2008 AUSA -warm and relaxed-

By: cosplayerkyo | October 19, 2008 on 2:11 am | Category: Gatherings | No Comments

AnimeUSA 2008

The end of the convention season nearby’s soon as we approach the cold winter times. With AnimeUSA being hosted in mid October, con attendees get to enjoy this year’s convention without having to worry about catching a cold. And to further celebrate this con, AnimeUSA have reached 10 years old!

Welcoming the convention again, the Hyatt hosts a very convenient location. Located in (Crystal City) Arlington, Virginia, it is easily accessible through the Metro system and is very close to Regan National Airport. Parking is readily available everywhere and even free parking down by the Crystal City shops. There’s also the entire underground mall which makes for some great photoshoot locations.

It appears that the attendance seemed a bit low compared to last year. The halls weren’t jam packed the entire event and even waiting in line didn’t feel as sluggish as before. Perhaps there were less attendees but this allowed the convention to feel very laid back and relaxed. One of the main events that Quadrain.com always looks forward to was the Kabuki ball. This, I believe, is a fun and creative event to dress and act formal while having a great time. The theme for this year was a very subtle black and red image which was very calming. Lighting was excellent (not too dark, not too bright), and the music was soothing (not too waltzy, not too classy). But it was smaller then before, spacewise and attendance wise…

Following the Kabuki ball was the brilliant concert from Freezepop. Past the crowds in the events, most of the convention still seemed less populated then before.

With Saturday came along more of a crowd to help push the excitement. Smash Bros. Brawl filled the game room and the newest Dance Dance Revolution to dance away too. This brings back the memories when the biggest thing was still Dance Dance Revolution 6th mix and everyone struggled to pass Max 300. Oh how times have changed 

Saturday night brought some much confusion and frustration. The infamous Versailles –Philharmonic Quintet- was scheduled to perform at 9:00 pm and the rave was to hit up (with the awesome DJ SiSeN!) at 11:30 pm. Of course no con ever runs on schedule but even then… the band didn’t even start UNTIL 11:30 pm! Supposingly they wanted to use their equipment but they were missing the power converter. Don’t know the full details but WTFFFFFF. Not only are the poor fans suffering waiting the whole time, but ALL the ravers were waiting all freaking night…

Now when Versailles finally started up, I felt that the speakers were just too full of bass and it was hard to make out some of the music. The music did sound pretty awesome but you can tell there were many angered attendees. Ravers attempted to have their own mini-raves outside while patiently waiting. Not too sure if it was a sign of apology or if it was in the plans, but Versailles did allow 50 lucky folks to take a picture with them (after you buy their book).

And with the morning arising, the rave starts… at 3 am. DJ SiSeN performed all night (up to 6 am!) and threw an incredible rave. Very hardcore and industrial but the beats were constant, fast, and fresh. And gotta love the intro he does too Such a shame that it started so late though…

So ends another AnimeUSA and Katsucon will be the next convention at the same location. It should be interesting to see how Katsu will fair again (memories of being snowed in comes into mind!)