Aya Again 2003

By: Paul Jacques
Date: Wednesday, November 05, 2003

Chronicles of an AoD Senshi



Day 1

The day started bright and sunny. The alarm beeped me awake and I gracefully slipped from the bed, had a shower and ate some breakfast. Whereupon I nonchalantly walked to my car and put in my already prepared bags (with everything I would need) into the trunk.



Then the alarm beeped me awake. The day was overcast and showery (well it is England). I took a quick shower, skipped breakfast and hurriedly packed my bags (forgetting plenty). Yep, why does it always start this way? And believe-you-me it isn't just the White Rabbit who was checking his watch that morning, you'd think I was being sponsored by Accurist so frequent were my time checks. Traffic was a disaster, with speed restriction around the M25, followed by a good old fashioned, leave it in first gear traffic jam on the M1 (curse you old gods!).



Having arrived at the concealed entrance of the Hotel, we find it's locked because the barrier is busted. Which is a bummer, because I only memorised this particular entrance. Utilising an ancient London technique for just such situations, I followed the first car that went by and hoped they knew where they were going. I finally found my way into the car park, as well as grabbing one the limited parking spaces, only to be greeted by the an already lengthy queue of people attempting register. Which reminds me, how do you get 600 (UK) people into a convention? Well, you ask them to form a line, and they do it- queuing, it's something we Brits still do well.



Having got my room (yes, they also lost my pre-registration), unpacked what little items I brought- it was time to join the madding crowd.




For some, ritual Seppuku was preferable to the queuing




Pick a card, any card



A quick recon of the immediate area shows that the Video rooms are up and running, but the dealer rooms are still closed. What to do, what to do? So I kill some time by sliding over to ADV boys & girls, and we chew the cud on life, the universe and Anime. Just as we get to point where we are about to affirm that 42 is indeed the answer, the Dealer room opens up, and like a Tsunami, the multitude make their way in, eager to find that elusive Rei figurine or that exclusive Alita T-shirt.





ADV's back catalogue of "The very best of John Denver" proved very popular




There was a rumour that there was some free pizza



After a while the afternoon settles down, and people start to mingle and coagulate into their enclaves of interest. I hang by the walls and corners, as old habits die hard. A quick spot check shows that attendees are mostly guys, although there is a sizeable representation of females, about 60/40 split. Who says Cons are just for male geeks (girls can geeks too).



After couple of hours of trying not to be in people's way my dawgs start to bark, so I go in search of something edible. The hotel is sophisticated, with the bar selling haute cuisine hotdogs and burgers in bun (on a stick might have been more appropriate). After a few anxious minutes of sizing my opponent up, I Indian arm-wrestled down the burger (without ketchup) and head over to the dealer room to see if things have settled down to browse.



I've got to say, I was impressed by the variety of Anime and Manga merchandise available, and it all looked pukka, almost as though it come straight from a Tokyo shop. Of course this sort exclusivity came with a high price tag, but what are you going to do, you can't exactly get this kind a fan delight from the local Supermarket. A casual browse of the stalls reveals one or two items of desire. And just as I am stowing away my purchase, I see my first Cross Dresser (yes, you read it correctly). A big lad in a bad wig, ill fitting dress and legs that in no way would pass the chiffon scarf test. OK, lads wearing the cat ears and tail I can cope with (it still looks better on the girls though), but a bloke in a dress? And then I saw another, and another. Hey, now don't get me wrong, I'm an easy going chap, but for the life of me I couldn't work out what was going on here. Was there also a Chiimama convention in town? Bizarrely this style of Cosplay character appeared throughout the weekend.




If you see this man, in this white blouse and skirt, be afraid, be very afraid



The afternoon came and went, but eventually I sync'd up with ADV team again. We trundled out to the local Oriental restaurant in order to quell the rumbles in our tummies. When we got there it was just the eight of us, but by the time we left the place was heaving with Anime fans, but the waiters never batted an eye lid (real pros).



Back at the Hotel the Opening ceremony rolled onto stage, and the weekend agenda was laid out. Fred Gallagher was there, said hi and apologised for his last MT sketch and it's references to UK's dodgy meat situation, but no one was offended by it anyway- we Brits can always laugh at ourselves.



After that people filed out and made for the video rooms, bar or just posed in the hallway for Karaoke time. The Karaoke was a laugh, with many of us too drunk to read, but we sang along anyway.




Karaoke stars in their eyes



And thus did the evening pass into morning, well 3:30 am to be more precise. Now isn't it strange how in the wee hours of the morning, you get onto the philosophical discussions, you know the ones, about the BIG questions. Note to self- don't drink and philosophise at the same time, as I don't have the necessary parallel processing capacity. Anyway, after yet another Chiimama had gone by I decided it was time for bed (no, not with the ... really, you have such one track minds).



Day 2



The alarm clock got me out of bed, my headache helped me to the bathroom, whereupon ohgod cajoled me into the shower, ably assisted by never-again with the shampoo and soap. I'm blaming the poor selection of beer at the Hotel for any hangover I may or may not have been suffering from.



Next up was visit from the military, AKA Skirmish Studio, who with a masterful pincer movement forced me to capitulate and give them an interview. After waving the Geneva convention and whistling the tune from "The great escape" I made my way back down the stairs, narrowly missing the Anti Piracy talk which was just wrapping up. well maybe that was for the better anyway ;-) Although I was informed later than my previous experience with Microsoft would have been of benefit to the attendees.



Sliding over to the Games panel, we were entertained by the panel members, who regaled us with many a story of what not to do if you want to be a games programmer. And I can neither confirm nor deny that someone fell asleep and started snoring (you know who you are). And damn, if Microsoft didn't crop up again, but luckily no one looked in my direction so I kept quiet. There are some crimes people never forgive, and working for BillG appears to be one of them.



Lunch time arrived and all I could do was mustered for a couple of hotdogs. These I devoured, but they attempted to make a come back, forcing me to nuke them with a can of coke. I learned many years ago that there isn't anything alive in your stomach, than can survive the collateral damage a coke can inflict.



Hoot! Fred Gallagher turns up and starts to do some book singings. Sensing an opportunity I slink over, wave my press badge a Liam (the heavy), who does his best to ignore me. But I know stuff about Liam (got the pictures too), so he lets me stand in the general vicinity. In fact anyone passing that table with a bad case of double glue- eye might have mistook me for one of Fred's entourage- perhaps not. Anyway, Fred's a gent and says that we will sync up later for some quiet words, then goes back to the relentless business of drawing and signing for fans.




Piro fills out a restraining order against me, Seraphim advises a minimum 50m exclusion distance



Whilst basking in the afterglow of almost interviewing Fred, and sensing my vulnerability, Hugh David from ADV takes that moment to pounce. Once again surrounded by his muscle - the lovely Sarah and the "do I give off gay signals?" Chris I'm frog marched off and made to give ADV an interview. This job isn't all beer and skittles? come to think of it the beer's crap and there were no skittles, and no one lets me on the DDR machine either [small sob].



After the interview Chris releases me from the arm lock, whilst Sarah reminds me that she knows where I live. Man, the Convention circuit can be tough life! So now it's dinner time and I go and procure a burger-in-a-bun. Woofing down the meal I proceed to Fred's panel, and this turns out to be a real hoot. If you haven't heard Seraphim and Piro answers questions, you really are missing out. At the end of the panel it's decided that the Press interviews will be held later, as everyone wants to see the Masquerade.




Indefatigable, Seraphim and Piro answer the relentless wave of questions



Now the clock is getting closer to Masquerade, and there is a palpable buzz of excitement in the air. Finally the Cosplayers get their time, and to be honest it was worth the wait. The level of detail and the sheer effort in the strive for authenticity was plain to see. The next couple of hours were a joy to watch. I particularly liked the guy in the Jin-Roh oufit (superb), and wiped a sniffle away when a couple got engaged on stage during their Cosplay moment.



I've included just a tiny snapshot of the talent on show that night, to those I missed or had to cut, I apologise. I also apologise for not crediting names, but I'm pathetic at keeping notes, you guys know who you are anyway.




The sobriety test was particularly tough this year




How this guy managed to park his EVA unit in the car park remains a mystery




Grrrrowwl




The Unusual suspects




These are three of the lovely ladies that I was forced to spend the evening with- Chris you don't pay me enough!




They are just too cute for words




The bouncer on the door proved to be very effective




Maybe the dress code for dinner was a little stringent




[sniff, sniff] these two got engaged




The "no pets allowed" rule was relaxed for the Tenchi fans



At 10:45pm, and with a warm fuzzy feeling inside, it was now time to quiz the GOH. So the members of the paparazzi were separated from the favourite beverage and bundled off to a secret location to meet the Seraphim and Piro.



It was gone midnight by the time interview was drawn to a conclusion. I watched Seraphim and Piro trudge wearily off to their beds, whilst I retired to bar to muse on what I had learned (Piro, as a digital transvestite). The bar was full of happy bunnies (no, really, we had a lot of floppy eared people there as well) quaffing all manner of beverage. Once again I found myself in the midst of a discussion on Metaphysics or was it Hentai, I really can't remember. By 3:30 am it's once again time to leave the still partying fans, and head for bed.



Day 3



A good five hours sleep later, then time for a breakfast, as checkout is early and I've got things to pack. Once the Hotel business has been attended to I go off to find the Industry panel talk. Many things are discussed, but once again the question of box's (for box sets series) arises. The panel stifles a small groan, as we go down why the retailers won't stock the big box (shelf space = money) explanation. Yes, the big box's are nice, but they are not essential (cake not frosting). And I'm one of those people who wants a smaller box anyway, as I now have to pack my DVD's away due to lack of shelf space at home. The panel finishes on buoyant note, as everyone agrees that the Anime market has never been so good. This is all down to the fans making a nuisance of themselves, by demanding better and more frequent releases, and now the industry is responding. (NB The industry announcements have been posted in R2 forum by DanJ).



No time for lunch as the very nice people from Sweatdrop lure me away with promises of free Manga (I have a very low bribery threshold) in return for my ear. We find a secluded fire exit and chew the cud on British Manga scene.



A quick dash to the video room allows me to see one of the films being shown, as I was desperate to see Ghost in the Shell Special Edition (thx Liam). By the time I had come out from the screening, the dealer rooms had closed and the industry types had faded away. Whoa! Seraphim and Piro are out again, signing for the fans (a class act). Although the hotel was chocka full of fans eating and talking, it was now time for me to make my way home (yes, another traffic jam was waiting on the way back. I guess those elder gods really do hate me).



It was a tough weekend, I didn't get to see half the things I wanted to, but I got to meet some very interesting people and swap shaggy dog stories.



How does one sum up the weekend? In two words, highly enjoyable.



I'd like to name check my homies- Liam, Chris, Hugh, Sarah(x2), Becka, Dan, Paul, Laura and Joe. Thanks for the conversation, insight, opinions and beer.



A big thank you Duncan for inviting me to Aya Again 2003, and the Aya Team for literally organising chaos. And the biggest thank you to everyone who attended, you made my weekend unforgettable (it'll be a long time before I forget the Chiimama's at any rate ).