Otaku no Podcast » pmx

Episode #0028 – PMX 2011

Donald Burr — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:28:55 +0000

In this episode, the Otaku no Podcast crew get together and give their impressions and review of Pacific Media Expo (aka PMX) 2011. And, of course, we also bust out the anime picks.

Sorry for the delay in getting this episode out (as well as the delay in getting out our other PMX coverage in general). Blame it on a combination of a rather nasty case of Con Plague, an extra busy month of work, and the Thanksgiving holiday.

Today’s Theme: “Oath Sign,” by LiSA, OP to the 2011 anime Fate/zero. Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership!

Links to stuff that we talked about:

Otaku no Podcast YouTube channel (PMX videos are finally starting to go up)
Photo Gallery (PMX photos will be going up as well)
Notes, slides and video from our podcasting and photography panels
Doing some holiday shopping? Let us help you with that…
The 12 Days of Kurisumasu (last year’s post, but the link is the same)
Otaku no Podcast app updated to version 2.1
SongTweeter
Pray for Japan (watch the trailer)
Allegiance – A New American Musical
We Heart Japan
Comikaze Expo
Codenamed: Epic
Guidebook App for iOS, Android, Windows Phone 7 and BlackBerry
PMX Charity Roast of Sir Richard Epcar to benefit Lupus LA
Video #0012 – A First Look at ComiPo! (Updated)
Google SketchUp

Our Picks:

Me – Clannad (DVD, Blu-ray); STEINS;GATE (Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership!); Mawaru Penguindrum; Ready Player One (book, audiobook)
Michelle – Culture Japan and Otaku-Verse Zero (Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership!); Canon Vixia HF R20 Full HD Camcorder; Zoom H2 Handy Recorder; Acer Aspire One AO722-0473 11.6-Inch HD Netbook
Avi – Chihayafuru (Get a Crunchyroll Premium Membership!), Mirai Nikki (aka Future Diary)

Clannad (DVD)
$48.28

Clannad (Blu-ray)
$50.95

Ready Player One
$14.30

Ready Player One (Audiobook)
-

Canon VIXIA HFR20 Camcorder
$395.99

Zoom H2 Handy Recorder
$142.77

Acer Aspire One Netbook
$329.99

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The PMX 2011 Meta-Post of Doom!

Donald Burr — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:16:35 +0000

You’re probably wondering “gee, where the hell has the Otaku no Podcast crew been?! Surely they must be back from PMX by now!” Yes, in fact we have been back for a few days; however one of us is more or less incommunicado while she’s helping to housesit for a relative…. and I have contracted the Dreaded Con Plague of Doom. (Remember, people: Emergen-C. LOTS of Emergen-C.)

I hope to be in a well enough shape to record our inevitable PMX wrap-up podcast episode this weekend. And I’ve started finally ingesting the video and photos we took while at the show, and hope to have those posted over the next week or so as well. But in the meantime, I’ve started gathering up other peoples’ PMX-related postings, in particular photos and videos, and present them here for your enjoyment.

(Note: I will be constantly updating this post as I find more peoples’ photos and videos, so check back often! And if you know of any PMX 2011 photo and/or video posts that I don’t, please let us know so we can update this post.)

ChillyWillyTube’s PMX cosplay video
Mike Rollerson’s PMX 2011 Photos (Facebook) (Flickr)
Ani.me PMX Photo Studio photos (Facebook) (Flickr)

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

Going to PMX? Got a smartphone? Get the PMX schedule on it with Guidebook!

Donald Burr — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:45:36 +0000

One of the benefits of today’s modern smartphones is easy, instant access to the data you need wherever and whenever you are. As anime fans and con-goers, this is especially desirable for us. Not having to fuss around with clunky paper-based schedules is something we’ve dreamed of for quite some time. And thankfully, a company has risen to the occasion and has created a solution for us – Guidebook.

The Guidebook app, available for free on both iOS and Android, is beautifully and elegantly designed. With it you can access convention schedules, exhibitor info (dealer’s room), main event info, maps and more. As you browse through the list of events, you can mark events you’re interested in and add them to your own personal schedule list. And, best of all, you can configure the program to warn you before an event starts!

If you’re part of a group organizing an anime convention, you might want to contact then about getting a guide made up for your event. From what I hear the rates are quite reasonable. In fact, at one point they were making guides for smaller organizations for free.

Speaking of guides (yes, I’m finally coming to the point), PMX, which is coming up in just a few days now, now has a guide in Guidebook! If you’re at all interested in going, and own an iOS (iPhone, iPod touch or iPad) or Android smartphone or tablet, you’ll definitely want to go grab the shiny new PMX Guidebook guide!

Download the free GuideBook app today for iOS or Android. Once you have the app installed, run it, click the “Download guides” button and search for the “Pacific Media Expo” guide (also free).

Click for J-List now!

Reminder: PMX is this coming weekend!

Donald Burr — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:19:50 +0000

This is just a heads-up – PMX is coming up this weekend – Friday through Sunday, November 11-13, at the LAX Hilton:

Hilton Los Angeles Airport
5711 West Century Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90045
1-310-410-4000

Check out the PMX website for full details on the guests of honor and the various events that will be going on (there are a lot of ‘em!). Also, the schedules are now online and can be downloaded in PDF format as a print-ready black and white or color version.

And, as I mentioned earlier, we will be running three panels/workshops!

“Otaku Podcasting for the Complete n00b,” Friday November 11 at 5 PM in LP2 (Los Angeles B) is basically the same old podcasting talk we gave at AX, Fanime, and Anime LA. If you’ve seen it already, you don’t need to come, but why not do so anyway to show your support? And if you don’t know what in blazes I’m talking about, then please come on by! If you’ve ever wanted to know how we run this dog and pony show called Otaku no Podcast, we will show you how it’s done, and you’ll learn that it is not only easy to do, but cheap as well. (which is why even weirdos like us can do it).

“Con Photography 101,” Saturday November 12 at 12 noon in LP2 (Los Angeles B) is for all you costly photographers out there. Ever come home from a day of shooting at con only to be met with pain and disappointment when you load up your pictures and look at them? Well, we’re here to help! If you’ve seen this talk before, you may still want to come anyway, because we’ve reorganized it somewhat. We’ll be focusing in (heh, pun) on tips and techniques for point and shoot camera owners first, but we’ll also cover what you DSLR owners can do as well (and why you point and shooters might want to upgrade). Besides, there will be swag!

And finally, Otaku no Podcast co-host and noted doll enthuses Michelle “Ms. Geek” Klein-Hass will be putting on a Dollfie Dream/Obitsu Doll Panel on Sunday November 13 at 2 PM in Workshops (Marina).

Online pre-registration is still open as well, and will be open throughout the con (trust me, folks, it’s a real time-saver). Prices are $50 for a full 3-day adult membership; $20 for a single-day adult membership (Friday or Sunday) or $35 for Saturday; $15 for children 12 and under; and children 5 and under get in for free. (Children must be accompanied by a paying adult). A 20% group discount is also available for groups of 5 or more who register together.

PMX 2011 preliminary schedules are now up!

Donald Burr — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 19:37:08 +0000

Good news everyone – the PMX preliminary schedules are now up! They’re available in PDF form as a print-ready black and white or color version.

I would like to point your attention at 3 panels in particular. (Yes, as you might have guessed, we will be running some panels of our own!)

“Con Photography 101,” Saturday November 12 at 12 noon in LP2 (Los Angeles B) is for all you costly photographers out there. Ever come home from a day of shooting at con only to be met with pain and disappointment when you load up your pictures and look at them? Well, we’re here to help! If you’ve seen this talk before (yes, we’ve given this one before as well), you may still want to come anyway, because we’ve reorganized it somewhat. We’ll be focusing in (heh, pun) on tips and techniques for point and shoot camera owners first, but we’ll also cover what you DSLR owners can do as well (and why you point and shooters might want to upgrade). Besides, there will be swag!

And finally, Otaku no Podcast co-host and noted doll enthusiast Michelle “Ms. Geek” Klein-Hass will be putting on a Dollfie Dream/Obitsu Doll Panel on Sunday November 13 at 2 PM in Workshops (Marina).

For more information on PMX, including guests of honor and other events, check out the PMX website. Online pre-registration is still open as well. Prices are $40 for an Adult Full (Fri-Sun) membership (before Nov 5th) or $50 (after November 5); $20 for a single-day adult membership (Friday or Sunday) or $35 for Saturday; $15 for children 12 and under; and children 5 and under get in for free. (Children must be accompanied by a paying adult). A 20% group discount is also available for groups of 5 or more who register together.

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

Episode #0020 – Convention Survival Guide, 2011 Edition

The Ghost in the Machine — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:43:40 +0000

Well, the summer con season is in full swing, and as usual, we’re late to the party This week we give an update to our famous convention survival tips, which should hopefully help you have a more enjoyable con-going experience. And of course we bust out our favorite anime picks as well.

Today’s Theme Song: “FIGHT OR FLIGHT,” by Yū Kobayashi. Second ED to the anime Dragonaut: The Resonance.

Our Picks:

Michelle:
- There is a ton of anime available to watch online, completely legally and (oftentimes) for free. Some of our favorites include Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Crackle. Also, many anime distributors run their own streams.
- Animation Runner Kuromi
Me:
- K-ON!
- Clannad and Clannad: After Story
- Royal Space Force – Wings of Honneamise

Clannad: After Story – Complete Collection [4 Discs] -

Includes:Clannad After Story: Episode 11 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 10 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 9 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 8 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 6 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 4 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 18 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 17 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 16 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 15 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 14 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 13 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 12 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 1 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 3 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 2 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 24 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 23 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 22 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 21 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 20 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 19 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 5 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 7 (2009) Clannad After Story: Episode 11 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 10 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 9 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 8 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 6 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 4 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 18 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 17 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 16 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 15 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 14 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 13 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 12 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 1 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 3 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 2 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 24 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 23 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 22 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 21 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 20 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 19 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 5 No synopsis available. Clannad After Story: Episode 7 No synopsis available.

TEST LINK: Clannad Complete Collection

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Episode #0015 – PMX 2010

The Ghost in the Machine — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 16:00:21 +0000

The Otaku no Podcast crew are back from Pacific Media Expo (aka PMX) and give their usual panel-style discussion/review of doom, as well as the traditional anime picks – with a twist.

Today’s Theme Music: “Mirai Mechanism” by vividblaze; the theme song for Danny Choo‘s TV show Culture: Japan. Be sure and check out the cool time-lapse video shot at various locales in Japan!

Our Picks:

Me - Squid Girl (aka Shinryaku! Ika Musume) (streaming on Crunchyroll); Zatoichi (stream it, rent it, or buy it on DVD or Blu-ray)
Michelle - The Grand Chef and Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt (both streaming on Crunchyroll)
Danny and Amy – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1; Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee (streaming on Crunchyroll)

Other Stuff:

Otaku no Podcast’s YouTube channel (a few PMX videos up already; PMX highlights video coming soon!)
Otaku no Podcast’s Qik channel (a few PMX videos from our livestreaming test are up here, including CosFest)
I’m working on my PMX photos and am uploading them as I process them. Check out the Otaku no Podcast Photo Gallery.
My post gathering up links to other peoples’ PMX photos and videos
Anime Los Angeles 2011
The 12 Days of Kurisumasu

Zatoichi (DVD)
$8.84

Zatoichi (Blu-ray)
$45.00

Photos (and video!) from PMX 2010 (Updated)

Donald Burr — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 05:18:50 +0000

I’ve now been back home for a little over 48 hours, but am still recovering from PMX - I’m still horrifically tired and rather sore (thanks to having to shlep my stuff halfway across creation back and forth to our hotel). At least I’m not suffering the dreaded Convention Plague of Doom (knock on wood), thanks to regular infusions of Emergen-C (trust me folks, this stuff works wonders, it should be in every con-goer’s supply kit). Unfortunately, my return from PMX was greeted by a pile of work of epic proportions waiting for me to tackle it. Sigh. Which all means that it’ll be a while before I can complete the process of editing and posting the pictures and video I took while at PMX. (Yeah, I know, you’ve heard it all before. What can I say? *shrug*) In the meantime, please enjoy these PMX photo and video galleries I’ve managed to find on the internets. I’ll update this post as I find new ones. Also if you took photos or video at PMX, please tell us about it and we’ll add yours to the list.

(Updated 11/20/2010) I’ve finally started working on my PMX 2010 photos, and they’re slowly trickling up to Flickr. Check the photo gallery section on our website or visit our PMX 2010 Flickr set to check them out!

(Updated 11/21/2010) Otaku no Podcast co-host @msgeek93′s PMX 2010 Flickr gallery
(Updated 11/20/2010) LA Weekly’s PMX 2010 photo gallery and coverage of Innocent World and Baby the Stars Shine Bright (including pictures)
@patachu’s PMX 2010 photo gallery
PMX 2010 video from Cosplay in America
Japanator’s PMX 2010 Photo Gallery (part 1, part 2)
(Updated 11/17/2010) @jonno212′s PMX 2010 photo gallery
(Updated 11/17/2010) ani.me‘s PMX Photobooth (Day 1, Day 2, Flickr gallery)
(Updated 11/17/2010) @otakuforlife’s PMX write-up (comes to a somewhat different conclusion than I did, but at least they have pictures)
(Updated 11/20/2010) @cosplayvideos/ACparadise’s PMX 2010 CosFest Videos (be sure and check out all of them by clicking on their username on YouTube to access their YouTube channel)
(Updated 11/20/2010) @anirichie’s PMX 2010 highlights video (they promise more to come, so be sure and check back on their YouTube channel!)
(Updated 11/20/2010) @blackheavenfan’s PMX 2010 Facebook photo gallery
(Updated 11/20/2010) CatchKuma’s PMX 2010 photos
(Updated 11/20/2010) American Cosplay Snapshots’ PMX 2010 photos
(Updated 11/20/2010) AfterCon’s PMX 2010 highlights video
(Updated 12/04/2010) CNN’s report on Korean actor Jang-dong Gun’s appearance at PMX

Click for J-List now!

PMX Day 3 Report and Final Thoughts

Donald Burr — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:13:31 +0000

Sorry for the late posting here. PMX 2010 has drawn to a close, and I am now safely back at home at Otaku no Podcast HQ, and more or less back to normal (after a day of basically nothing but rest). So far (knock on wood) I’ve managed to avoid the dreaded Con Plague. (Pro tip: Emergen-C. It works, people.)

The third and final day of PMX was as low-key as the rest, and was spent mostly soaking in the con atmosphere, checking out the dealer’s room and artist’s alley, taking pictures, and hanging out with our fellow con-goers. We did make one attempt to go to a panel — an “open mic” doll meet at 11 AM — but apparently nobody else got the memo, and no one showed up. So we ended up basically resting our weary selves in an air-conditioned meeting room, and talking dolls and other random subjects with several passerby who wandered in to find out what was going on. (At least one confused attendee was wondering why there was no one at the mic cracking jokes – I guess he thought “open mic” meant comedy, as in “open mic comedy.” I offered to step up to the mic and start telling jokes but he ran away pretty fast. I guess my reputation precedes me…)

PMX definitely feels to me like a hang-out con. Is that a bad thing? Not at all. After all, what is the real purpose of anime conventions? At the very heart of it all is the desire to get together with your fellow anime fan and socialize. Everything else is just window dressing. Of course, don’t get me wrong; that’s not to say that PMX is devoid of things to do. There were quite a few things that I really wanted to see and try: the various guest-of-honor panels; martial arts and stunt choreography demos; the Vocaloids panel (which I hear is always fun); the food carts (which turned out to be uber-popular); swap meet; fashion boutique and swap meet; Japanese snack, sushi, and sake tasting; karaoke; the various musical guests and concerts; and the various anime and live action films being screened. Live action, including Japanese and Korean drama, is something I’d like to learn more about (Korean in particular being that that is my heritage), and PMX is definitely the place to do so. So, yeah, there was certainly plenty going on; just enough to satisfy someone of almost every taste, but not so much as to bewilder or confuse a person and make them feel bad because they might be missing something cool.

I couldn’t be happier with the location. Pasadena is a reasonably safe area, and is well served by public transportation. There were reasonable looking hotel/motel choices within a reasonable commuting distance (although my earlier Pro Tip applies: definitely seriously consider staying at the con hotel – it’s really worth it to be close to the action. And if you do, be mindful of the con hotel block closing dates – you don’t want to miss that discount!) There are plenty of food options nearby, and if you’re not willing to go off-site for food, the Hilton’s food was actually pretty decent, and the prices weren’t horribly outrageous (and the prices were actually better than most convention food I’ve seen). The Hilton’s rooms were reasonably big, and although a few of the hallways were a bit small, the building was mostly pretty easy to navigate in a crowd. The lobby area had plenty of soft couches/chairs and tables, an environment quite conducive to just hanging out with your fellow con-goer and getting to know them better. The PMX staff were helpful and courteous; I didn’t get a hint of the ‘tude that you sometimes see.

One thing I wanted to mention is the wonderfully refreshing attitude that PMX has toward the press. Their press restrictions (what qualifications you must meet to qualify as press) are refreshingly non-stringent, making it possible for even smaller organizations (anime clubs, school newspapers, etc.) and New Media creators (bloggers and podcasters) to qualify for press credentials. Most other anime conventions that offer press privileges set their requirements so high as to essentially shut out anyone other than traditional large-circulation media. Kudos go to PMX for the foresight to recognize that yes, us “little guys” do in fact have a legitimate voice, and to give us the opportunity to use it in support of PMX. Press privileges included special press panels, access to the guests of honor, and preferential seating (with a better location for photography) at main events. They also sent out press releases and various other background material about PMX and the various guests and events. The photography-friendly seating, in particular, was very much appreciated.

This was my first year attending PMX. I had always wanted to, but something or other kept coming up. I’m really glad I went. The Otaku no Podcast crew will definitely be coming back next year.

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you

PMX Day 2 Report

Donald Burr — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 09:41:52 +0000

Well, Day 2 of PMX has drawn to a close, and while there were definitely more people attending today (Saturday being the traditionally busiest day during a weekend con) the crowds were still manageable, although it was definitely more of a challenge navigating the hallways with the increased population. I still couldn’t begin to hesitate at a guess as to the number of attendees; all I can say with reasonable certainty is that there were more people than yesterday. Several thousand. Perhaps even over 9000. But, if so, then just barely.

It turns out LP 3, the room we were in yesterday, was not the typical room size. There were definitely larger rooms. LP2 looks like it could hold at least a hundred, maybe two. And the main events rooms even more. This is good, and I didn’t see any events that were stuffed beyond capacity. Even CosFest (their version of masquerade, a cosplay competition) was still workable space-wise.

I visited the dealer’s room and artist’s alley for the first time today. The dealer’s room was definitely on the smallish side, about equivalent to what you would find at a smaller regional convention I’d say. Something like Anime Los Angeles’ dealer’s room maybe 2 or 3 years ago, if you’re familiar with that. They definitely had a reasonable selection of goods: anime and manga (saw some Xbox huge manga tables – that was impressive); character goods; lots of cosplay materials (costumes, acessories, etc.); and I even saw a vendor selling cels and sketches (genga/douga) – definitely gotta check back there tomorrow, when I’m not fully laden with A/V gear like a high-tech pack mule. Artist’s Alley was quite lively as well, and of a respectable size – it felt actually larger than the dealer’s room. There was a pretty good selection of artists offering a nice selection of goods and services.

The hotel is located in an area that’s fairly well stocked with restaurants and eateries of various types, all within reasonable walking distance. In addition to the catered food available at the hotel (which was, surprisingly, not the worst I’ve seen price-wise, and was almost reasonable even), PMX also contracted with several food trucks to come and service the convention. And this turned out to be quite a success – every time I checked, the lines were of epic proportions. Next year I suggest that they employ a “tag team” approach – have two food trucks simultaneously on premises, to spread the load between the two (and offer people a choice of cuisines).

As I suspected in yesterday’s post, today brought a more even mix of cosplayers. There were still quite a few Asian fashion/music/live action cosplayers, but they were balanced out by quite a few recognizable anime and video game characters. And CosFest was practically dominated by anime – I only recall seeing one or two acts not strictly speaking related to anime. As always, the creativity and talent of these cosplayers continues to amaze me.

Speaking of CosFest, it actually started more or less on time, although there was some confusion regarding seating the members of the press – we weren’t sure where we were supposed to wait, and were in fact let in a bit earlier than we should have, apparently. The whole thing felt a bit disorganized. Again, I can’t ding them too much for this, as some level of disorganization is bound to happen in any endeavor of this type. However, us press folk did get choice seating – front row in fact – which really helped. It ran pretty much without a hitch, and quickly at that – there were only a bit over a dozen acts (I believe either 16 or 18, definitely less than 20). The halftime show was provided courtesy of the Angel Heart cosplay troupe, who danced to some songs from Idolm@ster and probably one or two others I didn’t recognize; and singer Mikurin, who sang several songs that appeared to be related to each other along the common theme of the seasons in Japan.

During one of her monologues, Mikurin said something that really hit home with me. I wish I could recall the exact quote (and unfortunately for whatever reason my recording of CosFest crapped out 30 minutes in, so this exchange didn’t make it onto the recording), but it went something like “We humans always worry that winter will never end, but we needn’t worry, because spring will always come.” Those of you who know me in person know that I’ve been going through a lot of hardship lately, and have been really down emotionally as of late; her simple yet profound words really touched me and helped uplift my spirits.

We only attended one panel today, a general intro to ball joint (and vinyl) dolls and their care and maintenance. Quite informative, and it was just fun seeing all the attendees and the wide variety of dolls they brought with them. Panels definitely seem to me to not be the central focus of PMX. Don’t get me wrong, I do not intend to diss any of the panel givers; the ones we attended were very well done, as were the rest of them that we didn’t attend I’m sure. It’s just that there were quite a few holes in the panel schedule, and also the panel rooms served double duty as video screening rooms. All of this, plus the general laid-back nature of the con, leads me to theorize that PMX is really more of a “kick back and relax and shoot the breeze with your friends and fellow con-goers” con, with a secondary focus on art and cosplay. Which is absolutely 100% fine by me. I was quite happy since this is the first time I’ve been at a con when I wasn’t constantly fretting ”OMG OMG I’m gonna miss something cool!!!” and could just take it in stride and “go with the flow.” Conducive to this is the nice large lobby area replete with comfy chairs/couches and tables – a perfect place to meet up with people who share your particular interest. One such meetup I attended was a doll meetup. Again, seeing all the lovely dolls with their awesome costumes, and chatting with their humans, learing their backstories, etc. was fun. We even got some attention from a pair of reporters from the LA Weekly, which really made our day.

Tomorrow is the final day of PMX, and being a Sunday, is usually the most laid-back day of a weekend con, so it should be pretty low key. There are a few events I want to catch, plus making another blitz through the dealer’s room and artist’s alley. And of course taking more pictures. And then, sadly, back to life, back to reality for me. PMX has definitely been fun, but in a different way than Anime LA, FanimeCon, AX, etc. (which were also fun, but like I said, fun in a different way). Just goes to show you that there’s a con for everybody.

I more than likely won’t be able to post pictures tonight; first of all I’m almost falling asleep at the keyboard here, plus I took probably anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 photos at CosFest, and going through those will take some time. Maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day. Stay tuned! In the meantime though, you can check out the videos from today’s various livestreams. I may livestream some more tomorrow; those will of course be announced on our Twitter, and you can tune into them on our shiny new Livestream page on otakunopodcast.com!

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

My PMX Livestream of Doom!

Donald Burr — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 18:12:33 +0000

I’m not sure how often (or if) I’ll be able to do this (it all depends on my laziness factor, whether my phone battery runs out, etc.), but I’ll be livestreaming from PMX today. Tune in below!

PC dating-sim games @ J-List

PMX Day 1 Report

Donald Burr — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 08:05:44 +0000

Unfortunately, AudioBoo for Android is currently down until further notice, so you’ll have to put up with a textual report for now.

Well, day 1 of PMX draws to a close. Unfortunately, as most of the day was spent on trains and buses, as well as finding our hotel and locating some sources of food, I didn’t get to see much of the con. (Pro tip: definitely, DEFINITELY seriously consider taking up your con’s room block offer. It is TOTALLY worth it to be able to stay on site close to the action.) What I did see however was pretty cool. PMX has a nice, fairly laid back feel to it; more akin to a smaller convention like Anime LA. If I were to hazard a guess as to the attendance, I’d say several thousand (but probably not over 9000). Unfortunately I can’t find any attendance data newer than 2004, at which anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 attended, depending on who you talk to.

There were definitely quite a few cosplayers in attendance, but I didn’t see very many anime character cosplayers, at least ones I easily recognized. Rather, the bulk of cosplayers were wearing outfits representative of various Asian fashion styles (gothic lolita, etc.), or Asian live action stars, musicians (visual kei, etc.) and so on. (Makes sense, as PMX bills itself as a convention covering Asian pop culture in general) I suspect that this may change tomorrow, since Saturday (tomorrow) is usually the highest attendance day for weekend cons, and is also the day that CosFest, PMX’s cosplay competition (i.e. Masquerade), will be held. I will, of course, be attending that event, and will get you what pictures and/or video I can. (Note that this time I was unable to rent the “lens of doom” due to monetary concerns, so the pictures won’t be as good; we are going as Press, which supposedly gives us a better photography location, so it may be OK. We’ll see.)

The Hilton Pasadena looks to be a pretty reasonably sized facility to hold the number of people who attended PMX today; I didn’t feel overcrowded. Some of their halls are somewhat narrow and twisty though, and may be hard to navigate for those with larger costumes or props. However there seemed to be plenty of areas, both indoors and outdoors, that would serve as reasonable cosplay photography locations. There are also some organizations offering free professionally shot cosplay photos however, so you might want to investigate that. Also the one panel we did make it to (more on that below) was held in LP3, the Del Mar room, a rather smallish room (my guess is maybe 50 tops, a few more if they’re willing to crowd in). This was fine for this particular panel, but we’ll have to see how this handles the greater crowds tomorrow. (also I’m not sure how big the other rooms are in comparison)

The staff seemed to me to have a reasonably good attitude and were as helpful as they could be. There were a few clueless ones (but you always get that no matter what con you’re at, so I can’t ding them for that). But we got checked in and received our press badges in a pretty reasonable fashion.

The one panel we did manage to catch was on doll “face-ups,” a rather neat tie-in to our most recent episode. The panelist demonstrated what is involved in pulling off an effective face-up and gave some tips and techniques for achieving the best results. Definitely informative, and really goes to show how creative the doll community is – face-ups are a lot of work!

I’ve posted what few pictures I took today (again, didn’t get to see much). Looking forward to tomorrow!

My PMX Schedule

Donald Burr — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:43:42 +0000

OK folks, I’ve started going over the PMX schedule (they just released the final schedule btw, might want to go check it out) and I’ve started marking down things I might be interested in checking out and/or possibly get coverage for the podcast for. Of course the standard disclaimers apply: I sometimes double- or even triple-book myself intentionally, the idea being that I am interested in both events and will probably make my final decision as to which one I want to go to 5 minutes before the time it starts; the usual “convention schedules are HIGHLY subject to change without notice”; and of course, I might be otherwise indisposed and unable to attend a given event due to my body suddenly pooping out on me and requiring an unplanned nap (or in other words, “the spirit is willing but the flesh (may be) weak”). And in between events, I’ll of course be roaming around the con in general, maybe peeking into dealer’s room and artist’s alley and various other places, and of course taking a ton of photos. (And no doubt spending a fair amount of time at the food trucks!) Check out my schedule below the cut.

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

Heads up! PMX is THIS weekend!

Donald Burr — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:51:30 +0000

Winter may have finally come to us, but that doesn’t mean that anime convention season is over yet. This coming weekend, November 12-14, the Pacific Media Expo (or “PMX” as the cool kids call it) will be blowing into the Hilton Pasadena Hotel in Pasadena (duh). Online registration for the event is still open (and will remain open during the convention – no need to stand in long registration lines!) and will run you $40 for a full weekend pass, or $20 for Friday or Sunday only, $25 for Saturday only, or $15 for children age 12 and under (children age 5 and under can get in for free). There’s also a 20% group discount, so if a whole bunch of you will be going, that’ll help you out.

PMX is different from your typical anime convention in that, besides anime, they also focus on other aspects of Asian pop culture, including Asian live-action movies, fashion, music, martial arts, and (my favorite) food. Of course you’ll find the usual anime convention fare as well, including a dealer’s hall, artist’s alley, cosplay masquerade, video and film rooms, karaoke, panels, and the like. Guests of honor include Korean actor Jang Dong-gun, writer Sngmoo Lee, Alice and the Pirates head fashion designer Miki Nohmoto, lolita fashion brand Baby, the Stars Shine Bright; Amy Okuda, actress on The Guild; Hiromi Kato, animator on various works including Revolutionary Girl Utena, Tenshi ni Naurmon (I’m Going to Be an Angel), and Di Gi Charat Nyo; Yumi Fujiwara, designer of fashion label Innocent World; and musical guests Dig Jelly, Lemon Drop Kick, and Tanuki Suit Riot.

PMX is still a fairly new convention (only in its 7th year now) but has really made a name for itself. I’ve been wanting to go for quite some time now but never was able to… until now. Yes, you read correctly, we will be attending this year’s PMX. I won’t make any promises, but I’ll try to get some coverage of the event for you folks (at the very least some pretty pictures to look at, whenever I can get around to editing them and posting to the website that is ).

A schedule of events and hotel map are available for download.

Gothic & Lolita Products, magazine subscriptions from Japan

Pacific Media Expo (PMX) is THIS weekend!

Donald Burr — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:55:57 +0000

Yes, folks, he lives! As I mentioned earlier, October was a pretty busy month for me, with two huge work projects, and then the BlogWorld and New Media Expo conference mid-month. Well fortunately the work stuff all went well, and BlogWorld was a total blast. UNfortunately, however, I apparently took a little extra “something” home from the BlogWorld trip – what can only be described as “the Martian Death Flu.” I’ve been living in misery for the past two weeks, which of course explains why I haven’t been able to get an episode out (or any blog posts for that matter). In fact I’m still not 100% over this thing, I still have a pretty nasty cough and my voice is still pretty hoarse, but I hope to finally kick the last of this thing in the next few days.

Anyway, I missed quite a bit of news while I was sick (so the next episode, which I hope to be able to record in a few days, will be chock full of news and such). One of the (many) things that slipped under my radar is the Pacific Media Expo (PMX) convention. But the good news is that you still have time to get in on this – PMX is being held right now (the weekend of November 6-8) at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport, 5711 West Century Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90045.

PMX isn’t your typical anime convention – really it’s a convention about Asian Pacific entertainment and culture as a whole. Which, of course, includes anime and such, but also includes Asian live-action movies, Jpop/Jrock, visual kei, Japanese street fashion, and a whole lot more. Guests of honor this year include Gashikon, clothing designer famous for the Hangry & Angry line; visual kei rockers UchuSentai NOIZ; Maki and Asuka, clothing designers with Angelic Pretty; famed anime director Shinichi “Nabeshin” Watanabe; and fashion designer Takuya Sawada of Takuya Angel.

Of course you’ll also find the usual series of events, including various panels and workshops, dances, karaoke, video and console gaming, video and film rooms, CosFest (cosplay competition), and even a fashion show! (Of course there’s also a Dealers Room.)

Sounds interesting? Online registration is still open for the convention, at $40 for a full weekend adult pass, and less if you only want to go certain days, or if you’re a child, etc. – children under 5 are free with adult membership. Of course you can also register at the door.

Unfortunately I won’t be able to attend – besides the whole recovering-from-major-illness thing, I have a podcast to work on this weekend However, if you do manage to make it to PMX, I’d love to hear from you! Either drop me an email or call our voice line with a mini-review.

Hentai PC dating-sim games at J-List

Episode #0002 – Convention-al Wisdom

The Ghost in the Machine — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:51:39 +0000

Like many things in life, anime and manga are best enjoyed among groups of like-minded individuals. There’s nowhere better to accomplish this than at an Anime Convention. This week, we’ll discuss what anime conventions are, and what you should expect to encounter at one. We’ll also bring you reviews and commentary on two of the biggest anime and comic conventions in the world: Anime Expo, and San Diego Comic-Con International (SDCCI), which both occurred this past July. If you missed them, don’t worry! There are plenty of conventions coming up in the next few months, and we’ll give you the skinny on those as well. This is a two-part series, so there will be even more convention talk next week, so stay tuned!

As a reminder, please check our web site:

http://otakunopodcast.com/

for show notes, news about the podcast, and other items of interest.

Also be sure and check out our forums, and leave a comment by email or voice mail.

Upcoming Anime Conventions:

(for even more, be sure and visit http://www.animecons.com/)

Animation on Display

http://www.aodsf.org/

August 25

Cathedral Hill Hotel, San Francisco, CA

Little Tokyo Anime Festival

http://www.myspace.com/littletokyoanimefestival