Tekkoshocon VI (2008) Part 3

Sunday

Saturday night/Sunday morning was disturbingly like Thursday night/Friday morning. I should have been able to sleep right through to Sunday, considering how exhausted I was, but I still ended up waking up in the middle and screwing it up. So I eventually woke up Sunday morning at 11am, hardly less tired than I was Friday morning. And considering the half-way nature of Sunday's con programming, it seemed like a wasted effort. Still, I was determined, so I got up, and headed for the con after noon.

Grabbing a quick sandwich at Subway, I reached the con at about 1pm, and headed for the main room to watch the AMV Awards. I should have anticipated that they'd be a little behind schedule. I walked in on the very end of the previous programming, only to have to go out and get back in line for the next event. Well, the line wasn't too long, certainly not compared to the masquerade line on Saturday, and when we all eventually got inside and seated, probably 70% of the chairs were still empty...

Anyway, the winning AMV's were good. Nothing that totally blew me away, but they were entertaining. There was a good Fate/Stay Night action AMV, and an impressively 8-bit styled Lucky Star AMV. There was also an endearing romance AMV featuring Chobits. I had mixed feelings about the winner of the "audience pick" write-in award - which was an AMV centered around the scene from Eva when Shinji holds Kaworu in Unit 01's hand, followed by an overlong stare-down, and then finally the murder of Kaworu. Well, in the AMV, Kaworu was singing an annoying song, that just went on and on and on, with intermittent shots of Shinji and Rei being annoyed. Well, you can see where it was going. I admit it's a clever idea, but geez, is it really something that's fun to watch?? There was also a Death Note AMV - Death Note was hugely popular at this con - which allegedly was full of spoilers, but I don't know a thing about Death Note, so I couldn't tell the difference.

I have to admit, watching AMV's again, it did not take long for me to start fantastizing about finishing that one AMV I started to try to make years ago. I really think it could be an amazing AMV. I watched the preliminary "version" I have of it, after getting back home, and even the little I have, it really makes me think that it could be awesome. Fantasy: I'd love to finish that AMV, submit it to a con (that I attend), and then win an award, so that I can claim it while wearing my Griffith cosplay. That's my dream. Let me toss it into the bonfire of Griffith's ambition, like a moth to a flame...

Anyhow, back at the con, after the AMV Awards ended, there wasn't much left to do, considering that I think the Dealer's Room was closed by then, so I headed back towards the Video Rooms. There was supposed to be more AMV's playing in the AMV Room, which would have been nice to see, but I ended up back in the "unlicensed" Video Room instead, watching an unfamiliar series called Binbou Shimai Monogatari. It was about two schoolgirls - sisters - living alone (mother dead, father disappeared), trying to get by on their own. Despite the nature of the premise, it was a very endearing show, and the girls were adorable. In fact, looking it up back home, I found out there are only ten episodes. Having seen the first two already, I decided on a whim to watch the rest of it. So I'm currently downloading the remaining eight episodes...

Well, after the showing finished, I left the video rooms, and by now, you could tell that the con was closing down. People were scarce, rooms were shutting down. There were still people lining up for something - perhaps the closing ceremony, though I thought that would have already started by that time, but the con was pretty much over. So I headed home, making it back before 4.

Third day's reaction: I really enjoyed the con. It felt so much more like an anime con than the Comicon ever did (not that that's surprising). It really was like a (very) mini Otakon. All the pieces were there, they were just much much smaller. Of the two, I have to say I still easily prefer Otakon. Advantages to a smaller con aside, you just can't beat the excitement of a large con, or the sheer variety of panels/shows/events/etc. going on (not to mention the cosplayers). My opinion is open to change in the future though. I had more a feeling of sadness for the end of the con last night, but now I'm so tired, I don't think I could take any more of the con even if it was there. I need to get some rest. Still, I feel like my con experience has grown a great deal, and I feel a stronger desire than before to continue going to anime cons, whether it's this one, or any other.

When I think about it, I'm reminded of a discussion I read about Burning Man, about how people say their opinion changes over the years. The first time is really exciting, and the second time can't live up to it; or maybe the second time is better because you have a better idea of what to expect and what to get out of it. Either way, the third and subsequent times, you either get tired of it and the magic disappears, or you start to grow fond of it and get attached. Maybe I'm just lonely, but I feel like I could get attached.

I mean, I'm definitely still up to date in the otaku scene. Personal preferences aside, I was pretty much in the know for a lot of the series that were passing around - the current favorites, like Lucky Star, Fate/Stay Night, Haruhi, etc. And I've pretty much got the classics down, I think. I guess I just have to put some more effort into that AMV, and the costume, too. And it might be nice to get some (more?) otaku friends, although there's still that barrier between "me" and "people". What was it called, the AT Field? ...Maybe not.

Life is melancholy.

But for now, I have Deedlit and Rimu-chan to console me, and keep me company...