I'm not much of a journalist. I've mulled over how to share my experiences at the
Anime, Manga and Music Convention in Anaheim for the last two days. I certainly don't want to write a review. The fact is, it would be a pretty mixed review. Most of the time we had fun, the bands were terrific. But there were organizational snafu's, security with poor people skills, a GOD AWFUL light show at EVERY event, and a broken promise of Gackt's appearance which tempered our enjoyment. But as I said, this isn't a review and we won't dwell on those things, much of which can be attributed to the fact this is a first-time convention.
Here are some pics we took of the convention.
The AM2con twitter page reports there were 8,000-plus Attendees. The exhibit hall had a number of vendors selling anime products, Lolita, punk and Gothic fashion items, accessories, wigs and toys. Cure-magazine had a booth set up selling SADIE and compilation disks and merchandise. There were midway-style games and a number of booths offering opportunities for attendees to support the victims of the March 2011 earthquake.
Of course my main focus was on the rock. My main
distraction was on the cosplay, but in an effort to maintain the few remaining shreds of dignity I still possess, we won't dwell on all those cute girls in their Lolita outfits! Joking aside, there were some really impressive costumes. My favorite being a very well done Jasmine You.
The first big event was two fashion shows, one featuring Gashicon's Hangry and Angry line, and the clothing by Sixh featuring designers Ibi and Mint.
This was followed immediately by the rock band Heidi. I took a number of
pictures before the security guys made it clear that wasn't permitted. As soon as the band started, fans rushed the stage. Security reacted instantly and sent everyone to their seats. We had to remain seated for the duration of the show. Heidi put on a magnificent performance and set the stage for the following three days.
Every subsequent show the audience was remnided this was a "convention" and not a concert venue, so we had to remain at our seats. (sure.) There was also no photography permitted.
Friday evening we were treated to hard edge, head banging metal. AM2 treated the attendies to the phenominal SADIE for 90 minutes of real rock excitement. The next morning I was extremely fortunate and surprised to meet them at the rear entrance of our hotel upon returning from "Little Saigon" in neighboring Santa Ana, California, where we went for breakfast.
I was a bit shy approaching them, not altogether sure it was actually them. They look a lot different in their "street" clothes! But my girlfriend Hong was certain it was them and greeted them with confidence and enthusiasm. I found the young men to be wonderfully charming, warm and polite. I thanked them for coming to play for us, and hoped they were going to have an opportunity to visit a little while. They expressed their delight at being here and promised most earnestly that they'd return. I told them I looked forward to seeing the doing a proper tour in the near future.
Mao, the vocalist, asked me if I "banged my head"! I informed them I was far too old to do that, but I did throw them some horns! Guitarist Tsurugi graciously said I wasn't too old. But my head banging days are far behind me! I left the encounter quite excited and honored to have had such a nice conversation with them. They're as wonderful off stage as they are on stage.
We started the second day by going for breakfast in the nearby Vietnamese community in Santa Ana, as I mentioned. There was the Heidi "panel" that morning, which I thought might be interesting, but my date found the panels to be tedious and boring, so we decided to spend some time picking up some tasty goodies in Little Saigon.
We joined queue for the Kanon X Kanon show and watched the cosplayers stroll by. We were able to get excellent seats when the doors opened. A stage hand brought out Ms. Wakeshima's beautiful red cello, and a few minutes later she entered the stage wearing a lovely Gothic Lolita outfit, for which she is well known. She sang a number of songs and charmed the audience. During each song she played a small passage on her cello. But they were all very short. I was really hoping for a nice cello solo, but it seems she is featuring her vocal skills primarily.
After about 30 minutes she left the stage for a brief intermission. While she was gone we were treated to a short film, hosted by two "anime" Kanon X Kanon characters. Here we learned that Mr. Kanon is a big advocate of the otaku dance style. The anime characters then introduced
Mr. Alien to teach us an otaku dance! Many of the audience members seemed very adept and picked up the steps quickly.
After our film, Ms. Wakeshima returned wearing a new costume, on based on traditional Japanese dress. What she was wearing wasn't a kimono, but the entire outfit was clearly a modern interpretation of genuine Japanese attire. In a few minutes, An Cafe's bass player Kanon joined her on stage in a similarly styled costume, characterized by another author as "Tuxedo Kamen".
Mr. Kanon played electric guitar for the first song, and piano during another, while Ms. Kanon sang. But what became clear very quickly was that Mr. Kanon was there to dance! At the start of the third song, Mr. Kanon struck his light sticks on the floor to energize them, and started his Otaku dance. Clearly he had been paying close attention to Mr. Alien, because he didn't miss a step! At one point during the show, while dressed in his top hat, Mr. Kanon delighted the lady fans by throwing out roses!
Observation: You never ever see Mr. Alien and Mr. Kanon together at the same time. hmmm.
The L.A.Weekly had an article which describes how the Kanon X Kanon collaboration came to be:
"Honestly, the project started just because we had the same name," says Wakeshima.
Then they realized that they were both anime fans. Kanon of An Cafe has long had a reputation as a rock n' roll champion of otaku culture.
The two Kanons-- one female, one male-- billed their project as a "collaboration unit for anime song by two of the anime fans." Their single "Calendula Requiem" was used in the series Shiki. An Cafe Kanon composes and arranges the songs. Wakeshima writes lyrics and provides vocals."After the concert we attended the JRock Revolution panel. The hosts gave us a short history of how the Jrock Revolution was founded by X Japan's Yoshiki as a rock festival featuring Japanese Rock acts, and how it evolved into a gathering place for Jrock enthusiasts. The principal topic of discussion was how to generate interest in the wider rock community for Japanese rock.
The evening ended with a very entertaining "masquerade", the costume contest. We were treated to amusing skits by the contestants, all in magnificent costumes. One particularly memorable skit satarized the American Corporate Media's dilution of the original themes and character of certain popular anime cartoons, to make them "suitable" for American child audiences. The Jasmine You contestant did not win a prize.
On the morning of the third day, we wandered in the exhibit area, where we caught the musical act, Stephanie Yanez & Polo, a pretty solid rock band. We then headed upstairs for the afternoon's highlight, the "exclusive" screening of Bunraktu.
AM2 promoters had the audience convinced by show time that we were going to be treated to a special live appearance by the venerable Japanese rock star Gackt. While they did their best to deny any "official" announcement, the appearance was confirmed in the AM2 forums and was promoted in such a way that hundreds of people believed he was going to be there. At the conclusion of the movie, the entire audience sat silently waiting in anticipation of Gackt's arrival, until a Jrock Revolution member casually turned and asked what we're all doing hanging around. I must say this was the low point in the convention. It was most disrespectful and disingenuous to treat the audience in this fashion. One fan became very loud and vocal, demanding to see Chase Wang and get a refund for the passport.
The movie was a sensation though! Every time Gackt got wolloped during a fight, all the girls were so distressed! It was full of humor and action. The scenery, story and acting were marvelous. Up till now this film has only been shown at film festivals and conventions. I hope the promoters can get a wide theatrical release for this show. I'm sure it will be a hit.
After the movie was over we were astonished to see the line for SCANDAL was already longer than any line we saw all weekend, three full hours before the show! We hurried up to join the queue and ate our Vietnamese snacks while we waited.
Scandal's show was the best attended of all the shows. These women put on a great performance. We sat very near the lead guitarist, who was absolutely amazing. I was surprised to learn they were from the same town as my first and true Jrock loves, Shonen Knife! Something about Osaka produces great rock bands!
We had a great time. The reason I became interested in AM2 was its focus on music. Anime's ok, but Bugs Bunny's still number one in my book. But the music. THAT was the reason I plunked down the bucks for two 3 day passports. Overall it was an excellent value. I hope soon though, that Japanese rock artists can start doing ROCK festivals and tours, and we can leave the anime conventions to the sincere otaku. I think these conventions may actually help us achieve that!
I find I connect with an artist better when I see them perform live. Most of my new favorite artists are people who I first saw at VideoRanch 3D.
These guys are close. They share their instruments, and sometimes play the same instrument at the same time! What teamwork.
