I had no idea that my perfect convention non-attendance record would be broken by an anime convention, much less a homebrewed one. I’d heard several rumors about the quality and projected lifespan of said convention after its first year run, and was personally surprised to see it return for a second and third appearance. Needless to say, I had low expectations when I found out that our press passes had been approved merely one month before the expo began. Once it was all said and done, I came out of it with a pleasant outlook.
Myself and Cortney Knox managed to get our way into the convention, thanks to a generous and somewhat “last minute” press pass approval, although it would sound much cooler if we attributed our entry to the incredible IDDQD powers of Van, Support Staff Member of MechaCon. While there I had the pleasure of meeting Peter Bares of Sennin Productions, one of the organizers of MechaCon along with Jon Russo. After pass pickup, it was time for a stroll around the Dealers’ Room along with all of the Gold Pass members. Using that brief half hour of special alone time, I witnessed with my own eyes the loss of my convention virginity. In the center was a giant booth devoted strictly to more anime DVDs and manga than I’ve ever seen on any store shelf, keeping in mind that this is one of the smaller conventions. No way could I imagine what a ten-plus year convention would product, nor the fact that MechaCon could be well on their way to such a status. The rest was various wares of fashion, food and fun. In a sense, it was like a flea market for anime nuts.
Afterward, Cortney and I stopped by one of the role-playing rooms where a Star Wars meta-scenario was being held. This scenario combined the Star Wars Miniatures, Starship Battles, and Star Wars d20 RPG into one giant event that spanned the three-day course of the convention. Although we only got to check out one of the miniatures and RP scenarios while there, the quality and quantity of work was definitely worth the time slot. In the video game room, several game units were showcasing popular console titles both old and new. However, the main attractions were the four BattleTech pods operated by MechCorps. Even though I came up last place in my combat round, the experience alone was unrivaled.
Anime-related highlights included a Cowboy Bebop guest panel with English voice actors Beau Billingslea, Steve Blum and Mary Elizabeth MeGlynn as the main attractions, Robotech workshops with Carl Macek and Tommy Yune, Ilaria Graziano’s first ever concert in North America with Francesco Forni on guitar and Lisa Furukawa on piano, a house party DJed by Greg Ayres, a Masquerade ball, cosplay contest, and a charity auction with proceeds going to benefit Faith House. However, a more shocking development came with the absence of John Chambers of White Wolf Game Studios, who was planned to give workshops on the tabletop gaming industry.
Although my ideas of what MechaCon were going to be were drastically different than what it was, I still had a great time. Not having been to a convention before, I figured that it would have been a tiny goldmine of press contacts in the anime industry. I’m not saying that it should or should not have been such, I just now know what to expect next time. That’s not to say that there were no reasons to go other than complete fandom. Do believe that Static Multimedia will be making a return visit to MechaCon in order to report on the various surprises that we are sure to find.
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