Stardust

Neil Gaiman: author, screenwriter, and soon-to-be director.  I've only read the first volume of the masterpiece series, The Sandman, for which he is best known, and I've always wanted to read more of his works.  He has a masterful way of taking old concepts, ideas, and stories and injecting a modern (and often stylishly gothic) sensibility into them, simultaneously updating them and taking them in refreshing new directions.  With The Sandman, he took a long-forgotten DC superhero, a man who could literally turn to sand, and transformed him into Morpheus, Lord of Dreams and brother of Death, Delirium, and Desire (among others).  For the upcoming movie Beowulf, he tackles a centuries-old epic poem with the deceptively simple premise of "man versus monster" and fleshes it out into a "unique vision" that is (hopefully) fit for the big screen.  Of course, whether or not the story he delivers can support a blockbuster movie remains to be seen.   

In Stardust, Gaiman weaves a tale that is classic fantasy and yet refreshing and utterly enchanting.  Unlike certain other recent fantasy films--earnest epics that take great pains to be taken seriously--Stardust is humorous and light on its feet, owing more to The Princess Bride in tone than to Lord of the Rings or even Chronicles of Narnia.  And yet, whereas The Princess Bride skewers the fantasy genre and revels in its inherent cheesiness, Stardust is far less tongue-in-cheek and embraces the genre (one might say lovingly).

The characters are plucky and impertinent, saucy yet earnest.  They're real people who make quite real mistakes rather than morose heroes who bear the weight of the world (or a certain Evil Ring) on their shoulders.  Though a newcomer in a movie full of high-powered wattage (Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro, anyone?), Charlie Cox holds his own as bumbling shop-boy Tristan Thorne and is refreshingly wide-eyed and baby-faced, looking impossibly like Tobey Maguire and Sean Astin's love child--only more attractive.  By the end of the movie (and after a few hair extensions), Tristan is still slightly awkward but blossoms believably into a swashbuckling hero and the deserving object of Yvaine's complete devotion.

When we first meet her, Claire Daines's Yvaine is tart and disgruntled, understandable for a star who has just been knocked out of the sky.  She is not the typical damsel in distress, which is ironically typical for modern fantasies such as Stardust.  Daines brings nothing new to the archetype but her performance is still believable as we watch her initial irritation grow into genuine fondness and eventually love for Tristan.  Though some critics have slammed Daines, I felt that her chemistry with Cox was palpable and strong enough to carry the movie.  As a closet romantic, I couldn't help but feel a tug at my own heartstrings during her awkward confession of love to Tristan.  I can't deny having felt the same way before, which is probably why I'm willing to cut Daines some slack.

As decrepit witch Lamia, Michelle Pfeiffer is deliciously evil and obviously relishes every moment of it.  Though her enthusiasm for the role shines through in each of her scenes, her performance is never overly-dramatic or cheesy.  She is at once beautiful and frightening and a worthy foe for our two young protagonists.  Watching Lamia's early scenes with her equally decrepit sisters, I couldn't help but think of Disney movies of a by-gone era, specifically Hocus Pocus.  Though hardly a great movie, Hocus Pocus was refreshing in its simplicity and humor, and Stardust is surprisingly similar.  While watching it, I got the sense that Stardust was unlike any fantasy film in theaters within the past decade.  They simply don't make movies as innocent, silly, and bittersweet as Stardust anymore, which is truly a shame.

The one spot in which the movie's silliness threatens to be its undoing is the entire second act, which is predominantly devoted to Yvaine and Tristan's adventures aboard the vessel of the pirate, Captain Shakespeare.  I was predisposed to disliking Captain Shakespeare; the pirate had only one or two lines in the original graphic novel, but his role had been expanded ostensibly so the Great Robert De Niro could have more to do.  When we first meet him, his American accent is egregiously appalling, and he's not so much a pirate as he is Robert De Niro playing Robert De Niro.  But then we discover the great twist to the character, and De Niro's hamminess is at once much easier to stomach and even fun to watch.  It's nice to see De Niro playing someone other than a mobster...although a pirate is admittedly not too far off.  Unfortunately, the character is on-screen for a little too long and wears out his welcome as soon as Tristan and Yvaine take their leave of him.  Do we really need to see him prancing about in a corset?  Is closure for his character really necessary?  I'd say no on both accounts.

Other minor characters are a delight to watch.  Mark Strong's Septimus (I can't help but think of "Severus" each time I hear the name ^^) is entertaining as the insufferable and unfortunate prince who wants to find his father's ruby--that very ruby that knocked Yvaine from the sky and which she is wearing--in order to ascend to the throne.  You can't help but feel sorry for the git because it's simply clear that he won't get what he wants, and it's hard not to admire the effort he puts into the search.  A delight, too, is Tristan's father, a minor character we see only in the very beginning and at the very end.  As a boy and as a man, he has that airy quality of one not quite of this Earth, of someone who has seen and deserves greater things in life and is patient enough to wait for it.  Tristan has inherited some of that quality, and I can't help but like a man who believes in destiny and true love, no matter how star-crossed. 

Of course, Stardust is visually pleasing as well.  Solid special effects are a given in this day and age, but the effects are tasteful and not over-done.  They complement the story without overpowering it.  The cinematography is beautiful--spanning rolling hills, icy shores, and haunting forests--and probably the only element of the movie reminiscent of Lord of the Rings.  Indeed, the happy marriage of earthy, relatable characters with impressive special effects and cinematography gives this movie the feeling of fantasy realized, an example of the genre reaching its potential.  Technology today is so well-developed that stunning effects and rolling landscapes are no longer reserved for grand epics such as Lord of the Rings but can be found in smaller, more modest movies as well.  It is perhaps what The Princess Bride could have been with a far bigger budget.

What really sells the movie for me is its heart.  These days theaters are packed with big-budget franchise films that clip along at a frantic pace, as if every second is potential for money wasted.  The audience is assaulted with action scene after special-effects laden action scene, and emotions are conveniently manufactured along the way.  It's rare for a big-budget movie to dedicate the time to letting emotions run their natural course, and as a result these movies seem to ring hollow.  Though Yvaine and Tristan's eventual love is so predictable and clear a blind man could see it, the movie is still willing to slow down, push action to the backburner, and let that love take center stage.  It will probably turn non-romantics (and guys expecting wall-to-wall action) away, but it's refreshing in its rarity.

Having long been a fan of action-packed, testosterone-charged, superhero/adventure flicks, I've forgotten just how much of a hopeless romantic I can be.  Deep down inside, I, too, hope for a hapless dork-turned-swashbuckling hero to sweep me off my feet--while keeping me grounded with an easy laugh and a great sense of humor.  Just such a man is hard to come by these days, as is a movie that is as unabashedly romantic as Stardust.

To appreciate Stardust, you'll need to have a taste for fantasy, a thirst for adventure, and a willingness to surrender yourself to the idea of true, requited love.  At times this feels like a tall order and the film verges on corniness, but overall there's enough cinematic scope, light humor, and on-screen chemistry to keep the enchantment afloat.

Neil Gaiman's works are a goldmine of wonderful stories and characters, and I hope that Hollywood continues to pay more attention to him. 

Anime Expo 2007: Day 3

Yes!  It's taken an entire week to finish these con reports.  I fail.  ;___;

I did not have high hopes for Sunday, the third day of the convention and my last.  Since I'd spent half a year making this year's costume, I had to attend Sunday for the Bleach gathering lest my efforts go to waste.  Unfortunately, Jess had a family barbeque, which meant that I'd be Jess-less for a day.  The prospect of wandering a convention center as large as Long Beach by my lonesome was not at all appealing.  That, in addition to the fact that my mom would have to drive me AND the fact that AX had been majorly sucky so far, made me approach Sunday with a very heavy heart.

Sunday, July 1

The rough plan (why do I even bother with plans?) was to leave home at 10 am so I could arrive at the con by noon.  Since my mom doesn't drive freeway, I had to take into account a very long--and possibly nag-filled--drive.  Considering my mom was very unhappy (what an understatement) with my cosplaying in the first place, I felt rather terrible making her drive.  But as I wasn't so crazy about driving home alone at midnight (I also don't drive freeway) and my dad was working, there was no other choice.

It took a while to map out a route to Long Beach, and we left at 11 am.  Surprisingly enough, the ride was rather pleasant...until we missed a street and my mom was so preoccupied with finding it that she overlooked a stop sign and a car nearly rammed into us.  >___<

Anyway, we arrived at the convention center at 12:30 pm, and she stopped in a small sidestreet so I could get out and put my costume on.  Then it was on to the LBCC by myself.

My costume had held up surprisingly well from the previous day, and all I'd had to touch up on were the boots and the butterfly.  However, while pulling the hakama on in the car, I must have snapped one of the threads in the waistband because the hakama kept sliding down past my hips.  Having to pull my pants up every few steps was rather annoying, but I thought nothing of it.  Little did I know that this would kick me in the ass later...*heavyhanded foreshadowing*

Just outside the registration hall, I remembered that Valerie said she'd be cosplaying another arrancar from Bleach, so I gave her a call.  She told me that she was at Terrace Theater, where there was to be an informal arrancar gathering at 1 pm.  It was rather serendipitous that I'd not only arrived just in time but that I was also nearby.  So I quickly traipsed upstairs to the Terrace Theater and found her easily.

She was waiting with a small group of arrancar cosplayers.  I met her very sweet, very nice, very awesome non-cosplaying friend Kristen (aka Squeaker) and some of the other arrancar, including an Ulquiorra cosplayer who was also named Tiffany (username Badou).

*Warning* Lots of Bleach manga spoilers ahead!  Continue at your own risk.  For larger photos, visit my Webshots gallery.

Posing with awesome Val, who was Szayelaporro.

The early arrancar group

This Tousen cosplayer was very nice and maybe too modest.  I had to push him to stand with the primadonna Aizens and Gins, and he still refused to be a show-off.  He was also behind in the manga and a little confused.  xD

The rest of the arrancar slowly arrived, and all in all we had quite a large gathering.  Guess arrancar are all the rage this year.  XD  At first we were rather directionless, but then the Stark cosplayer took charge and became our leader, which was awesomely appropriate given his character.  We took the standard group photos before taking more interesting, spoilerific shots, including "Orihime Smacking Ulquiorra," "Loli and Menoli Harrassing Orihime," "Grimmjow Pwnage" amongst others.

Group

Loli and Menoli harrass Orihime

Tousen slices Grimmjow's arm.  Probably my favorite shot from the gathering.

Grimmjow pwns Loli, Luppi, and Menoli.  Perfect number of Grimmjows.  =)

Tousens with Wonderweisses.  The Wonderweiss on the right was very good.

Close-up of Tousens and Aizens with the unknown-numbered espada, Haribel and Stark.

Good Lord, this Grimmjow was not wearing pants under his hakama...>__<

Tousens, Aizens, and Gins with Aaroniero, espada #9 (my personal fave for shallow reasons :P)

We had such good representation that even Haribel and Stark's attendants, Appache and Lilinette, were present!

So, while I was at this gathering, I met a Shuuhei cosplayer named Shawn.  We chatted about cons and cosplay, and I found out he was from Arizona and was planning on attending another con at Las Vegas.  Nice guy, but I figured he was just another face I'd never see again.

After the arrancar gathering dispersed, Val and I were baking, so we chilled for a while with Squeaker indoors and waited for the official Bleach gathering at 3 pm.  During that time, we commiserated about how crappy AX had been so far.  I'm so glad I got to spend time with Val and Squeaker because Sunday would have sucked major time without such great companions.

It turned out Val and I had both wanted to see the Mushi-shi panel (specifically voice actor Travis Willingham), which was at 2:30 and right before the Bleach gathering.  We thought "Why the hell not?" and trekked over to LBCC to catch at least the first part of the panel.

Just as I stepped into the crowded Artists' Alley, I bumped into none other than...

Esther!  Considering how large LBCC was, what were the odds of bumping into her?  So great seeing her. =)

I felt bad about holding Val and Squeaker up, so we rushed on ahead to the Mushi-shi panel and breezed in.  We sat through an episode screening (which was quite good) and stayed to hear a bit of the Q&A session.  Throughout the panel, I fussed with my hakama, which kept sliding below my hips...*foreshadowing*

At 3 pm, we quickly left the Mushi-shi panel and rushed back outside toward Terrace Theater.  It was at this time that I gave my hakama another pull and realized, to my utter horror, that MY BADGE WAS GONE.

Yes, the badge that KYLE HEBERT had autographed for me was GONE.

Just when I thought AX couldn't suck anymore...

IT UPPED THE SUCKAGE.

OK OK, to be fair, it wasn't the con's fault that I'd lost my badge.  I'd pinned it to my waistband, and it must have popped off when I was pulling my pants up.  But still.  IT SUCKED.

And AX took a nosedive for the worse.  Forget how much fun the arrancar gathering had been.  Forget camwhoring with Jess and forget S.K.I.N.  I'd lost one of the greatest highlights of the con, one of the FEW things that had made the experience okay.  TT_______TT

I wasn't quite sure what to do after the discovery.  On one hand, I wanted to go ahead with Val and Squeaker to the Bleach gathering, which was the ONLY reason I'd returned to AX for the third day.  On the other hand, KYLE HEBERT had autographed that badge, and I WANTED IT BACK.

So with much sorrow, I made Val and Squeaker go on ahead and turned back to retrace my steps.

In vain hope, I went back to the Mushi-shi panel and searched the floor.  But it wasn't there.  Of course it wasn't there.  That would have been too easy, and Long Beach is trickier than that.

I retraced my steps back down the stairs and through the Artists' Alley but to no avail.  The badge was just gone, and I was missing the Bleach gathering.  So, with a heavy heart, I gave up and went back to Terrace Theater.

On the way, I stopped by the registration hall to ask about getting a replacement badge (and got my photo taken by one of the staff members) before making it back to Terrace Theater.  At that point I'd been sapped of any enthusiasm and really didn't care if the Bleach gathering was almost over (although that would have SUCKED, too).

It was 3:20 pm when I got to Terrace Theater.  A large group of Bleach cosplayers were on the steps, but most people were milling around them, just watching, taking photos, or baking under the heat.  Even though I was just 20 minutes late, I'd obviously missed all of the action.  I found Tiffany/Badou, the Ulquiorra cosplayer from earlier, and Shawn, the Shuuhei from Arizona, watching the crowd and told them the sad story.  They were nice enough to feel bad but obviously couldn't do anything about it.

With Shawn the Shuuhei

Since I had given my camera and other belongings to Val and Squeaker, I couldn't even take photos of the gathering until the crowd dispersed to change locations.  I found Val, got my camera back, and followed the herd to a different set of stairs.  We took maybe two group photos, and then the gathering leaders shooed everyone away.

And that was it for the gathering.

I'd forced my mom to drive me to Long Beach on Sunday so I could lose my badge and miss all but the last 5 minutes of the Bleach gathering.

WHY DID AX HAVE TO SUCK SO MUCH?

After that fiasco, Val and Squeaker were sweet enough to offer up their own badges for me to use since they had to leave, but I decided to get a replacement.  Even if this was the Con from Hell, I still wanted my own badge for the (damned) memories.  After parting ways with Val and Squeaker, I went back to the registration hall and got the replacement.

I was quite at a loss of what to do next.  My great companions for the day had gone, and I was all by myself again (sing it: "All by myself...Don't wanna be...All by myself...").  It had been the plan to do some last minute shopping, so I trudged slowly to the Exhibition Hall to see what I could find.

Esther had mentioned earlier that the JAC folks were manning the merchandise booth again, so I decided to stop by and say hello.  On the way, I bumped into...

 
Jack/Kyouya!  It was actually the second time we'd bumped into each other that weekend.  I was clearly bummed and in a foul mood, but he was cool enough to chat with me while waiting for his friends.

We stopped by the merchandise booth to say hello to the JACers.  Um...yeah.  The reception was so cold that I actually thought they didn't remember me.  I talked to Jo a bit because we'd corresponded earlier on Facebook.  But that was it.  Feeling like the biggest loser groupie ever, I decided to move on.  Obviously they had.

I shopped at the Exhibition Hall, got a few photos taken.  A few minutes before the Hall was set to close, I remembered that Lucy was still working at her booth and tried to find her.  The Hall was so large it was hard to find her booth, but I eventualy did, and we chatted a while.

She had to close up, and the con was kicking people out of the Hall, so we arranged to meet up in the Artists' Alley afterward.  I only had an hour left until my dad was due to pick me up, but I'd hoped to spend the remainder of my time with her.

However, as I was leaving the Exhibition Hall, I bumped into Shawn the Shuuhei yet again.  He was wandering the con by himself as well, so we chatted and left the hall together.  I'd planned to make my way to the Artists' Alley, but just outside the Exhibition Hall, I spotted these two sitting together and just HAD to get a photo...

 
Yumichika and Hitsugaya

The Hitsugaya was the same person as the Aaroniero from Saturday.  Since I had time to burn until Lucy's call, Shawn and I sat down to rest our weary feet and chatted with Yumichika and Hitsugaya awhile about the con and cosplay tips and techniques.  We were later joined by their friends, a Renji and a Byakuya, and the six of us must have looked rather strange sitting around.  Several passersby asked to take our photo but felt so bad about bothering us that they didn't even ask us to get up out of our seats.  I'd like to see some of those photos.  XD

It was pretty nice just sitting there and chatting with fellow cosplayers (whom I found on cosplay.com!), but my dad called and yelled that he was already waiting for me at the CPK.  Sheesh, some warning would have been nice.

Shawn decided to move on, too, so we said good-bye to our temporary companions.  He was cool enough to walk me as far as the crosswalk before we parted ways, probably forever.  Ah well, the friendship was nice while it lasted.  XD

And that was it.  A lot of shitty things happened on Sunday, but the company (strange or not) made it all worthwhile.  Thank you, Val, Squeaker, Jack, Lucy, Shawn, Badou, Hitsugaya, and Yumichika.  XD

Still...AX 2007 was the WORST CON EVER.

It's a shame this had to be my last.  ;_____;

Anime Expo 2007: Bleach Photo-Op

The last entry got so long that the photo-op is getting its own section.

*Warning* This entry is cosplay- and photo-heavy.  Not for 56kers or people with no sense of humor.

On Saturday, Jess and I spent a good portion of the afternoon taking photos at the fountain outside the Terrace Theater in Long Beach.  Getting to spend quality time with Jess (and being a camwhore with her) was probably the most fun I had the entire con, and I'm grateful to have had her as my companion.  =)

Explanation of our characters, all of which are from the popular anime and manga series, Bleach:

Hinamori Momo

In Bleach, there are two main camps of characters: the shinigami (or Death Gods or Soul Reapers) and the Hollows (or "bad" souls).  The job of the shinigami is to conduct good souls to Soul Society and purify bad souls.  In Soul Society, there are 13 divisions of shinigami, each of which has its own captain and vice-captain (or lieutenant, depending on if you follow subs or dub).  Hinamori Momo is lieutenant of the 5th division.  She's sweet, a bit earnest, and very devoted to her captain, Aizen.  When Aizen "died," she snapped and even turned against her childhood friend, Hitsugaya Toushiro, thinking he had killed Aizen.  It was all part of the plan though...

Hitsugaya Toushiro

Hitsugaya Toushiro is the captain of the 10th division.  He's the youngest captain, a child prodigy, and is usually quite serious (when he's not smirking or teasing Hinamori).  He and Hinamori were childhood friends from before they became shinigami, and though neither the anime nor the manga have admitted as much, some fans like to put them together.  That's made for some interesting photo requests...

Wonderweiss Marujera

Wonderweiss Marujera debuts in the most recent manga story arc, which has main character Ichigo Kurosaki venturing into Hueco Mundo (home to the Hollows) to rescue his galpal, Orihime.  Wonderweiss is one of many special Hollows called arrancar, created by Aizen (who is alive and evil) to be part of his army.  Problem is that Wonderweiss is a bit of an oddball.  Though he accompanied the other arrancar to the real world, he didn't do much except for zone out, chase dragonflies, and freak out around a guy named Urahara.  In other words, he's a little weird, a little slow, and possibly psychotic, which meant he was great fun to cosplay.  =)  However, he's got no connection to Hinamori, so Jess and I made a weird pair wandering the con together.

Photos

Outside Terrace Theater, we waffled around for a bit trying to decide where to take photos.  A photographer came up to us and asked to take some photos.  He advised us on how to pose and took a few pics from his camera and from mine.  It was a little exciting posing for someone who knew what he was doing.

When he finished, we migrated closer to the fountain and took a few random photos by the water and with my butterfly.

As I posed for Jess with my butterfly, two more photographers drifted over and asked to take photos.  One stayed quiet but the other told me to hold my position as he circled around.  I stayed stock still, the sun bearing down on my face, for quite a long time as he took photo after photo.  Jess followed him and snapped a few pics on my camera.  Good going, Jess!  XD

By the end of it, sweat was pouring out from under my wig and my face felt taut from the prolonged exposure to the sun.  It was too bad that I hadn't changed into the Hitsugaya costume yet since our characters would have been a perfect pair for photos.  Having exhausted every possible pose as Wonderweiss, I decided it was time to bust Hitsugaya out.

By the time I'd finished cleaning up my face and stuffing my stubborn hair under the wig, the sun was going down and only a few precious hours of sunlight remained.  We walked as fast as we could back to Terrace Theater and found a nice spot by the steps for photos.  Unfortunately, all the photographers had gone and no one was around to help us take photos.  So we took a few individual photos.

It would have been a waste not to take photos together, so we dragged random people over to help us take photos.

Then we switched the scenery up and played around some more.

I love this pic.  :)

Look, Ma!  I can walk on water!  XD

AX Idol was about to start soon, but we knew that we'd forever regret it if we didn't get any "fun" pics in.

Hinamori's got a secret.

"Whatever, woman."

"You know it doesn't matter..."

And thus Hinamori and Hitsugaya's vacation concluded.  XD

I had to resize the photos to fit them, so they're all squished and pixellated.  For larger versions, visit my Webshot galleries.

Thank you, Jess, for agreeing to take these crazy photos with me!  It was the highlight of Saturday...and possibly of the entire con (excluding S.K.I.N., of course).  You're a great sport and a great friend.

Anime Expo 2007: Day 2

Happy Independence Day (from Hinamori Momo)!

=3

These con reports are rolling out slowly but surely.  I'm still waiting for the go-ahead from Jess to post our lovely (but potentially embarrassing) pics, so more photos will be posted in a later entry. For more and larger photos, visit my Webshot galleries.

*Warning* Loads of text, photos, and cosplay ahead.  Not for the faint of heart!

Onward ho to Day 2...

Saturday, June 30

Our plan for Saturday was to arrive at the con at around 10 am for some leisurely shopping and photo-opping (and to avoid any lines if at all possible).  However, as is typically the case for us, things didn't quite go as according to plan.

Having had time only to restyle the Hitsugaya wig after getting home from the con on Friday night, I awoke two hours early to do my make-up for Wonderweiss and to prepare the Hitsugaya costume for another day's wear.  The previous night I'd dressed as Hitsugaya to accompany Jess's Hinamori, but we were in costume for too short a time to really enjoy it.  So I'd decided to wear this year's costume, Wonderweiss, for the first half of Saturday and then change into Hitsugaya for the second half.  Considering how long it takes me to get into costume, it was a bit ambitious but would totally be worth the trouble.

Getting everything together for the day took a little longer than expected, so I ended up speed-ironing the hakama.  Unfortunately, I was clumsy and got yet another stinging red welt (to match the two from last year).

I accidentally ripped a piece of skin off in the shower.  Sigh.

It turned out Jess had overslept, so there was more time to finish than I'd thought.  I finally got to her house a little past 10 am, and we left for Long Beach at around 11 (2 hours later than planned...but it was all good).

The drive was uneventful and we arrived at around noon.  This time around we were smarter and parked in the underground structure just below the main convention center.  Not only was the structure closer but hopefully being underground would also keep the car from heating up too much (and my infernal wig from wilting again).

Changing into the Wonderweiss costume was much easier than I could have hoped for, and the lining was oddly cooling against my skin, so I wasn't hot at all despite wearing 3 layers.  I helped Jess into her hakama and bun and we went our merry way to the Exhibition Hall.

Jess had to get her zanpakutou peacebonded first, so we headed that way and bumped into Dave, who was reprising last year's wildly popular cosplay...

Hard Gay, aka Japanese comedian Masaki Sumitani.  Hooooooooo!

Upstairs, Jess got her peacebond and I found my first arrancar of the day, who was none other than...

Aaroniero, Espada #9!  <3

The Exhibition Hall was much larger than at Anaheim, probably the only consolation for what had thus far been a crappy experience.  There were more booths selling cute things than can be imagined, at which Jess and I spent the most time.  We got stopped a few times for photos though only a handful of people recognized my character.  That's what happens when the anime decides to pack in fillers just before your character's supposed to debut.  

One funny thing that happened: While riding the escalator down to the Exhibition Hall, a girl behind us yells, "I love your costume, Momo!"

Jess doesn't even register the name.  After all, only the dub uses Hinamori's first name regularly.  I realize she's talking to Jess, so I let Jess know and we chat a while with the girl.  Jess asks her if she knows who I am and of course she doesn't.

"I only watch the dub," she declares.

Nothing against that.  I used to be and am still a dubbie at heart.  It was just surprising to see that more people watch dubs than I'd expected.  Which is awesome.  Go Johnny Yong Bosch!  :P  

Other highlights:

The same Ulquiorra as on Friday!  This time I stayed away from her sword.  XD

This Paradise Kiss cosplayer was one of few who recognized me.  She was very kind, and her costume is pretty.

Sandman!  I didn't like his role in the movie, but his costume was well-made and the look on his face is perfect.

Kakashi approves of the new Naruto game.

So we were walking around, just taking in the cosplayers and different booths, when suddenly I spotted a tall figure in a baseball cap and red shirt.  I gasped.  No, surely not...but then I went closer and realized it was really...

Kyle Hebert! 

Kyle Hebert is the voice of Teen Gohan and Narrator (DBZ), Kiba Inuzuka (Naruto), Vato Falman (Full Metal Alchemist), and Ganju Shiba and Sousuke Aizen (Bleach).  For me, meeting a voice actor is akin to meeting a television or movie actor.  These are the people who bring our favorite characters to life and make them more than two-dimensional cell drawings.  Anyway, last year I was hesitant about approaching Crispin Freeman, but I just went straight up to Kyle and started blabbing about how I was a huge fan, how I watch KyleTV, and how I love his work as Ganju and Aizen.  He was friendly (though I embarrassed myself with the KyleTV thing), and he even signed my badge...WHICH I LATER LOST.  More on that sad story later.

Jess later laughed that I was quite fangirly.  Last year I'd been able to keep my cool around Crispin, but I just turned to goo around Kyle.  Maybe it was because the entire convention had been serious suckage up to that point, and seeing one of my favorite voice actors just made the day so much better.  Or maybe it was because I was in costume, which was already an embarrassing situation.  Whatever the reason, I was certainly on a high, and the day improved from there.

After tiring of the Exhibition Hall, Jess and I headed back to Terrace Theater for some photo-opping.  On Friday we'd noticed how beautiful the scenery was around the fountain, so we were quite determined to take advantage of the few perks of Long Beach.

Madness?  This.Is.SPAAAA-TAAAAA!  300 cosplayers outside the Terrace Theater.

For details about and pics from the photoshoots/camwhoring, see the next entry.  Suffice it to say that we had lots of fun doing crazy poses both in and slightly out of character.  It was also great that a few professional photographers were around to help us pose and take photos for a while. We took photos first as Hinamori and Wonderweiss, and then I quickly changed in time to get a few photos with Jess as Hitsugaya.

When the sun began to set and camwhoring had lost its appeal, we headed back to good old CPK for some dinner.  Though we planned to see AX Idol, which was great fun last year, we decided to forgo waiting in another hellishly long line and just decided to head over to the arena half an hour or so before the event was to begin.  That was probably the best decision we ever made.

Full from dinner, we arrived at the arena just as the line for AX Idol was starting to move and were feeling rather good about our decision to wait until the last minute.

Unfortunately, Long Beach Convention Center decided it hated us again, and just as we reached the front of the line, staff members insisted we couldn't bring our swords inside.  What did they think we were going to do with them?  Throw them at the stage?  Get rowdy and hit someone with a bokken?  I understood that policy was policy and the staff members were just following the rules, but that such a rule existed in the first place was ridiculous.  Anaheim had always allowed cosplay weapons in, and they'd never had any problems in any of the previous years.  Why was Long Beach being so anal?

What's worse was that there wasn't even a place to leave our swords.  Not a table or a holding area where they'd still be when we got out.  "You can leave them behind the bushes," the staff guy said.  "But they might not be there later."  WTF?

Grumbling and utterly peeved at Long Beach Convention Center, Jess and I reluctantly left the line, trekked back to our car at LBCC to put our zanpakutou away, and made it back to the arena to find our seats.

I was still hoping that AX Idol would make our troubles worth it, and the moment the Bang Zoom! clips started rolling, I was so happy to be seeing Johnny Yong Bosch (voice of Vash of Trigun, Kiba of Wolf's Rain, Ichigo of Bleach) again that the irritation faded away.

Johnny will forever be my hero, but even his godly powers couldn't make this year's AX Idol a hit.  Like Anime Expo in general, AX Idol was full of fail.  As MC, Johnny seemed tired and a little confused, and it was clear there had been no rehearsals.  Of course I couldn't blame him; between his band's gigs, his voice acting job (Ichigo's in almost every episode, and there are a lot), and filming for Power Rangers, it was a wonder he was able to squeeze in an appearance at AX at all.  Everything seemed rather half-assed, from the sound glitches and technical problems to the misprinted contestant names on Johnny's cards to the disorganized proceedings and lackadaisical manner in which the winners were announced.  Even the first two contestants sang behind the beat, which very early on sapped the contest of its excitement and me of my enthusiasm.  I had to hand it to the contestants; it takes major balls to get up on stage in front of so many people.  But at the same time, I wished they could at least sing on the beat.  Were these seriously the best singers of everyone who had auditioned?

The voice contestants were also a mixed bag.  One was a clear stand-out, and she was so good it was surprising she'd never had lessons before.  Xanthy (an interesting name, so I remember it) had a promising voice and sounded very much like Stephanie Sheh, but she was a little raw and not quite as polished as the winner.  Of the male contestants, I rather liked one as he sounded like a younger version of Johnny (or "Johnny from ten years ago"), but his delivery wasn't so great.  To buy some time, the judges presented an achievement award to voice actor Wendee Lee (Faye Valentine of Cowboy Bebop).  Although I love and respect Wendee Lee, she quickly soured on the audience with her inflated, overly-long acceptance speech.  She'd been so sweet when I met her at USC...but dang, this isn't the Oscars!

I don't know if it was a mistake or not, but Johnny announced the winners without pomp or circumstance, as if listing contestant names off a cue card, and then awkwardly pulled everyone off the stage.  This confused me and Jess as we had no idea what was going on.  Hadn't he just announced the winners?  Was he cutting to an intermission?  The moment Halko Momoi got on stage and started caterwauling, Jess and I couldn't stand it anymore and left.  No offense to her fans, but it was the last straw.

And thus the day came to a rather pathetic, anti-climactic end.  It had been a rollercoaster ride with its major ups (Kyle Hebert, camwhoring, Johnny) and major downs (no weapons policy, all of AX Idol), and we were both mentally and physically tired.  So sad that Jess's last day had to end on such a sour note.

Jess, I still appreciate that you braved two crappy days even though you didn't have to.  You are truly a friend for life.

*Edit*  I forgot that early on in the day, Jess and I got to see Vic Micgnogna (Ed of FMA, Ikkaku of Bleach) at the ADV booth in the Exhibition Hall.  He was talking to a crowd of people about something, and I didn't stay long to listen.  Just seeing him in person was enough.  So that was another definite "up" for the day.

Oh no...according to his Myspace blog, Johnny was also fed up with AX this year and WON'T be returning next year.  How very sad.  T____T  Guess that's another reason not to attend...         

Anime Expo 2007: Day 1

Ah AX...how could one convention go so wrong?  What I had hoped would be the highlight of my summer--and the year--has come and gone, leaving me tired, battered, disappointed, and yet elated at the same time.  In short, just a little confused.

First off, a confession: I've been hesitant about writing this review.  I feared that by forcing myself to reflect on the convention experience, I'd end up hating it more than I did while at Long Beach.  And although I've still got some serious beef with the Long Beach Convention Center, seeing the photos Jess and I took has made me realize that AX really wasn't the Hell on Earth I'd thought it was for the past three days.

One member of a Bleach cosplay community described the convention as consisting of both "epic win" and "epic fail."  I completely agree.  The win: S.K.I.N. (pretty epic in its own right), photoshoots with Jess, meeting Kyle Hebert, and the Bleach arrancar gathering.  The fail: 7+ hours of lines (our entire Friday), major sunburn, getting a stinging red welt on my arm from speed-ironing, all of the injuries Jess sustained, getting turned away from AX Idol for carrying our (obviously fake) cosplay swords, AX Idol itself, and losing my badge, which Kyle Hebert had autographed.    If I had attended the Transformers screening on Monday, perhaps the win would have balanced out the fail.  Unfortunately I didn't, and this experience had entirely too much FAIL.

I should have seen the signs.  Kuri left early for South Africa.  Jess's mom didn't want her to go, and I guilted Jess into going (so sorry! T___T).  The haircut I got the same week of the con was too short, and my mom wouldn't stop harping on about how fugly I looked.  Absolutely none of the panels on the AX program guide were interesting.  Jess's and my period both came the day before the con (and my costume is white).  With all these ominous portents, how could I have stayed so optimistic? 

Ah, but AX has been awesome for the past two years!  AX is always awesome!  I thought.  Besides, this is most likely my last convention ever.  Why not make it the best?  Everything will work out just fine!

Well I was right; everything did work out.  But it was far from smooth sailing.

Friday, June 29

Jess and I left my house a little past 6:30 so we could arrive at the con before it opened at 8 am.  The plan was to arrive as early as possible to get our badge/badge holder so we could transfer to the S.K.I.N. ticket line.  Having not purchased premier tickets, we were afraid we wouldn't be able to get into the S.K.I.N. concert, which was pretty much the only reason we went to the con on Friday.  Surely if we arrived at the con by 8 am we'd be able to secure some seats for the concert!

One slight detour later (we'd missed the exit and had to stop for directions), we pulled into the parking lot between the Long Beach Arena and Terrace Theater to find the tail end of an already-long line awaiting us.  Hoping this wasn't our line, we traipsed to the front, found out it was our line, and traipsed back to see that the line had grown considerably.  Though the line was long, the weather was still nice and chilly and we excitedly took in the sights (which included the good, the bad, and the uuuugly).

With Domo-kun!  The highlight of the morning.

After three frickin' hours under the sun, we finally picked up our badges (which took all of one minute inside).  Last year we'd waited 3 hours in the pick-up line as well, but it hadn't felt this bad because it was indoors.  If this convention center was purportedly so much larger and more spacious than Anaheim, I just couldn't understand why they couldn't form the lines indoors.   Anyway, we unenthusiastically got into yet another line for general S.K.I.N. tickets.  By this time, we'd been sapped of our enthusiasm and were just plain irritated.

Staggered potty breaks, some granola bars (we skipped lunch), and 2 hours later, the S.K.I.N. ticket line started to move and we got our precious tickets.  The staff members assured us that since our seats were reserved, we wouldn't have to transfer to yet another line for seating.  Thinking that this meant we'd be spared from having to waste more time in another long-ass line (oh how naive of us), Jess and I were finally free to experience the rest of the con and went to the Exhibition Hall for some shopping.  

Having been so tired out from waiting in lines all day long, we were not so thrilled to find that the Exhibition Hall was a few blocks away from the arena.   I understand that this year's convention was much larger than usual, hence the need to move to Long Beach, but I missed the convenience of having everything--registration, restrooms, exhibition hall, live programming rooms--within one central location.  Yes, I quite disliked Long Beach at this point.

 
Reaching for Ulquiorra's...sword.  XD

We had time enough to wander only a quarter of the Exhibition Hall before having to head back to the arena to be seated for S.K.I.N.  As we left the Exhibition Hall, we passed the arena, where a heavenly voice met our ears.  Was that...Gackt?  Warming up?

Where we heard the Voice.

With renewed excitement, we hurried outside.  And what awaited us there was...you guessed it.  Another line.

And this was a doozy of a line.  It hadn't seemed as long as the registration line that morning, but it still curled through the parking lot, and at this time the sun was high overhead and bearing unrelentingly down on us.  And the line just wasn't moving.

For over 2 hours, we stood, crouched, mopped our faces of sweat, complained, and just baked in the parking lot.  Jess's face was red, and although mine hadn't quite turned color just yet, I was sunburned, too (my nose is peeling as I type).

Anyway, we filed into the arena and found our seats easily, just glad to be resting our aching feet.  In the aisles, people with premier tickets were complaining about the crappiness of their seats.  I felt sorry for anyone who flew to the con just to see S.K.I.N. and paid the $50 for premier tickets.  Even though they had reserved seats, they still had to wait in lines just to pick up the ticket and be seated (same as the general admission folks), and they were all smushed in the center without risers.  How could Long Beach Convention Center suck so much?

Tired but excited just to be sitting indoors

Once inside, we waited for the band.  Story of the con, really.  We waited.  It was now two hours after the concert had been scheduled to begin, and we were still restless and Gacktless.  Supposedly the concert had been delayed because the band had still been warming up.  I wondered if perhaps Gackt, Yoshiki, Sugizo, and Miyavi hadn't even bothered to practice before coming to AX and were playing together for the first time just now.

But then the curtain finally dropped and all irritation gave way to PURE ELATION.

I almost couldn't believe I was really hearing and seeing Gackt.  I mean, Jess and I had already seen Yoshiki, Miyavi, and Sugizo at JRock Revolution, but Gackt...As silly as it sounds, he had always seemed unreal to me.  An unreachable idol, someone who existed only on TV or on my iPod.  Seeing him made me realize that he's a flesh-and-blood person, and he's just as beautiful in person as he is in the magazines.

Although I wasn't supposed to, I snapped a few photos and took two short videos.  Unfortunately, my camera's zoom is pathetic so I couldn't get any good shots, and I was so absorbed in getting the shot that staff members caught and yelled at me twice.  I wasn't trying to disrespect the band, but I'm sorry if I was. 

Anyway, the first song was an energetic, crowd-rousing number.  Not exactly my kind of song, but it was still exciting to see and hear them with my own eyes and ears.  When Jess and I had first heard about the supergroup, we had no doubt that Yoshiki, Gackt, Sugizo, and Miyavi would put on a great show and performance.  However, we were worried about the music since their styles are rather...different, to say the least.  Yoshiki, Gackt, and Sugizo I expected to mesh well and come up with some beautiful music, but Miyavi was a wild card.  How would such a notorious maverick and showman work with three other rockstars with equally as strong musical tastes?

Well I didn't have to worry.  The moment the second song ("Killing You Softly") started, I just shut up and listened.  It was...such a beautiful song.  Reminiscent of Gackt's style of music except for the mad piano and a total must-have.  Seriously, if they put out a CD, I'm buying it.

The third song, "Beneath Your Skin" (sounds like a Linkin Park title :X) was also great although I don't remember exactly how it sounded.  These two songs put to rest any doubts I had about S.K.I.N.'s music.  The four j-rock gods not only put on a great performance and looked great, but they sounded amazing as well and their music was strong, melodic, and driven.

Just as I was drifting into a delirious reverie after those two songs, everything quieted down and the image of Yoshiki playing the piano filled the videoscreen.  I was breathless for a moment as Yoshiki on piano is just a beautiful thing to hear and see, but then the screen switched to Gackt who was ALSO on piano...and the audience went nuts.  Or at least the fangirls did.

While Yoshiki on piano was powerful and passionate, Gackt was a ham.  XD  I mean, of course he was gorgeous, but he was very clearly conscious of the way he appeared to his audience, and the way he swayed dramatically back and forth was entirely theatrical.  Is there anything about Gackt that isn't studied or perfected to a tee?  Not that I'm complaining.  That's why the man's a god.

As the audience obsessed over Gackt and Yoshiki, the beautiful refrains of a violin soared above the dual pianos and the camera shifted to Sugizo, who had pulled out his signature instrument.  And lest we forget about him, Miyavi, who had been relaxing quietly on the stage, began to strum his shamisen.  They played a beautiful instrumental piece, and for a glorious few moments, we breathlessly watched the four play on a split-screen.

Not my video but better than the one I took.

The night hit its climax then, and even though the instrumental regressed into piano mashing (Yoshiki's signature, so I've heard), it had still left its mark on my heart.  The last song ("Get Back"?) was a return to the loud and rowdy and was a great way to end the concert.  They played an encore of it, then Gackt (in his loveable Engrish) introduced each member and gave each a chance to play guitar (or drum or bass) hero.  It stretched on and on, especially Yoshiki's drum solo, but he was such an icon that he deserved every bit of the spotlight.  And any excuse to lengthen the concert was fine by me.  I just felt sorry for Yoshiki when Gackt kept screaming, "More! More! More!" even though Yoshiki was playing so hard he looked like he was in pain.  Watching their exchange was a bit like witnessing sado-masochism.  >__<

At the end of the hour, the concert came to a close with Sugizo and Yoshiki destroying their respective instruments, rather reminiscent of the way Yoshiki smashed his drumset after X-Japan's Last Live.  I noticed that Miyavi was standing to the side, posturing and shaking a rope ladder but clutching his guitar rather protectively.  No way he was going to smash his baby.  XD

And that was it for the concert.  Was it worth almost 5 hours of waiting?  I haven't decided yet.  It would have been worth a 3-hour wait for sure, but 5 hours is pushing it.  Still, I've seen enough j-rock gods to last a lifetime.  And my favorite j-rock buddy, Jess, was there with me the whole time.  So maybe it was worth it after all.  :)

The original plan had been to change into our costumes after the concert and wander the Exhibition Hall for more shopping before attending the Pop Shock Masquerade.  Unfortunately, the concert had run so late that by the time we made it to the LBCC, the Exhibition Hall had already closed.  Another door Long Beach slammed in our face.  Feeling drained of energy, we were no longer sure if it was worth cosplaying anymore.  But I'd dragged Hitsugaya out of retirement just so I could complement Jess's Hinamori again, so we decided to do it anyway.

Having only an hour or so until Pop Shock was to begin, I did my make-up and Jess worked on her hair quickly at LBCC.  Alas, poor Jess accidentally cut her palm while trimming her bangs, and it was quite a nasty cut.  I was such a horrible friend that I couldn't even help her.  SO SORRY, JESS.  I AM UNWORTHY OF YOU.  T____T  Afterward we rushed to CPK for some dinner.  While waiting for our salad (the pizzas were backed up), I pulled my hair into my wigcap and looked like a freak sitting in CPK with my hat and Hitsugaya eyes.  The things we do for the sake of cosplay.  >___<

The salad was surprisingly good (then again, we were super hungry), but we didn't have time to enjoy it.  Feeling stuffed and bloated, we rushed to the dark open parking lot and changed into our costumes.  Poor Jess was in such a hurry that she pulled a back muscle.  Not her day.  ;___;  The heat of the car had melted my Hitsugaya wig so that it would no longer stand as I'd styled it to, so we wasted precious time frantically trying to fix it.  I hate that wig.  =(

As Hinamori with a floppy bun and Hitsugaya with wilted hair, Jess and I made it back to LBCC in time to get a few photos taken and to get in line for the Pop Shock Masquerade.  Last year we had skipped Pop Shock for the AMV Contest, which we didn't enjoy very much, so we hoped that Pop Shock would be more to our liking.

Um, it was short, or at least it felt that way.  And some of the costumes were cool.  There were a few originals, NANA, Hide, some obligatory Dir en Grey (the singing Kyo had his mannerisms down perfectly), OLIVIA, and W.  The opening act was pretty good although he thought he was way hotter than he was.  The intermission act Lolita was good until the vocalist opened his mouth.  Sorry.  At that point Jess and I were so tired we just left without waiting for the results.  We took a few more photos outside, and that was it.

Tired but still trying to get something out of the day

The entire day had consisted of waiting in lines, S.K.I.N., sunburn and injury, and a rather disappointing Pop Shock.  We were disgusted with Long Beach Convention Center, which didn't bode well for the rest of the weekend.  All we could do was cross our fingers that Saturday would be a little better and would involve fewer lines.