Krabstarr

If that was one of the panels being presented by Anime Science 101, he unfortunately couldn't make it to the convention. He explains on Reddit: "Hey sorry I couldn't make the convention, but I didn't expect my next teaching job to be teaching California or that the first day would be August 13th. The thunderstorms rolling through the area made things a little to dicy and I didn't want to miss or be late on the first day. Admin tends to frown on those things. All of the content for the My Hero Academia panel is on the website, as is the vast majority of the Science of Mecha panel. I will be adding posts based on the gravity and PTSD panels in the near future. Also I am toying around with turning them into videos." You can visit his website at http://www.animescience101.com

For everyone's information, here is Blerdcon's initial statement from 08/13/2018: https://www.facebook.com/blerdcondc/posts/711040109239940 And here is the update from today, 08/16/2018, officially announcing the new dates of 07/12/2019 to 07/14/2019: https://www.facebook.com/blerdcondc/posts/713254309018520

YES! I wish I had known about it earlier as well. I saw the soda fountains in the middle of the Dealers Room on Friday, but I didn't see any indication as to what it was all about. Even a little sign above each one with a picture of the mug and information on how to get it could have driven sales. I know I would have gotten one the first time I would have found out about it on Friday. Heck, a sign advertising the OtaMug at the bottom of the escalator entering the Dealers Room and directing people to the Otakon merch booth to get one would probably have done wonders. I know they advertised on Twitter and Facebook, but some people aren't checking social media once they get to the convention.

That is a very bizarre thing for a staff member to say, as it is very untrue. Nobuo Uematsu is regularly in the US for Distant Worlds concerts. I saw him personally in Chicago in 2011, and HE WAS AT OTAKON IN 2011 AS WELL. Since then, he has been at many other concerts, including Chicago again in 2017, and in New York City in Carnegie Hall this past January. What kind of misinformation has been going around about him?

Ok, I lied, I thought of 2 more requests. First, this is a request combined with feedback. LAVA (Loud, Annoying, and Very Annoying) featuring Ray Chase, Robbie Daymond, and Max Middleton had a fantastic After Dark 18+ show on Friday night. It may be too soon to have them back, but I would request their return to put on their LAVA shows again. They have a rotating routine of games, and improv, so it likely wouldn't be the exact same thing if they do it again next year. Secondly, the absence of the Otakon Game Show for a second year in a row has left a noticeable gap in programming, so I request/suggest bringing in Greg Wicker of Greggo's Game Shows to fill in the gap and present his game shows at Otakon. He is a long time veteran of the convention circuit and puts on anime themed game shows, both replicas of real TV game shows and original games. Some of the game shows, such as All Star Blitz or Hollywood Squares, aside from convention attendees as contestants, involve the participation of guests, making them particularly fun to watch. Another game, Know Your Role, has convention guests playing a game themselves and then answering questions about their previous roles or about their craft, so it makes an interesting alternative to just another Q&A session. Still other games, such as Strikeout, Anime Press Your Luck, or Definition, simply feature the attendee contestants, but are still a fun time for everyone in attendance. Examples of his work, for your consideration, is available on his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/gregdasgo I would appreciate your sincere consideration in my second request, as I truly believe it would be of great benefit to Otakon programming.

I only have one request. Musical guest for the Festival themed Otakon 25th Anniversary: WAGAKKI BAND A blend of modern rock instruments (guitar, bass, drums) with traditional Japanese instruments such as Taiko drums, Tsugaru-Shamisen , Shakuhachi, and Koto. This is the perfect blend of west and east to have with us as we celebrate! They released their most recent album, Otonoe, April of this year. For your listening pleasure, here is "Yuki Kageboushi", their most recent single from this year.

This is very true. They needed those large blue banner signs like they have at each room set up at the alcove to Hall B saying EXIT ONLY. It looked a little sad when there was a staffer standing there holding a piece of cardboard with the words EXIT ONLY written on it in pen.

The exits for the Dealers Room, Artist Alley, and the convention center itself was clearly marked on the maps. The exits to the convention center were even marked in red. The problem is that the Main Entrance, which doubled as an exit earlier in the convention, was changed into entrance only part way through the convention without notice. The only way to know you couldn't exit there Saturday afternoon was to go the Grand Lobby and be shouted at by a man with a megaphone.

I saw an Otakon advertisement on the side of a bus going by. I was surprised by that as well.

It was open on Friday and part of Saturday last year (2017). I went through it just for the experience. It was then closed off later Saturday. So it was at least in use for part of 2017. Oh no, you were going the long way to the panel/video/workshop rooms on Level 1 of the Middle Building from the Marriot tunnel. You could have entered from the Marriott tunnel, turned left and then went up either of the next 2 escalators to ascend into Level 1 where all the panel rooms were.

Hampton Inn Room was clean, adequately spacious, and included fridge, microwave, and coffee machine. Bathroom had a bathtub. The 2 bed rooms have Queen beds, as opposed to Doubles in some other hotels. It was also quiet and I had no issues with any of the other guests in the hotel. The staff was friendly enough, though there was not really any special Otakon treatment. Other amenities include pool, whirlpool, and gym. One of the greatest benefits is the hot breakfast area included with your stay at a Hampton Inn. This includes scrambled eggs, a rotating prepared starch (roasted herbed diced potatoes 2 of the days, french toast) and a rotating meat (sausage patties one day, sausage gravy another, sausage links the last. They've had bacon before during a different stay at a Hampton Inn, but not these days, i guess). Also available are waffle irons to make your own waffle, various fresh fruit options, breads (toast, bagels, biscuits), and pastries. Cereal, yogurt, hard boiled eggs , and various juice and milk options round out your breakfast experience. It's the most important meal of the day, and a great way to get fueled up for a long convention day. (Can you tell I like breakfast?) Location wise, it is very close to the convention center (0.4 miles), and is conveniently located near Safeway (for grocery shopping needs), CVS, and is the closest Otakon booking hotel to Chinatown. I've stayed here the past 2 years and had a pleasant experience each time. When people talk about their hotels, I don't hear as many talk about the Hampton Inn, but don't over look it when booking your next Otakon trip.

Just to provide the precise info for this, in 5 of the past 7 Otakons, the hours for Artist Alley on Saturday were 10AM to 11PM ('12, '13, '16, '17, & '18). The other 2 years, it was 10AM to 10PM ('14 & '15). (source: Guidebook) I find it a bit odd that we had a big celebration for Otakon 20 (special logo and all) in 2013, but then are deciding to celebrate the Otakon 25th Anniversary. I'm sure it will be splendid, but the inconsistency just rubs me the wrong way.

LAVA After Dark really needed a better description on the schedule besides the 3 names. LAVA (Loud, Annoying, and Very Annoying) is the comedy troupe starring starring Ray Chase, Robbie Daymond, and Max Mittelman. Together, they perform silly improv skits, play games, and show off embarrassing videos from their early careers. It was a really fun time, but I only knew what it was beforehand because I looked them up and found the website. I wish more people could have know what it was and that the schedule better indicated what was happening. http://www.lavatheshow.com

The answer is "None". This is the first time in their over 10 year history that the Distant Worlds concert tour has ever played in a convention. It's been even longer if you count its predecessor concert tour "Dear Friends" from 2005.

There WAS a list of dealers in the Dealers Room earlier today. Maybe it will come back: https://www.otakon.com/exhibits/dealers/map/ The Artist Alley one is still up: https://www.otakon.com/exhibits/alley/map/