Anizona 2009: Lasting Impressions

To wit, I have only had one experience with a convention before—and I spent the entire time under a table (more on this later)—so I cannot say that I have much of an idea for exactly what a convention should be like. This said, I am still going to be a little bit hypercritical of some of the more major faults that fell out; but I am overall pleased with Anizona ’09 and I really hope to see them again.

The schedule and programming were hell to find especially on the web pages. None of the navigation took us anywhere we expected to go, and no information was forthcoming. In fact, this became quite a bear and possibly wrecked a lot of the events at the con due to people being unable to find them…but it gets worse…

The schedule and programming booklets were alphabetically sorted! In the immortal words of our ferret, “Because we encounter events in alphabetical order in real life rather than chronological, I like all of my schedules to be alphabetized.” This rendered the booklets pretty much useless to the con-goers except as amusing distractions whist looking up events we might want to see, but quickly discovered we either missed or had to miss to see something else (which we only barely discovered later by flipping to another letter.)

As for organizing and actual programming that was wonderful. There were a number of excellent panels, events, and random nonsense going on that managed to fill out the days with good cheer. I didn’t get a chance to go to most of them, but instead rather enjoyed mingling with all the other characters.

The registration fee ($20) was amazingly acceptable and absolutely wonderful, and in fact rather makes up for the programming issues. This particular cheap cost made it a lot more permissible to actually show up, and be part of the con culture.

All this said. There is no Anizona next year.

According to many of my friends this event was much better organized and run than any before it—even with all its faults—and I enjoyed myself thoroughly. (If for no other reason than someone, whom I adore for this, decided to come and cosplay as Vex Harrow. She made the con one of the best events I’ve ever been to in my life.)

Anizona 2009

I just spent the entire weekend at Anizona 2009. An event which Arizona really needs badly, which everyone who attended the closing ceremonies has heard is going to be on hiatus for at least a year. So there will be no Anizona 2010.

I have collected a certain number of notes from the experience—including some observations on how many Naruto headbands vs. Urahara hats appeared (Friday, Naruto won; Saturday, it was definitely Urahara.) We saw zombies, mercenaries, a giant moogle, Yoshi, and many excellent cosplayers. We even experienced the Gong Show which was an amusing jaunt—at least Friday and Sunday, the Saturday Gong judges treated the thing like the worst of American Idol and fairly much made the experience a bit of a letdown. If I had it in me, I might have actually tried to sing at the second one. Except that judges didn’t want singing, and I’d already caught some form of con crud.

Yes, there really is a word for it: Con Crud. Whenever you put that many people together, for that long of a time, some form of epidemic is going to spread—in this case it’s an evil sort of phlegmy sore throat. Knocked out the upper-register of my voice. Try singing with no upper register.

Geeks are also not well known for their hygiene and cosplay outfits quickly pick up dinge and funk even in a matter of 24 hours worn.

In the news of the neato and sweet, a friend of mine even came on Friday, cosplaying as Vex Harrow.

I will work out some of the other stories from the event as the week wears on.

No Mill Avenue Nights this week—it was all animé convention.

And there are indeed photographs.