AX 2010 – General Discussion Thread

[The Great Bear]

NOTE: If you wish to discuss the activities of a specific R1 distributor, please post in the appropriate thread (in other words, not here).

The purpose of this thread is to discuss general matters arising from Anime Expo 2010.


Schedule (All times PST) [With links to individual company discussion threads]

Thursday 7/1 2010
________
11:00a Crunchyroll Industry Panel (http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showthread.php?t=101378)
2:30p Bandai Entertainment Industry Panel (http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showthread.php?t=101357)
5:00p Digital Manga Publishing Industry Panel (http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showthread.php?t=101370)

Friday 7/2 2010
________
10:00a Geneon Universal Industry Panel (http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showthread.php?t=101361)
11:00a Tokyopop Industry Panel (http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showthread.php?t=101371)
3:30p Right Stuf & Nozomi Entertainment Industry Panel (http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showthread.php?t=101363)
6:00p FUNimation Industry Panel (http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showthread.php?t=101366)
8:30p Aniplex Industry Panel (http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showthread.php?t=101368)

Saturday 7/3 2010
_______
10:00a Viz Industry Panel (http://www.mania.com/aodvb/showthread.php?t=101369)
(Note: There is a Black Lagoon and Toradora panel, but probably not too important)

Sunday 7/4 2010
______
11:00a Production I.G.


Those who are present at the convention, please feel free to post here about the convention atmosphere, the mood, and any events that might be of general interest to readers here, but keep it brief and make sure that what you are posting will be of general interest (no blog posts: this is not for long personal rambles about how you wandered around the Dealers Room for most of the day and then went to a panel).

As has been customary, by the end of the convention, people often wish to debate "who won the con" from the standpoint of which company picked up the best licenses and generated the most excitement. Please feel free to have that debate here, instead of having it in three different individual company threads.

And as a handy service to all forum folks:
And as usual, bayoab has his live blog here (http://bayoab.info/live/live2.php).

I'll put that link here up top for easy reference ;)

[dragonpiece]

You seem to be a, mod. Could you delete the threads that Lockmash made after mine? (Funi and Aniplex). I made both threads first, but for some reason she decided to make theme afterwards.

[Chris Beveridge]

You seem to be a, mod. Could you delete the threads that Lockmash made after mine? (Funi and Aniplex). I made both threads first, but for some reason she decided to make theme afterwards.

No.

[The Great Bear]

You seem to be a, mod. Could you delete the threads that Lockmash made after mine? (Funi and Aniplex). I made both threads first, but for some reason she decided to make theme afterwards.

I am a member of the Reviewing Staff and do not have moderation powers. If you have an issue with threads here, you need to bring the matter up with the Moderation Staff.

If you wish to discuss this matter further, please start a thread in the Forum Feedback Forum (http://www.mania.com/aodvb/forumdisplay.php?f=37).

[Skywise]

You seem to be a, mod. Could you delete the threads that Lockmash made after mine? (Funi and Aniplex). I made both threads first, but for some reason she decided to make theme afterwards.

http://tinyurl.com/nd5vqp

[something]

You seem to be a, mod. Could you delete the threads that Lockmash made after mine? (Funi and Aniplex). I made both threads first, but for some reason she decided to make theme afterwards.
Why do you think this is a race, exactly?

[Chris Beveridge]

You seem to be a, mod. Could you delete the threads that Lockmash made after mine? (Funi and Aniplex). I made both threads first, but for some reason she decided to make theme afterwards.
Why do you think this is a race, exactly?

First! post mentality probably.

[lockmastah]

First! post mentality probably.
1st, er 7th... ah nevermind. ;)

I think all the key industry panels now have separate threads. I thought NIS America had one scheduled, but it's really for Toradora and their guests of honor. Folks on twitter are slowly picking up on the tweets. And as usual, bayoab has his live blog here (http://bayoab.info/live/live2.php).

[LOUiE]

I'm excited and disappointed in a way. It's my first time in 11 years not going but now I get the fun of anticipating with others on the boards instead of at the panels.

[Suwako Moriya]

Perhaps I missed it, but the main thing I have to say is that I'm saddened that there seems to be no mention of Yen Press at Anime Expo. I was hoping for a couple of manga announcements. Especially of that kind.

Ah, well, even if they're not going to be at AX, there's still hope for certain titles of interest to me.

[MelancholicMariya]

Perhaps I missed it, but the main thing I have to say is that I'm saddened that there seems to be no mention of Yen Press at Anime Expo. I was hoping for a couple of manga announcements. Especially of that kind.

Ah, well, even if they're not going to be at AX, there's still hope for certain titles of interest to me.

Didn't they say that they had some stuff to announce in July, way back around when they licensed K-ON!'s manga?

[Chris Beveridge]

Perhaps I missed it, but the main thing I have to say is that I'm saddened that there seems to be no mention of Yen Press at Anime Expo. I was hoping for a couple of manga announcements. Especially of that kind.

Ah, well, even if they're not going to be at AX, there's still hope for certain titles of interest to me.

Manga companies tend to focus more on SDCC events in the last couple of years.

[Buckeye]

Perhaps I missed it, but the main thing I have to say is that I'm saddened that there seems to be no mention of Yen Press at Anime Expo. I was hoping for a couple of manga announcements. Especially of that kind.

Ah, well, even if they're not going to be at AX, there's still hope for certain titles of interest to me.
Yen Press and Sentai are missing from AX this year, though with the way Sentai announces titles and the veil of secrecy they like to operate under, I am not exactly surprised. They had a booth at A-Cen, so I am guessing the same setup at AX.

[Suwako Moriya]

Didn't they say that they had some stuff to announce in July, way back around when they licensed K-ON!'s manga?

To be honest, I don't remember, but having stuff announced during the sacred month would be nice.

[LOUiE]

Perhaps I missed it, but the main thing I have to say is that I'm saddened that there seems to be no mention of Yen Press at Anime Expo. I was hoping for a couple of manga announcements. Especially of that kind.

Ah, well, even if they're not going to be at AX, there's still hope for certain titles of interest to me.

Manga companies tend to focus more on SDCC events in the last couple of years.
I've noticed this as well. Only TP & Viz really do anything at AX anymore and TP sometimes skips it altogether.

[The Great Bear]

One more thing, I would like either the mods or The Great Bear to put this piece of information below in the root post, so that if you want to view the master schedule without having to visit the individual threads themselves, that you can easily find it.


Not a bad idea. I will put the general schedule in the root post.

[Jeremy J.]

The Bandai panel is going on right now isn't it? Any way to get live updates from these panels?

[Suwako Moriya]

Manga companies tend to focus more on SDCC events in the last couple of years.

Ah, I see then. Well, hopefully SDCC will provide good results for me in terms of my main manga related interest.

[Suwako Moriya]

The Bandai panel is going on right now isn't it? Any way to get live updates from these panels?

Actually, it hasn't started yet. It doesn't start until 2:30 PM PST which in EST should be 5:30 PM. Not sure about your time zone.

[lockmastah]

The Bandai panel is going on right now isn't it? Any way to get live updates from these panels?

Bandai panel doesn't start till 2:30 PM Pacific time. And click here for live blogging by bayoab (http://bayoab.info/live/live2.php), which also has a schedule of key panels.

[Jeremy J.]

The Bandai panel is going on right now isn't it? Any way to get live updates from these panels?

Actually, it hasn't started yet. It doesn't start until 2:30 PM PST which in EST should be 5:30 PM. Not sure about your time zone.

Ah, nevermind. I get confused with time zones sometimes. My time zone is Central.

[Buckeye]

The Bandai panel is going on right now isn't it? Any way to get live updates from these panels?

Actually, it hasn't started yet. It doesn't start until 2:30 PM PST which in EST should be 5:30 PM. Not sure about your time zone.

Ah, nevermind. I get confused with time zones sometimes. My time zone is Central.
That means to you, it starts at 4:30pm, which is just slightly over 3.5 hours from now. This thread is referencing the Pacific time zone since this con is happening in LA.

[Suwako Moriya]

Ah, nevermind. I get confused with time zones sometimes. My time zone is Central.

I have to admit that sometimes I forget about the difference between time zone X and Y. Thus each time, I need to actually know the difference, I end up double checking to be sure.

[fates]

Eep! 6PM Funi conference, meaning us folk on the east won't hear stuff till about 10PM.

[dragonpiece]

Sorry, peoples for making it a race, license fever is getting to me.:cool:

The Bandai panel is going on right now isn't it? Any way to get live updates from these panels?

Actually, it hasn't started yet. It doesn't start until 2:30 PM PST which in EST should be 5:30 PM. Not sure about your time zone.

Ah, nevermind. I get confused with time zones sometimes. My time zone is Central.
That means to you, it starts at 4:30pm, which is just slightly over 3.5 hours from now. This thread is referencing the Pacific time zone since this con is happening in LA. The Bandai panel starts for me at 4:30pm for me. I am central Standard.

Eep! 6PM Funi conference, meaning us folk on the east won't hear stuff till about 10PM. Funi's panel is tomorrow on Friday.

[Glorian]

Eep! 6PM Funi conference, meaning us folk on the east won't hear stuff till about 10PM.

If you're in the Eastern time zone, it would be 9 p.m., not 10 p.m. There's only a three hour difference between the east and west coast.

Edit: Re-reading your post makes me think you were talking about when the panel ends, not when it starts. Sorry, nevermind then!

[Chris Beveridge]

Eep! 6PM Funi conference, meaning us folk on the east won't hear stuff till about 10PM.

If you're in the Eastern time zone, it would be 9 p.m., not 10 p.m. There's only a three hour difference between the east and west coast.

Edit: Re-reading your post makes me think you were talking about when the panel ends, not when it starts. Sorry, nevermind then!

And with how FUNi often (but not always) does stuff, announcements come right at the end.

[The Great Bear]

Eep! 6PM Funi conference, meaning us folk on the east won't hear stuff till about 10PM.

If you're in the Eastern time zone, it would be 9 p.m., not 10 p.m. There's only a three hour difference between the east and west coast.

Edit: Re-reading your post makes me think you were talking about when the panel ends, not when it starts. Sorry, nevermind then!

And with how FUNi often (but not always) does stuff, announcements come right at the end.

You can't really blame them. If they made the announcements at the beginning, as you already know, there would be a mass exodus the moment they were done ;)

[LOUiE]

Eep! 6PM Funi conference, meaning us folk on the east won't hear stuff till about 10PM.

If you're in the Eastern time zone, it would be 9 p.m., not 10 p.m. There's only a three hour difference between the east and west coast.

Edit: Re-reading your post makes me think you were talking about when the panel ends, not when it starts. Sorry, nevermind then!

And with how FUNi often (but not always) does stuff, announcements come right at the end.

You can't really blame them. If they made the announcements at the beginning, as you already know, there would be a mass exodus the moment they were done ;)
That's why some people show up halfway thru the panel.

[Damius]

Eep! 6PM Funi conference, meaning us folk on the east won't hear stuff till about 10PM.

If you're in the Eastern time zone, it would be 9 p.m., not 10 p.m. There's only a three hour difference between the east and west coast.

Edit: Re-reading your post makes me think you were talking about when the panel ends, not when it starts. Sorry, nevermind then!

And with how FUNi often (but not always) does stuff, announcements come right at the end.

You can't really blame them. If they made the announcements at the beginning, as you already know, there would be a mass exodus the moment they were done ;)
That's why some people show up halfway thru the panel.

Well then one announcement at the beginning one at the end!

[lockmastah]

Eep! 6PM Funi conference, meaning us folk on the east won't hear stuff till about 10PM.

If you're in the Eastern time zone, it would be 9 p.m., not 10 p.m. There's only a three hour difference between the east and west coast.

Edit: Re-reading your post makes me think you were talking about when the panel ends, not when it starts. Sorry, nevermind then!

And with how FUNi often (but not always) does stuff, announcements come right at the end.
There's always a press release in the morning before panel. :sdsmiley:

[fates]

Yeah, that's what I mean, we won't hear anything till about 10PM or later, depending on how long they run it.

There's always a press release in the morning before panel.

Really? Neat. Hopefully we can get something out of it D:

[LOUiE]

Yeah, that's what I mean, we won't hear anything till about 10PM or later, depending on how long they run it.

They do sometimes take 90-120 minutes don't they?

[DJ_72]

Chris and mods,

Thanks for setting up all the threads for different panels. It'll be a lot easier to keep up with things this way :)

[dragonpiece]

Chris and mods,

Thanks for setting up all the threads for different panels. It'll be a lot easier to keep up with things this way :)

Also thanks for deleting my threads! Sorry for acting the way I was, let's just say it was a off day...

[Betenoire]

Perhaps I missed it, but the main thing I have to say is that I'm saddened that there seems to be no mention of Yen Press at Anime Expo. I was hoping for a couple of manga announcements. Especially of that kind.

Ah, well, even if they're not going to be at AX, there's still hope for certain titles of interest to me.

I'd rather Yen Press saved their money to license things rather than show up at AX myself.

[Betenoire]

You can't really blame them. If they made the announcements at the beginning, as you already know, there would be a mass exodus the moment they were done ;)
That's why some people show up halfway thru the panel.

Is that why? I though people in LA just showed up halfway through everything. :P

[Suwako Moriya]

I'd rather Yen Press saved their money to license things rather than show up at AX myself.

Well if skipping a convention or two is enough to get <insert blatant begging here> licensed then skip they must.

[Betenoire]

I'd rather Yen Press saved their money to license things rather than show up at AX myself.

Well if skipping a convention or two is enough to get <insert blatant begging here> licensed then skip they must.

I don't know if they must, I just don't know that this con is the biggest bang for the buck for them.

[dragonpiece]

Bandai panel starts in 13 minutes!

[LOUiE]

You can't really blame them. If they made the announcements at the beginning, as you already know, there would be a mass exodus the moment they were done ;)
That's why some people show up halfway thru the panel.

Is that why? I though people in LA just showed up halfway through everything. :P
Well, yes but technically there are a lot of people at AX from all over the country and world so it's less LA people than you'd think.

[eobert]

At the Black Lagoon premiere, they showed a trailer featuring Unlimited Blade Works, Highschool of the Dead, Railgun, Hellsing OVA, and (I think) Hakuoki. There was a Universal logo at the beginning.

[MelancholicMariya]

Hey, is Megumi Nakajima at the expo? I read Ranka Lee's VA from Macross Frontier will be there, I just want to confirm it.

[lockmastah]

Hey, is Megumi Nakajima at the expo? I read Ranka Lee's VA from Macross Frontier will be there, I just want to confirm it.

http://www.anime-expo.org/guests/megumi-nakajima/

[MelancholicMariya]

Hey, is Megumi Nakajima at the expo? I read Ranka Lee's VA from Macross Frontier will be there, I just want to confirm it.

http://www.anime-expo.org/guests/megumi-nakajima/

Thanks a ton!

[Quarkboy]

Looks like niconico douga is going to be doing some live reporting from Anime Expo and Japan Expo (in Paris) in about 8 hours:

http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv20131534

title is "showing you the tastiest tidbits" (not particularly literal translation)

[bayoab]

Looks like niconico douga is going to be doing some live reporting from Anime Expo and Japan Expo (in Paris) in about 8 hours:

http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv20131534

title is "showing you the tastiest tidbits" (not particularly literal translation)

Interesting. I had seen the three of them (one had a nico shirt and one has the nico chicken plushie) outside the CR panel room.

[Shiroi Hane]

Just remembered about this and it is running at the moment.

--edit--

...I wonder if hashtag #lv20131534 is related to why Twitter is completely broken right now.

[muhootsaver]

Looks like niconico douga is going to be doing some live reporting from Anime Expo and Japan Expo (in Paris) in about 8 hours:

http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv20131534

title is "showing you the tastiest tidbits" (not particularly literal translation)

They should really do something about volume level...

[Shiroi Hane]

Wait.. May'n goes all the way to America... to be interviewed by a guy from Japan.

[muhootsaver]

lol... I love how everyone was saying もういいよ～

[Shiroi Hane]

Oh, we're in France now.. so I don't know what either side are saying.

[muhootsaver]

-_-;;; France part is so long! Show us more Anime Expo cosplay, too...

[Quarkboy]

-_-;;; France part is so long! Show us more Anime Expo cosplay, too...

It's like 9 AM in Los Angeles... give them a break for not finding that many cosplayers.

It also looks like that table is on the third floor, which is where most of the smaller panel rooms are if I recall... Not nearly as crowded as the first floor.

[Quarkboy]

Just FYI, they're doing it again in 8 hours:

http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv20590861

[muhootsaver]

-_-;;; France part is so long! Show us more Anime Expo cosplay, too...

It's like 9 AM in Los Angeles... give them a break for not finding that many cosplayers.

It also looks like that table is on the third floor, which is where most of the smaller panel rooms are if I recall... Not nearly as crowded as the first floor.

Ah, I see. Well, they did find quite a bit of cosplayers right after I typed that message, so it's okay. They had some really interesting ones including "Haruhi" chan and Lupin the third.

[youth]

The May'n/ Megumi concert just ended & as a special guest they had Yoko Kanno. The theater was close to 2/3rds full. Pretty good show with a few Sheryl/Ranka duets. There was no encore though.

[eobert]

The May'n/ Megumi concert just ended & as a special guest they had Yoko Kanno. The theater was close to 2/3rds full. Pretty good show with a few Sheryl/Ranka duets. There was no encore though.

The duet with May'n and Nakajima singing Diamond Crevasse with Yoko Kanno on the piano was amazing. It was the highlight of the concert for me.

[Buckeye]

I must say that this is the best con licensing horde in a long time, and we still have Viz left to go (maybe Fairy Tail?). The days when my would take out my wallet and kiss it goodbye are back (and BTW, I remember this gesture during the AX Funimation panel in 2006). Too much good stuff, and too little money, shelf space, and time to get them all.

[Buster Blader 126]

I must say that this is the best con licensing horde in a long time, and we still have Viz left to go (maybe Fairy Tail?). The days when my would take out my wallet and kiss it goodbye are back (and BTW, I remember this gesture during the AX Funimation panel in 2006). Too much good stuff, and too little money, shelf space, and time to get them all.

Fairy Tail?

When was the last time Viz picked up a title that they didn't already publish the manga of, if ever? =/

Yoko Kanno suddenly appearing sounds like a real treat. Sucks for those who would've otherwise considered going if she was announced in advance, though.

So far, it's been pretty good in terms of licenses. It's been a while since we've had this many new licenses being announced simultaneously, and from different companies.

[Mitsuki]

I must say that this is the best con licensing horde in a long time, and we still have Viz left to go (maybe Fairy Tail?). The days when my would take out my wallet and kiss it goodbye are back (and BTW, I remember this gesture during the AX Funimation panel in 2006). Too much good stuff, and too little money, shelf space, and time to get them all.

Fairy Tail?

When was the last time Viz picked up a title that they didn't already publish the manga of, if ever? =/

Well, there was Corrector Yui.

[Buster Blader 126]

I must say that this is the best con licensing horde in a long time, and we still have Viz left to go (maybe Fairy Tail?). The days when my would take out my wallet and kiss it goodbye are back (and BTW, I remember this gesture during the AX Funimation panel in 2006). Too much good stuff, and too little money, shelf space, and time to get them all.

Fairy Tail?

When was the last time Viz picked up a title that they didn't already publish the manga of, if ever? =/

Well, there was Corrector Yui.

Totally forgot about that one.

[Betenoire]

I must say that this is the best con licensing horde in a long time, and we still have Viz left to go (maybe Fairy Tail?). The days when my would take out my wallet and kiss it goodbye are back (and BTW, I remember this gesture during the AX Funimation panel in 2006). Too much good stuff, and too little money, shelf space, and time to get them all.

Fairy Tail?

When was the last time Viz picked up a title that they didn't already publish the manga of, if ever? =/

Well, there was Corrector Yui.

Totally forgot about that one.

I haven't.

:anger200::anger200::anger200:

[Buster Blader 126]

Another thing I want to say is that the licensing of titles in general this con has been pretty sweet overall. Multiple titles of relative popularity were picked up (some at long last!), as well as some pretty nice rescues - namely Utena. Haibane Renmei seems to be harder to track down as of late too, so seeing that one back (as well as the other Abe-related shows) was a nice touch. The same goes for all the old-school Tenchi titles.

To think that Viz will be the last R1 company panel that will be held. Perhaps they'll surprise us, but I like to keep my expectations reasonable.

I must say that this is the best con licensing horde in a long time, and we still have Viz left to go (maybe Fairy Tail?). The days when my would take out my wallet and kiss it goodbye are back (and BTW, I remember this gesture during the AX Funimation panel in 2006). Too much good stuff, and too little money, shelf space, and time to get them all.

Fairy Tail?

When was the last time Viz picked up a title that they didn't already publish the manga of, if ever? =/

Well, there was Corrector Yui.

Totally forgot about that one.

I haven't.

:anger200::anger200::anger200:

I was wondering when someone was going to bring up its status in North America. :sd:

[The Great Bear]

Okay, the big announcements are pretty much done, so it's time to answer the question: Who Won AX 2010?

See new poll added.

Feel free to debate to your hearts' content.

[WTK]

1. FUNimation (Massive number of new titles, new and Geneon back catalog)
Black Lagoon Season 3, Darker than BLACK Season 2, Hellsing Ultimate (Vol.5+), Shana Season 2/Movie/OVA were definite wins for me.
Though not for me, it's great to see more Geneon catalog series getting rescued.
1. Geneon Universal (Not the Geneon of old, but now helping shows to come here again)
See above on select titles. Until I see the PR or something more detailed of how Geneon is involved. Is it the same process as the current Geneon licensed / FUNi distributed titles?
2. Nozomi (Soranowoto, Utena relicense)
Very solid, but not quite as many wanted titles as FUNi
I liked they pretty much covered every singles upcoming/solicited anime releases.
3. Aniplex (Durarara, unexpectedly bilingual)
It's pretty much given that they had Durarara, but the dub was a pleasant surprise
Looking forward to Otakon to see what else gets revealed.
4. Section23/Sentai/Whatever (no panel, but announced High School of the Dead)
Who needs a panel? I'm intrigued by the trailer.
5. Bandai (K-On!, more Haruhi)
I will buy K-ON! when it's released. However I didn't how there are conflicting reports of whether they have BD rights or not. It's sad when they can even keep things straight themselves.
6. Viz (Nurarihyon no Mago; large number of new manga)
They probably should have skipped this panel. Not much to show for on the anime side and no Q&A.

[Shibi]

Okay, the big announcements are pretty much done, so it's time to answer the question: Who Won AX 2010?

See new poll added.

Feel free to debate to your hearts' content.

Considering many feel that Mangagamer won last years AX and their panel isn't until later tonight this seems a bit premature. That being said Funi, Bandai, Nozomi, Aniplex, and Sentai all seemed to offer something exciting for anime fans. Its been a few years since I've seen so many major announcements come out of AX

[Jaynin]

Okay, the big announcements are pretty much done, so it's time to answer the question: Who Won AX 2010?

For me Nozomi had the best showing. It sucks they are not doing blu-ray, it sounds like Soranowoto would have been a perfect debut for them, but getting such a new and acclaimed show along with the beloved classic Utena is a big deal for them I think.

Bandai - I'm looking forward to Haruhi, but I have no faith in them releasing K-ON on blu-ray, so until I'm proven wrong with a solicitation for it I can't get worked up over it.

Funi - They announced a lot of cool stuff.... I'm saving my excitement for when they release the discs in 2 or 3 years.

Aniplex looks to becoming a surprise contender in the industry, and they have a unique situation in being able to do their own thing as well as farm out titles to other companies.

[FUNiOP]

As expected, FUNimation won AX 2010, just not as much as I wanted them to, since they didn't announce Evangelion 2.22. But they did announce so many other titles that even if I didn't care about any of them, I'd say they won, and I happen to want to watch/buy many of them.

[Suwako Moriya]

Okay, the big announcements are pretty much done, so it's time to answer the question: Who Won AX 2010?

Let's see here, in terms of quantity, it's impossible to pick anyone else aside from Funimation. However for me, it's not about how many titles are announced, but which titles. One title can be worth several.

However that still doesn't take away from the fact Funimation did an amazing job even if I voted for someone else. Yes, it's obvious who I voted for if you check the poll, but I want to elaborate anyway.

Aniplex does good by showing through Durarara!! that at least for now that they are willing to do bilingual releases. However the GL movies should remind that us that it will be a case by case basis. The other good aspect is we're not getting an R2 style episode count.

However for me, I am not interested in collecting the series. It was in the end a decent series, but I didn't find it as amazing as others. So for now, I'm waiting for Aniplex to announce a title of interest for me. In other words, I want my Working!! and Angel Beats.

Viz, err to be honest I don't have much to say about them.... Make of that what you will.


The Geneon Universal stuff is interesting, but not much to say beyond that.

Sentai's announcement of High School of the Dead is nice since people know it's coming even before it starts airing. However it's not exactly my type of series.

Nozomi gets points for license rescuing Utena. Sure, I didn't care much for what I saw of it. However I can't ignore the importance of this rescue. Especially since it's a more meaningful one. A hard to find series that could a vastly improved release.

Also, they're releasing Sora no Woto. Which is a pretty strong series for me. The downside? No BD plans. Which now leaves me with dilemma since I'd like to have it on BD, but I don't want to pay a ton for it. Plus, waiting for something that may never happen...

In the end, the winner of the con for me is ultimately Bandai. Not so much for the Haruhi stuff. That's always a good thing. No, it's because they licensed K-ON!


K-ON! being one of my favorite series ever. It was my number three license. The only two series above it were Sketchbook ~full colors'~ and GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class.

Had someone announced one of those two titles, they may have been able to surpass Bandai. Of course, since no one decided to announce them (and thus may not be licensed at all), it's their own fault that they weren't able to surpass Bandai.

[zangetsu22]

Funimation Won,hands Down!

[LelouchLamperouge]

In this order.
Aniplex USA = Nozomi Ent > Bandai Entertainment > Funimation > Sentai Filmworks = Viz

Quality titles over quantity of titles, thus by that a tie.

[tablesalt]

Winner:

Nozomi. Other companies got more titles, but Nozomi got better titles, and will put out the best product with them. Utena was just my crazy fanboy dream, but they made it happen.

Loser:

Bandai. Nothing against K-On, but for a company who's been fighting rumours of death for the past year, to come with one title (a mid-range one at that) and no details of how it will be released is pathetic. They needed to prove they were alive, but all they did was make the statements from BZ seem real.
How hard would it be to just distribute the Bandai Visual bilingual BRs on their site (patlabor, My Hime) like they do Gundam Unicorn?


The Rest:

Aniplex: Disappointing. 1 obvious title, unimpressive release style (3 sets for 26 eps). Not a deal breaker, but nothing to get excited about.

Geneon: whole lot of nothing. Just another Kodokawa, at best, and they seem to be hitching their wagon to Funimation, which insures a future of many trashy releases.

Viz: couldn't care less

Sentai: The one show looks interesting. If it gets a decent BR release, I'll buy it.

Funi: Every year they look more and more like ADV before their fall, just buying mountains of anything they can get their hands on. I can't help thinking they're a giant house of cards. So they got a bunch of Geneon titles that I can still get at the right stuf, just so they can make lower quality DVDs of them? yay.

[Orihimes_Boyfriend]

To me Funimation edged out TRSI. I mean everything Funni announced I either want to watch or get on BD/DVD. Had they announced that they had the rights to Evangelion 2.22 I would have been on cloud nine.

[lumber]

TRSI won the con. Handily.

Quality trumps quantity. Always.

Besides folks seem to be giving FUNi far too much credit for finally getting around to picking up sequels that should have been licensed years ago. Fandom really needs to stop letting companies get off the hook for not finishing what they start. At least with TRSI, we don't have to worry about that. Witness Aria and Marimite. ToHeart might be an exception but from their panel, they seem to be trying unlike FUNi with Hell Girl, Kodocha, Big Windup and more...

Also folks seem to giving FUNi too much credit for their license grabs, er rescues. Most of which seem to about cheap programming for the FUNi channel which sadly leads to cheap crappy DVDs. I can only remember a few times where I didn't buy the original DVDs out of the TRSI bargain bin instead. Shana S1 and Vandread because FUNi held the OVAs hostage. But man, was the video on the Vandread DVDs crappy. And then I did buy the Slayers S1- S3 for the very slight improvements in video quality. But man were those digipaks crappy. Fortunately, I waited until they were in the bargain bin. OTOH, not only did TRSI license rescue a show, Utena, that was truly scarce and expensive, they licensed the REMASTERED version. FTW! And they should be giving Utena the high quality release that it deserves. That's called ADDING VALUE. I already own Utena but I will DEFINITELY double dip for the TRSI release. FUNi really needs to take notes from TRSI on rescuing licenses....

Other than sequels and license grabs, did FUNi really license anything new and original at AX???

EDIT: I had overlooked Index and Railgun. Which bumps FUNi from 4th to 3rd. But it will be a lower priority purchase due to the expected crappy packaging. With a good chance that it will be in the bargain bin in short order due to a re-release. Why couldn't FUNi keep using dual-disc keepcases like they did with Kaze no Stigma? Beats those crappy flimsy artboxes and can be replaced with M-Locks.

(The really ironic thing is that by the time I get around to buying most FUNi new and original first releases, they are already in the bargain bin. FUNi tends to pump and dump far too quickly....)

So although I will buy several of the shows announced by FUNi at AX, they more or less finished fourth in winning the con. Behind TRSI, Bandai and Sentai and ahead of Aniplex.

EDIT: Had overlooked Sentai and HSotD. Sheesh. Another show to slot ahead of FUNi releases....

[Vapors]

If "win" you mean "all things considered, if all the anime was released at the same time, which one would you pick up first?" I would go with Bandai and its K-ON! release. I know its the hip thing to do is sh#t on moe shows and deride Bandai that its gonna go out of business, but I really find this show funny and entertaining, its been on my wish list for quite some time. And they typically have been pretty good at all their releases from my previous experiences with excellent extras and the like, so I look forward to its release.

Next would be Nozomi and its Utena release, since I've been hoping for forever to replace my old CPM disks. And with Nozomi's packaging history, we should be in for a great treat with excellent extras. Next would be Funi's releases, specifically Railgun/Index, Hellsing and Black Lagoon. I'm not so much into their license rescues since I own most of them, but for those that I don't, if the price is right, I could feel the urge to buy.

An unknown would be the following releases So Ra No Wo To, Durarara and High School of the Dead. I can probably check out the first two since they are held in high regard by people here and in other forums. The last one, I'll check out the simulcast since I loved the manga. So I guess Aniplex and Sentai are incomplete at the moment.

Regardless, I think there is enough variety in the announcements to make this one of the better AXs in terms of license announcements since the mid 2000s.

[Jackle]

Hmm, I'll go with Aniplex. It has been known that they were going to release DRRR!!, but a bilingual release? I was going to buy it regardless of the supposed sub-only release, but damn, that just made me so happy.

FUNimation is close behind. Sure, the only title I'm definitely going to buy is Darker Than Black Season 2, but they are pretty much simulcasting anime titles that I was planning on watching. DVDs/Blu-Rays releases for these simulcasts would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath for any news on these anytime soon. I'm also considering their license rescues.

While I didn't care for Nozomi's new licenses, I'm glad to get a rough release date for the second season of Junjo Romantica. I'll probably double-dip on the Graviation release.

Bandai, I don't care for K-On. I must admit though, the second series had a nice ending.

Viz & Sentai, I'll try out a few episodes of their simulcasts.

[chronoclast]

1. Nozomi - Utena remastered rescue FTW. Best announcement of the con by far for me.

2. Funimation - The Lain, Haibane Renmei, and Texhnolyze rescues were very nice and I'm hoping for Blu-ray releases of those. Out of the new licenses, I'll check out the Trigun film. Black Lagoon is of some interest too if they ever stream the first season.

3. Aniplex - I've only seen one episode of Durarara so I need to watch more of it first.

4. Sentai - I'll check out High School of the Dead.

5. Bandai - Meh. More Blu-ray releases planned from them was good to hear though.

6. Viz - Bigger meh.

[Quarkboy]

Just FYI, niconico douga is streaming Sophia's concert at AX live in 45 minutes:

http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv20132447

[Vapors]

Other than sequels and license grabs, did FUNi really license anything new and original at AX???



Railgun and Index? As for licensing the second seasons of shows, they probably should have done that sooner for Shana. But Black Lagoon nor the Trigun movie have been released yet and Darker than Black 2 just finished, so they're not behind on that. For Hellgirl, they only distributed the series for Geneon when they shuttered down, so they probably knew the numbers and choose not to release based on what they knew. Same unfortunately for Kodocha and Big Windup. I can't really defend them since there are fans of the show. From a pure business standpoint, they probably are doing what they can to minimize money dumps on ventures that would bring them little or no chance of breaking even.

As for their license rescues or grabs, why not? I mean, if there is a chance that showing those shows on their channel or stream can attract new anime fans, I say go for it.

[magicalgirlj]

Funi, for Index and simluicasting Black Butler 2:bowsmiley:
Nozomi in second place- for So-Ra-No-Wo-To and Utena

[Herron]

You know I was just thinking, maybe we're getting all this good stuff because the Japanese have realized the industry has changed and they're coming down on their prices. Doesn't mean that they're getting easier to work with (Bluray issues and such) but maybe they're changing their views a little. Whatever it is, I'm glad it's happening!

[something]

Easy. Nozomi, of course.

1) TRSI/Nozomi: Sora no Woto is one of my 10/10 series, and although I'm importing the BDs I'll double-dip. And Utena is literally the only license rescue that could have meant anything to me. Amazing moves by Nozomi.

2) Aniplex: Durarara is a potential buy. I am five discs into importing this, but given that we're talking spending ~$725 on 13 unsubbed SD DVDs of a HD series, I can be persuaded to switch to the R1. But if the Aniplex USA releases aren't that great, I will just keep importing. I need packaging, price, and extras specs ASAP, Aniplex.

3) Bandai: K-ON! is the best show that got licensed, easily, but I have all the BDs. Unless it gets a really stellar release full of lots of things I consider good value-add (no, a dub does not count as one; translated commentaries and phenomenally good packaging might do it) I'll refrain from double dipping.

4) ADV: Not much interest in Highschool of the Dead yet but I'll be watching it like almost all summer series.

5) Geneon Universal: I have virtually no interest in GU if Funi is getting most of their licenses, so right now they're a non-issue.

X) Funimation/Viz: Both are blacklisted and don't receive a penny from me under any circumstances, so their announcements are moot for me.

Not going to list companies without home licenses or a panel, so no Sentai.

As for the home video license breakdown, not including stuff we already knew about like Haruhi, and omitting rescues that I'm not buying and stuff that hasn't even aired yet:

Definitely buying
Sora no Woto [importing at 4 of 7 BDs]
Shoujo Kakumei Utena

May buy pending specs
Durarara [importing at 5 of 13 DVDs]
K-ON! S1 [imported at 7 of 7 BDs]

Would buy from a different licensor
Darker than Black 2
Shakugan no Shana II
To Aru Kagaku no Railgun [importing at 6 of 8 BDs]
To Aru Majutsu no Index

So, from AX this year, two definites and two maybes. Nozomi runs away with it.

[Ingraman]

2. Funimation - The Lain, Haibane Renmei, and Texhnolyze rescues were very nice and I'm hoping for Blu-ray releases of those.

I'm not reading anything positive about their Vandread release, so my hopes for decent DVDs of their rescues are slim (not that I need them, since I bought Pioneer/Geneon's releases of the series as they were coming out). Lain isn't out on BD in Japan, yet, so I don't know if that'll look good. Haibane Renmei's BD release has had some negative reviews of its video, and I expect a Funi BD version to look worse than the Japanese version.

I want people to see these series, but if Funi's the one releasing them...

[Ingraman]

Aniplex: Disappointing. 1 obvious title, unimpressive release style (3 sets for 26 eps). Not a deal breaker, but nothing to get excited about.

I'd rather see Drrr!! on six discs, than only four, so the three sets is a perfect release. Drrr!! causes excitement all by itself, but to hear that it's being spread across 3 sets really gets me happy (aside from taking up a bit more shelf space).

[EmperorBrandon]

I think I was a good bit excited about several of the companies announcements, at least four being particularly strong in some way for me: Nozomi, FUNimation, Bandai, and Aniplex. I think I'll give my vote to Nozomi in this case. They definitely did well in not only getting a very highly sought re-license but giving it premium treatment that will undoubtedly be a big improvement on the previous releases. For me personally, though, Sora no Woto is huge since I was really wanting to collect it and it seems like the perfect fit for Nozomi (even though I wasn't really expecting them to get it).

K-ON! would probably be the biggest single title for me, though Bandai's uncertainty on what they're doing with it hampers my enthusiasm at least a little. It's unfortunate, but I have to be cautiously optimistic when it comes to Bandai.

FUNimation's Geneon bonanza was pretty awesome. It really seems there's a little something for everyone there, and I'm happy Geneon Universal is licensing out some of their "big" titles now. For me, it's all about Railgun. Will happy to have a bilingual release of that for sure. I really hope that they keep dub consistency on titles that call for it such as Shana, Black Lagoon, and Hellsing.

Aniplex was surprisingly awesome in that we see they are indeed willing to actually dub titles (in addition to hopefully getting us some nice extras). I'm hoping we'll see good things from them on the R1 side, as they produce some high quality titles in Japan.

[BigPants]

I went with Sentai. While I'm not exactly interested in the show they licensed, I liked that they didn't have to host a panel and just said "here's this show we bought" and that was it.

Otherwise, I think we all won when dragonpiece got put on vacation.

[Senku]

In the end, the winner of the con for me is ultimately Bandai. Not so much for the Haruhi stuff. That's always a good thing. No, it's because they licensed K-ON!

The truth has already been spoken! :)

Bandai is my pick as well.

Nozomi and Aniplex are tied for second, definitly will be looking forward to their products.

FUNi is next, since they licensed several things I want. But personally not impressed with their "massive" list.

Then there's everybody else, which I may or may not care about in the future.

Though MangaGamer could still shake up the list a little.

[Glorian]

You know I was just thinking, maybe we're getting all this good stuff because the Japanese have realized the industry has changed and they're coming down on their prices. Doesn't mean that they're getting easier to work with (Bluray issues and such) but maybe they're changing their views a little. Whatever it is, I'm glad it's happening!

Yeah, I wonder about that too. Maybe I'm misremembering, but I seem to recall AX last year being extremely disappointing. What even got announced last year? Rightstuf licensed Junjo Romantica, Antique Bakery, and Aria the Origination; Funi licensed Sands of Destruction and announced that they'd be releasing sets of the original Dragonball; and Bandai announced the Eureka Seven movie. Unless there's something I forgot about, this year was in an entirely different league.

[chronoclast]

I'm not reading anything positive about their Vandread release, so my hopes for decent DVDs of their rescues are slim (not that I need them, since I bought Pioneer/Geneon's releases of the series as they were coming out). Lain isn't out on BD in Japan, yet, so I don't know if that'll look good. Haibane Renmei's BD release has had some negative reviews of its video, and I expect a Funi BD version to look worse than the Japanese version.

I want people to see these series, but if Funi's the one releasing them...

The Haibane BD hasn't been released yet. The producer working on it did mention that it's going to be upscaled from SD and the masters for it don't look all that great though.

Lain was shot on 35mm film which means it should look very good. They're redoing some of the digital scenes too.

[Senku]

Maybe I'm misremembering, but I seem to recall AX last year being extremely disappointing.

No, you're right; it was pretty bad.

MangaGamer easily "won" AX last year. Anime was few and far between.

[Mr. Nail Bat]

With many license rescues at this convention, a thought struck me.

Has any Viz title ever been license-rescued by another company? I'm damned if I can think of even a single title.

[Orihimes_Boyfriend]

With many license rescues at this convention, a thought struck me.

Has any Viz title ever been license-rescued by another company? I'm damned if I can think of even a single title.
I can't think of any. Although there are some I wouldn't mind going to other companies.

[Solid Slap]

Funimation and Geneon "won" AX to me just from announcing BL3 and Hellsing Ultimate V-VII. Those licenses alone whoop the piss out of anything that anyone else announced, but then Funimation just had to go and license a bunch of other stuff that I'm interested in. I'll give TRSI/Nozomi second place because Utena and Sora no Woto are excellent acquisitions. I would have given them the win, but again BL3 and Hellsing Ultimate beats everything else announced.

Aniplex is third for me. Durarara! is a strong license, and while ultimately I do not care whether or not it has an English dub, it's nice to see them try and cater to as many fans as possible with this release. I hope it pays off for them. Bandai gets fourth place with K-ON!. I'm not a huge fan of the show, but it will most likely be a day one purchase. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a blu-ray release. The rest I really don't care too much about. High School of the Dead has potential, but compared to the annoucements from the other companies, this is kinda "meh". Viz...right now all I care about is their manga, and they didn't license anything I'm interested in.

[WTK]

With many license rescues at this convention, a thought struck me.

Has any Viz title ever been license-rescued by another company? I'm damned if I can think of even a single title.
I can't think of any. Although there are some I wouldn't mind going to other companies.
How about One Piece (even though Viz didn't release the uncut materials)?

[Mr. Nail Bat]

How about One Piece (even though Viz didn't release the uncut materials)?

Viz was just the distributor, 4Kids had the license, so I wouldn't count it.

[Orihimes_Boyfriend]

With many license rescues at this convention, a thought struck me.

Has any Viz title ever been license-rescued by another company? I'm damned if I can think of even a single title.
I can't think of any. Although there are some I wouldn't mind going to other companies.
How about One Piece (even though Viz didn't release the uncut materials)?
I thought that was licensed and released by 4Kids.

[AVPen]

For me, there's no question at all that Right Stuf/Nozomi "won" the Expo this year - getting the remastered release of Utena is like music from the gods to my ears and also getting Soro no Woto as well is like getting tasty icing on an already delicious cake. :catgirl:

Thought about it for a while, but I guess FUNimation gets 2nd place over Bandai (though K-on! is still a big title for them to get and I'll be looking forward to a BD release) - granted, no Eva 2.22 still makes me a tad bitter, but at least we're getting the rest of Hellsing Ultimate and Black Lagoon, along with new licenses for Railgun and possible BD releases for Geneon titles (with Tenchi Muyo in Love and Lain being at the top of my list).

Lain was shot on 35mm film which means it should look very good. They're redoing some of the digital scenes too.
If that's indeed true, then I'd definitely be keeping an eye out for the BD release.

[WTK]

How about One Piece (even though Viz didn't release the uncut materials)?

Viz was just the distributor, 4Kids had the license, so I wouldn't count it.
I was thinking about that. Regardless that might be the closest one out there. That's unless there is something in VHS (of which I never really followed that closely).

[WTK]

I thought that was licensed and released by 4Kids.
Here is the back cover (http://cdn3b.dvdempire.org/products/57/1347657bh.jpg) of Vol.11 (the last released volume). It's does say distributed by Viz Media and you can clearly see the 4Kids logo as well.

[TAS]

1- Nozomi (Soranowoto, Utena relicense)
Utena was the only title that produced a "holy S#@!" response. Soranowoto is good too, and the news that El Hazard will be remastered video.
2- FUNimation is a close second with some good titles like Index and Railgun plus the Geneon titles (though I have all of them already).
3- Aniplex
4- Bandai would have been #3 if not for the K-ON Blu Yes... ummm maybe. Get a clue BEFORE you say something!
5- Section23 High School of the Dead sound like it could be interesting... and it's a hit before it even shows :rolleyes:
6- Geneon Universal They could have been clearer on there role in the release of the titles they talked aobut.
7- Someone else
8- A cat that wandered past the convention centre.
9- Viz For saying nothing then running away.

[Suwako Moriya]

FUNi is next, since they licensed several things I want. But personally not impressed with their "massive" list.

The main problem with "massive" lists is the fact they're massive. Allow me to explain for a minute here. Yes, having a bunch of titles announced is quite impressive and worthy of praise.

However the sheer size of the list makes it hard to decide what I should be focusing on. Well, I suppose the answer would be the titles that I actually care about in the given list.

Which brings up the next point. Once I start dropping out the lesser titles the value of the list decreases. The more series dropped out the less appealing the list becomes.

There's also the idea of when these titles will come out. With the amount of work that will be required, it would not surprise me at all if many of the titles end up as late 2011 or early 2012.

Which means eventually, they'll go into the back of my mind for a bit. To perhaps return to front and center once we get an actual solicitation as it were.

Never mind the fact I've developed an attitude of being selective, waiting for the lower priced version, and I'll probably wait for blu-ray in cases where a blu-ray is actually plausible. Ie if a company has a history of doing blu-rays and a blu-ray exists in Japan....

Note however I'm not asking for Funimation to rush their releases. After all, I have to look at my own speed for a minute here. Sometimes, I'll get a series right away. Other times it won't be until well after it's released. Which makes it kind of hard for me to demand rushed releases.

One problem I always have with conventions is that I'm greedy. No matter how many series get announced and no matter which ones, a good portion of my feelings are directed towards those series that are still considered unworthy of R1.

Which may be the other downside to massive lists. Even more so if you compile all the licenses together into a single list. I end up thinking "We got all that and yet still no one has any desire to actually license <insert series here> at all. Darn it, will it ever get licensed?"

This convention has given me hope for the R1 industry. I'm not foolish enough to think that we're now dancing through flowers. However it shows that at least for now, we're still getting stuff released here. That some of the stuff is still of interest for me.


Still the "fragile maybe" status of many (but not all) series is frustrating. Mostly because there's no way of knowing if the said series will one day be licensed or forever remain unworthy of the R1 industry. Which is even more depressing for the higher priority titles. Sure there is always R2, but one kind of needs to have the budget for that.

[Stringed]

Tough call for me. I voted for Nozomi because I'm interested in seeing Sora no Woto, and how can I say no to Utena? I love me some classic shojo! Bandai's K-ON announcement and Aniplex's Durarara! announcement were nice, too, and FUNi's rescues of Haibane Renmei and Tenchi Muyo (Haibane because I can recommend it to friends again and Tenchi because I never did get the OAVs or the second and third movie).

[Dack Ralter]

A toughie to rank this stuff; at least it is a pleasant experience to have a wealth of options.

1. Nozomi (Soranowoto, Utena) - Nozomi grabs a long-wanted rescue as well as a series that I am looking forward to--and I have an idea of what I'll be getting rather than having to guess.

2. FUNimation (numerous rescues, Index and Railgun, Black Lagoon, Trigun, etc.) - I'm looking forward to Index and Railgun...whenever the heck they come out. Black Lagoon is easily the most exciting show for me, so props to FUNi there. I've borrowed a friend's copy of Haibane Renmei, so I'm grateful for the opportunity to own it myself. Lain also, although I might wait on that. Woo, Trigun!

3. Bandai Entertainment (K-ON!) - Bandai has the things I want to see the most, but they can't be bothered to straighten out their information. So to third they go.

4. Aniplex (DRRR) - I'm extremely curious about this show, and the news of a dub was outright shocking to me. I'm forced into a wait and see stance due to the situation, though. I'm optimistic.

5. Section23/whoeverthehellweare (High School of the Dead) - I loathe the undead, so it's not for me. However, this seems like it made folks happy, so that's good.

6. Geneon - Ain't really bothering with this one. Try for some clarity next time, Geneon.

On the whole, good stuff. I'm excited (and probably flat broke, eventually).

[Renzo]

A toughie to rank this stuff; at least it is a pleasant experience to have a wealth of options.

1. Nozomi (Soranowoto, Utena) - Nozomi grabs a long-wanted rescue as well as a series that I am looking forward to--and I have an idea of what I'll be getting rather than having to guess.

2. FUNimation (numerous rescues, Index and Railgun, Black Lagoon, Trigun, etc.) - I'm looking forward to Index and Railgun...whenever the heck they come out. Black Lagoon is easily the most exciting show for me, so props to FUNi there. I've borrowed a friend's copy of Haibane Renmei, so I'm grateful for the opportunity to own it myself. Lain also, although I might wait on that. Woo, Trigun!

3. Bandai Entertainment (K-ON!) - Bandai has the things I want to see the most, but they can't be bothered to straighten out their information. So to third they go.

4. Aniplex (DRRR) - I'm extremely curious about this show, and the news of a dub was outright shocking to me. I'm forced into a wait and see stance due to the situation, though. I'm optimistic.

5. Section23/whoeverthehellweare (High School of the Dead) - I loathe the undead, so it's not for me. However, this seems like it made folks happy, so that's good.

6. Geneon - Ain't really bothering with this one. Try for some clarity next time, Geneon.

On the whole, good stuff. I'm excited (and probably flat broke, eventually).

*Gasp* You forgot Viz! How could you.

1. Sentai/wtfarewe - High School of the Dead is my most anticipated show of the year and I hope and pray it lives up to the hype.

2. Funimation - Railgun and Index works for me. Love the Geneon rescues but I own all of them. Great for new fans to see Haibane, Lain, and Tehxnolyze though.

3. Nozomi - Soranowoto looks interesting although not my cup of tea. Happy for those waiting for it. Utena is a classic, of course.

4. Aniplex - DRRR! is coming and I couldn't be more excited.

5. Bandai - I know lots of folks were waiting for K-ON so great to see more anime fans happy.

I think I am forgetting a company but can't remember who. Oh well. Cheers to beimg broke! In fact, I am staring at a 2,000 dollar order on RS right now that I really want to get but can't bring myself to click to order placed button.

[TAS]

17:00:22 <bay|AX|ProIG> Oblivion Island... it's a really cute CG animation we made last year... I've been trying really hard to find a home for it.
17:00:42 <bay|AX|ProIG> I think we found a home for it. We aren't able to announce it next year, but maybe we can announce it at Otakon... maybe the licensee can announce it there.
17:00:49 <bay|AX|ProIG> That's about it for what I can say.

I'm glad to hear that this found a home. The animation is very good, comparable to Pixar even. And I liked the story too. Something I'd like to own, hopefully on Blu.

[WTK]

17:00:22 <bay|AX|ProIG> Oblivion Island... it's a really cute CG animation we made last year... I've been trying really hard to find a home for it.
17:00:42 <bay|AX|ProIG> I think we found a home for it. We aren't able to announce it next year, but maybe we can announce it at Otakon... maybe the licensee can announce it there.
17:00:49 <bay|AX|ProIG> That's about it for what I can say.

I'm glad to hear that this found a home. The animation is very good, comparable to Pixar even. And I liked the story too. Something I'd like to own, hopefully on Blu.
I was tempted to buy this via R3. Seeing this I may hold off and see if a license gets announced in the near future.

[Damius]

I think I am forgetting a company but can't remember who. Oh well. Cheers to beimg broke! In fact, I am staring at a 2,000 dollar order on RS right now that I really want to get but can't bring myself to click to order placed button.

That company want you to forgive about them, so you should not...

[Mitsuki]

Nozomi won the con handily for me, for announcing two titles I wanted a lot (SRW and RGU). Bandai comes in next for licensing one title I wanted a lot, and then FUNi for licensing two titles I wanted a little (Index and Railgun). Viz comes in fourth for announcing two manga titles I wanted (the Arina Tanemura stuff).

[Jeremy J.]

For me, personally, Bandai won. They have given (or will be giving) me a title I've been wanting ever so badly ever since I saw it. Funimation didn't live up to it's industry shattering promise either, so Bandai has my vote.

[Suwako Moriya]

For me, personally, Bandai won. They have given (or will be giving) me a title I've been wanting ever so badly ever since I saw it. Funimation didn't live up to it's industry shattering promise either, so Bandai has my vote.

To be fair to Funimation, there was no way they were going to ever be able to live up to that promise. Problem is that's the type of promise where the ones you make it to will always expect more than you actually deliver. At the same time however they are the ones that made the promise in the first place. So one can argue that they're partially to blame then.

As for the Bandai part, I'll just say the thought of having Tainaka Ritsu in R1 makes it hard to remember what else got licensed at AX.

[Senku]

To be fair to Funimation, there was no way they were going to ever be able to live up to that promise. Problem is that's the type of promise where the ones you make it to will always expect more than you actually deliver. At the same time however they are the ones that made the promise in the first place. So one can argue that they're partially to blame then.

I didn't know which was worse, FUNi's boasting or CR's goal of "100% anime".

As for the Bandai part, I'll just say the thought of having Tainaka Ritsu in R1 makes it hard to remember what else got licensed at AX.

Perhaps you should wear a hairband to celebrate! ;)


Also, Random Poll thought: Does anybody else think that the Bolded "0" for Viz is just salt in the wound at this point? It stands out pretty good when everyone else has a vote.

I'm sure many of you wish they had more grief though. :P

[Draneor]

To be fair to Funimation, there was no way they were going to ever be able to live up to that promise.

FUNimation to stop licensing anime and start selling cupcakes would live up to it...

[Suwako Moriya]

To be fair to Funimation, there was no way they were going to ever be able to live up to that promise.

FUNimation to stop licensing anime and start selling cupcakes would live up to it...

Funimation, listen carefully. No sprinkles on the frosting, no buy. I can't believe I just typed that.

[njchobitsfan]

Had to pick Funi because of all the shows I'll probably get, i.e. Black Lagoon 3, Shana 2, Index and Railgun, plus some rescues :relief: Overwhelming! (i'm taking nothing away from Bandai and Nozomi's excellent signings, btw :bowsmiley:).

[Suwako Moriya]

I didn't know which was worse, FUNi's boasting or CR's goal of "100% anime".

Claiming the impossible vs an unrealistic goal. That's a tough one.


As for the Bandai part, I'll just say the thought of having Tainaka Ritsu in R1 makes it hard to remember what else got licensed at AX.

Perhaps you should wear a hairband to celebrate! ;)

I have to admit it's half-tempting.

[Draneor]

Funimation, listen carefully. No sprinkles on the frosting, no buy. I can't believe I just typed that.

Cupcakes without sprinkles are glorified mini-cakes. Who would buy them? Also, they had better use foil wrappers--paper doesn't cut it.

On a more serious note, it's basically impossible to live up to marketing speak (another example--High School of the Dead hasn't even aired yet so how can it be a "new hit"). That's why I wish companies would stop using it.

[Buckeye]

It's tough to figure out who won AX this time around. Bandai got only 1 title, but got the title. Funimation has licensed lots of great stuff. Geneon has been resurrected as a codistributor, Nozomi licensed another great title, plus the one rescue that everybody was looking for. Aniplex, another big title licensed, and Viz, let's just say they were definitely outplayed.

[Buster Blader 126]

Ehhh, I'm undecided as to who won the con. FUNimation announced several high(er)-profile titles (whether in Japan or on both sides of the Pacific Ocean), while Nozomi has revived Utena from the grave, which is pretty significant in itself.

[Draneor]

I went with Bandai, because K-On was the best title licensed in my opinion. Nozomi would be second for Sora no Woto. FUNi gets third for Shana ll and Index. That's it for me for this con.

[HitokiriShadow]

This was a pretty amazing AX, especially after the last couple years. It's really hard to chose who won AX for me. Nozomi wins for the sheer "HOLY CRAP"ness of announcing the re-license of Utena, along with another title wanted by many, Soranowoto, which was surprising simply because of how recent it is compared to most other Nozomi licenses. And while Aniplex's announcement was expected, it was one of my top most wanted licenses and they surprised by announcing it will be dubbed.

But personally, I think I have to give the win to Funi, due to licensing two out of three of my most wanted titles, Railgun and Index, along with the Black Lagoon OVA, which would almost definitely have gone on my most wanted list at some point.

[bored@lazy]

After how much great stuff has come out of AX this year it's hard to believe anime is in decline. :P

But for me, getting Hellsing Ultimate, Black Lagoon OVA's and Darker than Black 2 means Funimation for me.

[lumber]

WTH? Somebody voted for Viz to win the con? How does Viz win? By having the least exciting anime license? By answering the least number of questions? As in ZERO. By continuing to hold Monster hostage? inquiring minds want to know. I was sort of expecting - and hoping - that Viz would wind up with ZERO votes. I followed all the panels online and theirs was the least interesting and least informative. By a country mile. Or more...

[doubleO7]

WTH? Somebody voted for Viz to win the con? How does Viz win? By having the least exciting anime license? By answering the least number of questions? As in ZERO. By continuing to hold Monster hostage? inquiring minds want to know. I was sort of expecting - and hoping - that Viz would wind up with ZERO votes. I followed all the panels online and theirs was the least interesting and least informative. By a country mile. Or more...

Its possible that they happened to announce one of someone's most wanted manga. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and everyone has different tastes. Even though most of us were disappointed with Viz's panel, someone, somewhere, was probably happy to see some of those titles licensed.

Or it could've just been as a joke.

[TAS]

WTH? Somebody voted for Viz to win the con? How does Viz win? By having the least exciting anime license? By answering the least number of questions? As in ZERO. By continuing to hold Monster hostage? inquiring minds want to know. I was sort of expecting - and hoping - that Viz would wind up with ZERO votes. I followed all the panels online and theirs was the least interesting and least informative. By a country mile. Or more...

Its possible that they happened to announce one of someone's most wanted manga. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and everyone has different tastes. Even though most of us were disappointed with Viz's panel, someone, somewhere, was probably happy to see some of those titles licensed.

Or it could've just been as a joke.
The poll was targeted at anime (Tokyopop and mangagamer were not listed for example) so for a manga fan Viz was the only choice. An example of The one eyed man is king maybe.

[Buckeye]

After much debate, I ended up picking Funimation because they licensed many high profiled titles, while the others my have licensed a higher profile title, but only one of them. Of course, showing that Geneon is back is making a huge statement.

[Damius]

Well, for me there is no doubt Nozomi won AX 2010, here is why. First of all, yes Bandai license the series I wanted the most, but this was so predictable. Aniplex also license something I really wanted to get on DVD but once again it was so predictable. FUNi, yes they got some great series but it should have been done sooner (ex: Shana S2) or was predictable (ex: DtB S2) and they were not even able to get the OVA of DtB so... They also got some great series (Railgun and Index) but it's FUNi so the packaging will be cheap and the wait will be long so there is no way they could have won.

Now the winner is Nozomi. First of all, they license something I really enjoy on CR and was really hoping to be able to get in on DVD, So-Ra-No-Wo-To!!! Plus, the packaging of it will be wonderful since it's Nozomi and the series looks wonderful too, can't wait to have that artbox in hands. Plus, they cause the biggest surprise since they rescued an old series I was really looking to get, Utena. Congrats Nozomi!

[Jeremy J.]

For me, personally, Bandai won. They have given (or will be giving) me a title I've been wanting ever so badly ever since I saw it. Funimation didn't live up to it's industry shattering promise either, so Bandai has my vote.

To be fair to Funimation, there was no way they were going to ever be able to live up to that promise. Problem is that's the type of promise where the ones you make it to will always expect more than you actually deliver. At the same time however they are the ones that made the promise in the first place. So one can argue that they're partially to blame then.


I have the opinion it was a marketing ploy as well. The live blogger did say it was near full. It definitely drew attention to them.

[uwf]

WTH? Somebody voted for Viz to win the con? How does Viz win? By having the least exciting anime license? By answering the least number of questions? As in ZERO. By continuing to hold Monster hostage? inquiring minds want to know. I was sort of expecting - and hoping - that Viz would wind up with ZERO votes. I followed all the panels online and theirs was the least interesting and least informative. By a country mile. Or more...

maybe the person who voted for Viz works as an employee for Viz. ;)
Also, Seras is my Avatar = Funimation wins. :)

[Chris Beveridge]

WTH? Somebody voted for Viz to win the con? How does Viz win? By having the least exciting anime license? By answering the least number of questions? As in ZERO. By continuing to hold Monster hostage? inquiring minds want to know. I was sort of expecting - and hoping - that Viz would wind up with ZERO votes. I followed all the panels online and theirs was the least interesting and least informative. By a country mile. Or more...

For a manga fan, there was a lot to like there if you're into those titles. It's not all about the anime.

[Draneor]

For a manga fan, there was a lot to like there if you're into those titles. It's not all about the anime.
It's almost like this isn't just an anime forum... ;)

[lumber]

For a manga fan, there was a lot to like there if you're into those titles. It's not all about the anime.
It's almost like this isn't just an anime forum... ;)
Heh. I get that. I've actually been buying more manga than anime recently because of all the recent and not so recent closings of manga companies. Need to pick them up when I still can because once a volume gets really scarce, the price can shoot up to $50+ or even $100+. But I didn't think Viz's manga announcements were all that exciting either. Now I see that Viz got a 2nd vote for winning the con. Go figure....

[Pelianth]

For Hellgirl, they only distributed the series for Geneon when they shuttered down, so they probably knew the numbers and choose not to release based on what they knew.
For accuracy's sake, Geneon never had Hell Girl. Funi announced it Spring of 2007. Geneon didn't close up shop until the latter half of that year. (Has it really only been 3 years? It feels longer...)

[Quarkboy]

Niconico douga streamed the entire masquerade live (watching the stunned, horribly confused reactions of the Japanese watching was hilarious!)

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm11277104 part 1

someone uploaded the entire live stream in 4 parts! To think I'd get to see AX's masquerade again streamed by a Japanese site instead.

[lumber]

So why ZERO coverage of the Toradora panel? Was it cancelled?

Too bad too. Especially after NIS America brought the director and two seiyuu from Japan to AX. Very good of them to do that. Couldn't have been cheap.

I did enjoy reading what I could of their appearances from bayoab's blog.

[Fencedude]

So why ZERO coverage of the Toradora panel? Was it cancelled?

Too bad too. Especially after NIS America brought the director and two seiyuu from Japan to AX. Very good of them to do that. Couldn't have been cheap.

I did enjoy reading what I could of their appearances from bayoab's blog.

Panels like that aren't really the kind of thing you get "news" out of.

I'm sure it was an interesting panel, but what "coverage" are you expecting?

[Draneor]

So why ZERO coverage of the Toradora panel? Was it cancelled?

I believe bay has yet to learn the secret art of being in two places at once.

[Buckeye]

So why ZERO coverage of the Toradora panel? Was it cancelled?

The Viz panel that bayoab was at happened to be at the same time as the Toradora panel. Also, you probably would not get much news out of a show-specific panel as it is more of a discussion panel.

[lumber]

So why ZERO coverage of the Toradora panel? Was it cancelled?

I believe bay has yet to learn the secret art of being in two places at once.

Figures. Did the bayoab cloning project run out of money? :sdsmiley:

But I did find it ironic that ANN covered the concert plus Black Lagoon and East of Eden panels but not Toradora. Hence my question. I would have like to have known what went on. Especially any Q&A. Like just how limited the premium sets are, etc.

[Vapors]

For Hellgirl, they only distributed the series for Geneon when they shuttered down, so they probably knew the numbers and choose not to release based on what they knew.
For accuracy's sake, Geneon never had Hell Girl. Funi announced it Spring of 2007. Geneon didn't close up shop until the latter half of that year. (Has it really only been 3 years? It feels longer...)

Wow, that's pretty stupid of me. I think I'm getting Hellgirl confused with Higurashi - When They Cry then. Thanks for pointing that out.

[youth]

So why ZERO coverage of the Toradora panel? Was it cancelled?

Too bad too. Especially after NIS America brought the director and two seiyuu from Japan to AX. Very good of them to do that. Couldn't have been cheap.

I did enjoy reading what I could of their appearances from bayoab's blog.


It was mostly pre-screened Q&A from ppl submitting their Q's at the NIS booth with the fun parts being when they were asked to impersonate another Toradora character other then themselves (I think they both did a parrot? haven't watch the show yet) & to say they love AX in their character voices. That's all that I could remember. The room was maybe a quarter full. Recording wasn't allowed & after the panel quite a few ppl rushed to the dealers room to get chance at an autograph. It was one of the bigger autographs line there & they were both signing at the same table. Unfortunately I missed the opportunity to get either of their autographs & they were gone already for Sunday's open session.

Yuu Asakawa was there though & it was cute seeing her mingle into the con after her signing with what looked like only her entourage & buying a corndog.

[Citizen Klaus]

Recording wasn't allowed & after the [Toradora] panel quite a few ppl rushed to the dealers room to get chance at an autograph.

And rush they did. AX's egriegiously poor line management this year was utterly unprepared for the deluge, creating not only a massive inconvenience for fans -- since there evidently was no procedure in place to handle a very large autograph line, the fans began to form a throng, and at that point it became very difficult to properly seperate those who arrived first from those who arrived last -- but also a safety hazard. People (particularly younger and/or shorter attendees) were in genuine danger of getting trampled.

The staff (both from AX and the LACC) did their best to manage the situation, but none of that would've been necessary had a realistic autograph-line policy been in place. This was a colossal failure on AX's part, especially considering that last year the autograph lines were handled in exemplary fashion.

[sir_integra]

DMP is the winner for me - Kusatta Kyoushi no Houteishiki (Bad Teacher Equation) a 10 volume series (yay!) by Kazuma Kodaka as well as the Demon City Shinjuku novel. The lineup was much better than the Viz offerings.

[Senku]

Don't think I've seen this mentioned yet, and I don't know if this deserves it's own thread; so...

(ANN) Hobby Japan to print English Queen's Blade (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-07-03/hobby-japan-to-publish-queen-blade-hyakka-ryoran-books)

They say that they're going to give it out for free digitally first, with the print runs to be bundled with figurines.

Also, the Hyakka Ryōran Samurai Girls light novel series will be translated as well.

[bayoab]

And rush they did. AX's egriegiously poor line management this year was utterly unprepared for the deluge, creating not only a massive inconvenience for fans -- since there evidently was no procedure in place to handle a very large autograph line, the fans began to form a throng, and at that point it became very difficult to properly seperate those who arrived first from those who arrived last -- but also a safety hazard. People (particularly younger and/or shorter attendees) were in genuine danger of getting trampled.
To add on to this, NISA said it was "First come first served" and did not give out priority tickets at any point. (I believe this was their choice and not AX's doing.)

So why ZERO coverage of the Toradora panel? Was it cancelled?

Too bad too. Especially after NIS America brought the director and two seiyuu from Japan to AX. Very good of them to do that. Couldn't have been cheap.

I did enjoy reading what I could of their appearances from bayoab's blog.
I actually got to the panel just as it started (Kitaeri had just finished introducing herself). Seeing it was the producer and the two VAs and they were asking the pre-screened questions, I pretty much knew what kind of panel it was going to be. (i.e. Kinda a repeat of the other two.)* Thus the decision to go to the FUNi panel (not realizing it was a 10 min walk away).

*I don't know why this always happens, but whenever a GoH has two panels, about 50% of the content overlaps between them.

[lumber]

And rush they did. AX's egriegiously poor line management this year was utterly unprepared for the deluge, creating not only a massive inconvenience for fans -- since there evidently was no procedure in place to handle a very large autograph line, the fans began to form a throng, and at that point it became very difficult to properly seperate those who arrived first from those who arrived last -- but also a safety hazard. People (particularly younger and/or shorter attendees) were in genuine danger of getting trampled.
To add on to this, NISA said it was "First come first served" and did not give out priority tickets at any point. (I believe this was their choice and not AX's doing.)

So why ZERO coverage of the Toradora panel? Was it cancelled?

Too bad too. Especially after NIS America brought the director and two seiyuu from Japan to AX. Very good of them to do that. Couldn't have been cheap.

I did enjoy reading what I could of their appearances from bayoab's blog.
I actually got to the panel just as it started (Kitaeri had just finished introducing herself). Seeing it was the producer and the two VAs and they were asking the pre-screened questions, I pretty much knew what kind of panel it was going to be. (i.e. Kinda a repeat of the other two.)* Thus the decision to go to the FUNi panel (not realizing it was a 10 min walk away).

*I don't know why this always happens, but whenever a GoH has two panels, about 50% of the content overlaps between them.

Oh well. Thanks for the info. Same to previous posters. Now I have at least an idea of what happened. Which is much more than what ANN reported. Too bad about the pre-canned questions and lack of news.

[youth]

Oh well. Thanks for the info. Same to previous posters. Now I have at least an idea of what happened. Which is much more than what ANN reported. Too bad about the pre-canned questions and lack of news.

I just remebered that Yui Horie also introduced herself "as 17 years old" copying the act that Kikuko Inoue does. Unfortunately I forgot the correct response & the audience seemed eually clueless so she told us to say "Oi Oi!"

[Warren]

Oh well. Thanks for the info. Same to previous posters. Now I have at least an idea of what happened. Which is much more than what ANN reported. Too bad about the pre-canned questions and lack of news.

I just remebered that Yui Horie also introduced herself "as 17 years old" copying the act that Kikuko Inoue does. Unfortunately I forgot the correct response & the audience seemed eually clueless so she told us to say "Oi Oi!"

I recall Yui Horie saying that introduction several times actually. I wonder how many people got the reference... There was someone behind me who said "She's 17?" during closing ceremonies...

[Warren]

And rush they did. AX's egriegiously poor line management this year was utterly unprepared for the deluge, creating not only a massive inconvenience for fans -- since there evidently was no procedure in place to handle a very large autograph line, the fans began to form a throng, and at that point it became very difficult to properly seperate those who arrived first from those who arrived last -- but also a safety hazard. People (particularly younger and/or shorter attendees) were in genuine danger of getting trampled.

The staff (both from AX and the LACC) did their best to manage the situation, but none of that would've been necessary had a realistic autograph-line policy been in place. This was a colossal failure on AX's part, especially considering that last year the autograph lines were handled in exemplary fashion.

Indeed, the autographs felt like an afterthought this year in terms of planning. I'm quite surprised they didn't do what they did last year and line up people looking for an autograph in a separate room. The back of the Exhibit Hall was quite possibly the worst place to put the autograph area.

I agree that the staff did their best to manage the situation, but there's only so much that could be done. I was halfway expecting someone to get hurt simply due to the mass of people.

[Gildor]

And rush they did. AX's egriegiously poor line management this year was utterly unprepared for the deluge, creating not only a massive inconvenience for fans -- since there evidently was no procedure in place to handle a very large autograph line, the fans began to form a throng, and at that point it became very difficult to properly seperate those who arrived first from those who arrived last -- but also a safety hazard. People (particularly younger and/or shorter attendees) were in genuine danger of getting trampled.

The staff (both from AX and the LACC) did their best to manage the situation, but none of that would've been necessary had a realistic autograph-line policy been in place. This was a colossal failure on AX's part, especially considering that last year the autograph lines were handled in exemplary fashion.

Indeed, the autographs felt like an afterthought this year in terms of planning. I'm quite surprised they didn't do what they did last year and line up people looking for an autograph in a separate room. The back of the Exhibit Hall was quite possibly the worst place to put the autograph area.

I agree that the staff did their best to manage the situation, but there's only so much that could be done. I was halfway expecting someone to get hurt simply due to the mass of people.
Well, the dirt that I heard was that the new AX CEO knows next to nothing about anime and was not prepared to run a major convention such as AX. Over the course of the last year, there was much complaining from the experienced staff members about how things were being done. The upshot was that 70% to 80% of said experienced staff left or were asked to leave. This left the con to acquire a whole new crew, who were inexperienced in running such a massive undertaking.

Disclaimer: I heard this third hand myself, so take it FWIW.
Mods: If this is inappropriate, please delete, but I felt this info has a bearing on the complaints I am seeing in this thread about the logistics at AX this year.

[Vapors]

Hi all, I was wondering what people's thoughts on the convention were about this year's AX and how they might think about next year's event? I had a friend go last minute, but I couldn't and he had a blast. Looking at the last guests announced to this in the weeks leading up, this is the strongest I have felt in going to this event. My friend is asking if I wanna go next year and I may consider it, but had a few questions for people who used to go or just went.

1. Is the high turnover of staff cause for concern? I read that a large number of experienced staff left and this led to reports of unorganized autograph lines, rude personnel and constantly changing schedules. Were these widespread and ruin it for a lot of people or were these minor and being griped about by a few (but vocal) minority?

2. Do people think there will be a lot less vendors next year than this year? The reports that there were last second increases to loading rates took smaller and midsize booths by surprise. I've even read that some are considering not going next year because of this. Is this a case where a few booths might not come or is this a big enough problem where many will decide not to go?

3. Has this been a better con than in year's past or worse? I always read about some fubar thing going on with this con, so I kinda wanna know if this year's was par for the course, better or worse than in some years in terms of organization, event planning, etc.

Thanks for any feedback. I would really like to go, but if there are way more people turned off by this, I'll continue saving my money for San Diego Comic Con.

[bayoab]

1. Is the high turnover of staff cause for concern? I read that a large number of experienced staff left and this led to reports of unorganized autograph lines, rude personnel and constantly changing schedules. Were these widespread and ruin it for a lot of people or were these minor and being griped about by a few (but vocal) minority?
There are always issues with the autograph lines. I've never had a year where those went smoothly. This year just had a couple of huge high profile messes happen. That said, line control is always a problem. The rude staff issue needs to be clarified. Are people bitching about the redshirts(LACC) or the red vests(AX)? From what I can tell everyone was having run-ins with redshirts as they were imposing semi-arbitrary "You can't sit here" rules.

3. Has this been a better con than in year's past or worse? I always read about some fubar thing going on with this con, so I kinda wanna know if this year's was par for the course, better or worse than in some years in terms of organization, event planning, etc.I want to say par for the course but I had for some reason started counting the number of times AX "Failed" after just 10 minutes. There were some very basic mistakes that should not have happened such as the lack of schedule updates being posted anywhere. I guess, if a normal year for them is a B, this year was B-/C+. On the good side, there were very few miscalculated panel sizes and the lines for panels were generally well controlled.

[Asrialys]

1. Is the high turnover of staff cause for concern? I read that a large number of experienced staff left and this led to reports of unorganized autograph lines, rude personnel and constantly changing schedules. Were these widespread and ruin it for a lot of people or were these minor and being griped about by a few (but vocal) minority?
Well, these are generally the same issues attendees have with AX every year. The biggest issues attendees had were the autograph lines and being unable to sit against the walls, among other things they aren't as vocal about here and there. To me, I didn't find the schedule changing that much. It was that attendees weren't as informed as previous years. We didn't have our newsletter like previous years, but schedule changes were at the Info Booth in the South Hall Lobby and on that tall schedule board beside it. However, not many attendees knew of this, as could be seen by the Team Banzai show line that was forming until I had to tell everyone that it was canceled.

3. Has this been a better con than in year's past or worse? I always read about some fubar thing going on with this con, so I kinda wanna know if this year's was par for the course, better or worse than in some years in terms of organization, event planning, etc.
This was my first year where I actually didn't get many opportunities to enjoy the convention while being on staff at the same time. It didn't seem as bad because of all the guests and concerts. To me, it just seemed more stressful, but that's probably because I was working more than I had before...

What I was able to do, I enjoyed. And I hope that it was still enjoyable for the attendees overall.

But gosh darn it all, I want my AX staff and show pins for 2010 :P

[stfram]

Well, the dirt that I heard was that the new AX CEO knows next to nothing about anime and was not prepared to run a major convention such as AX. Over the course of the last year, there was much complaining from the experienced staff members about how things were being done. The upshot was that 70% to 80% of said experienced staff left or were asked to leave. This left the con to acquire a whole new crew, who were inexperienced in running such a massive undertaking.


The new CEO didn't really know that much about anime; lots of grumbling that he was taking a large salary and perks, and essentially establishing a loyalty test which led the to the "firings" of many long-term volunteers.

OTOH, the new CEO does know a lot about running large events, and certainly quite a few other things that the departing staff didn't realize. The fact that AX10 didn't have any huge hiccups (the exhibition hall setup fees being the major exception here) is a pretty big indicator that he knows his stuff.

Either that, or he threw a huge amount of money at the problem.

With that said...did the con make money? Were attendance records met or beaten?

[Asrialys]

With that said...did the con make money? Were attendance records met or beaten?
At the end of closing ceremonies, the CEO stated that there was a turnstile attendance of over 105,000, which is apparently higher than last year. But no numbers on the badges sold have been revealed yet. Was expecting some press release during the the convention estimating those numbers like previous years. Oh well...