Wasabi, that hot green stuff you get with sushi, it has a mild flavor at first but it heats up ever so slowly and then Bam! It hits you in the face like beautiful yet enjoyable train wreck in your brain, leaving you with just your thoughts and all the time in world for another bite. Honestly a blast of fun overall and a much needed spring convention, I must say I had fun and got a ton of material to process.
Saturday ohhh Saturday! Photo Shoots, panels, guests, gaming, anime viewing, dancing, and Singing. So Many events to talk about on Saturday so let’s dive right into it and see what it was all about.
Wigs you wear them, you style them, but how do you take care of them? Learn more about that panel [Link here]
Cosplay was once again out in major numbers on Saturday, we had to balance our time in between events to shoot photos and make it to group photos. I will posting some of our favorite photos here and on Facebook, and do keep your eyes on the feed because our gallery should be complete by Monday night, we have a lot to process. We will make a post when the gallery is finished and uploaded.
Pokemon also known as pocket monsters was huge this year at Wasabi. With the recent release of the games Black&White the Pokemon spirit was riding high this year. Many cosplayers were either trainers, monsters, or related, and the photo shoot was huge, so huge it had to move outside and was clearly visible from the 10th floor of the Red Lion. As a child Pokemon was a morning cartoon for me daily, I loved it and I still do to this day. Others must share this same passion for Pokemon and others are flat out enthusiasts. I can’t even name all the classic Pokemon, but there were people present that could and then some. Pokemon songs were sung in Karaoke, and danced to on DDR. Honestly it’s a good time to be a Pokeman fan. Learn more about Pokemon here- [Click Me] 
Virtual guests sounds like a great idea and I think the concept is a great way to contact busy guests who just can’t make it out to conventions. I really hoped it would have turned out good, but it just did not. At one point it almost felt as if we were just watching a youtube video for the most part, and some of the questions being asked by attendees were not very professional or informative. Internet connection issues, clarity issues and just some awkward moments made for a very humble and dull experiences. Honestly if this event makes a return for next year I would put down some firm rules for guests and attendees. Questions such as “How many airports did you sleep in?” Honestly this type of question should not ever be asked as they are rude and lack any value to anyone listening in. Another thing to confirm is connection quality and equipment quality on both sides, it was hard to ask questions and it was hard to hear answers. I spoke with several guests after the panel in an effort to gauge the crowd experience and we all shared these thoughts but everyone agrees that they love the concept and believe it can be done better. These events can be improved and can become better overall. I must emphasize that I really like the concept and I think this was a solid first try.
The Black Butler tea party, I personally did not attend it but I did shoot some photos and I talked to the organizer briefly about it. From what I could tell everyone was having fun and the games and treats were both fun and appetizing. This is one of those events that had a huge line of people lined up to go in but most of them had no clue what was going to happen to them once inside. I hope next year they publish a PDF with full descriptions of the panels, and print them out for attendees. That said this was a good event and a good mystery.
Lisle Wilkerson was just fantastic, such an excellent guest and an astounding woman.
She has some remarkable stories and insights that are just astonishing one their own. Her connection to Japan is very deep and her career reflects it in spades. She has worked in both film and video games, and represents a powerful female voice in gaming. I really wanted to have a sit down interview with her but time simply did not allow it this year, sorry folks. Come to panel if she returns next year, she is very open to talking about just about anything. On an important side note she does have family and friends in Japan that were affected by the Earthquake and tsunami. Donate properly, pray and send some hope her way.
Learn more about Lisle: [Here Click Me]
Donate safely here: [Link Here]
Uncle Yo: Saturday Stand up and His Fun New Game
Uncle Yos Stand up sets are amazing, he really understands his audience and is not afraid to push their buttons every once in a while. What can I say don’t miss uncle yo, he is one of my favorite guests. He does at least 1 show a day and they are all different. So if you get the chance to catch this witty man on stage do make it and have some fun. Uncle Yo does small events in between large shows and this year he was testing a new game he invented. In which you play as a Duke of whatever you choose and you have to answer some weird question such as ” My fair duke of chicken wings, would you please tell us the heroic story of how you escaped the candy mountain massacre.” Then the duke would have to create some huge story like “My dear sir, I was the one who started the Massacre by breaking down the caramel dam and having Willy Wonka assassinated. It was easy to plant evidence at the secne to shift the blame onto the candy bar crusaders, thus inciting the rage of the town.” To which at anytime another player can slap down a challenge chip and interject with some random fact that contradicts the duke. The duke must defend his story so in short he will “BS” his way out of the challenge by telling another short story. After each player has had his turn as the duke, each player can vote with his or hers remaining chips the winner of the game. The winner is the player who told the best story and defended it the best. If you get the chance play his game, it is fun simple and involves story insane story telling fun.
Cosplay and Costume Contest
Honestly I hoped for more contestants this year, but there were about 20 costumes being judged, 2 cosplays and about another 12 costumes not being judged and 1 cosplay not being judged. The lighting was really bad and every time they dimmed the lights for voting it made voting hard because I could not see my phone. The contest started slightly late but finished early and honestly I think this event should be improved more, as it has not changed much from last year. Though letting the people vote was a really cool improvement over last year I feel it is important to keep that aspect of the show and fix some of the other problems. Teach the contestants to walk on stage and strike a pose in the middle of the stage for like a 10 count, this allows the people and press to get a picture and a clear inspection of the costume. A duct tape X in the middle of the stage is probably the best solution. Also keep the lighting consistent as possible. Not only does light effect pictures it effects color and the audiences ability to see details. Keep stalling to a minimum and if something goes wrong have backup plans. And As mentioned at the top you need to get more people into being judged, open more categories that are judged it will encourage beginners to improve without discouraging them or making them feel out classed. I thought maybe a video game category would have been an excellent addition and have it judge by Colorado Cut Throat gaming. A huge thank you to all the vendors who donated prizes and huge shout out for all the cosplayers who are brave enough to be judged. Without you this event would not even happen, so keep it up!
Winners list
Best in Show: Duck Tape Gundam as RT 78 from Mobile Suit Gundam
1st Place Advanced: Shanihime as Velvet from Odin Sphere
Runner Up Advanced: Lisa as Gakupo from Vocaloid: Madness of Duke
1st Place Novice: Anti-Sora from Kingdom Hearts
Runner Up Novice: Stephanie as Doll from Kuroshitsuji
Director’s Award: Ahiru as Princess Tutu from Princess Tutu
Michael’s Award: Mik as Sarah from Suikoden III
1st Place skit: AkatsukiChanPro
Import games – Want to learn about import game playback in the United States check out this [LINK HERE
]
Touhoisum – Want to learn about Touho and its cult following hit this [LINK HERE]
Steam punk Ball! Classy and downright a bloody good time, I spoke with a few of the attendees and poked my head in a few times to check out the scene, I’m hearing good feedback from everyone who went. Honestly this event turned out 
solid and I feel that event could easily make a comeback next year. The food and gifts were excellent and the scene was very fitting of the mood. I also like the fact that their was dress code, this really ensures that everyone in the ball in fact belongs in the ball.
TecnoSabi = Awesome awesome awesome with awesome sau
ce poured ontop. Really enjoyed the DJ’s, the dancers and the whole setup. It really felt like a full on rave which is something normally reserved for a concert hall. The crowd was jumping and lights dancing and I think this event was a smashing success! Though the only thing that did come up was the fire alarm; The fire safety system was engaged Saturday night by the fog machines in the main dance hall, the guests filled in and out without any issues and honestly was a fun bonding experience. I shot a short video of the whole thing it was short a little chaotic but organized.
Overall so far: Though I will mention that were some delays and shifting of the schedule on Saturday the end result was delays and mild confusion. I would articulate it as such “It was better than last year” In short many events started later than expected but it did not really affect the quality of the panels. The only events I personally feel that needed some re-tuning were: Costume and cosplay contest, all virtual guest panels, and the battle of the bands. Short list and honestly these events did not impact my overall convention experience but were important. But honestly I can say I was not enjoying them as much as I could have, but with some work these events can make the jump from lukewarm to exploding off the stove top.
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