My adventures through the 2013 Anime Expo in Los Angeles continues in Day Two. Check out more after the jump.
Day Two of Anime Expo started a little earlier than Day One, in that I arrived around 9:45am with one purpose and one purpose only: to get into the Porno Graffitti and RAM RIDER press conference.
I honestly wrapped up my Day One Con report at 9:00am, splashed water on my face, threw from clothes on, and high tailed it to the convention center in hopes to have the chance to exchange words with two incredible Japanese musical acts.
Side Note: Remember I mentioned about parking at the Convention Center? I will also note that if you are planning on staying for the late night events, such as the AX Dance or Last Comic Standing, park in the West Hall parking structure. They do close off the South Hall (where the Exhibit Hall and Registration are) around 10:00pm, so unless you feel safe roaming in a closed off area, park in the West Hall where most of the late night events are located anyway.
So, there I am practically “Tokyo drifting” into a spare parking spot in the West Hall garage, rushing to make it to my first press conference, when I find I missed out on Porno Graffiti and RAM RIDER wasn’t available for another hour. Gah. n00b press fail.
My personal irritation at my poor scheduling skills aside, the wait for RAM RIDER was well worth it. I am a big fan of the YouTube channel, HARAJUKU KAWAii!! TV. It’s a Japanese YouTube show highlighting Harajuku fashion, models, and music. This was the first time I heard RAM RIDER’s music and my love for it just snowballed from there. Any fan of electronic dance music (EDM) will absolutely love his amazing beats and singing. It’s level of “epic bass drops†that is on par with more familiar artists such as Deadmau5 or Daft Punk ala Human After All. He’s also done some great collaborations with artists like m-flo and lending his talent to the Ghibli Jazz Remix album. So, knowing I had the opportunity to speak with such an incredible musical artist, I can’t even begin to describe my level of fangirl giddiness.
I was able to ask more questions about his personal style, inspirations, and where he got his start. I will write an in-depth report about the conference, as well experiencing his live spinning during AX Dance, once the convention itself is over. In the meantime, I really encourage everyone to check out his music on iTunes or Spotify and a little sneak peak at how awesome he looks on stage.
I really had no set events I was planning on attending before the 3:00pm, so I just took the time after the press conferences to wander around the Exhibit Hall and Artist Alley. There I bumped into tokusatsu fandom family, Spenser, and completely overspent hard earned money on some awesomely, awesome swag.
By the time I was done perusing and making my wallet cry, I made it to the Cosplay is Not Consent panel. Â which was something I really anticipated when I saw it on the programming schedule.
It was hosted by the intrepid people over at Cosplay Deviants and really highlighted the importance of the attitude shift in fandoms and their convention behaviors. The intent of their panel is to be able to educate attendees and convention administration and staff about accepted social behavior related to fan conventions.
They shared personal experiences of harassment and other forms of shockingly inappropriate behavior. One panelist related how during her first convention dressed in a modest lolita dressed, an attendee asked to take a photo from behind and up her skirt. Another panelist noted how she was catcalled by older gentlemen as she passed by. They also asked personal stories from attendees, which to me, were even more shocking. One attendee was stalked through the duration of a convention, while another was outright bashed online in a YouTube video without knowing she was being filmed. Furthermore, there were even a group of scantily clad cosplaying men who noted the male end of the spectrum. Men are just as susceptible as women to unwanted touching and vile, hurtful words. And the sad part is, it is understood these behaviors exist and almost considered the norm (remember when “glomping†was a thing?); even I had my fair share of receiving inappropriate behavior.
Therefore, I found it really great that the panelists also shared some advice on how to handle situations. Each situation is certainly different and many people have varying levels on how they deal with it. It always starts off with a simple negating statement of “Stop†or “You are making me feel uncomfortable.†Most of the time, the person doesn’t realize their behavior is unacceptable and therefore making it clear on one’s boundaries is important. Escalating a situation will vary as well, depending on the continued action.
In the case of the attendee’s convention stalker, the panelists recommended she take note of the person’s name, description, and the level of behavior and report it to a staff member or security. Staff administration will and should take all reports seriously for the safety of their (paying) attendees and blacklist the offending person.
In addition, the panelists really highlight the importance and help of other attendees. It’s always good to have a friend looking out for you (and vice versa) whether you’re in cosplay or not. It’s also even more important to be aware of it in general so you can even help out a fellow attendee. If you see inappropriate behavior, do ask the person if they need help or if they’re okay.
Conventions are supposed to be safe havens so this panel really emphasizes the importance of having a shared love for something and making it a more welcoming place for each other. I’m most likely leaving a lot out, so please do check out their site to educate yourself and to keep you and your fandom family safe.
After this panel, I honestly had no other event I was personally invested it save RAM RIDER’s performance during the AX Dance, which, again, I will write about in more detail after the convention. I basically had three hours to myself with nothing much to do.
Luckily, this amazing friend picked me up and took me to dinner at one of my personal favorite places in Los Angeles.
After dinner, I ended the night absolutely drenched, sore, and ridiculously elated after the AX Dance. So, now it is nearly 4:00am and I will be back to do it all again in a few hours. If you guys randomly see me passed out in one of video rooms, please kindly ignore me. I probably didn’t sleep at all. ^_^;
Remember for up to date short video clips, photos, and thoughts, follow me over @angelicnoir on Twitter. See you in Day Three!
