After waiting a couple months for Animé Los Angeles 7 (ALA), it finally arrived. This time, Samantha brought along a couple of her friends, Nicole and Jane. Luckily they were allowed to go. We left around seven, Saturday morning. When we finished picking up the kids, we went to get Lawrence. Got some gas and off we went.

Once we got there, registration was a breeze. Unfortunately, “Uncle” Lawrence had a dumbass to register himself and the kids. After we got our goods at registration, we went to the main lobby to get coffee and snacks. Wow, there were already a lot of people in the lobby, cosplayers and convention-goers everywhere. We got our coffee and snacks.

Because we brought the kids this time around, we had to come up with plans on how were should hold of each other and where to meet. Basically to stay in contact. We can’t have the kids follow Lawrence and I everywhere we go. They’re old enough to roam around to do what they want. Their interests are vastly different from ours. Since this is the first time Samantha went with her friends, they have to make their first convention experience their own. Besides, ALA is all in one place and not spread around, unlike Expo. Once we finalized our contact plans, split what money goes to who and showed them to get around the con, we left the kids to their own devices.

Lawrence and I went back to car to drop off Jane’s backpack. Damn it was heavy. Even though she insisted on dragging that big bag along. It was too much for the poor kid. So now, to our first panel. We went to the “How Technology Changed Anime” or something like. I know I should know the title since I worked on panel section of the program guide, but I can’t think of it right now. Anyway it was an interesting panel. It does bring back memories of how it was back then. But I expected it to be more interactive. I could tell that there were a few people, including myself, that wanted to share our stories also. It wasn’t meant to be.



The second panel, in the same room, was next. It’s one I actually really wanted to go to. It was the Bandai panel. I wasn’t there to go through all the new stuff that they were offering, but I wanted to meet up with an old acquaintance from our CF/O-AAJA days, Bob Napton. At the end of the panel, I did meet up with Bob only enough to exchange contact info. I wanted to talk some more, but I know he’s there on business so I’ll get hold of him later.

We met up with the kids after the panel and went to lunch because they were hungry. Also, I forgot I was supposed to get hold of my friend Bill, so I texted him that we were already there. After eating at the only reasonably priced place in the area, Carl’s, we went back to the convention. The kids want to go out and do their stuff.

Lawrence and I finally got a chance to go to the dealers room. It was the same size and “rooms” as last year. I did recognized a couple of the vendors. Again, it surprised me that Anime Jungle wasn’t there considering they’re the anime “largest” retailer in the area, albeit their prices are a little high. Lawrence and I came across some great finds and bought a couple things. Anyway, at the some time, I was waiting for a reply from Bill, but I never got one. I figured that by now, he won’t be able to go.

We took a little breather after the dealer’s room outside. Compared to last year, it was a lot colder. Next we, wandered around the convention, around the con level as well as the main lobby. There’s surely a lot more people that went this year compared to last. Yes, it’s growing. But now I wonder whether the hotel would be large enough to accommodate the growing number of people, considering that ALA is the largest winter convention in SoCal. Personally, I wouldn’t like it, but it will have to eventually. At least, while it’s growing, there was to lack of info going around.

The next panel we went to was the “First Trip to Japan.” It was interesting. The information and stories that the panelists gave was really interesting. Just too bad that we weren’t going to Japan anytime soon. The information was really helpful. On the way out of the panel, we met up with the kids. They were going to the next panel, the Vocaloid panel.

We walked around some more to kill time before the next panel. Just to see what what going on, we went to Artist Alley. No matter how many times I go in there, the dojin artwork it always great to see. There’s just so many, many talented artists there. In our wanderings, we happened to come across our buddy Patrick. Soon after, we came across James. Since they were doing their own thing, we went to the Parent’s Lounge to relax a bit. Good thing we went. There was free coffee available for parents instead of paying upstairs. Also, it was just too funny to see “kids” walking by giggling about seeing parents relaxing in the lounge. Too funny!



The Vocaloid panel should be over by now, as well as most of the other panels in preparation for the masquerade. We left the lounge to look for the kids. Someone with a familiar voice called me out. It happened to be Craig Spurlock, an old friends of mine from way back in the early Expos. We talked for a bit and introduced us to his friend Jennifer. They happen to run the “Whose Line Is It…” panel. Jennifer and I exchanged info for our mutual benefit. After that we went to the Dealer’s Room again to see if the kids were there. Nope. Instead we ran into another old CF/O acquaintance, Jerry Shaw, doing the usual thing at conventions. Talking pictures. Damn, I ran unto a lot of people we know.

The last panel we went to was the “Convention War Stories” panel. In almost every panel we went to, Helen McCarthy was one of the panelists. By far, this was the most entertaining panel where the panelists told wild stories of conventions past. Like the first panel we went to, I expected it to be more interactive. As a matter of fact, most of the panels are not interactive at all—I just realized. But I think, as entertaining as it was, people in the panel, like me, whom are veteran convention-goers, had out own convention “war stories” that we’d like to share.

By now, a line was forming for the masquerade. And we finally found the kids. They were in the room where Kaiji was performing. Funny. When I took Samantha for concerts in the past, she wound complain it was too loud and we’d have to leave. Now I hear they enjoyed the concert...by themselves. Lawrence and I went to the car to get them snacks like they wanted. Then we got in line for the masquerade to save them a place in line. Personally, I wasn’t too interested in the masquerade even though it was a main event. Also, since this was a small to medium-sized con, the masquerade takes place on a leveled room...like Expo back in the “olden” days as the kids call it now.

When the kids got out of the concert, they met with us in line. They took out place instead. Lawrence and I went to the parent’s lounge to relax and to get free drinks. After a bit, we went to the dealer’s room for the last time to buy last-minute things. To kill time we wandered again and wound up in the AMV room. Yeah, we stayed there a bit. But as exhausted as I was, I was falling asleep there, in that nice dark room for almost an hour. I just had to leave. So we left and spent our reaming hour in the main lobby. They main part of the masquerade should already be over by now so the kids should be out to meet them at the designated meeting place. When we met up with them, we left.

One day is not enough to fully enjoy the convention. Even better is go with more friends. Bummer that the friends we asked couldn’t go. Even the ones that were to go that couldn’t make it. I’d say, if I didn’t buy anything, I’d have spent around $30…just parking, gas and food. There was so much to do yesterday, Saturday, there we really couldn’t think where to go and what to do. Yes, there’s keeping to the schedule of panels, but in doing do, there’s no room for lunch, dinner, dealer’s room, talking to people and taking pictures. Rooms were really cheap compared to Expo’s, so going two or three days isn’t out of the question. The only problem is that we had kids with us and their parents wouldn’t want them to stay overnight in the hotel. So, since, I planned the trip, I had to make accommodations for everyone. May next year, we’ll leave the kids home to pick them up at the end of the day and we’ll stay there for a couple days. We’ll see.