TnAdct1
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Posts posted by TnAdct1
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WHAT I LIKED:
- Metro actually serving as an alternative to staying at a hotel (especially with the mess going on at my usual hotel). Being on the Green Line, getting to and from the convention is actually very easy, cheap on weeknights and weekends, and outside of Saturday night (partially due to me accidentally taking the wrong train) wasn't too much of a problem. The only issue is having to leave Otakon before 11:00PM, as someone carpools me home, but given how I usually don't do the 18+ stuff, it wasn't that big of a problem.
- While there's still some room for improvement (i.e. still lacking variety; the issues people have with the main merchandise table, which is one reason why I tend to line up early on Friday and go directly there first), the Dealer's Hall is slowly getting back to the norm before the COVID pandemic.
- Was pleasantly surprised that the AMV Contest finalists attending the con (me included) received swag bags alongside the usual ribbons.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
- 10:00AM Friday and Saturday morning, when people are waiting for the Video Game Room to open. You can barely move around during this time and is like a fire hazard waiting to happen.
- The scheduling of the Junko Iwao autograph sessions. I take the blame for not being able to get it on Friday, as initial lining-up happened during the middle of a panel that I regularly attend at Otakon. However, I'm not happy that the second session happened during the AMV Contest Award Ceremony, as that has always been a top priority for me.
- Even with the line control, trying to get in on Saturday is still a mess for those who are carrying bags. While I understand the safety reasons for it, bag checks are sadly still slowing things down and creating long lines.
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29 minutes ago, Daniel Perales said:
It's kind of ironic that next year's theme's is about trains and I manage to make my hotel reservation while I was waiting for my train home.
Meanwhile, if I do go to Otakon next week, I'll likely be taking the train (as I live near the Green Line) instead of staying in a hotel?
BTW, did the Renaissance/Westin sell out already, or is that room block still being set up?
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Adding to the list:
- Food
- Change of clothes
- Soap
- Wild Bill mug
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Reading that thread title, the first thing that came to mind was the recent Animaniacs parody of the Thundercats OP.
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DRAMA/SERIOUS
1st: I'm (Not) Myself by SasukeChanX
2nd: Pieces by BleachShippu5678
3rd: Ace of Hearts by lokkiclu
ACTION
1st: Witches Go Hard by SilkAMV
2nd: Outrun Intensifies by Under the Box Productions (Davis 51)
3rd: Elemental by Ramen Noodle Productions
ROMANCE/SENTIMENTAL;
1st: Quarantine Dreams by AllyKatAVR
2nd: Affinity by BecauseImBored1
3rd: The Accompanist by Opner
COMEDY/PARODY
1st: We Stan Stands by Mycathatesyou69
2nd: Thank God for 2D Girls by TarageAMV
3rd: Hashtag #Homecoming by Rider4Z
BEST OVERFLOW: What's Up Danger by Drabaz
VIC'S PICK: Reignited by hamstar138
BEST IN SHOW: RUMBLE by Gina Nelson
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28 minutes ago, windseeker said:
Ugly:
- Lax mask wearing. I understand there will be idiots in every crowd, but I saw a lot of people taking their masks off in the halls and during panels. Gave me real second thoughts about having attended the con.
If I was seen without a mask during the con, it was mostly because I was either eating or drinking something. Outside of that, I tried to keep my mask on whenever possible while at the con.
As for me:
THE GOOD:
The simple fact that Otakon is able to get a convention done this year (especially at a period where the delta variant of COVID is causing problems in other regions in the United States) and that people are willing to attend the convention is enough for a good, especially considering how busy I was Saturday in terms of the panels and events I attended (with me only missing one late night panel due to me feeling tired by that point).
THE BAD:
Even with Otakon being back, there's still a few signs that could suggest that it probably wasn't ready, with me feeling really depressed on Friday night and considering returning home early if my mood didn't get better for me on Saturday (which, thankfully, did improve that day) . The main example is the Dealers Room, with a number of noticeable companies and businesses being absent this year and the complete lack of Otakon 2021 merchandise (although that could be due to the convention being put together in such short time).
THE UGLY:
Just walking in Chinatown on Thursday gave me a bleak idea of how bad things are due to the pandemic. Seeing the U.S. Mint shop and the Lucky Strike bowling alley/bar closed while the pandemic is going on is one thing. However, to see the candy store that a lot of people go getting closed down permanently shows just how hard COVID is affecting businesses.
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On 7/29/2021 at 7:03 PM, Revan said:
That really doesn't bother me, as I still wear a mask while going shopping even though I was vaccinated almost 3 months ago.
Same thing here. Unless I'm at my office at work, eating, or visiting family, I keep the mask on whenever I go places.
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I'm confused here.
While I can understand wearing it in the hotel lobby (and traveling to and from my room), does this mean I need to wear a mask when I'm in my hotel room as well?
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On 7/25/2021 at 5:41 PM, KyoKyo said:
I feel as if Otakon has really lost its relevancy as an industry con over the past 5 or so years, and I don't mean just because of covid. I remember back in the late 00s when Geneon and Funimation used to set up big photoshoot displays in the Dealer's Room. Now we usually get a kiosk with DVDs and freebie posters given away at 2pm on Sunday while everyone is on the way out.
I feel that a number of factors have contributed to this, including many major anime companies leaving the American market (i.e. Bandai and Geneon), most companies announcing their licenses when the new anime season starts, and how Otakon is more focused on the fans than being industry-focused like Anime Expo.
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11 hours ago, Daniel Perales said:
I noticed the lack of industry panels on the schedules as well. Maybe it's still too soon?
The schedule has been updated.
The only major ones are AnimEigo and Discotek (with Discotek usually being one of the highlight panels at Otakon each year, especially for old school anime fans). However, there is an "Industry Roundup Panel" on Sunday morning (I'm guessing it will include at least Crunchyroll and Right Stuf, as they have panels at other events the same weekend as Otakon).
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Got mine yesterday. As I already have an unused Funimation lanyard, I simply connected the badge to that for now.
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The finalists were announced on Monday.
Check the Otakon 2021 AMV Contest thread for the information.
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That isn't surprising.
As the first major anime convention since the pandemic, there's still a number of factors going into it that could make some people reluctant to go (in particular, what measures will be enforced to prevent COVID from affecting the con, those who have not yet received their vaccination yet, people living outside the DC area that are uncertain to travel out-of-state at the moment). As such, I can understand how hotels still have rooms available even when the con is a little more than two weeks away.
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6 hours ago, The Tsunami said:
I fully expect another round of Covid by September, even more so with the evidence of outbreaks right now in July (which had been the down season last year).
You're not alone here, as one of the big aspects of the next possible quarantine will be the fact that a number of areas will be restarting school, with most kids being too young to get the vaccine.
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1 hour ago, KyoKyo said:
My group is still going. We're young and healthy and statistically the least at risk. If we have to deal with wearing stupid masks for the weekend then so be it. Otakon is trying to find a happy medium and I can understand why since they're the first big con to get back up and running again. I just hope enough attendees come to keep Otakon in the black for years to come.
Another thing to consider: there's the concern that we may be having another round of COVID quarantines in the fall due to the delta variant. While this will not be a problem for Otakon and Awesomecon thanks to the safety measures that are being applied and the DC area being in control of the situation at the moment, there is some concern that it may affect the big fall conventions. As such, Otakon could be their only chance to attend a con this year.
However, whether you feel safe to attend Otakon or not should at least be based on the current COVID situation per state. After all, while the DC area may be fine, there's still those states in the Southeast where less than 50% still haven't even gotten their first dose of the vaccine.
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As someone that's been entering the contest since 2015 (and made the finals in 2017), I can tell you that the contest is happening.
Right now, the information can be found here.
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For those who didn't see it on Facebook: Otakon 2021 is a go, although with some obvious changes this year due to the pandemic (i.e. no international guests, possible earlier close times).
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I have been fully immunized for about 1.5 months now, so I'll be fine for both Otakon and Awesomecon a couple of weeks later.
However, my certainty has been leaning towards Awesomecon than Otakon, with a number of factors contributing to it. Among the two main ones:
- Awesomecon is going to be a day trip for me (one where I can easily get to the convention center via the Green Line after spending Winter 2020 getting used to the Metro via some classes to get my A+ certification) whereas I'd be staying in the DC area for Otakon (which could mean a bigger risk for me).
- Awesomecon has been showing that it's going full steam ahead whereas Otakon has been awfully quiet in terms of the convention front.
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11 hours ago, DeathJester said:
BAD SIGNS:
- I'd be shocked if we get any international guests to commit especially since Japan is trying to clamp down on foreign travel during the Olympics.
- Even if Otakon is technically allowed to run, any kind of DC attendance mandates will break the logistics and economy of the event. I believe right now the venue limit for DC is the lesser of 50% capacity or 500 people, so try to figure out how to operate a con even half the size of Otakon if only a few hundred people can be in the building at a time.Those may be the two big things that could jeopardize Otakon. While the international guests situation is pretty much a given that attendees are willing to accept, a 500 person capacity may not work for a con as big as Otakon. While I can see smaller cons being able to handle this (Blerdcon and Anime USA, if we do get one this year, as I've heard nothing yet about 2021), Otakon is too big of a con to limit only 500 people attending it (unless that's the limit for one of the panel rooms). However, there is the possibility that Otakon can get a city waiver to allow more people to attend the event, so there is some hope for that.
Trust me, I would love to attend Otakon this year (as it has always been my summer vacation for a couple decades now). However, there's still that uncertainty to be have in a time where COVID is still affecting the area.
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While things may be fine for the New York cons, there's still a lot of things that make Otakon questionable IMO. Among them:
- Will there be enough of the COVID vaccine distributed that the Convention Center doesn't need to be used as a site by that time;
- Possible new waves of the outbreak (especially if more people will be active in the summer);
- Travel and guest situations (as a number of states are still high risk, and I'm not sure about Japanese guests attending this year).
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Crunchyroll Expo, which is happening the same weekend as Otakon, just announced that it will be an online con.
Thus, the chances of an actual physical Otakon this year have decreased somewhat. 🙁
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38 minutes ago, texside said:
I don't think we know (yet); I am not sure if we will, as the finances may be a little hard to put a number to depending on what can be negotiated, what goes right, and what goes wrong.
But here's hoping! I donated. I'd gladly buy things if there's a fundraiser -- like an art package or anything else they can get together.
Same here. I donated $50 a couple hours ago, and I'm willing to buy stuff to help raise additional funds for the convention.
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10 hours ago, shadowspawn said:
I'm skeptical that there could be a virtual AMV Contest. Very early on, when Anime Boston was new, they used to pipe the AMV Contest over a hotel TV channel so that people could watch it in their hotel rooms. When they stopped doing that, the explanation was that they got heat for "broadcasting" copyrighted material.
For a few years now, the AMV programming at Youmacon has its own Twitch channel, with me tuning in on Saturdays to watch the results of the AMV contest (especially since I had at least one video in that contest that year since 2016).
I wouldn't be suggesting this if I didn't think the idea is going to work.
4 hours ago, windseeker said:No competition there. I've been going to that con for many years and its been going downhill. Didn't go last year because the experience was so bad in 2018.
Yeah, Anime USA can go either direction each year, with this past year being weak in some areas due to it happening the same weekend as Nekocon, Youmacon, and AWA. However, I still feel the people running it are still trying their best to run it even if it's a "small con" compared to the other conventions that are held in the DC area. Heck, after a successful first panel last, I am interested in doing another AMV panel at Anime USA this year (this time focusing on the 25th anniversary of Neon Genesis Evangelion).
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In my opinion, the more realistic approaches at the moment would be either 1, 2, or (in some extent) 5.
If the WEWCC is going to be used a field hospital, then there's an uncertainty that it will be sanitized and returned to normal by late July. Personally, it would be great to push Otakon back later in the year a la Awesome Con (which I'm, happy will be postponed to December), as my experience riding the Metro to and back to some classes this winter has gotten me comfortable enough to use it for events on the Green Line). However, there's a number of factors that can affect that. Among them:
- The dates that the WEWCC will be available;
- Not wanting Otakon to compete against Anime USA;
- Halloween weekend being out of the question due to AWA;
- The planned Olympics theme for this year (which will not work, as the games have now been postponed to next year).
As for the "virtual con" idea, that's going to be a challenge. However, I can think of at least two events that could utilize it.
- The industry panels (in particular, Discotek, as they've been having some interesting announcements in the past few Otakons)
- The AMV Contest, as I've seen the contests for Anime Detour and Momocon take this route when the cons were cancelled.
Otakon 2023: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
in Otakon 2023
Posted
The only thing the staff told us to do was to remove the items in our pockets. Also, I didn't need my bags inspected on Friday, but had to do it on Saturday. Personally, the Convention Center needs to do one of the following to avoid this confusion:
I did see some staff members use the fans when directing people to the Dealers Hall and Artist Alley.