And finally... To the staffers: Thanks for the crowd control when we needed it and to answer all the dumb questions I had. You guys are made of win--even though you have crazy otaku yelling at you for goofing up when starting the AMVs. And especially thanks to the really nice staff guy that let me take my time deciding which of the pretty badges to get.

[dawgbowl]

Another Otakon for me, it was ok nothing amazing nothing terrible.

The Rave- Needs, a, bigger, space. Period. Hell on saturday the Dance practically ran out of space. I can't believe how little room you dedicate to a fairly huge draw at cons. The DJs on friday sent me home early, I really wasn't a fan of the music they were playing or their technical skill. Saturday was better but pretty safe in terms of a DJ, it didn't blow me away but it was good.

The Video game room- I spend most of my time here usually, and when I walked through those doors I said "whats different?" Same games, same setups, same everything pretty much. SF moved onto a main setup and Eric donating he PIU machines was cool... but really a couple years back we had old school arcade cabinets and GIANT screens for games.

everything was pretty standard really, It was nice not having an Os game and that made the harbor a bit less crowded. For those complaining about waiting a long time for food in the convention, consider the harbor... I got my subs relatively quickly.

I'd complain about panels filling up, but really... thats just otakon too many people and not enough space. I accept that for everything EXCEPT the rave, it is atrocious that Katsucon and AUSA raves dedicate about 3/4s the space for it and have 4-8 times less attendees.

@ Nazi comments- It probably wasn't appropriate. It wasn't part of Asian culture put people dress up as everything at cons sometimes they might just be more offensive. The cosplayers may not have thought about the feelings of others, or just thought that most otaku would be chill about it. You've expressed your concern, my guess is if they read the forums they may rethink it next year.

see everybody at the next con.