6 Things About SMASH!

Published on August 10, 2010 in Out & About. By Sleet

Long lines are long.

1. More than 2500 people like anime and want to go to a convention it seems. Unfortunately, Town Hall doesn’t let you have more than that, so lots of people ended up getting turned away at the door. Pretty bad oversight and there were alot of angry and disappointed people who couldn’t get in. Inside the convention there were still problems, particularly during the cosplay comp, where the main hall ended up reaching  capacity and you couldn’t enter unless you were either a) In cosplay or b) a Vendor. Not really a problem for us, but people were getting very annoyed.

With that said, Town Hall was much more welcoming than it has been in the past. Air conditioning was a god-send for the whole venue which is a change from the one huge fan that was used in the olden day. Despite that though, I’m kind of glad we’re moving away from Town Hall and going onto somewhere else.

2. 15 years on, Evangelion is still popular. Who would’ve thought? SMASH’s international guests were pretty awesome this year and probably the highlight of the convention. Everyone seemed to love Yuko Miyamura, but I’ll always have a soft spot for Tiffany Grant and Matt Greenfield. I watched Evangelion in dub as a child, and for me, that’s the best way to watch it. It’ll be interesting to see if SMASH can better their guest list next year.

Bad signs are bad.

3. Wtf is up with the Free <insert action here> stuff? Geez. I thought that went out years ago.

4. The Maid Cafe was weird. Sausage rolls and pies? Not exactly the stuff I’d expect from a Maid Cafe. And there was also a lack of food/drinks vendors with massive lines. That was largely due to Town Hall’s restrictions, which is probably even better reason to leave that place behind.

5. If you weren’t interested in the cosplay or you weren’t an artist, you could get bored real quick. You could do your shopping and see everything you needed to see within an hour or two. There wasn’t anything I’d consider new to SMASH this year, and if you’ve been to as many conventions as we have, that’s a bad thing. Even pictochat sucked.

Bros just sittin' around.

6. But hey, at least the club stall looked nice.

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MUSIC MONDAY

Published on August 9, 2010 in Features. By Wonk

In celebration and commemoration of Yuko Miyamura and Tiffany Grant’s awe-inspiring appearance at Smash! last Saturday, the natural thing to do would be to feature the famous ‘A Cruel Angel’s Thesis’. However, following in the same vein of what Gainax is doing with Rebuild of Evangelion nowadays, I also thought that it would also be appropriate to present an alternative version – a retelling, if you will – of an old classic.

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MUSIC MONDAY

Published on August 1, 2010 in Uncategorized. By SEAKAS

Your favourite scanlation site being taken down? Moonrunes leaving you in despair? Then volume 7 of Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei being released in glorious Britannian is sure to get you in the mood for this week’s Music Monday!

As an alternative, try this, I was thinking of using this mainly as the video is done rather well.

Now for 99% of anime@uts, you are up to date with the anime, have read all the manga and have at least one SZS themed tattoo; though I can hear the other one percent asking: ‘but like.. what’s it about?’ Zetsubou Sensei follows the activities of school teacher Nozomu Itoshiki and his class of abnormal students as they explore japanese culture, phrases and aspects of life by taking them to their extremes to bring about a gag or punchline based on the original premise.

As my favourite series, I would strongly recommend anyone with a gap in their to-watch list to check out an episode or two and see if you like it. For the rest of you though, I’m sure that vespene gas isn’t going to harvest itself…

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SMASH! Survival Guide Pt. 1

Published on July 26, 2010 in Features. By Sleet

(Or how to have a smashing time at SMASH!)

Its that time of year again. We’re in convention season and coming up quickly is SMASH!, which is less than two weeks away. SMASH! has always been our favourite convention and this year it looks to be just as good, especially with the sleuth of Evangelion guests. This year SMASH! has changed venue for the first time, leaving the round Roundhouse and migrating to the halls of Town Hall, giving it a bigger venue at a convenient location in the city (it was always a pain to go to the Roundhouse). Having been to many, many conventions in the past, we decided to offer our advice on how to make the most of this year’s SMASH!:

  • Dress appropriately

Tight pants are bad.

Its winter and it can get a tad chilly in the city, particularly in the morning or if there’s a bit of a breeze. So if you’re going to be waking up and braving the lines at the start of the convention, be sure to dress to keep warm. With that said, conventions at Town Hall have a habit of getting real hot and stuffy real quick (and that’s not the good kind of hot and stuffy). Its also a good idea to wear your comfy shoes rather than your fancy shoes, because you’ll be walking around and standing much of the day.

If you’re a cosplayer, it might be an idea to bring another set of normal clothes to change into, especially if your costume is a bit revealing or a uncomfortable. We suggest you bring loose clothing too. And also so you don’t look like weird walking around the city.

  • Plan Ahead

Town Hall in all its glory.

Town Hall can be a bit of a maze to those who haven’t been before, so its best to take a look at the map before hand. Similarly, time tends to warp and distort while in a convention, so it pays to know when the panels/events you want to go to are on. The map and the schedule are now both available at the SMASH! website, so you’ll have no excuse for not knowing that the Shoujo/BL Panel is in the Panel Room (which is out back on the main floor) at 4pm…not that I’m planning on going to that…

  • Expect lines and crowds

The lines.

The crowds.

Expect them.

  • There will be Yaoi

Just don’t expect it to be between guys.

Yaoi without guys is...wha?

  • Take a break

Seats are always nice.

In the hustle and bustle of a convention, with all the running down hallways, avoiding screaming fangirls and fighting back the hordes to get to a stall to buy that kawaii or moe figurine, you can sometimes forget to slow down for a little and take it all in. So when you have a few minutes to spare, grab a seat, take a look at what stuff you’ve bought or the pictures you taken or just take in that wonderful atmosphere of a convention.

  • Visit the Anime Clubs!

We're friendly!

We do like it when people say hi. We’re not all bad people. Really.

We also get bored.

When the convention starts to die down (like during cosplay comp or toward the end of the day), the anime clubs are always around chatting away. And sometimes we get really bored. And that’s when the weird stuff happens. Really weird stuff, even for an anime convention.

Check back later for the next installment!

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Music Monday

Published on July 26, 2010 in Features. By susanne

Music Monday has been around for a fair few weeks, but now it’s time to shake things up a little. Besides anime, there are a few other things that manage to catch our attention, those being TF2 and of course, JB, and it’s about time we paid tribute to both of them!

Introducing Heavy Bieber and slap-chopping rap sensation Scoutacris! Previously known for their outstanding work in infomercials, lady killer (KABOOM!) Heavy Bieber and Scoutacris have joined like forces of nature to create a hit single you won’t be wanting to put down. The video producer has specially selected sound clips from our favourite stars and masterfully mixed them so that the flow and beat stay true to the original tune of Baby.

If HB and Scouta were to win a crazy Grammy, then developers Valve would be high up on their thank-you list. I’m sure that none of this would have been possible without the constant support and hard work that Valve have put in over the years.

So now that our history and culture lesson is over, I’m sure you’re all dying to stick in your earphones and blast some Bieber. Last one alive, lock the door!

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