Life after college is a road paved with corndogs

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Anime Expo 2009

Me at my booth at Anime Expo!

This year, Brian Nguyen and I decided to have a table at Artist Alley at Anime Expo. I don't exactly have fuzzy feelings about Anime Expo, from the debacle I had with them a few years ago (Amber and I had went to see CLAMP, and they directed us to the wrong line, which caused us to wait TWO! HOURS! in a registration line, when we should have been waiting in the industry line, which was a scant 10 minute line. OH THE HATRED!), but I was willing to go along with it, since Ryan and Dean had also went in on a table. They made concessions for us to sit together, so we have a nice situation where we're all looking after each others' stuff. I made prints of my work, and am selling them at the booth. The response has all been very supportive and positive, which is great. Also, having a booth gives a great place for friends to meet up, and to stash purchases, so you don't have to carry them around everywhere.

But this post is not just to shamelessly plug ME...this is also to share some of the cosplay that I've seen, while observing the con from my uncomfortable folding chair. Going to Anime Expo a full 4 days adds up to a nice collection of photos, so this post is to share some of the things I saw.

Anime Expo 2009
A kid that stopped by my booth, he was dressed as an Akatsuki. It was funny...his mom was like, You should smile when she takes the picture!! But I defended his facial expression...much more Akatsuki like, ha.
Anime Expo 2009
Pretty good Uncle Iroh from Avatar, and who is this other person? She's from Avatar right? Either way, very good cosplay, Avatar the Last Airbender (the cartoon, NOT the bs which will be the live action movie), is a great show.
Anime Expo 2009
Jill Valentine from Resident Evil. Love the bazooka.
Anime Expo 2009
Owen and I love the game Earthbound, and Mother 3 (the half I've played) is really fun too. These two dressed up like the brothers, Claus and Lucas. I love the snake! You have to fight a few in the forest.
Anime Expo 2009
Another Lucas and Claus, much closer to the real age of the boys in the game. Good for them!
Anime Expo 2009
Left 4 Dead Smoker,choking a guy to death. Props to them for holding this pose for like, 10 minutes, as people hurriedly snapped pictures.
Anime Expo 2009
A Silent Hill bloody nurse being eyed by Resident Evil's Chris Redfield. Mashups are always fun.
Anime Expo 2009
Great costumes - the tailed beasts from Naruto, and um, blue haired whoever from Naruto. Great dedication from these guys, as walking around in a full costume gets SUPER hot.
Anime Expo 2009
Love these guys - One Piece group cosplay - from the left - Nico Robin, Luffy, Chopper, and Jewelry Bonney, a recent new character. So funny that she's eating the chips - she's constantly eating all the time in the manga and animation, great touch!
Anime Expo 2009
Black mages. Like, a gang of them. Do not mess with these guys in a dark alley.
Anime Expo 2009
Full Halo suited soldier dudes. Do they sell these somewhere? I saw a few people with these.
Anime Expo 2009
Vash the Stampede from Trigun. I don't know much about this character but Owen was jazzed.
Anime Expo 2009
The CABBAGES guy from Avatar! "My cabbages!" Pretty funny that he was actually carrying around real cabbages. Dedication, my friends. That's what it takes to cosplay.
Anime Expo 2009
Kenpachi from Bleach. Love the little Yachiru perched on his shoulder. These touches make these cosplayers so fun!
Anime Expo 2009
Who is he/she? Whoever they are, they're workin' it.
Anime Expo 2009
Smiling ghosty dude from Spirited Away. Always gotta have one of these guys around.
Anime Expo 2009
SHREDDER! Fun. Wish he had an army of foot ninjas with him, but I can really only ask for so much.
Anime Expo 2009
Robot? From Full Metal Alchemist?
Anime Expo 2009
Soul Society Shinigami. Why not.
Anime Expo 2009
Urahara from Bleach, and some blue haired chick from Bleach as well. I don't know, as all I've gotten to in the anime/manga is the end of the first main arc (Soul Society Rukia saving business.)
Anime Expo 2009
Mario Mario and Luigi Mario. Love the mallets.
Anime Expo 2009
Cute - a dad and his sons, dressed up as Jiraya, Naruto and Sasuke. What a cool dad to play along! (Or force these kids into playing along?!)
Anime Expo 2009
Peter Pan, Wendy and Tinkerbell. A really good Tinkerbell cosplay, I'd say.
Anime Expo 2009
Ryu was posing for someone else and I snaked this shot. Ha-du-ken...
Anime Expo 2009
Card captor Sakura. Very cute outfit.
Anime Expo 2009
This is one of two cosplayers that really blew me away. This girl is dressed up as the Going Merry, the BOAT in One Piece. Check it out...

So her head is the masthead, her cape is the sails, her skirt is the boat itself, her legs are underwater. SO CLEVER!

Anime Expo 2009
Got her "cape" (sails) shot as well. Truly creative!
Anime Expo 2009
A buttoned eyes Coraline. Massive dedication on her part, as it was really hard for her to see, but she said she managed to, barely.
Anime Expo 2009
Bloody nurse stopped by our booth. She never said anything, would just pose when people asked to take her picture. Dang.
Anime Expo 2009
Misa from Death Note. I really like her Death Note prop, and her costume was very accurate. I saw a lot of Misas walking around.
Anime Expo 2009
Pikmin characters. Pure fun.
Anime Expo 2009
Snorlax and Charmander. I realized I saw a lot more Pokemon characters than I thought I would, a lot of Ash Ketchums and such. Is Pokemon still really that popular?
Anime Expo 2009
A blurry Pimp Mario as he was walking away. 'Nuff said.
Anime Expo 2009
Tronbonne, from Capcom vs Street Fighter. I remember playing her character a bit back in the day, this is a team effort for ONE character, which I had to give props to.
Anime Expo 2009
Tobi from Naruto. The eye was lit up. I wonder how she/he could see?
Anime Expo 2009
Maid versions of Asuka and Rei from Evangelion. Super cute and frilly outfits, even though I am not a fan of their characters.
Anime Expo 2009
This was hilarious - Dan and Ryu from Street Fighter, they first posed in a fighting stance against each other, but then changed their pose to this, Ryu punching out Dan's crotch. I KNEW Ryu was a dick. Hahaha. This was the cosplay team that just made me crack up.
Anime Expo 2009
And now, this is the other cosplayer that blew me away...Trucy Wright, from the game Apollo Justice, which was a sequel to the Phoenix Wright DS games. THIS WAS AWESOME! She had her "Mr. Hat" character on a moving pedestal, with wheels, and the head could be moved to an open or closed position. TOTALLY GREAT!
Anime Expo 2009
Pedo Bear and some schoolgirl. I didn't know what Pedo bear was, and I still dont really know who he is, but I guess he's perverted.
Anime Expo 2009
Another few Phoenix Wright characters - Godot and Edgeworth. Good one guys!
Anime Expo 2009
And last, but not least, Rita Repulsa and Zed from Power Rangers. Good clean fun.


Unfortunately, there were some that got away, where I just didn't pull out the camera fast enough. I saw one guy, no shirt, no shoes or socks, just wearing a plaid skirt. YES. ONE PLAID SKIRT. Who the heck is he? What is he from? Is he just insane? Did he just wander in from Skid Row? Or who could forget the cosplayer of Cammy from Street Fighter...who REALLY did not belong in such a skimpy outfit.

Well, there's Anime Expo 2009 for you 3 readers of my blog. Hope you enjoy. I don't know if I'll be doing this again next year, (4 full days of any kind of convention is stressful!) but at least I sold a few prints, had a bit of fun and got my work out there.

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5 Comments:

  • great photos sandra, thanks for sharing!

    By Blogger The Dept., at 3:54 AM  

  • This is my first time of visiting to your blog. I've been on that expo three times. I was wondering that I could join the artist alley for anime expo next year. I saw the photo of you in your booth. So I ask you what did you sell?

    By Blogger DGchenchan, at 9:36 PM  

  • That's not Claus and Lucas in the pictures btw! It's Ness and Lucas (:

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 11:56 PM  

  • Hi! O.k., so this is 1 1/2 years ago now, but I am the "Dad" in your picture of Jiraiya with his "sons".... I guess we did a really good job with their cosplay, because those two with my, Naruto & Sasuke...are my DAUGHTERS! XD :) At that time, they are age 10 & 12. And nobody had to force anybody into it, we all LOVE Naruto!! Thank you for posting the pic! Fun to find on the 'ol internets!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:06 PM  

  • Awesome! I was just looking for ideas on a Going Merry cosplay for next year, and I saw this. I hope random person I don't know will mind if I steal some of hers!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:45 PM  

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