Anime Expo 2001

The parties were pretty much great highlights of the convention (and I'll share the experience with you!)...But this year I went to more panels than ever before!

As a few side trips, I missed out on seeing the Queen Mary, but I did get to see my first Hooters eating establishment (gyah!) and the Yard House!

Quick Tips:

If you're interested in anime - or just interested in finding out what anime is, turn up for a day and wander through the panels and dealers room.

Have a look around at all the people in costume - guys and girls - as well as finding rooms where you can relax and catch some Japanese animation (in either English or Japanese with English subtitles)!

It's a great way to be introduced to the wonderful world of Japanese animation.

Go to http://www.anime-expo.org/ for more information about Anime Expo!

Best Way To Get Around:

As we stayed at one of the convention's suggested hotels, we were pretty much attached straight to the convention centre, so we didn't need to drive - we just walked!

But if you're staying at a hotel further away from the convention (though everything is usually within walking distance from the convention's main hotel), you might want to catch a taxi to the convention centre itself.

The hotel was a nice, bright hotel with a good sized lobby and a nice bar, where we hung out quite often. (I didn''t like the chocolate martini, though. I had much better in Canada. But they did learn how to make me a Fruit Tingle...)

We stayed in a room on the 15th floor, with two double beds and a nice bathroom. There wasn''t a balcony, and the windows didn''t open, unfortunately. There wasn''t a fridge, either. They did have:

• TV with remote control
• Telephone with voice mail
• An iron and ironing board
• AM/FM alarm clock
• Hair dryer

There was an outdoor swimming pool and spa, which were quite good, too.

All in all, it was quite a nice place, and we got the special convention rate, which made it even better!

Well, the Yard House was an experience. The wait we had was about two hours! But at least while we waited, we could drink from their wide selection of alcoholic beverages - from beer to cocktails!

The dinners were huge, but delicious... and even after the wait, I couldn't eat my meal! We all enjoyed ourselves, and our dinner!

I recommend the Yard House, despite the long wait that you might have. If you're planning on going, turn up early!

(But we did notice the distinct lack of decent Australian beer - they only had Fosters. That's stuff we don't want. That's why we export it! I'm no beer drinker, but even I know that!!)

Hmm... let's just say that if you go to Hooters, do NOT go for the food.

I had a toasted cheese sandwich (I asked for ham on it), and ... well... I can make better at home.

If you're going to go to this place, as it says, it's "Delightfully Tacky, Yet Unrefined". I'm sure that the girls hardly ever get looked in the eye when people are ordering food there. It must take a lot of guts (or a desperate need for money) to work there. I don't think that I'd be up to the task...

Anyway, if you're out to stare at girls in tight, tight tops and itty bitty shorts, then this is the place for you. If you're after edible food, then avoid this place!

Now this was a fun place to eat!

Similar to Johnny Rocket's, which used to be around in Australia a few years ago, this seems to be a 50s or 60s style American diner.

It really was fun, with the old fashioned music playing, where you can pick the rock 'n roll you want to listen to at the little juke box on the table...and where the waiter(s) get up and dance to certain songs!

There was only one waiter (he was rather cheeky, but it was all in good fun!) when we went - it was a rather late lunch - and he got to dance to YMCA! *grin* ^_^

The food? It was quite nice, though all of it was fattening, but hey! That's the sort of stuff they served back then in diners, wasn't it? Chips, hot dogs, pies.....

4th July 2001

Today involved waking up early enough to get ready and pack for my flight from Seattle to LA. (I'd been on a holiday to Canada and ended up in Seattle... so I was already mostly packed. I just needed to finish shoving my toiletries and whatnot into my suitcase... then check out of my not-very-good motel-like inn - it didn't even have a clock nor a light - just some lamps near my bed that could not be turned on from the door! Bleh!!!)

The taxi was a fixed price to the airport ($25 if I recall correctly), and amazingly enough I got a limo. It was comfortable, but not one of the long ones with a bar and television and whatnot in the back - oh, well!

The plane ride itself (after a long wait at the airport - I was way too early, but I had to be in case of traffic!) was alright, I guess. It was a tiny plane with no tvs, nothing to listen to with headphones nor any food (apart from a little packet of rather ordinary snacks and a soft drink). I've got to say that the Qantas version of this American Airlines plane that I was on (between the Whitsundays and Sydney) had a television and a meal! At least the flight was only two hours...

Except I had to change flights at San Jose. For some reason, instead of getting me to catch the connecting flight, my travel agent decided to have me wait a few hours to catch a much later flight. I had time to eat and read, I guess... though it was really, really boring and I had to carry my hand luggage about with me everywhere.

The flight to LA, though, was much better than the one to San Jose. The flight, despite being exactly the same sort of plane without any entertainment or a meal (again), it was pretty good! Why, you might ask... Because there were only about 12 people on the whole flight! We had about three air hostesses between us 12! That was cool. ^_^

I was picked up at LA by Trisha, Jono and Matt (though they went to the wrong terminal first, so I just sat around and waited at the baggage claim at my terminal... but at least they got to me eventually! ^_^ ) The guys picked up my luggage for me, and we all went to her car ... and headed off to the Long Beach Hyatt!

Trisha and I were sharing a room, so she'd already checked in, so when I got to the hotel I didn't need to bother with all the trouble of hanging around with tons of luggage waiting in a queue to get a room ... Trisha just handed over my room key and up we went to drop off my bags at our lovely room! It was so much better than where I'd been staying in Seattle! (Next time I go to Seattle, I might take up Angie's (Besh's girlfriend) offer to stay at her place... she has a lovely place.)

After freshening up a little, we all headed downstairs to the hotel's restaurant for dinner. We were meant to meet up with others, but there was some trouble with not enough tables, and people not saying that they'd turn up and then turning up and such. We did have two tables outside, but our small group ended up moving inside to let all the rest sit at the two tables. Dinner, when it was finally sorted out, was quite nice... but rather expensive.

I left early to get dressed into my kimono (it takes forever to put on, with the obi - between 30m to 1 hour, and that's not even doing the obi up correctly!) so I missed out on the fireworks. At least Trisha came up a little bit after the fireworks had finished, and helped me finish dressing while she got into her yukata.

Things didn't turn out as we had planned. We were meant to have the party in our room, and have Brad and Marco next door, with adjoining doors so people who turned up could go into either room. We'd have the drinks for the party, and Marco and Brad would have the music. I don't know what on earth Brad and Marco were playing at, but they never got the room next to us... they got a room on a whole other level!! So we ended up having the party in Jono's room. We never saw Marco, so didn't get the music (though Brad did turn up). Oh, well! We had a small range of drinks, and everyone just sat on the two beds and talked to each other for the evening. I met some new people, and most of my friends were there... so it was nice, even though it wasn't what we'd wanted. We called it a 'Geisha Party' because of us in kimono and yukata respectively.

All up, it was a nice precursor to AX.

5th July 2001

The first day of Anime Expo!

We woke up way too early and dressed in our Chinese dresses and went to meet Scott, Nickey and Heidi down at their room. The two girls, Trisha and I were going to be 'Scott's Angels'! After waiting around and finishing getting ready and putting on makeup and getting our new badges, we all escorted this year's Guest of Honour - Scott Frazier - from the Hyatt to the Convention Centre.

I swear there was some moron telling us and Scott that we had to walk all the way around to the front (rather than getting in the glass door near the eatery and dealers' room) because they didn't accept the 'Guest of Honour' badge that Scott had! Imagine if one of the Japanese guests went that way, and was turned back and forced to walk all the way around the front of the convention center (passed all the fanboys) to get in to go to the Green Room!

Thank goodness we were walking with Dana, who had both a Dealer and Industry badge, and so we managed to get in. Though I still think it's pretty dumb to not let GoH in the closest entry from their hotel, and make them go past the lineup of fanboys, who might mob them. :p

But I digress. We ended up getting in and going to the Green Room, where all the guests waited before the Opening Ceremony started. I met a few of the Japanese Guests of Honour and even had Inoue's daughter want to come and sit on my lap for a photo. The little girl was soooooooooo cute! ^_^

Soon, everyone trooped out to find our seats. I ended up sitting in the front row next to Trisha and Yu Watase (who coughed during the whole opening ceremonies till she went on stage. She probably continued coughing up on stage. I asked her 'daijoubu desu ka?', and she looked around as if I was talking to someone on the other side of her. How odd... I think she eventually nodded, but didn't speak a word to me. Kinda rude, but oh well. What can you do?)

When it was Scott's turn to go on stage, Trisha, myself and Heidi (Nickey went off to sit in the audience and take photos. Unfortunately the photos didn't turn out, and I didn't ask Toshi to take photos with my camera - he was busy working, doing looking after Watase). If you do have a photo of us on stage, please e-mail me a copy at kunoichi@thekeep.org! We girls escorted him on stage and poses to a (not-quite-standing) ovation from the audience!

What a rush. ^_^

I've found two sites mentioning this:

Other Guests of Honor were announced, including Mr Scott Frasier who was accompanied onto the stage by three very beautiful women (one of which was his wife), who posed with him on the steps to the stage before he continued to his seat on stage accompanied only by his wife.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/article.php?id=716

Heh... they've since changed it to something that is obviously not made up from fairy-tale land! Trisha isn't married to Scott!!! ^^;;;

Scott Frazier appeared with a small harem of Chinese-clad girlies.

http://www.animaxis.com/en/zine/reports/ax_2001/ax_2001_mj03.asp

Heidi and I watched the rest of the opening ceremony together, then when the other two came back, at the end, we all headed off to have lunch at the eatery in the Convention Centre. As we sat and ate (waiting for Nickey), we watched all the people queueing up to get into the dealer's room, which was rather entertaining I must say. When the coast was clear, we all went and (still dressed in heels and Chineses dresses) headed into the dealer's room ourselves, without having to queue.

But a word of advice - heels on the hard, concrete floor of the dealer's room aren't a good combination. :p

Having had enough with the walking, Trisha and I headed down to the spa (after picking up Jono on the way - he slept in and didn't go to the opening ceremony, the bad boy!). No Anime Expo is complete without a spa! It wasn't the Hilton spas, but it was better than the Disneyland Hotel 'tepid tub'!

While in the spa, I was hit on by the youngest of Robert J. Woodhead and Natsumi Ueki's sons (from AnimEigo). Alexander, I believe. He was so cute, though... only five years old, and already hitting on women! ^_^

We met up with others - Theo, Tony and his girlfriend, Matt and Heidi, Brad, Marco, Kevin (Studio Ironcat) and Toshi. People came and went, but most of us ended up deciding to go to dinner together, after getting changed that evening.

Trisha and Brad led us to Hooters.

I found out that the people who frequent that establishment do not go for the food.

That night was the first night of the 'Astro Lounge' - it wasn't the 'Ultra Lounge' from last year, but it wasn't too bad. The room was much smaller, and there were a number of people I didn't know... but it was good to meet up with most of my friends there, hang out chatting, drinking and having fun! ^_^

It was probably 6am by the time I got to sleep...

6th July 2001

This was my day for the most panels that I've ever been to at AX! I went to two today!!!

First it was the Viz panel (after something of a sleep-in due to the party the night before)... Another panel where Toshi wore his sunglasses! Bill didn't, though. I guess he went to bed early! *grin*

The big news was that Viz is going to be releasing the English version of the Inuyasha anime. We got to see Toshi's trailer of the English dub... though the voice actors and whatnot haven't been figured out yet, but it was great for a two week job. Except for the advertising at the end. That was just silly. But Toshi didn't write that, thank goodness. Blame the advertising-type people at Viz for that. ^^;

Next up we headed to the US Voice Acting panel, where I met Amanda again, and I'd probably met Talisen before, but I don't recall seeing him at any of the parties that I'd been to before. I also got to meet Jason and Mariette too... Mariette had been at the party the night before, but I didn't catch who she was. Heh... Amanda remembered me from the other year. (Must be my accent...) ^_^

Anyway, Trisha and I went back to our room to change, then we went for a wander. We ended up going through the dealers' room, to see if anyone we knew was there, and we ended up meeting Mariette by lunch time. We walked back to the Hyatt, and picked up some slices of pizza which we shared as we sat at a table behind the elevator and chatted. Mariette decided that she'd go back to her room for some much-needed rest, rather than join us at the spa, because she was planning on going to the A-kon party that night. I guess we'd had a touch more sleep than her, because Trisha and I decided to hit the spa again!

After a relaxing afternoon at the spa - meeting up with a few of the others again for a nice soak - we all headed up to Jono's room for dinner. Pizza! This time not the AX pizza, but real pizza from people who deliver pizza. ^_^

Then it was time to change for the party over at the other hotel. This was in Meri and Christina's room - as it was the A-kon party - so it was a bit of a walk away, but not too far. The room was packed! It felt like a sauna in there - there was a wall of heat that just hit you as soon as you stepped out of the entry way and into the room itself. Wow... There was a whole ton of drinks and snacks, but I didn't really feel like fighting my way in through all the people to get there, so I had a bottle of water. I really needed it in that room. ^^;

It wasn't long before we decided to head out. Too many people, a too weak air conditioner, and a few unwashed otaku in one room isn't a good combination. :p

Trisha and I headed to the Yard House to meet up with Brad, Marco and Toshi for a couple of drinks - we were outside in the blessed coolness - and just hung out there for a while.

Returning, we watched some cosplayers posing for a camera down near the Hyatt while the boys smoked (Trisha headed off to find Jono), then we left to relax in Brad's room for a while before retiring for the night. It was a pretty early night, compared to the other nights... But I think we needed it!

7th July 2001

Yet another sleep in (AX is good for sleeping in! ^_^ ) before Trisha and I headed out to the New Generation Pictures panel (wow, I did well with attending panels this year!)... afterwards I found Meri, Talisen, Alex and Amanda for brunch. I can't say that I was thrilled with the hotel's menu, but I did end up eating a little something. (An expensive little something!)

Afterwards Trisha and I headed upstairs to get dressed up in our Chinese dresses - Scott wanted us for a photo op! I did tell Heidi about it, but she thought that I was joking and so went off with the boys to some American sporting event or other...the poor girl.

It was a rather hot day. I didn't know where the car was. I wore my high heels without stockings. We had to hike across the road from the Convention Centre, make out way through the huge car park in an attempt to find the car - the prop for the photos - which was (of course) the furthest possible place you could park away from the Hyatt.

These leather shoes and the long walk and the heat made a really, really bad combination. The shoes weren't designed for walking - they were designed for looking pretty. They weren't designed for hot weather - they were designed for going out somewhere in the evening. Let's just say that I ended up with rather sore blisters on my poor feet. *sniff*

The pictures of us at the Lamborghini Diablo were pretty cool, though. ^_^

I limped back with the others to the Convention Centre where it was time for Scott's panel. I took off my shoes as soon as I got on carpet. :p

Anyway, we three went to sit with Scott at his panel, in our Chinese dresses. Straight from heat into an icy room. It was fine for a little while, but by the end of the panel (which I must admit that it was me that made Scott end the panel - he was going way over time, but no-one else was using the room, so...!) I was almost a block of ice. And busting to go. And still limping. :p

After getting back to the Hyatt, Trisha and I changed (I put on my sneakers straight away!) and we headed out to the bar to relax for a while. We'd all been planning to go to the Yard House - Toshi's idea - but instead of waiting for Toshi to get off duty, the others were starved and headed out to eat themselves. (He was meant to finish at 9pm, but I think he got to the bar much later...) So it was just myself, Toshi, Trisha, Jono and Jason who headed out to the Yard House.

We had some good drinks there, and a good meal, and got a couple of good photos. It was good. ^_^

On returning, we headed up to the Astro Lounge again for another party-till-dawn (well, 5am... despite being rather tired... it was getting light when I got to sleep! I could see the light coming through the curtains in my room...) and despite being really tired, I managed!

Again, it was probably 6am by the time I got to sleep. I needed yet another sleep in the next morning... Oh, well - maybe I'd sleep on the plane on the way home after AX was over! I never do, but this lack of sleep should help...I hoped so, anyway.

8th July 2001

Sadly, today was the fourth and final day of Anime Expo for this year. (It was too short!!) It's so sad when all your friends start leaving for home or to go back to work...and I was leaving the next day, which was pretty bad, too!!

But despite it being the last day, it wasn't until afternoon that I actually got up. I had plans to go with Trisha (and anyone else interested) to see the Queen Mary today... but she'd been called in to go to work!! Even though she'd asked for the day off, her work still told her that she had to come in! How unfair of the jerks there...

So instead of some sight seeing, I ended up wandering the dealers' room and seeing if anyone was around to say goodbye to. (The dealer's room was about an hour away from shutting by the time I got to it.) I did manage to run into Bill at the Viz booth, who was with Kia Asamiya... Bill suggested that I introduce myself, so I tried out my small amount of Japanese, and then Bill took over and - from the words that I could understand - he was explaining to Kia that I was a friend of some of the people from Viz. So I ended up having a photo with Kia, even if it wasn't a good one. ^_^;

Afterwards I met up with Heidi and Matt, and we went to Matt and Jono's room and watched "The Emperor's New Groove" DVD on his Play Station 2 that he'd managed to hook up. When Trisha finally finished work met her and some of the others and had drinks at the bar. It was a nice bar, even if they don't know how to make chocolate martinis (bleh!) Eventually she and Jono came up while the others went their own ways, and we saw part of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" before dinner. (Scott wanted to see that, but we had no idea where Scott was to even ask him to join us.)

Dinner was ordered from the bar, which we took up to our room (so much cheaper than what the restaurant was offering!) and we all sat on the beds and ate while we watched "Big Trouble in Little China"... but by half way through the movie, I was the only one awake. :p

I went for a quick wander down to the bar, to check if anyone was around, and saw Toshi... but he was working - he was there with Watase and her retinue - so I decided against disturbing him. Later on, I went down again just as he was going up the elevator with Watase and the rest... I did managed to ask him about the party and find out that it was, indeed, on in about half an hour or so. Yay! There was to be a party, not just sleeping after movies!!

I must say that this was the best party of the con. A small amount of people and heaps of fun! Heh... it's so much better with a smaller group when you know most of the people there. ^_^

I did take a whole heap of photos at this night's party... ^^;

Again, it was closer to 6am before I got to sleep... so hopefully falling asleep on the plane tomorrow night would be easy!

9th July 2001

Due to checkout at midday, Trisha and I both woke at 11am. I got up and got ready, and started packing while she called downstairs and asked for a late checkout. (Damn, why didn't I think of that the night before!?)

Sometime in the afternoon, after checking out and putting my bags in Trisha's car, the few of us who were left met up in Scott's room. Trisha, Jono, Scott, Matt, Heidi, Marco, Toshi and myself, and we all decided to head out for lunch at Hollywood!

Some other guy ended up going, but I've no idea who he was or why he ended up with us. (I just asked to get a name for the web page, and most people had no idea who he was - I finally found one person (Trisha) after the 4 or so that I asked who said his name was Rob.) I don't think anyone knew why he ended up with us, not even Trisha knew that one. At least he wasn't like the tag-along guy from '99 who I called 'Mr Octopus' because he was trying to grope any female near him. (This year's pervert didn't go near me, thankfully - he stuck to trying to corner (and terrify) girls in costume by slobbering over them. You should have seen the looks on the poor girls' faces! Bleh!) ^^;

Lunch was good fun! It was at Ed Debevic's, and the waiter had to get up and dance to 'YMCA' when the music came on. That was funny. The lunch was pretty good, too. And Talisen turned up later, just before we were leaving.

Because lunch was so late, the ones that wanted to go to Disneyland didn't have time, so we all headed out with Scott to different parts of LA. First stop was a costume shop right in Hollywood, which was interesting, but it was just a costume shop with some extra stuff to sell. Nothing too exciting, but Scott wanted to pick up a wig.

Unfortunately it was then Toshi's turn to leave. Marco drove him to an airport... ah, the party was dying one by one...

The rest of us hung around and went to different shops and places around the area. It was good to be with the others for a while longer, but when it was time for me to head to the airport - at about 8pm - everyone split up at the carpark. *sigh* So sad...

Trisha and Jono and I went together to the airport. (I've spent too much of my life at that airport, I swear!) I checked in and we three headed upstairs to have dinner together before I had to leave - *sniff* - to go to the gate to board my plane...

Of course, the plane was delayed so I was up till at least middnight before getting on. Thank goodness I was so tired that when the plane finally did leave (with me scoring an emergency exit aisle - leg room, yes!) I managed to sleep off and on most of the way!! (Then there was that horrible problem about the plane being diverted to Sydney when we were at Melbourne already, then waiting there at Sydney without being able to get off the plane for hours before going back to Melbourne again after Melbourne's fog had lifted, so I'd been on that plane for over 20 hours!)

Finally I was home again. Back in Melbourne's winter. *sigh* After being in summer with my friends from AX, being home again wasn't all that great. At least I was back to my own bed, though. That's something.