Animeland Wasabi has changed a lot in the past several years. They have had their ups and downs. This convention had some issues last year though. In response they now have a new director that is aiming to improve the convention and make is a fun and respectable place. So how did they do?
Read MoreAnimeland Wasabi is back, running from 2/28 - 3/2, and this year they have grown quite a bit. They have moved hotels to the Crowne Plaza at 1-70 and Chamber, which is actually the hotel they used several years ago when they were just starting out. This means that they have a much larger area to state things, and a hotel staff that is used to dealing with conventions of this magnitude. We can also expect an easier place to navigate along with, hopefully, more clearly labeled panel rooms.
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We started things off by going to opening ceremonies. This actually really helped set the tone for the rest of convention. The energy that the directors of the convention helped get everyone ready for the weekend. We were introduced to the our guests which included Chris Cason, Clarine Harp, Jamie Marchi, Leah Clark, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Michael Sinterniklaas, Patrick Seitz, Stephanie Sheh, Todd Haberkorn, Tony Oliver, Vic Mignogna, Kevin McKeever, Steve Yun, and Tommy Yun. They all mentioned how excited they where (at least the ones that were in the room) to be at NDK this year. A few were even returning guests such as Patrick Seitz and Vic Mignogna, so we must be doing something right. The only thing that gave me pause was when the guests started to praise Casa Bonita. I have been there, and I had to wonder if they actually ate the food they ordered, or just ate the unlimited sopaipillas and watched the cliff diving? Patrick did look good in the sombrero though.Another NDK has come and gone for us here at the Gameslave. We are hard at work, ripping our recordings to computers, cleaning up pictures and writing articles about this year's anime convention. I'm posting just a quick article about my own feelings and experience at this year's NDK as we work on finishing our main articles.
Hoping to find parking we left for the hotel earlier on Friday than we have in past years and still ended up having to park in the overflow parking. At least they gave deals if you parked over the whole weekend, but man it was still packed. We ended up having to park ourselves in the hotel lobby for awhile to wait for our room to finish up so we took pictures and took in the beginning Friday madness. I know that NDK hasn't hit the max level of attendance yet, even with the attendance cap in place, but man was it crazy packed! It seems that every year it's harder to navigate through the crowds of people. It's mostly due to some attendees not understanding the meaning of traffic flow and pulling off the main areas to stop and take pictures or chat.
Panels were extremely popular. I say this in the fact that I, ZeldaQueen, have been attending since 2000 and remember just being able to walk in on some panels without having to line up and wait to get in. Now there are so many attendees interested in panels that some will line up an hour or two before it starts to get in, and this is not just for the popular panels such as the AMVs or the Costume Contest. While the waiting can't be helped due to limited seating in the panel rooms, it's encouraging to see so many people interested in the panels. These looks behind the industry or discussions of it is what makes me interested in returning every year and we hope to keep covering more and more panels in the conventions to come.
The number of guests was also great this year. There were two guests from Japan and about 14 domestic guests. It's great to see that NDK is one of those conventions that guests want to and like to come. Some guests were new to NDK and the Denver area and some were coming back for another round. Their enthusiasm and general appreciation for the attendees was heartwarming. These were guests who enjoyed what they did and enjoyed sharing it everyone in their panels and just wandering the halls. Though NDK is reinforcing the whole "you might be from Colorado" bit by introducing many of the guests to Casa Bonita. Have no idea what this is other than a crazy Colorado tradition it seems, check out the place here. I apologize on behalf of all Coloradans who think that this is still an appropriate place to take visiting guests. We have much better food and entertainment than that I swear!
Artist's Alley seemed bigger this year. Maybe it was the same number of booths, but the configuration was different so it made it seem as if a few more artists were there compared to last year. Apparently the artists also reported having a better year than some years past, which is also good to hear. There are some really amazing people there and they need the attendees support to keep creating excellent art! Trust me I speak from experience. A friend of mine from art school has been having her own booth in Artist's Alley for a few years now. She does original artwork, comics and commissions. It's great to see original art and not just fan art so I'm always glad to see that she was there for another year! Her original online comic is called Devil's Cake and I recommend everyone to follow that link to give it a read!
I missed another late night show however as I ended up getting a bit worn down due to sleep depravation and not following my own rule of eating properly. Had my meals, but had them a little too late. I will do better next year and recommend everyone do the same. Eat your meals and eat them at proper times and make sure you drink plenty of water. These will make your convention experience better!
We have also posted our keeper images from this year's NDK. You can check out the photos under our Photos Tab on the right hand side of the page, or by following this handy link here. Keep tuned to our page for more information and news from NDK 2011, and until then Game On!
