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Anime Central 2005
Acen began with a brutal test of our Tetris packing skills. Cramming the
combined luggage of an avid cosplayer, 3 other people, and enough food
to support them all for the weekend, as well as a giant garbage bag full
of plushies into a small 4-door Saturn, barely enough room was left to
breath. However, once packed the remainder of the trip was thankfully
uneventful.
Upon arriving late Thursday night, we
found con-ops in disarray. Due to technical difficulties, many of the
non-attendee badges were unavailable to those wishing to pick them up.
Convention staff kindly informed us that things would be much better and
more organized the next morning and advised us to drop back then.
While wandering the convention center
Thursday night, it seemed as if the air crackled with anticipation.
While staff scrambled to get everything set up and in order attendees
took the time to bask in the pre-ACEN festivities. Many a person could
be found wandering the lobby looking for friends or wandering from room
party to party.
Friday morning the energy from the
night before seemed to transform from excitement to chaos. Yet,
convention staff was able to keep things under control. Registration
lines were expectedly long, yet staff kept them orderly and moving.
Friday afternoon brought a host of
different events ranging from the Full Metal Alchemist fan panel to the
game shows and game show try outs. However many other con goers chose to
wait in line for the much sought after tickets to ACEN 05's headlining
concert, The Pillows.
As Friday trudged on, attendees
swiftly lined up for seating to the concert eventually making it so
staff had to route people outside of the convention hall to prevent
crowding. Fans were rewarded for their patience with a slap in the face
from the opening band SWEK. There performance was nothing more than the
amateur mutilation and butchering of popular anime, jpop, and American
music. Nothing was sacred. From the bleating of their lead vocalist to
her inability to hold a note, it felt as if a piece of otaku culture had
died. Fans were barely able to recognize their favorite songs played by
what can only be described as an insult and mockery.
To add insult to injury, after the
opening act fans who had waited in line for hours on end for choice
seating were herded out of the auditorium into a holding area while
staff performed a "sound check." Fans grew impatient and agitated while
being herded around a small stuffy area. During this interruption
convention security, the Incident Report Team (IRT), failed
spectacularly at crowd management. Their constant indecipherable
bellowing and milling about seemed to only further agitate an already
terse situation.
When things seemed beyond irreparable,
staff finally threw upon the doors and allowed fans to re-enter the
auditorium. The growing energy, excitement, and expectations of the fans
seemed to explode as The Pillows took the stage.
“Good music has no borders, no race
and is timeless – and I will play good music for you!” Told the audience
before starting one of their songs and that quote rang true. The
high-energy performance met the fans expectations and it showed. The
entire room seemed to just explode into a lively mass of bodies and fun.
Over all The Pillows put on a great show and they seemed to be just as
excited about playing for us, as we were about hearing them play.
The only real downside to the concert
was that it seemed to be the first concert for many of the attendees.
First off, I don’t have a better way to say this, but at ANY concert
like that you have to assume that the first 20-40 feet in front of the
stage is going to be a mosh pit. If you don’t want to risk getting
shoved or ran into, don’t go up there. The random people who were
freaking out about being pushed needed to go somewhere else; everyone
else was having fun. Second, body surfers, while it is common knowledge
that a human body is heavy, it is also well know that when you
distribute weight over a large area, say twenty people, it is less
weight per person. Seriously, I saw at least three body surfers go up,
over and then straight down to the floor, because the concert virgins
had no idea they were supposed to hold him up.
After the concert, considering how
“late” it ran, there was little else to do, most of the panels were over
and done as well as the big events, it was time to check out the game
room. While all the usual suspects were present, there was one fatal
flaw to the game room. Pay. To. Play. Con goers have already paid XYZ
dollars for their hotel, food, gas and room. They shouldn’t be forced to
pay for a couple rounds on random arcade machines. While it seems to be
an increasing trend for conventions, it is one that the fans are rather
upset with and needs to be changed.
Aside from the pay to play problem
there were only two other things to note, first off, if you aren’t going
to show up for a tournament, don’t sign up for it. 140 people signing up
for a tournament and half not showing is pathetic. Second thing, DDR
players “Matrix walking” is not cool, it breaks the machines. Last
thing, as always if you are in the game room for more then three hours
at a time, do everyone a favor and shower. At the very least go jump in
the pool to cool off. The smell of gamer is one of the most disgusting
things in the world.
Saturday was a bit hectic, there
seemed to be a million things to do and not enough time to check them
all out. From the many lively fan panels to photo shoots to gatherings
there was no short of activities. The convention was in full swing by
now, crowds everywhere and there was no sign of anything getting less
dense.
Many of the photo shoots were as
chaotic as one would expect when trying to organize a large group of
people for pictures. Entertaining and delighting the crowds different
groups of cosplayers paraded around and posed for a multitude of
pictures. The energy in the convention center seemed to be growing
steadily.
As the sun set across the windy city,
ACEN changed into a giant party. The drunks wandered the halls like
vampires looking for prey and there was no shortage of alcohol. Room
parties over flowed with the smell of smoke and booz as well as the
occasional person or two. Topping off the party atmosphere were multiple
orgies taking place around the con, from the private, invite only, sex
parties to those that spilled out into the halls there was certainly no
shortage of adult entertainment.
Sunday morning seemed no less
energetic then the previous morning. There were still tons of people
milling about going from event to event and getting the last of their
goods from the dealers room. The last remaining events seemed to run
smoothly as did packing up and leaving.
After all was said and done, ACEN is
ACEN. It is a huge, there are tons of things to do, people to see,
events to attend and fun to be had. Each year it seems to just get
better and better.
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