Anime 2010

On getting back into the swing of things

Kaijuu — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 17:40:00 GMT

It's kind of echo-y in here, don't you think?
That's right, I had to abandon some things a couple of weeks ago to avoid going south, and this was one of them.

So I'm going to get back to the regular things, odds and sods, which also means writing down some of my rants down in here.

I guess you could say the past month was really something else; along with my job, my side of the preparations for Anime 2010 took a little more time and effort than last year, due to me doing the technical check for the AMV-competition, subbing some video, keeping the technical bits in check (projectors, audio equipment; stuff like that) and keeping myself in check by relaxing a bit.
The result of all that hard work was a great festival; people had a good time and really like to return to Almelo for Anime 2011.

The city of Almelo came along with a camera in order to get some footage for their promotional video. That's right; our festival will be part of a vid meant to promote the City of Almelo as a cultural hub in that area; how cool is that? :)

We also had a little something at Stripdagen Haarlem; a manga and anime-corner, together with a couple of dealers, the lovely people from MangaKissa and crews from MangaFique, Ani Nation, Yaoi and Yuri-Con and Abunai.
I have never been to the Stripdagen; I must say it's a fun weekend, despite the inevitable "collectors" who are bent on European and American comics, regarding Japanese comics as inferior and without substance.
Luckily, we also spoke quite a lot of people who are more open-minded and are willing to see beyond their own horizons.

I'm going to try and get some pictures online soon, and see whether this blog has any right of existance any more. :)

Cheers, K.

On madness

Kaijuu — Tue, 11 May 2010 20:22:00 GMT

No, not the band, but my life right now. Anime 2010 is around the corner, which means crunchtime again.
While I managed to do lots of stuff before I went to Japan, some things decided to go haywire.

Looking ok, but only just. :)

Cheers, K.

On Finnair

Kaijuu — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 13:36:00 GMT

Well, as expected, JAL won't be able to cut us a deal due to their recent reboot, but they suggested we'd go with Finnair.
That means Airbus instead of Boeing, a stop at Helsinki for an hour or two and no flight to Sapporo unless I get a flight to the north myself for an extra €100 or so, so I'm still a little up in the air about the April trip.

I think I'll check Finnair's track record first. :)

Funny; I never doubted a Japan trip this much before, but I guess it's also due to the things that need to be done for Anime 2010. At the other hand; I do need a little time off, or at least to be able to look forward to some time off.
I reckon I'll be able to make the decision by the end of the week.

Cheers, K.

The ticketbooth is open!

Kaijuu — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:51:00 GMT

What ticketbooth, you ask? The ticketbooth of Anime 2010, of course!

Anime 2010 is the largest Japan-related festival in the Netherlands, and has been around sincs 1999 in its current form. Anime 2010: Masters & Servants will be the 12th festival.
Apart from the usual things like cosplay, AMV's, karaoke, the Dealer Room, The Quiz and an extensive video programme, we'll be having lots and lots of fun things to do and see during Anime 2010, so make sure you get a weekend ticket in order to experience it to the fullest.
The hotel will not accept bookings until a later date, which will be announced at a later date.

Cheers, K.

Anime 2010

Kaijuu — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:48:00 GMT

Right, before I forget; we announced the date for Anime 2010 last Friday; it'll be held during the Whitsun weekend next year.
We expect to be selling tickets during Abunai later this year, and the ticket booth will open in November, so get your tickets as soon as they come available!

Cheers, K.

Chibicon

Kaijuu — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:34:00 GMT

I visited Chibicon 2009 this weekend as a dealer; selling plush cows, meeting people and adding some to my manga collection.

First off, the new venue looked great. No large hall where dealer room, DDR, games and bar are fighting for room and attention while the main stage is blaring at the other side of a thin wall, but real rooms.
Talked with many people about A2010, manga, electronics, photography, doujinshi and fanservice, and had a good time overall.

That said, there are some things they have to improve.
In terms of logistics, the Chibis have to get their arse in gear and make sure their signage is in order. Also, it was kind of hard to see that the loading doors could be reached by getting into this reaaaally narrow pathway, just wide enough for one car.
Another large gripe was sound. Not that there wasn't any; far from it, but the acoustics sucked baby porcupines through a straw.
I realise that the room didn't really help, but it was echo's all around, and the final dance-thingy was so loud and distorted that I literally fled the scene.
It looked interesting enough, but the horrible PA-system (which had a hiss in it) drove me away.

Other things; perhaps the Dealer Room should close around 19:00 instead of 20:00; by the time 18:30 came around, the DR was almost empty and dealers started packing around 19:00.

Afterwards, we went for a bite to eat at Asian Tower and a glass of sake at my place, which concluded the evening.

Cheers, K.