SATURDAY (April 24)
AnimeCentral's overarching slogan, not just for this year, but last as
well (and presumably, next) is "got soap?"
Well... we do. And we know how to use it. Hey, a good hot shower is a
great way to wake up in the morning, y'all. Of course, for those who
never went to sleep in the first place, well... it's easier for us to
get bed rest at the Ucchan, not having the anime rooms or closed-circuit
TV. Besides, what with Dan-chan still sleeping, it's a way to kill time
as well.
And maybe, with a slogan like that, otaku will make more of an effort to
wash up every morning....
Nahhh...
***
Once again, the timing of our arrival is a bit dicey; between dropping
off Dan-chan with Jeni-imouto-chan and finding a parking spot at the
Ramada (hey, what else are we gonna do?) we barely manage to roll in at
10 am, just in time for the live programming to begin. 'Natsu-chan is
curious about an item on the schedule labelled simply "White Radish,"
so we jog up to room D-22.
Turns out, this is Shawn the Touched's anime production group, and he's
going through how to use computers to create anime (as opposed to doing
it by hand - which seems like an intuitive choice, if you ask me)
Still, with the antique computers Konatsu and I have, we haven't a
prayer of creating anything of the sort... so we head out to see what
the video rooms hold.
A few episodes of Vampire Princess Miyu later, and we decide to head
back to the panel area: Anime On Line sounds promising...
En route to the D concourse again, we encounter a crowd swarming around
what turns out to be the obligatory big bearded guy done up as Sailor
Moon. Actually, though, his *shield* is the main attraction about him.
The canton displays Pretty Sammy holding the severed head of Tsukino
Usagi, and in the base, a mob of rabid carrots pursue a terrified Ryo-
ohki. This man is sick and twisted, and I mean that as high praise.
***
We never make it to Anime On Line. We bump into Paul Corrigan (of
recent Utena fic fame) and get to chatting, rather loudly I'm afraid,
about Utena, Greenwood, Key, Ranma... well, just about every series we
know in common. The discussion is animated (ah... heh-heh) enough that
the panel closes their doors on us. Oops.
So while we cool our heels waiting for the fic panel, 'Natsu-chan plays
solitaire with a new deck of AMG cards, and I fill out the ACen survey.
It really feels like detention - right down to the fact that I'm doing
homework in the hall. No water buckets, though.
The writers begin to trickle by. Gary, Nick, the Wildes... and we all
end up sitting on the floor right outside the door for a while,
discussing such profundities as egg sake, and Mike Loader as comedian.
Travis vows to do whatever it takes to make Mike write comedy again...
so Mike, if someday someone kidnaps you and starts beating you
sadistically about the face and neck with a rubber chicken, don't
say you weren't warned, okay?
***
Once in the room, the panel festivities begin with a couple flashbulbs
in Nick Leifker's face. He proceeds to stagger around a bit, bumping
into a plate glass window. He is offered the chance to buy some life
insurance.
There are jokes about EVA-related merchandising related to their end-
credits song 'Fly Me To The Moon': "The only thing that even makes
sense is toilet paper."
Hey... where's Zen? We can't get started without him. Someone wanna
go look for him? He should be at least easier to find than Waldo...
oh, here he comes. Now we can get started, assuming we stop laughing
about one thing or another...
First things first. Ryan Matthews, moderating the panel once again, has
banned only one thread: "How did you get started writing fanfiction?"
That's a lot fewer than the FFML has, for sure. Beyond that, anything
goes. And just as Ryan states confidently that he never needs to use
his pre-planned questions, the room suddenly falls deathly silent.
There are no questions... but there *is* a fair amount of self-conscious
laughter as the audience absorbs the irony of it all.
Nick relates C&C to the Hippocratic oath: first, do no harm. Never
thought about the concept of critic-as-doctor, but it makes sense.
This leads into MSTs, which, like the fics themselves, can be good or
bad. Bridget speaks of the need to maintan a balance between the actual
fic being MSTed and the characters' riffs - don't drown out the fic.
Zen adds that not all MSTs trash a fic: in fact, none of his *ever* did.
Someone asks Jamie and Bridget, whose status as married fic writers
renders them unique in the anime fanfiction world (correct me if I'm
wrong about that, y'all) if they've ever collaborated on a story.
Surprisingly, the answer turns out to be no, barring the 'sounding-
board' method that produced "Reunions."
I have to ask about trying to get from one really good scene to another,
a difficulty that appears common to all of us (Yay! I'm not alone!).
Bert Van Vleit (sp?) states that he got around it once by posting his
fic *and* the additional scene at the same time, with the gap between
them intact. It wasn't particularly well-received. Ryan commented
about the additional problems of syncing scenes occuring simultaneously
in different places in a fic.
How about having multiple on-going projects? Bad news: (Jeanne) You
never finish *any* of them. Good news: (Nick) You have different fics
for different moods. Fair enough, but what if you're in a mood NOT to
write at all?
Collaboration (with non-spouses, of course) brings out some consensus
- "You need a LOT of patience" "Check your ego at the door" - before
diverging into methodology. Some prefer MUCKs and 'acting out,' others
just write their bits and bring it together, and so on. Bert points
out the trepidation of letting someone else use what you feel has become
'your' character (which I suppose would be what Rumiko-megami-sama might
go through if *she* ever came across this whole list).
Speaking of which, Bert... what about self-insertions? "Uh... check,
please?" ^_^
Since character debates aren't banned in this room, Jeanne mentions how
certain stories provoke the question of "who are you, and what have you
done with the *real* Usagi/Ranma/Priss/(name of character)?" Nick does
mention that the differences between the anime and manga will color a
writer's experience and interpretation of a character, and slack must be
cut. Conclusion? "Disclaimers are your friends."
Do any of you have any stories you regret writing? Oh, yeah. Of
course, none of the panelists are willing to mention them by NAME...
On to different series. Yes, Ranma fics are nearing saturation point.
No, there's probably quite a bit that can still be written about Ranma.
Yes, we'd like to see other series develop a fic base of their own.
No, we'd rather not see any more Pokemon fics. Especially hentai
Pokemon fics (general shudder - believe it or not, there was a poster
near the discussion room advertising hentai Pokemon showing this
evening!). Titles like Utena, Silent Moebius and Sabre Marionette J
were thrown out (I was disappointed that Key was not, but them's the
breaks), so let's get cracking on 'em, whaddya say?
***
The panel over, we head back to the con suite for a quick bite and a
long jaw with the Wildes. I didn't know this, but both of them are
very good artists, judging from the graffiti they put up on the con
suite wall (relax, it had been covered with posterboard for just this
purpose).
A word: peanut butter & jelly can be spread with forks, but it's not
easy.
***
This has been the weekend for changing plans. We never make it to
the dealers' room today, as we get mixed up in a huge line for the
main event of the afternoon: music videos. Ah... what the hell.
And look who we run into trying to find a seat for the show... what,
did all the fanfic writers just somehow find each other like this?
Can we smell each other out or something, or is it more innate than
that, even?
Once again, there are technical difficulties, but once it gets started,
the show is most impressive: Gendo Ikari IS "One Bad Mutha" (I thought
he was one bad fatha, but hey...) Konatsu-chan broke down watching "War
Child" by the Cranberries - somehow, I don't think we'll be renting
Grave of the Fireflies any time soon. One video ends with a caption
"The Anime Is Out There," which gets a big laugh.
Hm. Someone really likes the Cranberries, and WWII-based anime. Even
I tear up at shots from GotF and Barefoot Gen. I gotta ask: why does
Setsuko's death tear the viewer to pieces, while the planet-destroying
antics of, say, the Lovely Angels elicit only amusement? Ya gotta know
they didn't evacuate the planet beforehand (in "Project Eden," I think
it was an accident); why is the large loss funny and the small loss
tragic? Or am I just thinking waaay too hard about this kinda stuff?
Here's a hysterical tribute to the Inspector from Lupin III... we've
GOT to catch Cagliostro tonight at eleven or so. Wonder how familiar
the creators of Lupin were with Mack Sennett?
Now for a few videos to be shown out-of-competition, due to either
subtitling or graphic violence or nudity. John Biles points out that
at least one of the competition videos was based on Fist of the North
Star: "Yeah, thank God for nice clean kiddie shows like that."
The big hit of the non-comps is a BGC crossover with the A-Team credits.
HUGE laughter and applause; any fic writers wanna take on this combo?
***
We do a little bit of running around, taking down room party info
for future reference, before settling back in for the game show. The
category titles are worthy of You Don't Know Jack, but the questions
themselves, well...
Ah, heck. How many times have you watched a game show on telly and
wished you could heckle the participants, anyway?
Mercifully, a champion is declared, and prizes are handed out all
around. No thimbles, though.
***
Despite the hectic schedule, 'Natsu-chan and I are still trying to get
in two squares a day... even if that *does* mean McDonalds, for once.
Ironic, then, that on our way out we should run across Shawn the Touched
airing his parody fandub 'Fast Food Freedom Fighters.' Ooh, we've *got*
to get our paws on this. How much? Free? You're kidding... well, what
with copyright regs and all that, this is how it has to be, I guess. So
we're to send him a blank tape, and he'll send it back filled. Cool.
Just for that, we pick up a couple of his doujinshi, too.
***
Back from Mickey Ds, bag in hand, we encounter a worried-looking Ryan
Matthews. Travis Butler's gone missing, and either Ryan has Travis'
jacket or Travis has Ryan's - my notes are sketchy on that point. We
promise to keep our eyes peeled. So much for that innate homing theory.
We don't find Travis, but then, we don't do a lot of searching. The
line for the Masquerade audience is pretty long already; it's clear
we're not gonna get very good seats when start letting us in. At least
we may actually *get* seats, if we stay where we are. So we get in and
plunk ourselves down for a meal. Hey, we won't be going anywhere for a
while.
And actually, once the line *does* move in, it turns out that our seats
are reasonably decent. Back couple of rows, yes, but right on the
opposite side of the room as the main doors. We may get to watch the
contestants enter... or rather, exit.
Once again, some difficulties in getting the first contestant out,
but after that, things go pretty smoothly. Sailor Bubba is not
competing, but shows up (without the shield, which is on display
in the art room) A twelve-year-old in Sailor Moon garb enters and
exits too quickly, earning her twice the normal time in the spotlight.
A group does a sketch of Ryoga stumbling into the world of Ruroni
Kenshin, that degenerates into a fight that requires Lupin's Inpector
to break it up.
Some of the costumes and sketches leave us psyched to pull off our own
cosplay at AnimeIowa. We could do this, and probably every bit as well
as a good number of these folks.
Except for... Pen-Pen. This guy won last year as Genma-panda, and he's
done it again. What a costume! The crowd goes wild, and Amanda Winn
is down to her fire-red bra as she boogies with him onstage. Someone
else nearby points out that this is Ayanami Rei getting it on with Pen-
Pen, and I have to restrain my mind from running screaming from the
room.
***
But we do have to run... the dance is scheduled elsewhere, and we
*gotta* be there. But we're practically the only ones there! Well,
the music is loud enough, it'll attract people eventually. But by the
time the room starts filling up, we are exhausted. Besides, Lupin's
running in the video room.
And it's every bit as interesting as the music video had shown. Pity
I feel I have to duck out - one of the room parties is showing "Ranma
like you've never seen him before" Maybe he'll be with me...?
While 'Natsu-chan stays for the ending, I speed across the hotel to
watch Ranma 1/3, a parody fandub that basically states Ranma is gay,
Ryoga is a drug kingpin (well, as many trips as he winds up making to
Columbia and all, it was inevitable) and the guys' rhythmic gymnastic
team are a bunch of Nazis who sell bad anime. Amusing, but no laff
riot... and I'm not even *in* it.
We drop in on another party... no anime, but a number of writers...
and quite a bit of sake, mixed with chocolate syrup. I've heard of
chocoholism before, but really...
And even once we leave *that*, we still can't get away. The main
ballroom is hosting yet another parody fandub, entitled "Koko wa
Otaku," a fandub parody about making a fandub parody. This is just
*too* funny... we stay for the whole thing. Trust me, sugar... when
you're laughing this hard, you can't fall asleep, even at three a.m.
But once it's over, we resist the temptation to stay for more. We
get CDS Productions' email address for future reference (it's
Kotebuki@flash.net, BTW), and head out. Gonna need the rest...
this ain't over yet.
Not by a long chalk.
SUNDAY (April 25)
This morning, 'Natsu-chan drops me off at the hotel. My kunoichi is
going to pick up Dan-chan from my parents - in any case, 'Natsu's not
as interested in today's programming as I, and as I mentioned before,
the parking fees are ridiculous.
Actually, I manage to arrive before the live programming starts in.
So I head back to the dealers' room to see if there's anything I missed.
There isn't, but I still drop a few Jacksons on a couple of tapes and a
book on doujinshi (yes, it's the one they were touting in the opening
ceremonies).
As I leave, I run into... what else? a clutch of writers, this time
including Zen. And I get swept right back into the dealers' room on
their momentum. I don't stay long, though. I've got a panel to attend.
I'm not alone, either, in waiting for the meeting room to open. I
spend some time chatting with Paul Corrigan before a young woman walks
up. Leah? Rachel? Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss Utena (she grins at this),
I'm terrible at placing names and faces. She holds forth a one-woman
panel right there in the hall, with Mark serving as 'moderator;' how
she got into voice acting, life in New York City, and so forth.
Others finally arrive, but no one has keys to the room. So, we move
to the empty room next door, along with fellow Utena actress Leah
Applebaum. She leads off by explaining how little she knew of her
character when she first started - all she'd been told at the time
was that Nanami was 'whiny' - but time and experience with the
character's nuances allow her to adjust her voice to fit her
expanded understanding of the character. Rachel agrees - it's
her contention that watching the characters give insight into
their personality that allows for a better interpretation of the
character.
One thing that surprised me was that voice actors rarely perform
together. It's just one actor/actress in the sound booth, working
on one line at a line. In fact, Rachel claims she's not even met the
woman who plays Anthy. Leah points out that this solitude is a good
thing, as it allows physicalization of the action on screen - running
in place, or holding arms over one's head when a character does - that
one might be self-conscious about in a clutch of actors.
Doug Smith, the voice of Kintaro in GoldenBoy, walks in, and begins
by going through a typical day at the studio. He seems to have this
special fondness for what he calls 'scream-and-die' sessions.
Considering that's how he got discovered, that's understandable.
The three talk about the number of takes they usually do on a scene,
and even then... Leah remembers at least once thinking "They used THAT
take?" in horror at hearing the finished results.
Favorite bits? Leah enjoys the truly manic Nanami, planting snails and
octopi in Anthy's possessions, only to find some already there. Rachel
likes doing Chu-chu - especially since she usually does it at the end of
the day, as a sort of free-form thing. Doug recalls a swimming scene
where Kintaro practically drowned - though I can't imagine trying to
talk while gargling to be fun, personally.
Lisa Ortiz walks in - apparantly, she'd gone to the 'wrong' room for
a few minutes - and related her favorite bit being a wildly varied
interior monologue in the first episode. She's also carrying a cinnamon
roll, and someone asks about food in the sound booth... especially since
Lina Inverse eats a lot, and talks while she does. Nope. Water's okay,
but food is not. She twists her tongue about in her mouth to get the
desired effect.
Final question: would you like the stardom that seiyuus in Japan enjoy?
Oddly enough, there is a general shaking of heads. Part of the fun to
voice acting is *not* being recognized, they say. Well, all right...
if you say so...
***
Now, it's the fans' turn, as Toshi Uchida sets up the 'dub your own'
workshop. Three scenes from Ranma... any volunteers?
Actually, I didn't play myself, despite the fact that the role was
pretty big. I took the part of Kasumi in the first scene, and I think
I did pretty well.
I got a little jealous of the folks doing the second scene, what with
it being longer and with meatier roles... but that's when the alarm
sounded.
So, we had several hundred otaku crowded around the outdoor swimming
pool (which was empty, more's the pity), waiting for the fire department
to come and check out the place. Lisa Ortiz is protesting how she had
only been trying to light a barbeque with a fireball...
Actually, it doesn't take long before we're back inside. Maybe it was
just someone's way of telling us "look, it's a beautiful day out...
why don't you enjoy it while the sun's out rather that sitting in that
hotel all weekend?" But everyone picks up where they left off, and
under the circumstances, it's not so bad.
Konatsu-chan and Dan-chan meet me in the game room; they hadn't been
here for the alarm, but got here just as people were going back in.
We head back to the dealers' room on Dan-chan's insistence, and deplete
the last of our cash on pre-registration for AC2K - well, Dan-chan's
already *got* a Pikachu doll. It doesn't occur to us until considerably
later that we may have trouble getting the car out of the parking lot if
we're out of money!
***
All the guests of honor have said their thank yous (and Yoko-o has
made his apologies for failing at his terrorist mission to burn the
place down. He'll do better next year, he assures us). I have to
confess, I'm getting hungry and tired, and I'm having trouble paying
attention. I think I'm ready to call it a con.
So until next year (or for the privileged few, until AnimeIowa), see
you later!
Itsu mo,
Ucchan ^_^