Kumoricon 2012 Rants and Raves!

[Washougal_Otaku]

It would've been nice if the at-door reg badges were more obvious on whether or not someone was a minor vs. an adult, at least making sure that ALL staff knows the difference, assuming that there is one.  I know that there's a letter that gets written on them, but can't there be different prints, or colors, or something?

I'm currently talking to some other reg managers about different age color paper badges like the Pre-Reg/Will Call plastic ones for at door with the check off boxes for days, for next year so we can get rid of the color coated sharpie system which failed on Saturday night this year and make sure it doesn't happen again.

   You've made us all happier!

[DSaturn]

Cant believe i almost forgot about this, but...

Major rave for photobooth. The line may take forever to get through, but it is definitely worth the wait. The photographer is hilarious, and the photos are always amazing. A really nice couple, and i hope they'll be coming back next year.

[Prinz Eugen]

While I am fully aware that this is a anime convention, shouldn't the non-anime cosplayers have the right to be fairly judged with the rest of the cosplayers in the contest?

I bristle at this being a matter of "rights" - people may have, if not a right to try things, then at least an opportunity to do so, but they do not have a guarantee to succeed nor even a guarantee to be recognized. If an organization decides to hold a competition of French poetry readings, that does not create some kind of 'right' that if I show up with a poem I wrote in German, they somehow must allow me to participate.

I had fun dressing as "Mr. Monopoly" because I presented on a Japanese method of trading commodities (...made around $440 today trading silver (SLV) and oil (USO) using this method!) But I would not expect "Mr. Monopoly" to win anything in cosplay rather than at another general costuming event.

What *might* be fun as a Kumoricon skit would be if Lawrence and Horo of Spice and Wolf are planning their next trades or business deals, and "Mr. Monopoly" joins them to talk capitalism with them... because we would be judged as a skit.

[LtCommanderRichie]

Let's not get into this again, shall we? The point is that most of the people at this con are nerds in costume, and it really shouldn't matter what country the costume's source material comes from because no one source is any better than any other source. The people that think that Japan and its media are better than any other country and its media just by merit of their being Japanese are, to be quite frank, crazy racist weeboos and I really wouldn't want to have anything to do with them even on a level of vague association.

I don't mean that as a personal attack, by the way, in case someone wants to jump in and blue mod-text all over me.

PS: if you hate people having rights so much, then give them that opportunity to be judged so they'll shut up about how they have a right to have their craftsmanship judged the same as anyone else.

[JeffT]

The people that think that Japan and its media are better than any other country and its media just by merit of their being Japanese are, to be quite frank, crazy racist weeboos and I really wouldn't want to have anything to do with them even on a level of vague association.

It's a good thing nobody in this thread has said anything like that.

and it really shouldn't matter what country the costume's source material comes from because no one source is any better than any other source.

Somebody might think that a costume contest should be limited for a different reason: Because they want to focus on one thing, and think that allowing other things dilutes that focus.

[LtCommanderRichie]

When what appears to be 50% of the con is made entirely of Homestuck (feel free to run those numbers if you can, by the way- I'd love to know what the actual ratio is) you can't really argue that judging someone's Dr. Doom cosplay will dilute the focus of the con. Andrew Hussie has already facilitated that dilution plenty.

[JeffT]

you can't really argue that judging someone's Dr. Doom cosplay will dilute the focus of the con.

You can if you make the distinction between attendee costumes and official programming, and make a distinction between different rules (or topics) for different events.

[Kimiski]

This was brought up at Rant and Rave also- repeating what was said-

We are indeed, an ANIME convention, and we don't want to lose our roots as such. Sure there are panels and things for Dr.Who and Homestuck, or whatever and etc, because the con also caters to make the fans happy, but if we completely let those panels and kind of things take over- we might as well turn into something like a sci fi con or something of those sorts, maybe just a cartoon convention, a nerd convention, etc... this IS one of the reasons, one of the main events of the con STICKS to anime and anime/Japanese related costumes. No one is saying those are better over anything American, German, etc, but again, we ARE a JAPANESE ANIMATION/ANIME convention. This is a grey area and is balanced every year.

Adding to that- For anyone thinking we are too anime and not enough cultural- any more cultural Japanese panels and such like Taiko Drumming/Sake Tasting/ etc that are Japanese related but not anime are more than welcome to be submitted to panels- people need to just that- submit them and be willing to run them.

*ends flashback to Rant and Rave*

[Rathany]

Ponies and Homestuck trolls and Gallifreyans love anime and can come to our con, too!  (Homestucks are trolls, right?  IDK) 

We had as much anime/manga/Japanese culture panels as were available to us this year.  If you want more panels on bentou, tea ceremony, how to draw manga, et cetera help us out by doing panels or asking your Japanese language teachers if they will come in and do cool stuff for us.  A lot of our really solid Japanese culture panels have come from PSU's Japanese profs and other language teachers.  If you go to PCC or something and take Japanese, please do talk with your teachers in case they have an awesome talent like being able to demonstrate tea ceremony. 

In terms of what people cosplay, trying to restrict that would be ... ridiculously uptight.

In term of programming, we can't pull anime/manga/Japanese panels out of thin air.  Panels come from our guests and attendees.  If you want panels we don't have, the answer is to submit to run a panel or to help us network with the people who can run those panels. 

[Bopie98]

I was a little annoyed with the way the Karaoke contest auditions were handled.  They intermixed the auditions with the open mic and to pass the time I signed up for the open mic.  I did my song and then i found out they counted THAT song as my audition.  I never actually sang the song I was planning to for the contest.  I feel if you're going to have auditions there should be a set time when open mic is closed and all that goes on are the auditions.  I'm sure the regular attendees would understand.  Then the auditions wouldn't be spread out in the span of two or three hours.  It would just be one audition after the other until all of them were done and if people didn't show up that would be their problem.

[roe15]

Sakura Con had a costume repair room set up for most of the days, though they had limited hours. I don't know if the volunteers from that group were planning to come down and run one at Kumori Con, but it would be nice. My group had to find a sewing machine STAT Sunday morning.

The costume repair room at Sakura is ran by the UW costume club. If you want to try it out for Kumori con, I would look them up and Facebook and see how they went about getting that set up. You might also try looking at the local colleges and seeing if they have a costume/anime club that would be interested in volunteering to do a repair station.

[acton]

Ponies and Homestuck trolls and Gallifreyans love anime and can come to our con, too!  (Homestucks are trolls, right?  IDK) 

We had as much anime/manga/Japanese culture panels as were available to us this year.  If you want more panels on bentou, tea ceremony, how to draw manga, et cetera help us out by doing panels or asking your Japanese language teachers if they will come in and do cool stuff for us.  A lot of our really solid Japanese culture panels have come from PSU's Japanese profs and other language teachers.  If you go to PCC or something and take Japanese, please do talk with your teachers in case they have an awesome talent like being able to demonstrate tea ceremony. 

In terms of what people cosplay, trying to restrict that would be ... ridiculously uptight.

In term of programming, we can't pull anime/manga/Japanese panels out of thin air.  Panels come from our guests and attendees.  If you want panels we don't have, the answer is to submit to run a panel or to help us network with the people who can run those panels. 

I  ran the Otaku over 25 panel. One attendee had made a  very good observation noting the video rooms were sparely attended while (I am adding ) event like the My little pony and who's line is it and the park were packed. The issue is many  young attendees are more interested  in hanging with their friends and getting into what is in for the peer group, think Homestruck, than anything to do with  Japanese culture. There is a bigger issue of the problem here beyond the scope of anime. We had even had a 18 year old attend, telling of her frustration of none of her fired were interested in  older anime.
 I wound are say most in the younger demographic are  interested in Anime but not  in Japanese culture; such panels would be sparely attended.

[Radien]

I realize lines have been mentioned a number of times before, but if that means it gets attention, I'm fine with that. Lines lines lines lines.

I paid full at-con registration for Kumori Con this year, $45, and the sum total of things I did which required a badge was:
1.) attend some small panels,
2.) visit Exhibitor's Hall/Artist's Alley once, and
3.) stop by the gaming hall, quickly realizing they didn't have the game I was hoping for (Soul Calibur 2).
...I spent about 2-3 hours, tops, in rooms that required a badge for entry.

There were only two things I truly hoped to attend:
1.) the Doctor Who panel, and
2.) the Masquerade Ball.

Both of these had lines so long that the majority of each event would be about 3/4ths over by the time I worked through the line, if I got in at all. I eventually abandoned both lines. The Doctor Who panel was obviously much more popular than expected, and I suspect it'll be moved to a bigger panel room next year (if a bigger one is one available)...

But the Masq Ball?... It was only 90 minutes long. That's why everyone mobbed it at once. Con Staff cut off the Masquerade Ball line right after me, and there were around 100 people in line behind me. So many people dressed in fancy clothing and masks were turned away, that they clogged the elevators on their way back to their hotel rooms to change clothes. The Ball really should be 2.5 to 3 hours long.

I'm not going to say the con was entirely unenjoyable, because I get so much enjoyment out of cosplaying and socialization. But I feel the money I spent on con registration was wasted.

If lines and line management continue to be this bad in future years, many cosplayers like me may just visit the con location, but not register. That will lose revenue for the con and reduce the number of people who book hotel rooms. I don't want that to happen, but I can't afford to spend $45 on a badge that serves practically no purpose.

I  ran the Otaku over 25 panel. One attendee had made a  very good observation noting the video rooms were sparely attended while (I am adding ) event like the My little pony and who's line is it and the park were packed. The issue is many  young attendees are more interested  in hanging with their friends and getting into what is in for the peer group, think Homestruck, than anything to do with  Japanese culture. There is a bigger issue of the problem here beyond the scope of anime. We had even had a 18 year old attend, telling of her frustration of none of her fired were interested in  older anime.
 I wound are say most in the younger demographic are  interested in Anime but not  in Japanese culture; such panels would be sparely attended.

I question whether this is a "problem." There may have been one 18-year old frustrated about her peers not wanting to watch older anime, but I'm 33, and I have no illusions about the fact that old shows are eventually going to lose their audience. With all due respect, I attended your panel, but I left the room about the time it turned into an "everybody complain about the younger generations" panel.

The fact that viewing rooms are empty is not some tragedy. It just means that there is little need for them anymore. In 2000, I went to my first anime con and had access to lots of anime I had no way of watching before. These days, people download it, or watch it on YouTube, or stream it on Netflix, or if all else fails, check out DVDs on Netflix. This is GREAT! It's so much better than driving for hours to watch it at a con.

But getting back to the actual running of the convention: If we want better use of space, I say we shouldn't cut out the non-Japanese panels. We should cut out some of the viewing rooms.

I heard lots and lots of talk this year about how the anime industry is waning, and how Kumori Con is shifting toward a more general "geek" focus. Personally, I am totally FINE with that. After spending 15+ years on anime, watching Sakura Con grow and Kumori Con materialize, and earning a degree in International Studies with a Japanese minor in the meantime, I'm tired of hyper-focusing on one small country.

I would be happy to see Kumori Con officially become a broader sort of convention. It is the very nature of geeks to want to share their hobbies and cross over between them, and anime doesn't exist in a vacuum. (Actually, Japanese conventions don't limit themselves to Japanese material, either.)

[Prinz Eugen]

All-out thumbs-up for the AV crew in Main events this year.
Had a great time working with them and we were able to put on a great AMV event.

Every year I get nervous about equipment failures or glitches* but nothing went haywire this year...
That doesn't happen by accident, but because you have a team of people who know their stuff and know what back-ups and contingencies are available...

Thanks again, gang.

*This includes my worry about ME doing a fumble-fingers during the AMV contest.
One year I had THOUGHT that one entry out of the 6 in a category had been SKIPPED.
The playlist had actually played correctly, but it was like a hot flash, and inside
you're going oh-crap-dammit-frggtt-nrwl-gignmmrv-mumbble...

[DSaturn]

I have to agree with the "there's less need for viewing rooms". Most people in my group have seen most of the anime that is shown, and those who haven't and want to will watch it some other way, some other time, because they would rather do something else while they are at the convention. I imagine it's that way for a lot of people. We don't go to con to sit around and watch anime, we go to interact with our people, who we may not otherwise get a chance to, and definitely not in the number that we get at con.

[LovelyAngel]

I have to agree with the "there's less need for viewing rooms". Most people in my group have seen most of the anime that is shown, and those who haven't and want to will watch it some other way, some other time, because they would rather do something else while they are at the convention. I imagine it's that way for a lot of people. We don't go to con to sit around and watch anime, we go to interact with our people, who we may not otherwise get a chance to, and definitely not in the number that we get at con.

I’d like to say something in support of the viewing rooms. While it’s true that nowadays otaku get to watch pretty much everything they want online, and for most people the viewing rooms aren’t needed, there are many other folks who do NOT have all-access to all anime. I think the viewing rooms provide important exposure to a wide variety of anime, and I think that newcomers to the con and to anime in general benefit from the viewing rooms. We should be promoting anime at Kumoricon, right?

Some number of years ago I had given up on the anime viewing rooms because it seemed all that were shown were commercial releases. I thought that maybe the cons got pressure from industry to stop showing fansubs. But I was surprised and impressed last year to return to the viewing room schedule to see that many current/recent series were being shown. This year continued with the impressive slate of shows.

I want to praise the organizer(s) of the anime viewing schedule for the following:
 

• Making the sample set the first three episodes of a series. As is often said, one should give every series three episodes before deciding whether to follow a show or not. I think the first three episodes is the perfect sample size.
• Organizing the schedule into genre blocks of three or four shows. There was variety and throughtfulness in the packaging. Adventure, Romance, Magical Girl, Action, Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Mecha, Harem, Horror, Slice of Life, Genderswap – and more – one couldn’t ask for a better selection.
• Bringing in current / very recent shows - lots of them.
• Keeping a mix of old classic shows such as Dirty Pair, Cowboy Bebop, Kodocha, and Clannad. Newcomers to anime probably haven’t seen those. Heck, there are some current day otaku who haven’t seen some of those. Anime has a long, glorious history, and I’m glad that our con pays homage to that.
  

.
I have a 20-year history with anime viewing rooms – going back to AnimeExpo. (I attended AX from 1992 to 2002.) I discovered a lot of great anime series through them. (Back in the day, the viewing rooms only had fansubs plus a tiny number of commercial releases.) And, sure, today I get most of my anime online. I have a premium subscription to Crunchyroll, and I can watch shows through Viz/Funimation/Hulu. But I’ve been trying to stick to series that are licensed for streaming in the U.S., and I’ve stopped downloading fansubs. So I was delighted to see that Acchi Kocchi, Hyouka, Ben-To, and AKB0048 were being shown in the Kumoricon viewing rooms. None of those series were streamed in the U.S. I spent some time in the viewing rooms this year. Sometimes the rooms were nearly empty; other times there were quite a few people watching.

So I will always vote that we show anime at our anime convention. Thanks again to the Kumoricon staff for doing a great job organizing the anime viewing rooms and schedule.

[Bresslol]

I have to agree with the "there's less need for viewing rooms". Most people in my group have seen most of the anime that is shown, and those who haven't and want to will watch it some other way, some other time, because they would rather do something else while they are at the convention. I imagine it's that way for a lot of people. We don't go to con to sit around and watch anime, we go to interact with our people, who we may not otherwise get a chance to, and definitely not in the number that we get at con.

Are you the majority of people who go to cons?

I'm 100% fine with Anime viewing rooms, just because you and your friends have seen an anime doesn't mean the 4750 other people have, too.

[TanisNikana]

I never even found out where the viewing rooms were...

[Prinz Eugen]

The last minor issue was the Amv Contest NOT What The Anime Is About category. It did not work for me in the audience because to know “not what the Anime is about”, one need to know what the anime was about; having no familiarity with the Animes, the entries went over my head.

Joke answer: Aren't *real* fans supposed to have watched EVERY SHOW that has EVER come out?
Even Laserdisks only available in Japan? ;-)

I just started a new thread for next years AMV contest here:
https://www.kumoricon.org/forums/index.php?topic=17370.0

and I look forward to tuning up to make sure we are as entertaining a contest as we can be.

Also, a panel/space for the occasional AMV that's not of Japanese origin would also be cool.

Well we'd need to replace the [A] in AMV for that category - any ideas what? I've seen 'GMV' used for game-footage only. Also the previous rules allowed up to 10% non-anime content in any given enty, so you could have a Code Lyoko or an Airbender character or even Mr. Magoo show up and play with the anime characters for a while. If there are ONE or TWO very popular non-anime shows that we could, um 'invite' to participate in the next contest, that might be a cool way to pull this off. Kind of like a 'guest' show for the year! Legend of Korra?
Anyways, please go to the thread above to discuss.

[EveofAbyss]

Touching on the Viewing Room subject, I'm not worried about the rooms disappearing from the con schedule. The Anime Viewing Room and the Anime Convention seem inseparable, so I'm not worried about that.

What I would offer for consideration is instead of having two rooms, perhaps having one viewing room, and putting additional viewing content on the hotel's open channel. I don't know about the Red Lion, but I was delighted beyond description when I was checking channels in the Hilton and stumbled across the Hilton open channel... playing Anime Hunters! I then proceeded to not change the channel for the whole weekend (basically). I thought taking advantage of the open channel was awesome. I loved it in the past, and I was looking forward to it and glad to find it.

I would say playing anime through that channel (if legal... I don't know the technicalities) would be a fantastic alternative to the viewing room. I know for myself this year, I had made it a point to come down and check out the viewing rooms because there was much that I was excited about seeing (most of what was played was unfamiliar to me). I never actually made it down though due to schedules and whatnot. So, for the attendee like me, having anime playing all weekend through the Hotel open channel would be both a time-saver and still highly engaging. I would feel no less part of con watching this programmed anime in my room than if sitting in a panel room.

Just a thought that came to mind.

Also, in further support of the Viewing Rooms and just the general screening of anime at Kumoricon, the first year I came here was 2006. I stumbled in on a viewing room playing Azumanga Daioh, a title I was completely unfamiliar with.

That is now one of my favorite anime which I own and watch regularly.

I know I'm not the only one with stories like this, so... keep on with the anime screening. In whatever capacity.

[Kimiski]

My problems with the viewing rooms is just that, my problems, I generally don't have time for them between dances and panels, but they are still a nice option to have, late at night, down time and nothing to do? I love sticking my head in there and find a new anime to watch, it's so hard for me to get into a new anime online, when I'm "forced" to watch something, I'm more likely to get into it and want to continue to watch more. So maybe lower the viewing room down to one room, but I personally will be sad to see them go. That's how I got into a few anime's, was the viewing room at Kumoricon.

I would also LOVE to go to more traditional Japanese panels. The Sake panel was sold out and GREAT!! Not just tasting sake, but that's of information, and historical info as well! I'd love to see Tea Ceremony demonstrations or some kabuki!!

I've been going to Kumoricon since 2004, missed 2003 by one lame week (grrr...) and I love it, but if it really did switch from an Anime Convention to a General Nerd Con, got to say... I'd stop going, and make Sakura-con my home con instead. The whole purpose of Kumoricon was to create an ANIME convention for Oregon....

[AllyKat]

I don't know about the Red Lion, but I was delighted beyond description when I was checking channels in the Hilton and stumbled across the Hilton open channel... playing Anime Hunters! I then proceeded to not change the channel for the whole weekend (basically). I thought taking advantage of the open channel was awesome. I loved it in the past, and I was looking forward to it and glad to find it.

I would say playing anime through that channel (if legal... I don't know the technicalities) would be a fantastic alternative to the viewing room.

As the head of the Department in charge of CCTV, thanks for noticing! It's still a work in progress, which is why it wasn't advertised very much, we still weren't sure it was going to work all weekend. Hopefully moving forward we'll be able to provide even more content, a more cohesive schedule.

The one thing I will say is, I can't guarantee it will be possible to get Anime on our CCTV. I know it has been done, but we have to provide a lot of security for the distributors and owners in order to make it work. We have had one company give us permissions. However most of the episodes were of the 18+ variety and the rest I wasn't 100% sure of and did not have the time to filter. We'll be repeating our requests for CCTV useage I am sure and will use everything we got/get to  our full advantage. But CCTV is hard for companies to get behind... so it may take many years before we have the permissions for things people would stay in their rooms to watch.

[EveofAbyss]

...but if it really did switch from an Anime Convention to a General Nerd Con, got to say... I'd stop going, and make Sakura-con my home con instead. The whole purpose of Kumoricon was to create an ANIME convention for Oregon....

QFT. When I think about local cons, general geekery cons are plentiful, and seem to only be getting more so as time goes by. Thinking on strictly anime and Japanese culture-oriented cons... I can only think of two major ones, and the other is in Seattle. Kumoricon's Japanese focus is what drew me and is what has kept me. I don't worry about that changing. Even with varying elements from the other corners of nerddom, I am confident Kumoricon will remain an anime convention first and foremost. There is just an air to the Kumoricon atmosphere that makes me think of anime, a feeling I definitely don't get when thinking on Comic-Con or the myriad other general geekery cons. I like that. There's nowhere else locally like it that I've found.

As the head of the Department in charge of CCTV, thanks for noticing! It's still a work in progress, which is why it wasn't advertised very much, we still weren't sure it was going to work all weekend. Hopefully moving forward we'll be able to provide even more content, a more cohesive schedule.

The one thing I will say is, I can't guarantee it will be possible to get Anime on our CCTV. I know it has been done, but we have to provide a lot of security for the distributors and owners in order to make it work. We have had one company give us permissions. However most of the episodes were of the 18+ variety and the rest I wasn't 100% sure of and did not have the time to filter. We'll be repeating our requests for CCTV useage I am sure and will use everything we got/get to  our full advantage. But CCTV is hard for companies to get behind... so it may take many years before we have the permissions for things people would stay in their rooms to watch.

Ah, I was expecting something like that. I will definitely be keeping an eye out and hopefully the right permissions come your way. Even without the anime though, CCTV was a pleasant thread in the Kumoricon tapestry. Whatever ends up happening, I'll be content.

[DSaturn]

I'm not against the viewing rooms atball, dont get me wrong. It just seems like everyone i talked to knew that the one place they werent going to go was the veiwing rooms. My first two years at kumoricon, the vr were a great place to chill between panels and they introduced me to some good shows i hadnt seen or hadnt heard of. I would just be curious to hear how many people actually took advantage of the rooms.

The in-house channel would be a great way to cut down on congestion for opening/closing cermonies, cosplay contest, and cosplay chess.

[LovelyAngel]

I'm not against the viewing rooms atball, dont get me wrong. It just seems like everyone i talked to knew that the one place they werent going to go was the veiwing rooms. My first two years at kumoricon, the vr were a great place to chill between panels and they introduced me to some good shows i hadnt seen or hadnt heard of. I would just be curious to hear how many people actually took advantage of the rooms.

Sure... most people will skip the viewing rooms... but remember that there will always be people who are attending the convention for the first or second time. So they'll get to go through the same process you did, exploring the con and discovering new anime.

I'm a 21-year con veteran, and I'm still dropping in on the viewing rooms and learning about shows I didn't get to see earlier. And after doing a lot of walking in the sun in the park and between hotels, the dark, cool rooms are a great place to take a break.

[Lady In Red]

Back on the topic of  non-anime things at kumori-con, if no one minds my input:

I agree that Kumori-con is an ANIME con. Panels and official events should be weighted to more japanese things. The only official totally homestuck panel that was there this year was a amazing panel. I love the multi-fandom aspect of k-con, but speaking as someone who went as a character from something non-anime, as long as there is at least one panel per non-anime fandom that applies for a panel and gets one (based only on the fact that it will be a good panel and was planned well, not the fact that it's non-anime) then I'm a happy con goer.

Kumori-con was established as an anime convention. As long as theres still a multi-fandom feel to it outside the official events, we can make our own fun : )

[DSaturn]

It just caught me by surprise this year when my group (3 fifth yrars, 1 second year,  and 1 first year) didnt so much as glance at the viewing guid or mention the rooms at all.

[acton]

I want to stick up for the viewing rooms:  I would never had found punkin scissors , Death note and Hetalia without them. The problem with the  using the Hinton's CCTV is not many of us stay at the Hilton.  I do not  because I only 20 miles form the con. 



As for the  Kumoricon  content outside of Japan's culture, I say we do not need to become an elitist fandom life some in the Science Fiction fandom. Initially I started to attend  Kumoricon because I am a furry con geek rather than interest in Japanese culture. I also Would throw another  wrench into the gear in how much Japanese produce Anime setting is in Japanese culture, for example Last Exile , Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star setting are off world, Punkin Scissors seems to be in an alternate Europe. etc. Some panels wold be nice to better understated anime but not necessary a Japanese Culture panel.

[hikaru_maxwell]

I have a minor rant: our panel was scheduled in oak and the panel had about 40 people waiting to get in before it started, with that many, the line was actually snaking DOWN THE STAIRS into the lobby. Perhaps having a staff member on hand to edge the line in a different direction as it starts so attendees aren't standing on steps or leaking out into the lobby with their lines would be a good idea. line management: kind of dropped the ball on that one.

We felt it looked kind of hazardous, so we ended up letting the line in about five minutes early. good thing, too. overall we had about 80 people in that room. :O

[veraca]

Making a quick point to the viewing rooms: They're really nice for people who arrive earlier in the morning or stay later at night or are just waiting for some time to pass. My Party and I ended up watching Air one year at a con without even realizing what it was, but we had stayed for the whole movie. Another time I went and sat down to watch some anime, and another viewer seemed irate that my laughing was loud and I had to keep making remarks that there's nothing wrong with actually laughing during a funny scene between their talking and enjoying the anime that way. After that irate person, I haven't gone back, mostly because I haven't had time, but it was a downer. There seemed to be no staff around at all to monitor to make sure the episodes were running properly (as one friend had experienced at one con a hentai-ep went on the fritz at the wrong moment). I realize it is hard to spare staff for these rooms, but if they're all in one location shouldn't it be a good idea for at least one staff member to be hovering in the area?
By the way, did the Red Lion have an open channel? Cause we weren't informed of it, and my Party ended up watching Toy Story 2 during some down time when one had a headache.
And another note: the screenings of Trigun and Badlands Rumble in the Red Lion lobby was very nice

[superjaz]

I was disappointed with the format of the silent auction.
*disclaimer know money is for a great cause and I have nothing against the con having one thats not the issue*

I was at the silent auction and an item I had bid on had been out bid, but the card was full I asked how I put in a new bid but was told I needed to pay the buy it now or it would go in the live auction (which was annoying as buy it now was a bit more then I wanted to pay and I was not going to be there Monday)

it was really strange  (as to my understanding of what was explained to me)
Items had cards with a min bid and 4 blank spots to write bids and once full that's it, and a buy it now price.
if the items had been bid on 4 times then it is sent to the live charity auction with the last bid starting it off (if they are there)
 or you pay the buy it now price (which were about the retail price of the item if it was at a store)

So whats the point of a silent auction if the items aren't won there? 
I was told if a card was filled that meant there was interest in the item which is why it would be sent to live auction but
Lots of cards would have 2 people out biding each other once and then automatically sent to live auction, unless you paid the buy it now.
 The 4th bidder spot seems pointless to me, some one can only use it to make the 3rd bidder not win the auction, while still not winning it themselves.
So it felt like the 4th bidder was only the chance to be a jerk (not saying they are just how it felt)

*once again I know the money is going to a good cause and anything to earn more woot, that said it just felt pointless*

[Kimiski]

There seemed to be no staff around at all to monitor to make sure the episodes were running properly (as one friend had experienced at one con a hentai-ep went on the fritz at the wrong moment). I realize it is hard to spare staff for these rooms, but if they're all in one location shouldn't it be a good idea for at least one staff member to be hovering in the area?

There really isn't staff (as far as I am aware) to spare for sitting inside the room the entire con. If something goes wrong with playing the episodes, you can always come find someone at Info Booth and we'll get a hold of the right person to get in there and fix it as soon as they can.

[Naitron]

I would like there to be a regular karaoke room as in English speaking songs please!!!   I know it's not Anime related but watching cosplayers singing songs would be entertaining.  Also it could be done at night as well when the party starts

[FilkAeris]

As far as Japanese-culture-related panels go, I've thought about doing panels on a few different subjects before, but wasn't sure how they would be received.

I'm a nut for Heian-era literature (Tale of Genji, Pillow Book, etc.) and would love to do an upbeat modern panel on the classics - though some of the subject matter is a bit adult!     Sei Shonagon's eleventh-century diary reads more like a snarky society blog at times (her comic lists of "Annoying Things" and "Cute Things" wouldn't be out of place on Tumblr), and the romances in Genji would be a hoot to recap - the story of Kashiwagi the cat-stealing stalker prince alone is a schadenfreude-laden tragicomedy of errors.

I also lived in Hokkaido for three years, and picked up a healthy interest in the Ainu tribespeople, an indigenous population similar in many ways, and possibly related, to the Emishi people of Princess Mononoke's Ashitaka.  I would love to do a panel on the history and culture of the Ainu, and it might be especially interesting considering the similarities between their culture and the cultures of some First Peoples of the Pacific Northwest.

And, finally, I'm going to try and debut a Japanese cosplay culture panel at Akicon this fall, covering similarities and differences in Japanese and American cosplay cultures, resources, and attitudes.  If it goes well, I might submit it for Kumoricon 2013, too!

Do any of these sound interesting, or like they might be well-attended?  : )

[Washougal_Otaku]

^ I like the Ainu idea, myself, and Tales of Genji (what I recall) was pretty good.

[ObiJay]

I would like there to be a regular karaoke room as in English speaking songs please!!!   I know it's not Anime related but watching cosplayers singing songs would be entertaining.  Also it could be done at night as well when the party starts

I think that would be pretty awesome. I would totally belt out some 80s Bon Jovi while dressed up as Auron.

[Kumi4eva]

I would like there to be a regular karaoke room as in English speaking songs please!!!   I know it's not Anime related but watching cosplayers singing songs would be entertaining.  Also it could be done at night as well when the party starts

I think that would be pretty awesome. I would totally belt out some 80s Bon Jovi while dressed up as Auron.

As someone who loves singing with Karaoke but has gone out of the Anime/Manga phase, I would love for this to happen.

[Raiphin]

I would like there to be a regular karaoke room as in English speaking songs please!!!   I know it's not Anime related but watching cosplayers singing songs would be entertaining.  Also it could be done at night as well when the party starts

I think that would be pretty awesome. I would totally belt out some 80s Bon Jovi while dressed up as Auron.

As someone who loves singing with Karaoke but has gone out of the Anime/Manga phase, I would love for this to happen.

As someone who loves singing with Karaoke but isn't very good at doing it in Japanese, I would also love for this to happen.

[BlackjackGabbiani]

I'd like to say this about costume judging. If our focus is supposed to be on Japanese media and *only* Japanese media, then why include non-Japanese characters in the cosplay contest? Costume awards should be about workmanship, and that isn't limited to a single nation's media. Shouldn't it really be the other way around if we're going to pull the "Japanese things only!" card, have everyone able to be judged for their costumes but have only Japanese sources for the staged contest? As it is right now, it's just unfair, simply put.

(disclaimer--I have no personal stake in this, since I've cosplayed Pokemon characters for the past many years straight. I just think it's incredibly unfair that people can win a contest for a skit but not for a costume)





Also, regarding lack of space for a cosplay repair station, how about the basement? There was lots of room by the tabletop gaming.

[Washougal_Otaku]

As I understand it, the "Japanese animation only" rule has always been there, since this is an anime convention we're talking about, but it's been ignored for the sake of more skit entries.  I actually prefer having this restriction, myself.  As for the fashion show part, that was (again, to my understanding) a compromise for those that cosplay non-anime characters.

[BlackjackGabbiani]

So then why have non-Japanese characters in skits? It honestly seems unfair. Even a "best Non-Japanese costume" category would be *something*, but don't dangle a bone in front of people.

[SilverThunder]

 

Well, I like everything this year's kumoricon had to offer, but I have a few gripes about it that should be fixed next year:
1. Only two voice actor guests - I'm glad I got autographs from Lauren Landa and Sonny Strait, but the staff could've contacted Yuri Lowenthal, Monica Rial and some other great voice actor/actress and fit them in the con, as well! Hopefully they put Monica Rial (who voices Shiro, Konoka, Mei Chang, Momoka and Stocking) and Yuri Lowenthal (who voices Ben Tennyson, Sasuke, Patroklos Alexandra, Lagoon Boy [from Young Justice] and Super Omega Ranger [from Power Rangers Super Legends]), along with Steven Blum (who voices Orochimaru, Wolverine, Mugen, Amon and Yamaki] and Ashleigh Ball (who voices Rainbow Dash), into next year's Kumoricon, alongside veteran voice actor guests [Tiffany Grant, David Vincent, Sean Schemmel, Laura Landa, Kirk THornton and Todd Habberkorn].

2. Vendors need more in many ways and at less costs on some stuff - I like the stuff the vendors have to offer, but I think it needs more stuff to offer and sell, like more actions figures and some stuff from shows like Deadman Wonderland and .hack//Legend of the Twilight. Plus, I think they should sell certain stuff, like a certain Human Rainbow Dash figurine, for affordable range, so no one would be ripped off.  And of course, the vendors should be open until at least 8:00 PM, that way, I'd get to the vendors at no problem.

3. More Games at the Game Room - I like the games in the game room. They're really good, but I think they should have more for next year. In fact, they should bring back old favorites like Pokemon Battle Revolution and Kingdom Hearts II. Plus, they should continue bring Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition, Soul Calibur V, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and then some. Plus, they should also bring Games never brought to the con before, like Street Fighter X Tekken, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Dead or Alive 5, Dragonball Raging Blast 2 and Batman Arkham City Game of the Year edition. Also, the one Playstation 2 with a hard drive should have more games added, just to bring on a lot of PS2 fun.

4. New, good freebies - I like the freebies that I got, but I think they should have more. Also, I don't like how I got Magic the Gathering cards as freebies, because I don't even play Magic the Gathering at all. The new, good freebies I'm suggesting for the Kumoricon 2013 bag in Kumoricon 2013 are the following: 1. A DVD featuring the works of Yuri Lowenthal, Monica Rial, Steven Blum, Ashleigh Ball, David Vincent, Cynthia Martinez, Laura Landa and Sean Schemmel.
2. A poster with Shiro (from Deadman Wonderland) and Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)
3. A Sasuke Keychain
4. A CD with songs from Naruto, Deadman Wonderland, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, Bleach and more
5. A Rainbow Dash figure
6. Either a Pokemon Black or White Nintendo DS game (for those who want it) or Pokemon Card Game Booster Pack
Plus, there should be some free food samples passing around in the con, just to give a taste of what food has come out before they go to purchase it. But that's only a suggestion. And the Esther Short Park should have a free picnic/BBQ for Congoers on the last day, which is also labor day.

That's all I gotta say on the rants. I hope that's all understandable.

[bunny_jean]

As I understand it, the "Japanese animation only" rule has always been there, since this is an anime convention we're talking about, but it's been ignored for the sake of more skit entries.  I actually prefer having this restriction, myself.  As for the fashion show part, that was (again, to my understanding) a compromise for those that cosplay non-anime characters.

The rule is as follows:

"While we appreciate costumes from other genres, Kumoricon's Cosplay contest will be limited to those of Japanese origin including: Japanese anime, Japanese manga, J-rock, J-pop, Lolita, Japanese live-action cinema or TV series, Japanese religious or cultural garb, Japanese-origin video games or Japanese school or state uniforms. If your costume originates from any other country, it does not qualify. (Please feel free to enter non-qualifying costumes in the Hall Cosplay Contest)."

Although this is stated under a section for both the Skit and Workmanship categories it only applies to Workmanship. To be judged for workmanship a costume must be of "Japanese origin" as stated above. It doesn't even have to be from anime! It could be from a game, a woodblock print, a Japanese musical, etc. etc. But yes, until this year the rule has generally been ignored, or at least overlooked.

I personally think we should at least allow costumes of "Asian" origin (Asian would have to be defined, since some people consider the Middle-East to be part of Asia and others don't, I personally don't like the word, but that's another discussion), but I'm not going to argue with Kumoricon's decision to make it only of Japanese origin.

I think that they don't apply this rule to skits because it severely stifles the creativity of skit developers. Also, since it doesn't apply to skits skit developers can write skits that give more references to American pop-culture and connect with the audience better.

[EveofAbyss]

Well, I like everything this year's kumoricon had to offer, but I have a few gripes about it that should be fixed next year:
1. Only two voice actor guests - I'm glad I got autographs from Lauren Landa and Sonny Strait, but the staff could've contacted Yuri Lowenthal, Monica Rial and some other great voice actor/actress and fit them in the con, as well! Hopefully they put Monica Rial (who voices Shiro, Konoka, Mei Chang, Momoka and Stocking) and Yuri Lowenthal (who voices Ben Tennyson, Sasuke, Patroklos Alexandra, Lagoon Boy [from Young Justice] and Super Omega Ranger [from Power Rangers Super Legends]), along with Steven Blum (who voices Orochimaru, Wolverine, Mugen, Amon and Yamaki] and Ashleigh Ball (who voices Rainbow Dash), into next year's Kumoricon, alongside veteran voice actor guests [Tiffany Grant, David Vincent, Sean Schemmel, Laura Landa, Kirk THornton and Todd Habberkorn].

2. Vendors need more in many ways and at less costs on some stuff - I like the stuff the vendors have to offer, but I think it needs more stuff to offer and sell, like more actions figures and some stuff from shows like Deadman Wonderland and .hack//Legend of the Twilight. Plus, I think they should sell certain stuff, like a certain Human Rainbow Dash figurine, for affordable range, so no one would be ripped off.  And of course, the vendors should be open until at least 8:00 PM, that way, I'd get to the vendors at no problem.

3. More Games at the Game Room - I like the games in the game room. They're really good, but I think they should have more for next year. In fact, they should bring back old favorites like Pokemon Battle Revolution and Kingdom Hearts II. Plus, they should continue bring Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition, Soul Calibur V, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and then some. Plus, they should also bring Games never brought to the con before, like Street Fighter X Tekken, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Dead or Alive 5, Dragonball Raging Blast 2 and Batman Arkham City Game of the Year edition. Also, the one Playstation 2 with a hard drive should have more games added, just to bring on a lot of PS2 fun.

4. New, good freebies - I like the freebies that I got, but I think they should have more. Also, I don't like how I got Magic the Gathering cards as freebies, because I don't even play Magic the Gathering at all. The new, good freebies I'm suggesting for the Kumoricon 2013 bag in Kumoricon 2013 are the following: 1. A DVD featuring the works of Yuri Lowenthal, Monica Rial, Steven Blum, Ashleigh Ball, David Vincent, Cynthia Martinez, Laura Landa and Sean Schemmel.
2. A poster with Shiro (from Deadman Wonderland) and Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)
3. A Sasuke Keychain
4. A CD with songs from Naruto, Deadman Wonderland, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, Bleach and more
5. A Rainbow Dash figure
6. Either a Pokemon Black or White Nintendo DS game (for those who want it) or Pokemon Card Game Booster Pack
Plus, there should be some free food samples passing around in the con, just to give a taste of what food has come out before they go to purchase it. But that's only a suggestion. And the Esther Short Park should have a free picnic/BBQ for Congoers on the last day, which is also labor day.

That's all I gotta say on the rants. I hope that's all understandable.

That's all...really outrageous. About the vendors, Kumoricon can't control what vendors carry to the specificity you're expecting ("you are invited to sell at our convention, but only if you carry that DW figure that doesn't exist. Oh, you should make it do you can sell it by the way." kind of unrealistic, yeah?). We also have to remember the vendors are also people, paying attendees who should be able to enjoy the con to some capacity. Being open until 8, even being only 2 hours, cuts way too far into their time, I'd say. They are open from 10-6 after all, those are shift hours for any job.

Not to make this one big "No", but your suggestions for the swag bag and BBQ in the park are ridiculous. I think you may severely be overestimating the resources of Kumoricon. These things you suggested, the ones that actually exist and wouldn't need to be made up out of nothing just for a swag bag, are way too costly to give away by the thousands. Would you want your registration to go up 20-30 dollars to have a $100 swag bag? These things always have opportunity costs, and yeah Kumoricon could give out packed-to-the-gills media swag, but pretty much every other facet would have to be cut back to make it happen, and that's a sacrifice most attendees would not opt for. A few nice, albeit random, things in a bag will be just fine. General items will always be preferable to specific expensive ones when dealing in the thousands. You don't like Magic the Gathering. There are others who don't like Deadman Wonderland, probably more than didn't like Magic this year. Just saying, tastes vary and you can't pretend like yours are the majority's because they are yours.

Anyway, not saying your suggestions are invalid, just... severely unrealistic.

[Tankou001]

Big Quote from Tanis And Ally... >.>

Ya thanks a bunch on settin me straight with things like that. Ya I understand the financial situation involved. Honestly I've never really done the head count too specifically at Orycon, I just thought it would make a good idea. Ya... finances get difficult. Just thought it would be something nice to throw out there but thanks very much, Ally and Tanis, for bringing me intro a bit of perspective on that ^^

[Bopie98]

Well, I like everything this year's kumoricon had to offer, but I have a few gripes about it that should be fixed next year:
1. Only two voice actor guests - I'm glad I got autographs from Lauren Landa and Sonny Strait, but the staff could've contacted Yuri Lowenthal, Monica Rial and some other great voice actor/actress and fit them in the con, as well! Hopefully they put Monica Rial (who voices Shiro, Konoka, Mei Chang, Momoka and Stocking) and Yuri Lowenthal (who voices Ben Tennyson, Sasuke, Patroklos Alexandra, Lagoon Boy [from Young Justice] and Super Omega Ranger [from Power Rangers Super Legends]), along with Steven Blum (who voices Orochimaru, Wolverine, Mugen, Amon and Yamaki] and Ashleigh Ball (who voices Rainbow Dash), into next year's Kumoricon, alongside veteran voice actor guests [Tiffany Grant, David Vincent, Sean Schemmel, Laura Landa, Kirk THornton and Todd Habberkorn].

2. Vendors need more in many ways and at less costs on some stuff - I like the stuff the vendors have to offer, but I think it needs more stuff to offer and sell, like more actions figures and some stuff from shows like Deadman Wonderland and .hack//Legend of the Twilight. Plus, I think they should sell certain stuff, like a certain Human Rainbow Dash figurine, for affordable range, so no one would be ripped off.  And of course, the vendors should be open until at least 8:00 PM, that way, I'd get to the vendors at no problem.

3. More Games at the Game Room - I like the games in the game room. They're really good, but I think they should have more for next year. In fact, they should bring back old favorites like Pokemon Battle Revolution and Kingdom Hearts II. Plus, they should continue bring Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition, Soul Calibur V, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and then some. Plus, they should also bring Games never brought to the con before, like Street Fighter X Tekken, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Dead or Alive 5, Dragonball Raging Blast 2 and Batman Arkham City Game of the Year edition. Also, the one Playstation 2 with a hard drive should have more games added, just to bring on a lot of PS2 fun.

4. New, good freebies - I like the freebies that I got, but I think they should have more. Also, I don't like how I got Magic the Gathering cards as freebies, because I don't even play Magic the Gathering at all. The new, good freebies I'm suggesting for the Kumoricon 2013 bag in Kumoricon 2013 are the following: 1. A DVD featuring the works of Yuri Lowenthal, Monica Rial, Steven Blum, Ashleigh Ball, David Vincent, Cynthia Martinez, Laura Landa and Sean Schemmel.
2. A poster with Shiro (from Deadman Wonderland) and Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)
3. A Sasuke Keychain
4. A CD with songs from Naruto, Deadman Wonderland, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, Bleach and more
5. A Rainbow Dash figure
6. Either a Pokemon Black or White Nintendo DS game (for those who want it) or Pokemon Card Game Booster Pack
Plus, there should be some free food samples passing around in the con, just to give a taste of what food has come out before they go to purchase it. But that's only a suggestion. And the Esther Short Park should have a free picnic/BBQ for Congoers on the last day, which is also labor day.

That's all I gotta say on the rants. I hope that's all understandable.

I agree with the post above, most of this is completely unrealistic.  To your first point, voice actors do not come to cons just to hang out.  They are paid to be there.  The con normally provides them with a hotel for the con, a plane ticket to wherever the con is being held from where they are, food for them for the weekend, and paying them to just be there.  Some voice actors charge thousands of dollars to show up at a con.  You can't have everything.

You're second point is actually very typical.  As a vendor myself (I was not vending that con by the way) I know how expensive this industry is.  If you have a problem with the prices then all means, go find a place cheaper. Chances are you won't, or you'll be buying bootlegs.  In regards to you wanting it open until 8:00pm that is fairly rude.  Vendors aren't treated like guests.  Vendors show up a bit before the room opens and then they have to stay at their booths until it closes.  You are basically asking the vendors to work 10 hour days without any breaks in between.  The con can't close the vendor room for an hour so the vendors can go eat either.  It's been tried and it doesn't work. 

About the games I don't really have much to say other than having RPGs is kind of hard considering most are one player and the game room has a time limit so everyone can get a chance to play.

Finally your freebies.  You have to realize that Kumoricon needs swag bags for almost 5,000 people (and that's just this year)  The Magic cards were in there because Wizards (the company that makes them) gives them out for free.  I don't think you comprehend how much money goes into a convention.  Compared to the bigger cons, Kumoricon is pretty cheap to get in.  The cheapest "freebie" you listed is probably the poster (that doesn't exist.  Posters don't do crossovers) which is most likely $2 to $3.  The things in the bags are things that companies give the con to advertise their product.  It's free because it was most likely given to the con for free.  Are you serious about the DS game?  That's a $40 minimum used.

The BBQ goes back to my original statement of just how many con goers are at the con.  Plus, the park generally has that labor day thing going on and putting something related to the con into the mix is just too crowded.  The park isn't for the con, it's still public property that you can't reserve for the con. 

I'm not saying any of this to be mean or offensive, I just think you should consider the con as a whole and the people you're talking about affecting before you start talking about very costly changes.

[DSaturn]

Glad I wasn't the first one to see that post and then have to respond to it... Totally agree with the 'being unrealistic'... We're lucky to have Kumoricon, and just imagine if they did try to do that... They would end up destroying themselves.

[Tsukinya]

^ Agree completely. 'Nuf said 

[superjaz]

I know the staff in charge work hard to pick vendors the con will like and there are bunches of factors that into it
That said maybe some year including a survey or short questionair about the vendors, which you like which you didn't why, which had fair prices
otherwise posting here

[Acheron]

I know the staff in charge work hard to pick vendors the con will like and there are bunches of factors that into it
That said maybe some year including a survey or short questionair about the vendors, which you like which you didn't why, which had fair prices
otherwise posting here

Although I don't know anything about how the vendors are selected, that sounds like a great idea from where I'm standing. I'd be willing to through my vote behind the guy selling the $9 Gundam box kits (and anyone who wasn't charging sales tax...).

If the staff are taking suggestions, last year (2011), there was a booth that I'm fairly sure was called "Half-Price Manga" that had a huge selection for $5 each, and I was really hoping they'd be here this year, but alas, they were not. If there was some way they could be invited back, that would be amazing!