Fanime 2012 - May 24-28

Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend for the entire Fanime, however anyone interest in anime should go. I was only in San Jose where it was being held for May 25-27, when I first got to the convention center late Friday afternoon. This is where I found out that the waiting in line is the vary first event. That both the registered and unregistered are long and time consuming. Even though the registered line is longer, all you have to do there is show your proof of purchase with your ID. On the other hand even though the unregistered line doesn't wrap around the building like the registered line does, it feels as if you are standing still. The reason is that first thing is that you need to fill out this form online. Than after that you need to get in another line, which is a waiting line for a line. In the third line is where you pay for the type of pass you want, whether it be a one day pass or for the whole weekend. The Final line is where you get your badge and schedule for the Con.

Stage Zero

Is place in the center of the Fanime, to get to any of the other rooms you have to pass by here. During Fanime there are different thing going on here. When they have nothing to do they play some Japanese music videos here. Other times it works as an information booth where they tell what is going to be happen in the next couple hours. Also once the convention gets going they run some games here where you can win prizes. Some of the games that went on here is Jakenpo( Rock, Paper, Scissors) where once you win, the next thing is to hit the other person with a air-hammer to get a point. However the loser can prevent the winner from getting a point by putting the helmet on. There are other games such as quick-draw and dance-offs. Although the main attraction at Stage Zero is Fanimaid, where the maids from the Maid-Cafe come and dance at one O'clock before they open the cafe.

-Fanimaid Photo gallery-

Exhibit Halls

There are three Main locations at the convention the Artist Gallery, Market, and Game Center. In Hall one there where quite a few booths set-up for them to display there art. Also if you Like a piece it would cost between $5-$30 per piece, it seems the prices varied based on the size and detial. Hall two was where people where selling important anime goods from Japan. There where things like body pillows, models, anime, and manga. One of the most interesting things there was the Nekomimi, or cat-ear. Which were this robot ears that would read your brainwaves and move accordingly, however they were running a special deal at the con where you could order a pair for $100. The Final room was where they were running some Arcade style games, like dance-dance revolution. They even had a machines setup so that you could get some change if you forgot to bring some with you.

Special Rooms

In most of these special rooms, they were dedicated to watching anime. In each of these rooms there was a different theme of Anime going on. In the nostalgia room is was playing Classic anime like Dragonballs. In the Marathon room they were showing long series like Ronin Kenshin. They even had a special room to show Asia movies, and not just Japanese films. This was nice because watching anime is I find to be a mostly private experience. There where other room set off from the main group where they would teach you have to make cosplay armor and weapons cheaply. These other rooms where for timed events like speed dating or the black and white ball.

Cosplay

This was almost a secret event in it self, where you wanted to go around trying to find your favorite Characters. Also it wasn't limited to just anime but Japanese video games, it went even as far as including America pop culture as well. It appeared as if everyone could be divided into two groups ones there to take peoples pictures, and ones there to get there picture taken. An interesting thing is that on the surface these people at Fanime my appear to be very outgoing but in reality I feel that they are in truth vary shy. It just a special condition that only happens at these convention that allows for them to be more out going.

 -Cosplay photo Gallery-

Haiyore Nyaruko-San - Ep07

Continuing from last time where Nyaruko is about to do Mahiro, to turns out that Mahiro is not going to give-up without a fight. This results in him traping Nyaruko between a blanket and a table. However as they are having breakfast the next day, she makes it difficult for Mahiro by saying that they did it last night and now she is pregnant. This makes it difficult for Mahiro because he has to dispel everything that she says and for some strange reason his friends with not believe anything that he says. This cause even more trouble when this conversation gets his mother starts to dream about grandchildren. This makes things worse for Mahiro because his mother is now accepting of a potential relationship between them as long as it doesn't become X-rated. How this cause Nyaruko to start to plan that if she can get pregnant, his mother will change her tune once grandchildren come into the mix.

Once breakfast is over, Mahiro ends up spending a lot of time trying to run away from Nyaruko. Which to an extent he is partial successful. However later when he finds out Luhy has started up a takayaki stand, things happen which causes them to all meet up again. However after lunch he is at his limit with Nyaruko's behavior which cause him to snap saying that he hates her. This cause Nyaruko to turn pale and loss all but three sanity points. The question is what happen when she reaches zero. Anyways, for awhile Mahiro leaves her as she is. Although after a bit his friend Yoichi convince him that he might have went a bit to far.

This leads to him apologizing for what he said, that he real doesn't hate her. Somehow this ends up with go on a date with Nyaruko to make up for what was said. Nyaruko changes into a kimono, and they end up going around to various different place but one place that Mahiro refuses to go is to the sex museum. Towards the end of the day they end up going to a temple that is dedicated to the god of relationships. Mahiro agrees to go there so that he can get out of going to the sex museum, and after they pray at the temple Nyaruko buys some fireworks. Then once they use them on the beach, Nyaruko tells him that she is really interested in him. That her cheerful attitude is just so that she can have the courage to tell him, that she will continue to tell him that she loves him until it get through to him.

Tasogare Otome X Amnesia - Ep07

This time they are finally addressing the shadow Yuuko that has been appearing on occasional. In the Manga there is more of a set up because they are actively pursuing it before it takes direct action. However in the begin of the episode they focus in on the fact that Yuuko is starting to act strangely. In this way she is become more attached to Teiichi, where she is sitting in his lap during class. Then there is the fact that she is become jealous of his interaction with Okonogi and Kirie. This happens as Yuuko is dragging him off to have lunch on the rooftop they are stopped by Okonogi, which Teiichi agrees to have lunch with because he really doesn't have a reason to say no. However during Yuuko does two things to indicate that she wants to be left alone with Teiichi. The first is that she eats his lunch for him so that he would no-long have a reason to say near Okonogi. The second things is that she knocks some food out of Okonogi hand as she is trying to feed him.

Later on Kirie is having a conversation about Yuuko with Teiichi, How Kirishima Yuuko is in some ways a lot like Konoe Yuuko. That as Kirishima forced all of her misfortune onto Yuuko, Yuuko is doing the same thing to this shadow version of herself. She goes further by asking the question of maybe what this shadow is a form of psychological disorder. The is a disorder call disassociate amnesia where a person creates an second personality to force their problems on, and maybe because Yuuko is a ghost it has allowed it to act independent of Yuuko. This also would mean that no-matter what Teiichi does Yuuko with never get back her memories. Also this explains why she doesn't have any negative emotions like angry or hatred.

Then just as Kirie is finishing her explanation they turn around and see Yuuko there, and for some reason she runs off. However after Teiichi catchs up with her, they wind up infront of the curse stone. Which it turns out to really be a historical record of 1953 how there was a plague, and Yuuko's name is being refurded to in association with the plague. This leads Teiichi to believe that all the stories that they have gather so far has a degree of truth to them in telling the story of what happen to Yuuko. That about half a century ago there was a plague and to stop it Yuuko was chosen by Akabito to be the living sacrifice. The one problem with his theory is that she did so willingly but if the was true why was her leg broken to keep her from running away. Also why is the place it was done at underground.

Although the next day, Yuuko greets him like normal but she seem a little off to Teiichi. It seems like for some reason now when every she see her refection, instead of seeing herself she instead see Shadow Yuuko. It reach a point where it appears as if Yuuko got possessed by her shadow self, and pushes Teiichi down the stairs. Later when Teiichi comes back to school with a broken leg, he makes his way to the old school building where Yuuko is. However he is horrified to realize that she has forget him, it appears that Shadow Yuuko took Yuuko's feeling of jealousy as well as all her memories of Teiichi.

Acchi Kocchi - Ep07

Train pun

Train Jumping

Fishing is Dangers?

Eating Rhythm

Failed Kimono Joke

Friendly Fire

Sankarea - Ep07

This time they get a little side-tracked by focusing in on Chihiro and Ranko relationship. In the Manga they do it a bit gradually, however one of the distinctions that they make it clear is that it is alright for cousins to marry on another. I don't know if this is really factual to Japanese society but it is very possible that to them it is acceptable because of clans. That with in a clan you were indirectly related to everyone, and by marrying your relatives you would keep the political power within the family. In the Manga there is a greater focus in on Ranko's mother trying to get a relationship started between Chihiro and Ranko. However from a western perspective this is seen as very sick because to use the idea of being in that sort of relationship that you have blood-ties with is sickening. Anyway enough with the reference from the source material.

Things start out with how Chihiro and Ranko first meet, it turns out to be the kind of place you would expect Chihiro to be. When they met as children Chihiro finds Ranko crying in a graveyard and he leads her out. This leads her to believe that he is her prince although later she is a bit disheartened when she finds out that they are cousins. What disappoints her even further is that he isn't interested in anything but zombies. However what disappoints her the most is that the person that she thought was courageous, is in reality nothing but a crybaby. However when she leaves to go home her first love is broken.

However two years later Ranko's mother decides to move the business near the temple where Chihiro lives. Then with this she also insists that Ranko try a get along with her cousin with Chihiro. Then one day when Chihiro comes over and Ranko is leaving him to his own devices, her mother question what she is doing. This leads up to Ranko taking Chihiro to a local video store to rent some movies, and to Ranko misfortune Chihiro goes through and check out some zombie movies. Then on the way home when they go back to Ranko's house they get attack by a dog. While initially Chihiro runs off to save himself, when he turns back and see Ranko is in trouble he tries to protect her. Then after this Ranko feels that she should at least try an understand his obsession with zombies.

This leads us up to current day where Chihiro is helping out at the restaurant that Ranko's family owns. Then while Chihiro is trying to cut some vegetables Ranko comes in a starts harassing him about how slow he is, then just as she says this she trips. Then before she can fall Chihiro catches her, this leads to Ranko's mother making some cat calls and implies that he should just marry Ranko. Once they get over the embarrassment, they head out together to do some delivers. While they are out doing this they end up running into his friends from school.

This leads to them jumping to the conclusion that they are out on a date, but Chihiro immediately denies it. Yasutaka starts complaining about how cruel the world is when a zombie-freak like Chihiro start getting all the girls, where he doesn't just have Rea but Ranko as well. Once they get away from his hormone obsess friend. Ranko realize that this touch on her greatest fear that Chihiro will end up with Rea because she is both a zombie and beautiful. This leads to Ranko shoving Chihiro against the wall and trying to kiss him. However gives up in the end because of his constant retreat, but this leads to them going their separate way since the delivers are done. Things end with the Harding of Ranko's resolve to win over Chihiro in the end.

Kore Wa Zombie Desu Ka? Of The Dead! - Ep07

Things start off with us receiving an explanation on how Haruna got her magic back. It turns out that the device that she was making last time, was a mana absorption device. Haruna used it to absorb some of the Yuu's mana because she wasn't able to get her mana back by eating. However by using Yuu's mana it has cause a unfortunate side-effect for Haruna because with Yuu's mana also carried her curse. That means that Haruna can't speak or experience emotions without felling intense pain. Although this side-effect has had the opposite effect on Yuu because now she can freely express herself without the fear of an repercussions from it. This makes for an interesting situation because the one character we could only hear speak through Ayumu delusions is now able to speak for herself.

Then after this explanation Ayumu goes to school for the second day of the festival. Which as he is preparing at school he finds out that Yuu and Haruna came too. Then after a short conversation, Yuu asks him why he isn't having an delusion of her. This means that she has a psychic link to Ayumu because even-though it has been allude to, they never clear stated that Yuu could see Ayumu's delusions. After he has a couple, Haruna ask him to have one of her but it can't be anything perverted. This means because she is getting mana from Yuu and because of Yuu's magic that Ayumu is alive, this means that Haruna also has a connection to him as well. The once he fullfils Haruna's request they both leave.

Then for the most of the rest of the episode it focus on various characters and their action during this last day of the festival. However most of the focus is on Yuu because it is vary rare this she gets to speak. Although with a brief conversation between Saras and Sera the two Ninja-Vampires at the school, it is alluded to that this is merely the calm before the storm. Then when the day ends a teacher takes Yuki's ring that Ayumu gave her to seal the monster that live inside her. However we find out that this teacher isn't who he seems to be, the reason being that he is a Mahou shojou that was curse to live as a middle age man.

This reveals that the fairy that Ayumu believe was a delusion, was in reality real but her true form could only be seen once the curse has been weakened. However the only way to weaken was for her to get drunk. After this is explain she introduce herself as Chris, and explains majority of things that have been happening has been her doing. The reason for this was to obtain the things she need to return to her true form. One these was to have Haruna build the magic absorber so that she could gather up magical power, the second was to obtain the ring that regulates magic that yuki was given by Ayumu. Then with these two thing she was able to circumvent the curse, and return to her true self.

However Ayumu is displease with her and the way she went about doing things, when she responses to Ayumu saying that if he disagrees why not try and take them back forcefully. When he tries, Ayumu ends up being defeated effortlessly by Chris. Then This leads to Chris showing how powerful she is by forcing the students gathered there into desks. Then placing a challenge before them that everyone judges the world based on looks. That if Ayumu can prove that she is wrong it is his victory but if he can't he will not be getting them back. In the end, Ayumu loses and Chris disappears. However it is revealed that Chris is the great evil that Saras was talking about earlier, it seems like the series is building up to the finally with the master mind being revealed. The question become where do they intend to go with the story from here.

Haiyore Nyaruko-San - Ep 06

Continuing from last time, Mahiro and Hasuta meet up with Nyaruko. It seems that Nyaruko is fiercely fighting out with Kuuko, and tells them to go on ahead while she keeps Kuuko occupied. That she will catch up with them later. However during the fight it appears that the two of them are at a stalemate, this leads to Nyaruko to start fighting dirty by throwing some photos. The reason that Kuuko would be interested in these pictures is because Nyaruko tell her that they are pictures of her in a bathing suit. This provides Nyaruko with the opening that she needs to defeat Kuuko, however Kuuko is disappointed when she finds out that they are just pictures of Mahiro. The fight ends with Nyaruko having explain why Kuuko betrayed them.

Although while the fight is going on Mahiro and Hasuta arrive at where Mahiro's mother is at. It seems that they misunderstood what was doing the for shadowing. That it wasn't the existence of some new element but all the video games that his mother owned that was doing the foreshadowing. That the reason that she went along with this was because she wanted to play a space video game console. That when Nyaruko brings Kuuko, it seems that Kuuko is there biggest customer. Things end a bit anticlimactic with Xoth company CEO calling up Luhy and telling her that they terminating the game production of their company. This also means that consciously that she is fired.

This ends up driving her into the brink of madness, where she activates the telepathic game system. However because of the game that it is running all the aliens that are connected to it believes that they are zombies, that is just a strange game to make where you are the zombies instead of fighting them. When all the aliens are defeated, Nyaruko wants to end things with making herself look cool by destroying the evil machine along with the boss. However Kuuko believe that it would be the respectful thing for the one that loves Xoth to be the one to finish it. Then with are happy ending, it seems that although Hasuta has finish his job that his father gave him. There is some foreshadowing that he is not going to be gone long.

This is quickly proven true because Hasuta is now apart of Mahiro's class now. Then later that afternoon when Mahiro's mother comes home saying that she has won eight ticket to an onsen, it appears that they are going on a trip. On this trip they spend some of the day at the beach, while when night falls they go to the onsen. However when night falls and everyone goes to bed for the night, Nyaruko has made plans to seek into Mahiro Futon to do the naughty. Although Mahiro isn't too happy with this particular development, things end with Mahiro being force to summit to Nyaruko's wishes.

Tasogare Otome X Amnesia - Ep06

The story of the school fair continues into it second day, although there is a bit of a focus on Teiichi and Yuuko taking a break from the haunted house to enjoy the fair. Most of the story is about this ghost story about Akahito-san. That Akahito (red-person) is some sort of monster that kills people a drains them of all their blood. Although somehow Okonogi finds this ghost story to be strange because it is changed from the original story where Akahito was a messenger of the gods, and his job was to offer up a villager to appease the gods in a time of great calamity. It almost seems like someone is intentionally trying to create panic and unrest by changing the original story.

This seems to be very true when shortly after Akahito is seen on the rooftop of a building someone is injured. However to the viewer it seems cut herself and made it seem like the ghost did it to make the story more real. What this does is it cause some of the students to panic and think that they are going to be next. This somehow leads them to believe that if the offer up Yuuko-san, the ghost of the old school building that they will be spared. This ends up putting Teiichi unknowingly in danger because the haunted house that he is running boasts that it has a real ghost.

When these panic student descend on his haunted house while they have the door lock because they are on break. This people try and break the door down, but it seems like they have gone made. However while this is happening Teiichi realize why they are here and tells Yuuko to run for it, but when he looks back she isn't even there. Although because he said that Okonogi get distracted and stops holding the door, which leads to lock breaking and Teiichi getting captured. However Yuuko saves him by breaking some windows with a baseball bat. Which cause them to run because they believe that something is there. After they flee, the woman that was attack reveals that she was behind everything and she wants all the ghost stories to disappear. The reason being that just because her name is Yuuko they have cause her to suffer. That it would be better if they were gone.

This result into a little back story on Yuuko, where she was bullied because she shared the same name as the famous ghost of the school. That since they shared the same name people joked that she should know about Yuuko-san because she is Yuuko-san too. Even though this tells why she wanted to do away with the ghost stories in the first place. Her action ultimately ends up putting her in a tight spot because since they were going to offer ghost Yuuko to Akahito but they failed in capturing her. They figure that which Yuuko-san they use doesn't matter so they intend to turn her into a human sacrifice, which is a bit ironic since she is Akahito.

When Teiichi finds out what they intend to do, he convince Yuuko to help her. This leads to Yuuko dressing as akahito, then when they try to offer her up. Akahito rejects there offering because she isn't the real Yuuko-san. Then on the pretense of a false offering, she says that they will have to pay for this sin with there lives. Then as Yuuko is chasing them as Akahito-san out of the building Teiichi comes in and unties Yuuko. When she can't understand who was chasing them because she is Akahito, Teiichi explains that Yuuko of the old school building save her and some ghost stories are true. Things end when the burn the clothes, but things end a bit ominously with this shadow we been seeing appears before Kirie.

Acchi Kocchi - Ep06

#1 Dangers of Cleaning

#2 Slippery when wet

#3 Perfect Narrative

#4 Love Festival

#5 Umbrella Missile

#6 The Dangers of Wolfs

Sankarea - Ep06

After Rea kisses Chihiro, Ranko starts in on questioning Chihiro on why Rea is in his room to begin with. Eventually she gets really worked up once she realize that the reason that chihiro never took her to the hospital with her serious wound is that Rea is actually dead. This leads her to believe that with his success in bring Babu back to life he went a step further and killed Rea so that he could turn her into his zombie girlfriend. However Ranko doesn't give Chihiro the proper opportunity to explain what actually happened to Rea to cause her to become they way she is. Ranko stops beating on Chihiro once they both realize that Rea has escaped, then with this Chihiro order Ranko to go get his grandfather while he goes after Rea.

While Chihiro is chasing after Rea across the rooftop of his house, he is caught by his father. This results in him getting questioned on why what is going on, he dodges the question by saying he chasing after babu. This result in his father telling just to get back to work. When Chihiro looks back to where Rea should be he finds that she is not there, but when he gets close to the edge he finds her. This isn't what surprise him but the fact that she is eating flowers. This cause him to realize that to keep the zombie potion in effect Rea has to eat the flowers every so often. Then at this moment Ranko brings his grandfather the creator of the potion, this gives us a more detail reason. That when the potion is losing its effect the higher reason skills are the first to go until the zombie become nothing but a corpus again. However the potion isn't perfect, even still it does slow-down the decaying processes.

This means that Chihiro has two major problems now. One no-mater what he does he will not be able prevent Rea from turning into dust, the other issue is that without the flower to maintain the effects of the potion Rea will stop being a zombie. This means that either way you look at it Chihiro is on borrowed time. Then as Chihiro is thinking over his grandfathers words, his father shows up asking Chihiro why there is a half-naked girl in their backyard. This leads to Chihiro asking his father to let Rea say here but he can't tell him her reason for needing to say here. Interestingly his father is completely alright with it, and doesn't give any resistant to the idea.

Now with the fact that Chihiro doesn't have to hide Rea, Chihiro gets started in getting her settled in. When Rea brings up the fact that she wouldn't mind sharing a room with him, Chihiro mentions that it might not be the best idea since they have already kiss. The thing that Chihiro finds surprising is that Rea doesn't remember kissing him at all, and believes the reason must be that the potion must have been losing it effect so that Rea wasn't herself. They end things with a late night walk, and during the walk Chihiro thinks about Rea situation. That once he got over the fact that Rea was a zombie and looked into the reality of her situation, he finds the truth behind a zombie to be very depressing. This leads to him wanting to help save or at least let her live out her dream of being an ordinary girl before she fades away.