My experience last year at Anime Expo was nothing short of eye-opening, so this year I couldn’t turn down a chance to attend. While I was like a lost lamb in way over his head upon arriving at the LA Convention Center a year ago, this year I was like a grizzled space marine returning to base. As I rode the train from LAX (quicker than the airport shuttle!), it was as familiar as a bird migration. Then, of course, I accidentally get off at the wrong train station and waste 20 minutes standing around.

This year Anime Expo shared the area around the LACC with the X Games, which means the usually straightforward process of getting from the hotel to the convention becomes a labyrinthine trek through skateboarding fans, panhandlers, and booths giving away free energy drinks (I didn’t really mind the third one). I went as press for my sidegig, the Nihon Review, so I actually did some work rather than just dick around. This was my first time arriving Day 0, so I made the 9-block-trek to the Westin to meet up with Kylaran, whom I guess is my boss at NHRV. (more…)

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