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FiliKlepto wrote:

W-General wrote:

And don't get me started on how the concert delay meant that the SOS-dan members could not attend the Meet and Greet Guest of Honor reception (I paid $20 JUST to see Hirano-san). This would've been what is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to talk to them in person, but was ruined by the Anime Expo and convention staff failures. No apologies will be enough to calm my anger.

I'm glad I didn't buy tickets to go to the guest of honor meet-and-greet; I was seriously considering it, but I did end up meeting them on Sunday. They were all so kind and wonderful, and talking to Hirano-san was the highlight of the century, but in retrospect I feel bad that they had to go through so many difficulties. I agree that the SOS Invasion Tour won't ever grace the halls of AX again after the inexcusable treatment they received this year; I just hope it doesn't stop them from ever coming to the U.S. again.

W-General wrote:

Since I live in New York, I don't think I'll come back to AX again, unless they manage to bring the SOS girls back again - which I think is highly unlikely considering the type of treatment they and other guests received. I should start thinking about going to one of the Japanese Haruhi concerts (which was so successful that Hirano-san cried out tears of joy at the end)

Indeed. Maybe we should check the tour out together!

You got to talk to them? How? Were you press? Staff? Or did you break rules and talked to them a little bit during the signing session (there was one guy who did that right after I got my stuff signed). I am extremely jealous of you.... if you better explain yourself well for your....privileges that I didn't get Evil or Very Mad

You better not be an AX Staff, because AX Staff deserves to be burned on stakes.

OK I am overreacting, and I think you're not an AX Staff and we both agree that the treatment of Japanese guests were extremely poor... so I'll forgive you for the travesty of getting to talk to Hirano-san.

I dunno, I've never really been a celebrity/star chaser and this is the first time in my life that I'm so seriously following a celebrity (even if she's only involved in Anime roles) and it meant the world to me to meet her face to face. Now I just feel really jaded because before AX I seriously believed of getting to talk to Hirano-san...but now that hope is lost... *depressed*....... Evil or Very Mad

jvowles wrote:

(Even a single competent part-time admin assistant would run the organization something in the neighborhood of 50-60k per year.)

Wow. Guess I should switch careers.

I don't know what you've been looking at, but that's way too high, especially for part-time, even taking taxes into account.

Last edited by FiliKlepto on Tue Jul 03, 2007 7:15 pm; edited 3 times in total

W-General wrote:

You got to talk to them? How? Were you press? Staff? Or did you break rules and talked to them a little bit during the signing session (there was one guy who did that right after I got my stuff signed). I am extremely jealous of you.... if you better explain yourself well for your....privileges that I didn't get Evil or Very Mad

You better not be an AX Staff, because AX Staff deserves to be burned on stakes.

OK I am overreacting, and I think you're not an AX Staff and we both agree that the treatment of Japanese guests were extremely poor... so I'll forgive you for the travesty of getting to talk to Hirano-san.

I dunno, I've never really been a celebrity/star chaser and this is the first time in my life that I'm so seriously following a celebrity (even if she's only involved in Anime roles) and it meant the world to me to meet her face to face. Now I just feel really jaded because before AX I seriously believed of getting to talk to Hirano-san...but now that hope is lost... *depressed*....... Evil or Very Mad

No, no, not AX staff - and seeing the way they treat their guests - not now, not ever!

I'm with you, celebrity chasing is not my life, but I just HAD to meet Hirano Aya. And I was freaking out because I couldn't figure out a sure-fire way... until I went to the Bandai booth. They had a sign there - with the purchase of any Haruhi merchandise (I picked up a $10 image song CD) you had the "chance" to meet the seiyuu, as long as you were one of the first fifty people to show up with your receipt at the Bandai booth Sunday.

Of course, even though we (the BF and I) got the tickets to go meet them, we nearly didn't because of the as*y staff running the autograph session. There was this one woman, she was a real number, completely rude when I was politely asking her questions; she even accused us of trying to cut in line before the hundreds of people waiting outside. Why would we cut in line when we had guaranteed tickets?! She told us the Bandai signing was going to be at 1:45 and shooed us away. (Edit: I'm sure she was with AX and not outside staff because she was almost cosplaying - colored contacts, etc.)

When we came back TEN MINUTES LATER, she told us that the signing was over and that we missed out chance. She wouldn't even let us cross that stupid pink rope they set up, so that we could see for ourselves. So we ran all the way around the artist's alley to the door, found the Bandai guys, and got in -- the last two people who got an autograph.

And, yes, I broke tons of rules once inside. I brought my DVD box and ignored the AX staff person (sorry, guy!) who kept saying no DVDs and asked Goto Yuko to sign it. She said yes and was totally about to sign it, had her pen ready and everything, and their manager/agent stopped her. Anime cry

I also spoke to Chihara-san and spent over a minute with Hirano Aya, just letting her know that I never imagined I would ever get to meet her, etc. We were the last people in line, so it wasn't like we were holding anyone up, and so I just talked and talked and talked.

Hirano Aya was so sweet and wonderful that after the signing I cried and cried and cried with joy. She even said that she remembered seeing me at the concert on Saturday (since I was in cosplay).

My total happiness makes me even more upset, though, that other people did not get to have the same experience! Damn you, AX. Evil or Very Mad

I am just so incredibly displeased with this convention that it makes my blood boil.

The union convention security staff really screwed over ax this year. They didn't know what they were doing, or didn't expect this many people to come to this or somthing.

FiliKlepto wrote:

And, yes, I broke tons of rules once inside. I brought my DVD box and ignored the AX staff person (sorry, guy!) who kept saying no DVDs and asked Goto Yuko to sign it. She said yes and was totally about to sign it, had her pen ready and everything, and their manager/agent stopped her.

...I wonder why they weren't allowed to sign DVDs, that seems kind of odd to me. Anyone have an explination for this?

rektagunn wrote:

I ask you this AX, is this the right way to treat the Queen of Akihabara?!

Don't get it twisted, people. The concert was a huge success! It might not be as "packed" as the S.K.I.N. concert, but judging from how everyone was dancing away and swinging their glowsticks in unison, Momoi-chan's concert rocked the house! And it's all because of her energy and her love for her fans. Us Momoists were merely returning her favor by cheering loudly and letting her know that she is loved here in the U.S.

But as fans, we can only do so much. With all the missteps by AX, word will get around the seiyuu / industry / otaku community in Japan regarding the treatment of Momoi Halko and the other GOHs. And I wouldn't be surprised if AX receives some rejections from some of their proposed future guests because of this...

I mean, geez, this is the Queen we're talking about here. She's one of the few personalities that comes close to having a unified positive consensus among otakus. And we all know how divisive we all are...

-ObLaCxZ

I agree with you, she and her fans shouldn't have been treated the way they were. I was so looking forward to her autograph session, but like most of her events it was cancelled. At least I got to go to her panel. But she was so upset over what was going on though. I believe seeing her fans made her happy though.

Not having a room ready for a guest when they arrive? That's not bright on AX's part. It could be understandable if it was a matter of her arriving at say, 11:30AM and the room wasn't really ready until a couple hours later for the hotel to do their thing (in which case it's the convention's duty to inform her of that before the flight), but it sounds more like "we forgot to reserve your room for today, lol". Then she has a right to complain. Any word from AX on what happened? There's always at least two sides to every story, but if you're only hearing one that's what you'll tend to side with and so far we're only hearing Momoi's side.

Impressive guest lineup overall, but that may have also been part of the problem; getting TOO MANY big name guests for one convention. Two or three would have worked just as well.

TsubomiKoneko wrote:

...I wonder why they weren't allowed to sign DVDs, that seems kind of odd to me. Anyone have an explination for this?

It is not odd but the norm, at least in Japan.

In Japan, unless specified, the norm is that they will only sign items that were made for signing in that event itself, otherwise they will definitely not sign it. It's a written rule in the industry, since there are problems with people putting up fake signed random items on auction and profiting thousands of dollars via these items. When you know when and what they are allowed to sign, then you reduce this risk and can easily expose the fakers, and even then the most common way is to sign signiture boards.

For the most part American fans has it pretty good when it comes to the guests bending the rules simply because they're overseas and all of them feel that they should treat the fans well to a certain degree, so don't complain too much about the strictness of their rules.

houkoholic wrote:

In Japan, unless specified, the norm is that they will only sign items that were made for signing in that event itself, otherwise they will definitely not sign it. It's a written rule in the industry, since there are problems with people putting up fake signed random items on auction and profiting thousands of dollars via these items. When you know when and what they are allowed to sign, then you reduce this risk and can easily expose the fakers, and even then the most common way is to sign signiture boards.

For the most part American fans has it pretty good when it comes to the guests bending the rules simply because they're overseas and all of them feel that they should treat the fans well to a certain degree, so don't complain too much about the strictness of their rules.

That makes sense, especially since bootlegs are a huge problem in the anime industry. I was mostly annoyed though because they didn't have a special item for the signing. It was just the normal Haruhi wall poster, which I already own (signed by the ASOS Brigade Razz

), and I had brought the Limited Edition box, which was obviously legit. I would have loved to get a nice, portable, show-off-able item like a signature board.

Whatever everyone's excuses are, they don't wash.
SoCal reality-we're a tourist trap. I know the news here makes such a fuss about hotel room tax revenues & spending by SUper Bowl attendees, no one in Long Beach could not realize their actions reflect on their city. I'm conscious enough about it, I have no problem giving directions who pull up beside me in parking lots, etc. because I figure if they have a good experience in our city, they'll come back & they'll tell their friends. (& if they're locals, oh, well) .

http://comic-con.org/

We get all this for about $60 (I buy my membership at con for about $40). 4 full days plus preview night-about 4 hrs to pick up one's badger the day prior & check out the salesfloor.
Much of what I've read about Comic-con i volunteers. They have meeting year round for those interested in getting it off the ground every year. I know the whole thing's non-profit, so I don't know if these guys are getting any kind of credit for their work (I know my teen needs 75 hour of volunteer work to graduate High School, so I suppose they could count this). I swear something I read said their anime dept is all volunteer.
And yeah, it's huge. In 38 yrs they've made themselves something. AX could also. I remember winning free passes back in the '80's & it was very different (smaller, but still seemed organized) This is my 6th yr going. As I said. every yr my teen makes noise about checking out Anime Expo, but then we see this in the aftermath.
Back in 1980 I went to a little con for Dark Shadows & it seemed to run smoother than AX on much less budget. AX could fix their problems. I've never read San Diego has a higher rate of volunteering than other cities in SoCal, nor that we're particularly known for being nicer (When I first moved here in 1980, a common bumper sticker was "Welcome to San DIego. Now go home.").

I've had dvds signed by American VA's. And I've had manwha signed by Korean authors at comic-con. The Japanese are very particular about not wanting to be photographed, but the Koreans are very friendly about it.

Bob Loblaw wrote:

Just out of curiousity, for those wanting to see AX run by a year-long professional staff, are you willing to accept the price-hike that will no doubt some with it?

I think it's a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. Either accept a price hike or accept that AX will never get better. Personally, I'd take the price hike, but I have a stable career and can afford it. I figure the younger fans might have a different perspective.

W-General wrote:

I hear that LA Convention Center is poorly located for an Anime Convention.

#1 question: Where's the cheap food? That was sorely lacking in Long Beach. It was a fairly long march up to Sixth Avenue to get to the Denny's and fast food, through slightly creepy territory. I miss Anaheim, with the Denny's and IHOP a stone's throw away. If there's no easy eats within quick walking distance of next year's venue, I might give it a pass.

------RM

What I can tell you from my own experience is that Halko Momoi apparently had some contract issues with AX (my basic guess is that AX screwed up her dates). So although she did attend her focus panel (which, I believe, she wasn't contractually obligated to do due to the mix-up by AX), she had to cancel all other scheduled appearances this past weekend (including press availability and her two autograph sessions). I can report that I did spot at the AX Info Booth that there was a big sign announcing all of Momoi's autograph sessions were canceled.

She did, however, agreed to hold her concert, although she warned at her focus panel that even that could possibly be canceled (the day of, Monday) as well. She also reportedly came to tears during the focus panel and mentioned her frustration with AX's professionalism. I believe that she also brought many of her close personal friends and staff with her to America in preparation for her big debut here but was visibly upset that most of it was going to be canceled due to her contractual issues with AX.

The reason for the cancellation of her other appearances was, obviously, to give her some time to prepare for her concert that was going to take place days earlier than when she had expected (and was contracted) to do. It was the right decision to make, because neither she nor her staff were given enough time to prepare and set-up the concert otherwise. If she was going to do the concert, that was the only choice to make.

Fortunately, she did ultimately went through with the concert on Monday, and I attended the event. She really poured out her heart during the concert and delivered probably the most energetic and hard-working performance I ever saw at a Japanese concert. And although the crowd was small (my guess: the non-holiday Monday date + possibility of cancellation + the Transformers line were to blame), the audience gave her full love and tremendous energy, which evidently improved her mood near the end and inspired her to post a more positive entry on her blog later on.

What is important to note, though, is that she burst into tears during her last song and couldn't stop crying for a good 1-2 minutes (still, she continued and finished the song). I was touched but didn't fully understand the meaning behind all the emotion until I talked with guys after the concert who went to her focus panel. That's when I learned about the contract screw-ups caused by AX leadership.

Anyway, during the concert, Momoi also tossed out red pre-autographed festival balls to the audience. I talked with a fellow who caught one of the them, and when he showed me the item, the date written on the ball was previously written something else and then crossed out and corrected with July 2.

I think that indisputable piece of evidence tells you all that you need to know about what happened to her and who is to blame...

That bit of information should also prove anyone who thought that she WANTED to cancel her autograph sessions are completely mistaken. She not only wanted to hold all her autograph sessions, but she had also planned (well ahead of time) to distribute additional autographs to her concert-goers as well.

jvowles wrote:

(Even a single competent part-time admin assistant would run the organization something in the neighborhood of 50-60k per year.)

Not to be rude, but who are you looking at? Ex-Hollywood people? I don't make half that for my part-time planning work.

@kingofkaraoke: Thank you for informing us in clear detail. I kinda wish Momoi's US debut was a lot better.

As a note, her experience is now being discussed on 2chan.
http://news22.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/moeplus/1183339693/

CuteyHoney wrote:

I agree with you, she and her fans shouldn't have been treated the way they were. I was so looking forward to her autograph session, but like most of her events it was cancelled. At least I got to go to her panel. But she was so upset over what was going on though. I believe seeing her fans made her happy though.
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/9697/p1010246gb4.jpg

First, thank you very much for that image. I would've taken one at the time but my obvious priority was Momoi at the moment. Second, that's the back of my head in that picture. Lol. That is my hat.

Also, I know some people were wanting a translation for this entry.

http://www.nt2099.com/J-ENT/news/off-the-hook/japan-translation-of-momoi-halkos-blog-in-regards-to-anime-expo/

Thanks a lot to J!-ENT for translating this.

Edit:

Also, I just noticed this thread must be being linked to a lot. It has over 11,000 views, but only 5 pages of comments. The last Answerman thread has 12,000 views but 20 pages of comments...

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