energy vampires at Anime LA
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- Опубліковано 18 січ 2024
- It's the first event of the year! Let's talk Anime Los Angeles, a four day convention in Long Beach CA that definitely does not need to be four days long. Let's talk cosplays, confusing schedules, exhaustion, ribbons, and my most hated convention center.
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Energy vampires, did you see a bald man in tan suit around named Colin Robinson?
goated show
Best show ever
“What We Do In The Shadows”
For the uninformed
Colin Robinson is literally me
Lol That is one of my boyfriend's cosplays, he's currently at MagFest😊❤
“I’m not invited, I just show up” needs to be a Swell shirt or sticker or something 😂
Hard agree
I was just coming to the commenst to say AMANDA THIS IS YOUR WINNER MERCH SLOGAN BABE!
try LVL UP EXPO Las Vegas
April 26-28, 2024
it defiantly needs to be the title of her autobiography.
That could be the ribbons she gives out at events when viewers find her!
Driving was 100% the reason I bet!!! I cannot IMAGINE driving an hour, doing the con, then going home for FOUR DAYS IN A ROW.
Pretty typical living in LA. Lots of people commute 2+ hours a day for work
@@ville__what?
@@ville__ burden of proof is on you bb 😘
I used to live 45 min outside town lol. Depends on what you're used to, I had a 5 min commute the next year lol...
@@ville__what is your deal? No one believes any of your nonsense. Don't you have homework to do?
Every time you said ALA my brain went “wait you went to the American Library Association conference?” Perils of being a librarian lol
I wish she had, I want to know what a librarian convention is like XD
Omg same 😂😂 i immediately went “you went to HUH”
You're right. The ribbon thing is genius and would totally hook me. And it's obviously a great way for artist and booths to engage with people, at least superficially, and have attendees basically tour the entire venue.
never apologize for wearing a mask, people are still out here acting like covid is gone and it's so upsetting. great video as always, keep up the shenanigans 💖
edit: oh my god getting interviewed while eating is like, worst nightmare material. and going to a Danganronpa themed thing with no context would have been ridiculously confusing, bless you
How is it upsetting? Rabies is worse and it hasn't gotten weaker like COVID.
@@lainiwakura1776 what? This is such a confusing comment?? I legit dont understand the point youre trying to make
@@lainiwakura1776 well, not everyone is catching rabies now are they? Covid is still dangerous and disabling and alarmingly common! It's Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2019 edition! (Different from SARS 2002 edition, but similar!) so sorry that you're allergic to giving a fuck about others, hope you recover ❤!
My kids friend was in the hospital right before Christmas with covid. He's 10 and healthy otherwise. It's still very real and still dangerous. More people have died in the last 3, almost 4 years than rabies in the 20th century
@@lainiwakura1776im gonna bite you im gonna bite you im gonna bite you
"Love Live is a food anime, apparently there is also singing" oh Amanda no 😂
This convention is 100% a cosplay event. We go to meet up with cosplay friends and take photos.
Convention artist insight/ramble here: I make plushies (also can confirm you make excellent background noise for working 😂), and do several conventions a year as an artist. And that post is so real. I still have invoices from conventions sitting in my email from years ago (because I have a problem and never clean my mailbox 😂), and the same exact conventions now charge 2-3x the price they did pre-2021. The size of the convention used to play a huge factor in price, but these days most tables are 300+ unless the con is super small, and one of the most annoying parts of pricing these days is the fact that some cons don't even include badge costs in the table cost and make artists purchase badges separately. It used to be common for tables to come with two badges rolled into the cost. So we're paying more for tables now, but actually getting less with the initial price than we used to.
I wonder if as the world changes, there's more people who are faced with being independent artists struggling independently vs being an underpaid unappreciated corporate slave. Thus, the cons have a supply/demand advantage.
This is actually already happening. Conventions have reported getting record high applications for artist alley spaces since around 2022. It's also making conventions much slower at getting out acceptances because they're overwhelmed by the sheer volume of applications they receive, which, depending on the convention and number of artists they have to go through, results in artists only getting two-one month notices. @@Skarry
I have never tabled at a convention. But I’ve been doing things like craft fairs, flea markets and holiday festivals since 2017 and I feel like this is a problem that’s trickled down to effecting even small local events. When I first started out I feel like price of a table or a booth for a day was usually $20-$50, closer to $20 for a 6ft table indoors and closer to $50 for a space big enough to fit a 10ft x 10ft tent outdoors. Now I’ve noticed that the range for a single day event has gone to a range more like $65-$150, and even with those prices you usually have to provide your own table or tent, etc.
I think they invoice they sent me was $900
Awe that's a shame! I'm not a con attendee, I'm a festival goer and I know there are usually a bunch of booths set up (even for smaller ones like Backyard Jamboree that Deadbeats hosts) I certainly hope it's not the same kind of issues for vendors at festivals. That really makes me sad though as an artist myself that really wants to sell pieces :'(
Amanda is the convention cryptid x
SHE JUST PULLED OUT LOVE LIVE SUNSHINE MERCH AND CALLED IT A FOOD ABIME IM DYING 😭😭😭 15 Yr old me is quaking lmfao. Glad she's never seen love live she's living a normal life unlike myself x
Satan designed the parking situation in the entire city of Long Beach. I live about a mile from the convention center and got rid of my car because it wasn’t worth the hassle of parking.
Satan just designed cars in general
100% agree, parking in long beach is utter trash.
@@ville__ rage bait used to be believable 💔
@@pptenshi3900 It's a bot tho
as an idol enjoyer the concept of love live being a food anime made me laugh thank you
(it's one of the biggest idol franchises)
Gave me a good giggle as well, very funny seeing my interests crossover (Swell x LoveLive! collab??)
@@chai_burns
Nah, Idolm@ster is much better
I want to follow this thread lol
4 days sounds genuinely exhausting. I probably could barely do 2 days let alone double that.
True, I went to my first convention last year and it was a two day event, only managed to go to one
@ville__ your videos are bad and it makes me feel bad for you
I’ve done 4 days at Emerald City Comicon in Seattle a few years back and it was wonderful! I commuted 30-45 min via the link (light rail) each day and I had plenty of energy. I couldn’t stay for the late night events though, and I often missed some of the earliest events. Still had an amazing time though! The artists alley was wonderful, and I went to a few nice panels. I also loved the drop in DnD.
Oh hey! Thank you for stopping by to chat with me and picking up the "Not Now Kitten" ribbon 😂 definitely was a highlight of my ALA. Hope you recovered your energy!
Not me crocheting a top while watching Amanda. She knows us too well
😂
I took a quick peek in Google Maps and compared the Long Beach Convention Center against the Los Angeles Convention Center. One of the things that sticks out is that the LACC is just a block away from the major LRT lines, surrounded by multiple bus stops, is situated along a major thoroughfare, _and_ is right up next to the street. Once you are there, you are _there_
In contrast, the LBCC, despite technically having all those things too, is situated pretty deep into its own complex, is very big - almost enough to be _two_ convention centers, has parking lots the size OF the LACC; basically, going into it _traps_ you for the day unless you make the hike back out of the complex.
the blue line station and bus spot are also a block away from CC in long beach.
All the stuff about public transit is very fair but I will say that personally I didn't feel trapped at the convention center? There's plenty of restaurants and stores right across the street and we walked to a different one each day.
@@rosethorn7923 I guess "trapped" would be an insufficient/inaccurate word 😅 ; I was trying to suggest that, in comparison to the LACC, the LBCC appears way too spread out, especially relative to the amount of land the area actually occupies, to effectively function as a convention center the same way as the LACC.
Thus, Amanda and everyone there is tired/low energy because everyone is exhausted/bored walking long stretches to get to where they want to go. (Her 1 hr drive to get there probably didn't help, lol)
Of course, all of the above could be completely moot and everyone just was not feeling it that weekend, haha
No, not really. But LBCC has a shopping center right across the street and is close to restaurants... LACC, not so much. Plus LBCC is right near water, so you can more easily take a break if you need to and doesn't take 2 hours to reach from the exit ramp because the freeway literally turns into the street, you have cross traffic in LA making the exit situation worse (try holding it for 2 hours, because I had to!). Never mind that the lines are there because there are no hotels within walking distance.
9:23 I believe that whale mural was painted by the artist Wyland! He painted huge whale murals on buildings all over the world, from 1981-2008, to help bring awareness to their need for conservation. Super cool guy, amazing artist with an inspiring story to tell. He's my favorite contemporary artist. He'd also invite local kids to paint a mini mural with him at the places he'd travel to. I got to see one in person, it's fun seeing all the kids rainbow artwork over the realistic backdrop he'd paint for them. He had a Bob Ross-like painting show, and he uses interesting techniques to achieve the underwater look in his art.
that's so cool
@@naurrr a scene he paints a lot, and the one on the Long Beach convention center, is of a baby humpback breathing for the first time. apparently the first time he swam in the ocean he saw that sight and it’s stuck with him since. he couldn’t swim as a child due to illness, and would sit by the water’s side painting. so the cross over of his love of art, with the insane scene he saw his first time underwater, is super cool
That's so cool. I love that mural.
He did a mural in San Diego I always loved driving by it
I've participated as a designer in the Fashion show at ALA for a couple different years, and a fashion/costume designer in real life, I've done, produced, been a part of, etc. tons of different shows. The Fashion show at ALA is the best produced show I've ever been a part of, including Paris fashion week and definitely including NY fashion week. The woman running these shows is an amazing industry professional, fashion industry shows could learn a lot from her. Also a lot of the featured designers are really impressive, and we and the models were all treated super well backstage, and had a ton of workspace. I wasn't there this year, but I hope to be again in the future.
That’s awesome 🤩
girl you're so good at making me care about things i have no business caring about 😭😭😭
the "anime cons always have alcohol available but nobody's ever wasted" thing is funny to me purely because of Colossal Con East. I don't know about normal Colossal Con but i presume it's similar cause it's also a Kalahari resort, but CCE is *so* funny on sunday mornings. cause the waterpark has a swim-up bar with GIANT drinks so everybody is just totally plastered by like saturday, and then sunday is when everybody is checking out of the resort and they're all hungover and so everyone is just zombies and the con feels so empty. there was literally zero line for Voice Actor meet & greets before noon. it was fascinating. excellent con for people-watching. admittedly i mostly attend anime cons so the fact that they have drinks moreso than other cons is something i don't often notice but it's a very funny observation.
Swell putting her acting skills to use for that interview 😂
Since you missed the Maid Cafe - Asayoru Maid Cafe has a physical location. They used to be in Arcadia but looks like they are looking for a new venue.
As a Long Beach native, so nice to have visitors agree that nothing ever really makes sense out here. Convention center is convenient with all the motels and hotels directly across the street and around the immediate area. Can’t explain why they make things seem like you’re not allowed in, I think that’s an issue all over town no one wants you around
Me literally working on my art with this playing in the background, while she's talking about artists having her videos on for background noise. 😶🌫️
I can’t believe you were ALA!!! Missed connection :’) Most anime cons are moving towards a 4 day model, this kinda started around 2019? Then there is dragoncon thats literally 5 days long, which is insane. The panels this year were extremely lacking, and I agree the guide was horrible. Last year I feel there was better organization.
I didn't go to panels much at ALA this year so idk about the quality, but I was told that they accepted fewer panels this year so that there would be longer breaks between panels. this meant that a lot of people who frequently do panels (including myself!) didn't get any panels accepted this year. so that may have been the reason you felt they were lacking.
Fanimecon in San jose California has been 4 days since at least 200 0, so I think a lot of anime cons have always aimed for that if they can
@@ville__ I don't care how much effort you put into your videos, I will not watch them simply because you're an asshole 💕 good luck trying to grow your channel this way!
@@RosieGaga Difference is that Fanime is held on Memorial Day Weekend, so you are guaranteed 3 days off and Friday is just a half-day where it basically starts as soon as people get out of school/off of work -- which is also conveniently timed as that is consistently just after when the semester would end for the University I attended. I'm looking at the calendar and I do not see ALA being 4 days on a holiday weekend, granted a number of Universities and Schools might not have started back up yet - but jobs and businesses are likely to have started running again, so there isn't really a 4 day weekend there
A 4 day event is *fine* if it is actually planned for and the infrastructure is there. I don't think the infrastructure is actually there in this scenario, based on what I am hearing. Nor does the scheduling for a 4 day event sound reasonable if it isn't a public holiday to start with. That said, I know nothing about ALA, so I could be wrong for all I know
@gaerekxenos yeah Fanime is memorial day weekend so people have Monday off, but ALA is also when people are still on winter break or maybe new years holiday (same reason why SacAnime winter is held the same weekend).
We get to fanime Thurs every year stay through Monday! On Thursday is not only badge pickup, but the first night of the swap meet and the lines goes all the way around the building (the blue and white tent building), and they also have the rave going and a couple other things on day zero, so while most people definitely get there starting Fri afternoon, it's still pretty busy before then if you know where to look!
My husband and I were set to go to ALA this year wed-sun (since ALAs day 1 is on Thursday and not the usual Fri like most cons), but we got sick last minute.
Ahh I designed that Monster High ribbon!! My friends run the ribbon department/station at ALA so they printed a bunch to add to the ribbon station.
Also, I've been going to 4 day anime conventions since 2004. For me, each 4 day con here in cali (ALA, Fanimecon, AX), are places where you reunite with friends that you meet either online or at the con. Its often the only times we get to see friends irl so the 4 days give time to hangout, wear cosplays together, etc. Nightlife (aka partying with friends) is also a big thing so i cant imagine doing to a 4day con without staying there.
Also, if you wear 1 cosplay a day, then 4 days means only 4 costumes, so less days would mean less costumes :( lol. In my younger days I'd wear 2 or more cosplays a day but i cant do that as often anymore hahaha.
Omg!! The Monster High ribbon is adorable!! You did a great job with it!! I spent the entire video wondering if it was official because it looked so well made!
A lot of artists who attend this con love the ribbon culture exactly for the reasons you said, it helps push sales and brings people to their booths. Smart, to be honest.
I've been going to ALA for years and it is one of my favorite conventions. I will say, at it's core, it's heart, it is definitively a PARTYCON. It's a convention where the main point is to meet people who have the same niche anime interests and that's what has driven the INSANE ribbon culture that they have. Ribbons are a straightforward advertisement for who people are about, a little like a wearable tinder friendship profile, plus it's a literal gift, gifts makes friends. This is a con where you HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO SOCIALIZE (This is also why there's a strong alcohol presence). There's so many little things going on and talking to people gets you into fantastic parties. I don't know if you went out at night but a main staple of socal anime conventions is the "concon", for this year and location it was fountaincon, it's the main unofficial social gathering and it's always a large and interesting crowd. In the professional sense it's not a safe thing but something important to note about the culture of this convention.
Hope to see you at Fanime!
I tend to spend the most money the first day I'm at conventions because I'm always afraid I'll miss out on some cool stuff.
Too many times I've passed on something to think about it and it's gone when I go back
Same.
Fun History, ALA has only been held at the Long Beach Convention Center since 2022. For years before that it was at Ontario Convention Center. Prior to that it was for years at the Airport Marriott in Los Angeles. The convention outgrew the Marriott, it really became too small of a venue. As for Ontario, I heard the contract just got cancelled post pandemic. I've not had a chance to go since the move to Long Beach. Thank you for doing this! I have gone most years since 2009. If I had been there and ran into you, I definitely would have given you a ribbon! Next year, I hope.
YES, the event is EXHAUSTING! In all the best ways. Even if I have cosplayed, I always made sure to take it super easy on Sundays and just lightly roam around, attend the volunteer dinner then get some good sleep before the long drive home. It's a mix of not just all the sights and sounds; it's the ribbon game, the cosplay meet ups, that there is actually so much to do between panels, events, food trucks, cafe's, karaoke, comedy shows, exhibitions and many other "inside" activities like finding specific people and doing on the spot trivia for tickets that you can exchange at the "rewards center," not to mention it acts like a big ol' family reunion.
There is something magic about Anime Los Angeles. Thanks for the nostalgia. Really hoping to go next year.
PS: if you do want to go next year, get a press pass. It really doesn't get you much else except for a quiet room that has decent internet so you can chill for a moment and upload things. Just in case you are worried about favoritism: you're already a favorite and pretty much everyone who goes there is treated special.
PPS: the swap meet is where it is at.
Love Live has been like my favorite franchise since it started, so seeing Aqours in this video was a huge jumpscare! in a good way though lmao
Also Chelsea from Dead Meat sighting at the Danganronpa panel
We need to coin the term JumpSquee for situations like that 🤣
swell swell swell swell swell swell swell swell SWELL!
I read this in the “Bill Nye the Science Guy” song theme
The way my friends were at ALA that weekend while I was up north at SacAnime, only to find out I could've met Amanda if I just flew down to LA 🫠. Also as a Love Live fan, watching her awkwardly stand in front of their booth while an Aqours song is blasting in the background was not a crossover I ever expected to happen lmao
Swell, as a cosplayer, most of us at conventions are on the devils lettuce and/or alch because most of the time cosplays are so taxing on the body and walking around trying to keep a good appearance up is… difficult sober 😂
ik this is probbaly me taking your words too seriously but its actually really sad that these conventions are designed in a way that cosplayers have to be high to get through the full thing...
I don't think I've ever heard of that or seen that what is going on where you live lol
@@aznicknac The convention spaces can only do so much about the fact costume playing often involves bombastic costumes and larger-than-life characters to play as, those are two very tiring things.
@@YourWaywardDestiny i guess i can see that! i do a lot of theatre so i was comparing it to like needing to blaze to complete back to back show days lol. but I can't imagine having to wear some of the amazing cosplays i've seen online, esp not for more than like 3 hrs a pop
is that really common or was i a good boy for many many years? lol
I love ribbon collecting at cons! Dragoncon's ribbon culture keeps growing, and the ribbon swaps and ribbon beard contest have become a must for me there. I've seen someone working on a dress of ribbons.
(I'd love to see you go to Dragoncon one year, but it can be A LOT. It's so much fun but a lot. The drinking/party culture is big at that one too, but i don't go as hard on that aspect as i used to.)
Love Live fan here. High school girls, usually 9 total, make an idol club and make their own songs/dance performances to compete in a national competition. There are several seasons with their own girls/schools/reason why they want to be idols. The food was there because the show is visually appealing and part slice of life. I’ve cosplayed Rin before, she’s from season 1 and a comfort character to me. If you’ve heard a song, it’s probably Snow Halation since it’s been memed to heck and back.
ALA has always been more of a local/party convention. For the first several years, it was in hotels because it was pretty small. It then moved to the Ontario Convention Center where it stayed for several years and became bigger until they outgrew the location (although there is suspicion that a car getting set on fire in one of the hotel parking lots contributed to them leaving the location). Unfortunately, Long Beach isn't very conducive to a party atmosphere since there's only one hotel in close proximity to the con center. I know a lot of people were mad about the move away from Ontario.
even though hyatt is the only one physically connected, there are a ton of hotels nearby.
@@DisillusionedAcronym not in the same way they are right there in Ontario or Anaheim or even LACC. The other hotels are a bit of a walk, which isn't an issue most of the time, but late at night after drinking, most people aren't going to want to walk half a mile to another hotel. So while I'm sure there were still room parties, it wasn't like at Ontario where there were 3+ hotels that you could get to by crossing a street. People were really mad when ALA moved to LBCC because it's not a good location for a more social party con.
@@aurorahermione I never saw any hotels within walking distance to LACC.
"I spotted Amanda and it was Swell" that should be your ribbon lol
You should look into Dragoncon's ribbon culture! It's insane at that con, there's a competition at the end of the con to see who had the most and they unroll them off a balcony. People make jackets and dresses and whatnot out of ribbons, it's insane!
Still putting in my vote for DragonCon! They're a huge ribbon-con as well. Last year I had a long train. I always go to conventions knowing I'm going to spend, which is how I feel comfortable supporting artists even as prices increase. I don't go to them too often throughout the year so they 're easy to plan and justify.
It was nice to say hi to you in passing and seeing you eating popcorn while passing was totally like how I thought I would ever have met you lol... but yea i totally agree with you on the energy exhausting thing - its the setup of the con and all that weird walking to places that kills me lol - next con you should try with the same vibe and format is fanime!
100% agree
I moved out of the States for Asia ages ago but I always enjoyed Fanime. I'd love to see how it's changed and hear what Amanda did/didn't enjoy about it!
*nods nervously* Very good…..very good
"I'm not invited. I just show up." You're a journalist! And a good one by my estimation. Hope your critical eye wanders far.
Is this the really the first time you've encountered ribbon culture? It isn't as big on the east coast where I live, but I know at sci-fi conventions on the west coast, it's been around for ages. I have ribbons from when I went to Gallifrey One in LA (at the Marriott near LAX) back in 2012 and 2013, and that was my first time encountering them. but the people I met said they'd been doing ribbons at least seven or eight years before that. Ribbons are so much fun! Sometimes they're as easy to get as bumping into someone or complimenting a costume, and other times there are scavenger hunts to try and find the ribbon-givers. Regardless, I'm glad you enjoyed your experience with the ribbons! I still have mine from back 10-ish years ago. One person I saw at Gally had a whole skirt made of ribbons! By now, I bet they have a ball gown!
I think it must be more of a sci fi con thing! I primarily go to cons on the West Coast and ALA is the only one I've been to that really has a ribbon culture. (Others have tried to make it a thing, but it's never really taken off.)
She said that she's gotten ribbons before, but that she hadn't been to a con where the ribbons were so prominent before
As a metal fan and anime fan, I think drinking behavior with anime fans at cons is pretty similar to the more moderate/older festival crowd. You'll arrive, get a drink and start to hang out with friends while doing things you enjoy. It's not about getting hammered, drinking pace usually is relatively slow and while having a slight buzz most people don't get completely drunk.
Usually at a metal festival you'll find a lot of people drunk out of their minds too so thats very different since it's accepted. I've seen a few very drunk people at anime conventions, but they'll usually either leave on their own or their friends coax them to go home/to the hotel if their behavior becomes an issue.
Thank you for wearing your mask on camera. 😷🖤 masks are chill and help everyone. I love to wear my pink kn95💗
It makes sense to me that if the ticket prices are reasonable, more people will attend and they'll feel like they have more money to spend inside. Vendors are happy and willing/able to spend more for their booth which offsets the price for the tickets. That's a win-win as long as all the pieces fall into place.
Awe, you didn't pass our booth XD I could've given you our yaoi ribbon. LOL!
Colin Robinson has entered the chat
When you started talking about Ribbons it got me so excited for Dragon Con b/c that is a major fun part of the 5 days of that convention! They have a whole order of the ribbon and will have full panels for ribbon swaps and its so fun.
I am so sad that the one time I went to DrsgonCon *2013* no one told me about the ribbons and I had none 😭 I had no idea where people were getting them and I was wayyyyy too shy to ask.
Their parking does suck and their food options nearby are amazing
Anything that you'd recommend that's walkable/affordable for a pack of college kids? I'm flying out for a school thing and we're just starting to look at planning meals now. I think they said they'd have the food trucks.
@@spencer5467if you’re talking parking, the Pike lot maxes out at 16 bucks a day
@king-kaliente8499 Oh no, I meant good food places, I should have clarified. I'm pretty sure we'll be staying by the center so we won't have to drive in each day. My school is still booking all of the accommodations and travel but I'm excited to actually find places nearby when we have free time.
@@spencer5467 Oh! Nvm then haha. I’m not down there enough to know any super affordable spots, but regardless, Long Beach is a super cool place I hope you enjoy your time here!
@@spencer5467 if you're near the long beach convention center, there's a strip mall with restaurants at affordable prices like a 5-10 min walk away. There's also a ramen restaurant and 7/11 within walking distance!
I used to vend, and prior to that, attended about a dozen conventions a year, and drank heavily at them - for me, that was the whole point of going, to meet up with friends (or make money) and spend the weekend binge drinking. That was over a decade ago, so I can't speak to how conventions are now, but there's a not small percentage of con goers that go just to drink/smoke. I remember for one convention, we brought 4 of those big Igloo coolers full of alcohol to host a room party.
YOU WERE AT ALA??? No way I missed you 😭
That said, 4 days for ALA is the perfect length for me. Most major anime cons are doing the 4-day model. It's helpful for folks like me who do a lot of events because if you're signed up for certain events, you don't get much time to do other things like shop AA, people watch, trade ribbons, etc. Most of that time for me is reserved for Thursday and Sunday since Friday and Saturday is so busy.
Edit: Yeah, ALA is a party con AND very cosplay heavy. Most folks aren't out during the day (morning and early afternoon) and if they are, they're realistically probably hungover and tired.
Also re: Ribbons, the chairs/sofas near the North Entrance at night turn into a huge ribbon trading and task earning area. That's where I got the majority of my ribbons; ALA at night is definitely more lively than during the day.
Last note (lol): I hope you get to check out the Masquerade next year! It is the crown event of ALA and (although I may be biased) the best run cosplay competition. The level and quality is seriously up there.
Other events like the Fashion Show, AMV Contest, and Ball are also some of the best events ALA has to offer, which all happen Thurs-Sat evening. With so many amazing main events (not to mention Cosplay Deviants, CWF, Next Top Idol), it makes sense why the schedule is the way it is and why ALA needs to be spread out across 4 days.
The best Anime Con I have EVER been to was NekoCon in the Hampton area of Virginia. Last time I went was 2014, but it's left an impact for sure. Highly recommend checking it out. It's a decently big con, tons to do, lots of free classes and panels. Had a huge rave, just was so freaking cool.
I’ve actually been going to Nekocon ever since 2014! I’m glad it’s left a positive impact for you
@@ville__ lol okay weirdo
But is it that good post peak pandemic? I never hear people talk about it and I'm not even that far from it.
It seems as though most East Coast cons are pretty good. I live in NC and both Animazement and Galaxycon have had tons of participation while also being fun.
I've gone to Nekocon since 2010, and I don't think programming has suffered post pandemic. There is still a lot to do, though last year they did some shuffling of where rooms were which I don't think worked out well@@MsMvsc
Thank you for preaching the unnecessary need for the 4 day cons. Ugh. 4 days is INSANE! Yuck. Large convention centers are so brutal. The gross lighting, dystopian truss systems, concrete floors. Doing cons is a grind enough.... throw in these convention centers, it's a battle! Great vid!
I really love how you say "viewers" instead of "fans", it feels more respectful and not like you're putting yourself on a pedestal.
Oh gosh to me ALA is the American Library Association and, actually, you would love their conferences! Great for professional development, but even without that part, the conference hall is just advanced reader copies as far as the eye can see (and I think the ticket that gives you access to just that part is $40-60? Been a while since I’ve gone)
I feel called out as I was busy looking at pinterest while listening to this video like a podcast...
My theory for the reason why people were spending so much money at the alley was the cheaper price of tickets. I would see that if you spend less money on a ticket you could be more willing to spend it somewhere else, especially for art.
a lot of people think 4 days is too much, but my friends and i were sad we only went 3 days lol. maybe its cause you guys go to cons all the time and this is the only one i really get to go to, idk. i like going all 4 days.
i feel like you mightve enjoyed it more if you went to more of the big events (or had the energy to). you missed out on masquerade, the fashion show, cosplay deviants, the hentai gameshow, amv/idol contests, cosplay wrestling, there's so much to do besides the exhibit hall and panels.
pleeeeeaaaase go to the next horror convention Dead Meat is at I LOVE them and that would be such a fun crossover! in fact, Chelsea Rebecca (one of their amazing founders) is one of the Dangonronpa VAs! I recognized her instantly!
You should go to Dragon*Con. It’s wild. Wednesday to Monday. Entirely fan / volunteer run. No corporate stuff. All in hotels, no convention center (there is a vendor expo hall). Everything has hour+ lines. Madness but fun. The hotels are connected with sky bridges and tunnels full of cosplayers. One of the main hotels is the TVA from Loki.
ALA is 100% about the community. Year after year you build these ALA specific friendships to reignite again and again come January. The biggest draw to the con comes out at night as there's parties outside at the fountains, in the lobbies, and in every room!
Also note on pricing - ALA is volunteers from top to bottom. The goal is to run a great con for this community and not make a profit 😇
I WAS ALSO INTERVIEWED!! I was in full body paint and it was so embarrassing 😭😭 i noticed the person interviewing you didnt need a translator, day 1 our interviewer only spoke japanes so i wonder if they had different people different days
Nice video and some solid critique. As someone who works this one, not management mind you, for a number of years ALA was a 3 day con and the attendees themselves begged to make it a 4 day con long enough that the extra day got added.
I love that "there were a lot of Astarion's running around." This makes my BG3 fanfirl heart happy
hey there! I've attended ALA as both an attendee (2022 ) and a vendor (2024) and I think this is the first video of yours I've disagreed with. usually I agree with every point but since I've gone to this event multiple times and love it each time, this review felt a bit jaded.
while I do agree with some points you made, I think driving to and from the center for an entire hour really didn't help you enjoy the event. not to mention you don't seem really into anime, cosplay, or any of the usual facets of anime conventions. anime (and other types of nerdy cons like for western comics/shows or furry cons) cons are for making friends for interests you have a hard time finding people being interested in. that was the whole reason they were invented. a big draw of cons are the meetups and trades, so much so that giant groups of people flock to those events. the swapmeet is ALWAYS overloaded for this reason.
which brings me to my next point: ALA absolutely needs to be a 4 day convention. with its growth in the past 5 years, there's no other way they could do this convention. you brought up it felt like ALA was trying to be like AX, which I agree, but not in the bad way. when a con starts getting bloated, it needs to move convention centers, stretch event time, or organize the booths/panels differently. some furry cons are an entire WEEK long due to how huge the attendance is. AX messed up and turned into line con because it didn't prep in advance for giant attendance numbers or limit ticket sales, which is what ALA did. while 4 days seems incredibly overwhelming, it's perfect for those who save up all year long to blow their money on essentially what is a giant nerd festival. many people I know save all year long to afford a hotel *close by*, make cosplay, buy ribbons to trade, and have spending money for merch/food. that's the type of passion you'll see at nerdy events. it's why I love ALA because everyone there is passionate about anime and other nerdy stuff there. also, you don't HAVE to attend all four days. there are single day badges. that's part of why saturday is so busy bc most ppl buy single day saturday badges if they can't afford the full con. (it's also why, if you saw the programming book, there's the most panels/events on saturday.)
I think next time if you go to a long nerdy event, you should try getting into the media or doing some cultural research on the activities done there to enjoy it more fully. I love your videos typically, but this one felt like an odd one out, since I think you had zero interest in the media being enjoyed. sorry to hear you got tired, perhaps getting a single day badge would be a good move next time. wish I had seen you so I could've given you some ribbons! :)
Amanda validating Artist makes me so happy! When someone is a smart and genuine consumer it helps the community and future artist alley.
I've been to Anime LA several times. They used to be in Ontario, CA., but I believe they both outgrew that convention center, and there was some bad things going on with a stalker incident in 2019 which resulted in some destroyed cars and traumatized con goers.
19:33 my local big anime con has been known as the “Party Con” where everybody is drinking as soon as they get to the hotel and having parties outside of con events. my dad does volunteer stuff and he had to help a very inebriated cosplayer one time, and one time in an elevator i was with two other people, a late 20’s woman and a maybe mid 30’s guy, the guy offered to me and the woman to have shots back in his hotel room. unsurprisingly, we both declined jfksjfjs the board for the con is doing their best to move away from the intense party stuff because there have been issues in recent years about it. this has prepared me for drinking/partying at other conventions tho!
The mock trial sounds so fun
We had a sort of stamp system at EGX last year here in the UK. In the app there was a page where you went around scanning QR codes around the place. I wonder if the stamp/ribbon culture in american cons is where that came from.
It was a nightmare though lmao. Tiktok hid theirs so you had to actually interact with them to get it, the app was not well designed so 99% of the icons where monotone until you found it and scanned it, except for mario's which was coloured from the start so I got stuck on that and before I finished asking the information desk "I scanned all the codes, but the final prize isn't popping up, can you help me?" they instantly went "you've not scanned the mario one" lmao.
I love that it’s four days long, but driving there drains your energy a LOT.
ALA is one of my favorite anime cons ever, even after going to anime cons since 2013. besides the security they hire being massive dickheads, everyone I know really likes it too 😭
Our secret to beating the horrible parking though is parking in the MASSIVE empty parking lot behind the center. It costs $15 a day, but two of the days the security people there just let us park for free.
Planning to go to a gaming convention this spring. Will be wearing a mask to avoid getting sick
have you heard of Colossalcon? Its an anime con at a waterpark hotel that goes from wednesday to sunday in July.
Independent small-time artist here and I can attest Vending-At-Con prices are outrageous. 😭😭😭 I'd absolutely love to apply and vend more conventions but right now it's not in the cards because yes, it's not just the Tabling fee but also potentially badges, as well as travel, shelter, meals, not to mention the cost of producing items! I sadly am finding even smaller less known conventions are charging artists an arm and a leg. 😭 I do like to attend cons as a patreon tho.
Gosh yes! Even smaller events are almost $400 for 3 days.
@lelalu101 RIGHT??? I was doing a smaller one day convention and I believe I spent a little under $200- I hadn't applied to do it again because now it's two days (yay!) But the price increase to vend like doubled...
take care of yourself and get some rest!!! my partner and i would love to see your review of Anthrocon, it's another furry con but bigger with more events and basically takes over the city of pittsburgh. weve been dreaming of going and a professional review would be so sick :3 only if you want and can of course!
Love live spin-off where they're just eating food and singing about food
A lot of "popular" and "big" cons are moving towards this 4 day model. Katsucon (next month in DC btw) is technically a three day but a lot of people show up on Thursday if not Wednesday at this point. Weebs want to spend as much time as possible being weebs lol and cons started to expand their dates for that now.
Seeing Monster High pop up 30 seconds into a Swell video was an unexpected delight
I just placed an order for ribbons for my next con booth. Thank you!
yes!!!! a ribbon that says “i spotted swell” would be so awesome!!!!
As a love live fan, you have no idea how jealous I am of you that you got to see a love live booth at an LA convention
anime conventions for me are more the time i spend with friends and hitting the artist ally; a bonus if they organise partys in the evenings
alcon in leicester was the best since they had all that
Aw sad to not get to see you at our table! The ribbon game is fun. Our table didn't have a purchase min, rather we made weebs answer trivia questions...to algebra equations. Nothing anime related at all. We enjoyed their shocked faces and throwing them off LOL!!
Ive only been to Ala one day when they used to be in the ontario convention center and it was fun overall. Though everytime I hear about ALA, people always describe it as the ‘ribbon con’ and a ‘party con’
Thank you so much for masking and for promoting it/showing you masking in your video. We are in an awful surge (it’s worse than 2021).
"thats it. thats my ribbon" should be your ribbon
Ribbons have been a HUGE deal at DragonCon for many years. There are contests now on who can amass the longest ribbon beard during con. I think the winner last year had one that was well over 3 stories long. I would collect hundreds in past yrs, but lately I am getting more picky and only collecting ones I recognize
Went to a convention this weekend and there was some unused space at the back. They curtained it off, put booths right up to the curtain and stored some extra equipment back there. I honestly would never have noticed excepted I went out the wrong bathroom door and ended up in the “backstage” area. Was very impressed by the hiding abilities.
Personally, I like ALA. It is my favorite mid sized convention.
As a vendor, I felt as if 4 days was fine, considering how busy all 4 days were. However I wish they ended con hours at least an hour early (Thurs-Sat 10am-7pm and Sun 10am-5pm). If it ended earlier, then us vendors would have enough time to get dinner outside the con and get some rest before the next day 😅
I’ve only ever been to small anime conventions back in the early 2010s so this is such an interesting video to me I appreciate ur perspective and work thanks
the audio was very good this video thank you!
Been binging your videos for a week or so and I finally subscribed today. That's one more sub toward the waifu car.
You just popped up in the algo for me and I can 100% say you have a very pleasant voice and content to have on in the background as an artist. When you said that in the vid I laughed since that was what I was doing. Thanks for your insights on Artist Alley!
Was hoping to make it to Long Beach this year but was hella sick and just staying up in NorCal. This vid is reassuring me I didn't actually miss out on much and probably would have felt worst walking around that hellfire convention center. TY once again, Swell!
I listen to you at work so your right about being perfect background, but I do listen! Love the topics you choose.
I have no idea about Love Live but the fact that you were on Japanese TV talking about scallops has me screaming with laughter omfg