For once I’m writing on something that happened very, very recently!
However, I apologize that the English version of the post will take another bit, especially when it’s the case when I’m just about to hit the Con.
As with all the other articles that need translation, I’ll be working on them as quickly as I can.
In the previous article, I wrote about prepping to attend a comic convention – specifically on attending Comic City; in this article, I will go into detail about the actual event I attended – Comic City Osaka 77 (henceforth as CC Osaka) – along with hints and tips about what to do on the day of the event.
It was a first in a while for me to attend an event of this sort, let alone the first time for me to attend one at the beginning of a year. I debated as to whether I wanted to get there bright and early in the morning from the start, or to go later in the day when it is slightly less busier – I ended up choosing the former.
The venue for CC Osaka is Intex Osaka; I was expecting to get to the venue from the nearest station – Nakafutō Station for New Tram, so I, as I’ve always done in the past, got off at Cosmosquare Station to transfer to the New Tram, till I noticed some signs posted at the station. As it turned out, attendees were advised to walk from Cosmosquare Station (instead of Nakafutō Station) – this was a measure taken by the station (and transit system) for crowd control.
I have to admit this was somewhat unexpected at first, though it became clear why it’s necessary after seeing the amount of people inside the station and in the train.
I arrived at the venue a bit before 9am, yet there were an astounding number of people waiting to enter the venue.
Intex Osaka consists of 6 sections (section 6 is further divided into 4 sub-sections), of which section 1 was used for line-ups standing by for entry into the venue, and the rest were all used for booths for artist circles. Circles were allocated to a section according to their main genre of work.
In all areas of the venue, there was music played in the background, ranging from J-pop to anime tunes. While waiting, many attendees were checking their pamphlets and marking the circles they are interested (and sure enough, I was doing the same).
The pamphlet contains a map of the venue and an index of participating circles. There are two types of indexes – one is a list of circles in alphabetical order with corresponding booth locations, and the other is a list of circles categorized by genre accompanied by a “circle cut” (small sample of their work). You would want to use the alphabetical list if you know exactly which circle you want to see, and you would want to use the index with the circle cuts if you just have a generic idea of what genre you are interested.
Here’s a sample of the venue map:
As you can see, you can detach the map from the pamphlet, though keep in mind that the map will not serve as a substitute for an entry pass – in other words, you are still required to be in possession of the actual pamphlet in order to enter the venue. That said, make sure not to discard the pamphlet after detaching the map if you haven’t officially entered the event venue (and no, being in line to enter does not count as “being in the venue”.)
The event opens at 10:30am, yet due to the amount of people, it took me until around 11am to enter the venue.
After entering the venue, it really depends on each person where to go first. If you are with a group of people, you would naturally want to “split the workload” by assigning each person to a section – this would definitely increase the chances of being able to acquire the merchandise you want. This CC Osaka, given that it was the first event of the kind of the year, was especially large-scale, which meant that the more genres/series you are interested in, the more you had to run around all over the venue.
As there would be no way to split the workload when you are at an event on your own, you would have to simply set your priorities in that case. Keep in mind that those circles that are positioned along the wall tend to be the “big-name” circles – if they are the kind you are aiming for, be prepared to wait in line for a while.
As well, events that expect to have a large number of attendees tend to have some traffic regulations (such as one-ways) within the venue – it would be a wise idea to check such regulations on the venue map in the pamphlet while waiting to enter the venue.
For this particular event, there were some traffic regulations around the escalators, creating some one-way paths and detours to get to Section 6C and 6D. While I was planning ahead about how to get to those sections, it wasn’t until after I got to the escalators that I got a clear grasp of the traffic regulation.
As far as convention etiquette is concerned, most of it is common sense, though I do want to mention a few things.
When you want to look a their samples, give the artists some acknowledgement by saying a few words such as “May I?” (in Japanese it would be “ii-desuka?”) before looking, and “Thank you” after looking. It does become somewhat awkward just looking at samples without saying anything.
Another thing to watch for is payment. Do not *ever* use large bills (5000 or 10000yen) for payment, especially not at the beginning of the event in the morning. For big-name circles, it does not become as much of an issue, but if you start using such large bills toward the beginning of the event, circles will be running low on change and it will severely inconvenience them. To avoid needless trouble, it is best to prepare small change in advance.
Given it was the first event in a while for me, I felt somewhat inclined to ask for a sketch from one of the artists.
Some artists are willing to do on-the-spot sketches (and they will likely have a sign of some sort at their booth if that’s the case). Attendees would bring their own sketchbooks for artists to draw something.
However, keep in mind that the artists will be multitasking and have a limited number of sketches they can do.
It is definitely a great way for attendees to interact with the artists, so I would recommend asking for sketches if you have a chance.
If you do not have a sketchbook with you, the vendors inside the venue usually carry some for this very purpose.
When asking for a sketch, be respectful and don’t feel offended if the artists are unable to fulfill your request. If an artist does agree to do a sketch for you, do show your appreciation, and don’t forget to pick up your sketchbook before the end of the event.
As well, keep in mind that artists are doing sketches as a favor – don’t make requests for something complicated (difficult pose, asking for multiple characters in the sketch) – chances are, you are not the only one who are getting sketches done.
For the most part, I got to do everything I intended on doing, from buying most of the books I wanted to getting a sketch done by one of the artists I really like.
Overall, it was a great experience and it was honestly worth going.
I do realize this is not much of an objective report on the event, but hopefully these past two articles gave you some idea of what to expect out of a Japanese comic convention.
As some people may know, I was back in Japan for New Years, and I was lucky enough that a comic convention in my somewhat local area was happening during my stay.
While I realize this event is from a while ago, I thought it may be worthwhile to write on this, especially for those folks who are interested in attending events of this sort in the future. This article will cover some general information about Japanese comic conventions, along with my personal experiences.
I will have to admit that I personally am not as well-experienced in attending these events, so the article is geared more or less towards “beginners”, though anyone is welcome to read on.
So what *is* Comic City?
Comic City is a comic convention hosted by Aka-BooBoo Tsūshinsha, and is often abbreviated as City or CC. It is held numerous times over the course of the year in either Tokyo, Osaka, or Fukuoka.
This article will be focusing on CC Osaka 77, held on January 10, 2010.
Before going to CC
The amount of preparation you can do for a comic convention depends on the event, but here are some things that you can do in advance for most conventions:
- Checking for circles – “Circles” or artist groups often have information on their website if they intend to participate in an upcoming event. If you have a certain series/genre in mind, you can easily search online for potential circles that you can visit. It would be wise to jot down which booth they will be located.
- Checking weather conditions – Most of the time, you can expect to wait in line to enter the venue, and such lines may extend and/or be located outdoors depending on the event. Always check the weather forecast, and dress accordingly. It never hurts to prepare raingear, extra layers of cloths, and liquids (to prevent dehydration).
- Checking traffic conditions – Given that these events usually attract a very large number of people, it is expected that public transit will be extremely busy and crowded. If this is your first time attending a particular venue, you would want to make sure to check transfer points and times. Often times, train stations may also take security/crowd control measures, so it may help to check your local transits’ websites for notices. Depending on which forms of transportations you plan to take, it may help to use IC cards or prepaid fare to avoid line-ups at the ticket vendors.
Given that CC Osaka 77 was the first event of its kind this year, and that it is one of the larger CCs, pamphlets (to be explained later) for this event was sold in advance. Of course, it is possible to purchase them at the venue, yet purchasing them in advance would give you more time to look over which circles are participating at the event, and would also give you an idea of the venue structure. I personally would recommend advance purchase.
However, I do have to admit I am usually the kind who ends up not doing much with the pamphlet until I get to the venue, and kill time looking at the pamphlet while waiting in line.
Things to bring
While these are items I personally prepare, I believe these are standard items that most people would bring to the event.
Starting with the “must-have”s:
- Pamphlet – For most events, this serves as an entry pass for regular attendees. Prices will vary depending on the event. They contain information regarding the venue, participating circles, and general event guidelines. I will go into more detail on this later.
- Small change – The more the better! If you are going to be at the event from the start (ie. in the morning), it is best to carry 100, 500, and/or 1000yen since circles will likely not have as much change at the beginning. Keep in mind that this is a convention where the artists are mostly amateurs, don’t expect them to be like a store where they can easily break your 10000yen bills!
- Liquids – For hydration (and in some cases, sugar). Regardless of what time of the year the event is happening, you do not want to be in a state of dehydration – it will not hurt to keep a bottle of water or tea in your bag. However, don’t overload yourself with liquids as restrooms tend to be extremely crowded throughout the event.
- Large durable bag – Needless to say, this is for carrying your acquisitions. My recommendation would be to use something like a tote bag – yes, it will potentially put a lot of weight on your shoulder, but the pain will only last for less than a day, and if you are that concerned about damaging your shoulder, just don’t buy that much! On the contrary, I do not recommend using those small suitcases with wheels. Yes, it may make it easier for you to carry your heavy books, but keep in mind that it can potentially block traffic (especially in front of stairs!), and it may be difficult to maneuver in the crowd. If you must use one of those, keep in mind you may end up constantly bumping into more people than you need, or being cussed at by a large number of people.
Other items that come in handy:
- Portable gaming devices – These especially come in handy if you plan to attend from the start of the event. You will be grateful to have one of these once you are finished browsing through the pamphlet about a hundred times and still have time to kill.
- Writing utensils – More specifically, highlighters. These come in handy when you are marking down which circles you want to check out.
- Sketchbook (more on this in part 2 or the article)
I realize I have listed quite a few items, though you will want to keep the amount of things to bring to a minimum – again, keep in mind that you are entering an extremely crowded venue.
Pamphlets
Personally, when I heard the word “pamphlet”, I had the impression they would be thin, 1-page things, but that impression has been completely shattered after attending my first CC.
“Pamphlets” for comic conventions tend to have at least a few hundred pages, and thus end up being rather thick and heavy.
You don’t believe me? See for yourself:
I know I’m using a rather old pamphlet in comparison, but in the photo are 2 pamphlets – one from Day 1 of Super Comic City Osaka 12 back in 2006 (on the top), and the other from Comic City Osaka 77 (on the bottom). I’m sure you can tell how thick they are by comparing it to the board from that video game system.
In terms of event intensity, both SCC Osaka 12 and CC Osaka 77 are about the same; however, the former extended for 2 days but with a smaller venue, and the pamphlet in the photo was only for the first day, which explains why the pamphlet is slightly thinner.
The thickness of the pamphlet somewhat reflects the size/intensity of the event, so you can expect the Comic Market (Comiket) pamphlets to be rather thick (and consequently heavy).
That’s about it for prepping for the event, the following article will cover things that go on during the actual event.
It’s been 1 month since the last post on this blog, and as far as my own posts are concerned, this seems to be the first in about 2.5 months – I should be ashamed.
It’s not as if my co-blogger has been pestering me to write something, though the fact that I haven’t been pestered about this in a while scares me even more.
In any case, first post in 2010 and… while I do have something I want to post about, it’s taking me a bit longer than I expected to gather my thoughts together. Instead, I’ll briefly talk about my current plans for 2010.
As far as large-scale events are concerned, I’ll be attending Sakura-Con in Seattle during Easter weekend, and will also be attending Anime Evolution at my alma mater, UBC Vancouver during mid-August. As I’m staffing for AE, my reviews will be coming from a staff’s perspective, which will likely be something a bit different from that of an attendee.
In terms of other events, I’m likely going to be at the events hosted by the UBC Anime Club – this primarily has to do with the fact that I’m the former president of the said club, and that I still somehow end up getting myself involved with event planning and such.
As far as the English versions of the posts are concerned… again, I have to apologize for the tardiness, I do realize I’m taking a bit too much time on them, but they will get done in the near future. When it comes to my own posts, I usually do them simultaneously – while the English version of Haruka’s posts are my translations, I usually don’t write my posts in one language and then do a translation of it in the other.
I’d like to thank everyone for visiting this blog, and hope that you enjoy reading our upcoming posts in the year 2010.
If you have any comments or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to leave us a comment or send us an email.
In North America, Halloween is one of the biggest events in the Fall.
For fellow anime/manga fans, it’s one of the rare opportunities, aside from related events, for them to cosplay (at the very least, it’s a valid excuse for them to cosplay), and it’s the time the UBC Anime Club hosts its annual Halloween Dance.
In addition to the club members, many anime/manga fans from outside the club attend this dance annually, making this event one of the biggest events hosted by the club.
The dance is usually held on the Saturday closest to Halloween, though since Halloween fell on a Friday this year, it was held a week before, on Saturday, October 24.
As usually, please click below for the rest of the entry.
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A bit late, but better late than never?
I thought I’d write about the Final Fantasy concert – Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy.
Conducted by Arnie Roth and performed by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the University of British Columbia Opera Ensemble, the concert took place on October 8 at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver.
It’s a bit of a long review, so please click below for the rest of the article.
In my last article, I wrote about the UBC Anime Club at their annual recruitment event: Clubs Days.
This article will be a continuation, covering the said clubs Icebreaker event which happened on September 25.
The article is a bit long and image-heavy, so please click below to read the rest.
Only a few days left in September, and that means it’s been about 3-4 weeks since the start of a new school year in North America. As for my alma mater–or shall I say my school, it’s crunch time for clubs with their membership recruitment.
So today’s article is on the UBC Anime Club at AMS Clubs Days, which went on from September 23rd through 25th at the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Slightly image-heavy, please click below to read the rest of the article.
I just wrote a review on Trash Panic a few days ago, but the review today is on a slightly arranged version (available at PlayStation Store Japan) called “100-yen GOMIBAKO.”
As the name suggests, the cost is 100yen, which will give you 3 credits, just like an arcade game. with 1 credit, you’ll be able to play up until end of Stage 3.
There are 2 courses: the “Regular Gomibako” and the “Harden Steel Gomibako.” The “Regular” course is just like the normal Trash Panic where you’d play with the blue garbage can. The “Harden Steel” on the other hand is, as the official website suggests, for “complete beginners.” That’s no lie, as it’s much easier to crash the garbage, and it’s pretty cool to see how easily garbage would burn or decompose.
Given the greatly reduced difficulty level and how pretty much anyone can enjoy the destruction of garbage (which certainly is the beauty of this game in my humble opinion), 100-yen GOMIBAKO seems like a better deal than the normal version, but this isn’t the only pro side of this version. Completing “Regular” will earn you some reward items you can use in PlayStation Home (determined by score and rating upon completion), and completing “Harden Steel” will earn you the “Harden Steel Can,” an item which is extremely difficult to earn in the normal version of the game. However, you must have a save file for the normal Trash Panic to earn the “Harden Steel Can” (meaning you had to have purchased Trash Panic first, create a save file, and then play 100-yen).
If you have an account with PlayStation Store Japan, and are debating whether to buy Trash Panic or not, I would suggest trying out the 100-yen GOMIBAKO first. As I mentioned earlier, 100 yen will get you 3 credits, so spend a credit to try it out, and if you like it, purchase the normal version and use the remaining credits to earn the rewards. Unlike an arcade, you don’t have to use up all 3 credits in one go.
If you have an account with the North American PlayStation Store, you could probably consider yourself lucky, since there is a playable demo of Trash Panic available (which, by the way, is not something offered in its Japanese counterpart).
As I was browsing through PlayStation Store (Japan), I noticed that this particular game was on sale as part of a campaign to celebrate the release of the slim PS3 (note: it was a limited time offer until Sept. 17, 2009; the price is now back to the original).
I’ve been curious about this game for a while, and this stuck me as a perfect opportunity for purchase.
The concept of the game is quite simple: trash falls from top of the screen, you chuck them in the trash can until you reach a certain amount.
However, it does drive your brain cells nuts to an extent, as it calls for usage of various techniques in order to cram more stuff into the can before it starts overflowing: you can “crash” the trash either by dropping them from up high or by hitting other trash already in the can, set trash on fire using a source of fire (cigarettes, torch) and flammable objects (toilet paper, oil), or decompose them by throwing in a special item into water which triggers decomposition.
At the end of each stage, you’ll either be rated as an EGO Player (by using techniques that harm the environment, such as burning) or an ECO player (by using eco-friendly techniques such as decomposition). This seems to me as if it’s a bit of a reflection on the recent ECO-movement (ie. preservation of environment, recycling/reusing materials, etc) that’s somewhat prominent in not only Japanese society (of where this game originates from), but also in North-American society (just how many of you carry one of those reusable grocery bags nowadays?)
The game uses a motif like trash, which is something we see commonly in our daily lives, and preserves its original characteristics, and even tweaks with the background (such as the shelves in the office) as you “compact” the trash, which looks rather realistic to me. Yet, you also see a rather nonsensical side when you end up seeing completely random objects in a stage (eg. katanas, dynamite, and fish lying around in an office), which enhances the amusement factor of the game.
Overall, the game is fun – smashing things in to pieces and blowing up random objects, how can that not be fun? However, I do want to note that this might be a bit of a tough game for beginners, given that even the easiest level (“SWEETS” in the Japanese version) is hard to beat. Also… might I be the only one thinking that the trophies are rather hard to achieve from this game?