Bullet-Point Hit and Run
In celebration of another episode of Xam’d downloaded, more pictures of Ishu Benikawa in various state of dress, undress, soberness, drunkenness, and more Houko-mom lines, here are a bunch of things that you might be interested. Yes, I’m just posting Xam’d screens and avoiding any plot descriptions–rest assured it is just another build-up episode.
JAM IT IN @ Otakon 2008
Despite the misleading blog post title, all I’m really going to say is more JAM Project and Otakon nonsense. I realize a lot of my readers are far away and unable to get to Otakon even if they wanted to go, but please bear with me just a few more days \o/
1. JAM Project will most likely be at the opening ceremony at Otakon, which is another reason why you should check it out, along with their original opening animation (IIRC?) and other nonsense.
2. The JAM Project Concert is slated to start 7:30pm on Friday, at least I think that’s how it is scheduled now. While that means no Touhou panel for omo almost for sure, that also means the doors will open earlier, and less time in the sun for the long lineup.
3. Autographing is tentatively scheduled at 2:30, which follows the 12:30-2:00 panel on Saturday. It seems that they will use a ticketing system this year, so make sure you go to the panel if you want an autograph (and shame on you if you don’t)! That applies to not just JAM Project, but probably all the other guests. Maybe. Some of the Sunday musical guests will also have a table with stuff to buy after the show for the concert attendees on Sunday, but they might also have panels that takes place right before their Saturday autograph sessions. As an aside, there’s also an autograph session on Sunday noon for all the dub actors and Mr. Maruyama, and possibly others who have the time to do it. Industry will also have sponsored autographing at their dealer room booths for some dub actors and what not. There’s also a possibility that JAM Project will have something after the show, but I think it’s not likely. Just some potential possibilities for you to keep in mind, however slim they may be.
Commonly asked questions about autographs are best answered by Otakon’s autographing policy. For that matter, you should also read the gifts policy (anyone bringing a gift? I might) and guide on interacting with guests at that link.
4. Otakon just announced the guess-the-guest winners from their JAM Project announcement today. The winners are (copypasta):
- Daniel Park - Swag Bag, Express Pass, Reserved Seat (2)
- Chris Lane - Swag Bag, Express Pass, Reserved Seats (2)
- Jeff Chuang - Express Pass
- Phil Kwok - Express Pass
Express Pass means they get to skip the autograph line. Reserved Seats means their seats are reserved for them at the VIP/Press section at the concert so they can skip that line too, when the door to the venue opens. Swag Bag…probably has swag in it. Beats me what’s in it. The contest winners are determined randomly from people who submitted the right guesses.
5. Finally, it’s not too late to get on omo’s mailing list of Doom and Otakon related activities! Put it in the comments saying you are interested, or email me (click on the “omo” link below by Posted By). The ML is mostly going to be omo sending a couple updates as the con draws near(er), especially if you want to meet us. So far we’re just going to chill and sing some JAM Project anthems, but who knows! And there’s still twitter, which hopefully I’ll get to use and read more as con time draws near. I am so inept with this thing, maybe I’m getting old.
This year’s Otakon coverage for me started when I made a conscious effort to read the Otakon forums regularly. It really made the leading-up to it enjoyable because I can just parrot all the news there LOL. And also it’s good to see some of the stuff behind the scenes when fan and industry collide at one of these convention things that I go every year. I tend to blog where my mind is, so the flurry of Otakon-related posts this past month are really showing that I’ve already left the building… I suppose that’s nothing new.
Last thing: it’s time to draw up some questions for the JAM Project panel. Individual or group questions are fine. Got any good ones? Toss it away.
Otakon Scheduling
I guess I can post what I’m going to cover at Otakon. I tend to only do a bit of the US industry stuff since it’s so well-covered by everyone else. Plus it doesn’t interest me as much as actual, mid-production stuff being shown-off like what will surely happen at the Madhouse panel.
Anyways, their full finalized schedule is up. It’s subject to change and it will change, as always, all the way up until the actual panel/event/whatever.
And my own schedule will change too, I can almost guarantee it…
Friday:
- Panel 3 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm - Lantis, Opening Ceremony, Madhouse
- Panel 1 from 6:00pm to 7:00pm - Touhou (maybe)
Saturday:
- Panel 1 from 9:00am to 10:00am - Anime is Serious Business
- Panel 2 from 11:00am to 12:00noon - Bandai
- Panel 4 from 12:30pm to 2:00pm - JAM Project
- Panel 2 from 2:00pm to 3:00pm - Kadokawa (not likely)
- Panel 2 from 4:30pm to 6:00pm - Pony Canyon (meh?)
- Panel 4 from 5:30pm to 7:00pm - Fansubbing/Industry (maybe)
- Panel 1 from 6:00pm to 7:00pm - Satoshi Kon Fan panel (maybe)
- Panel 2 from 9:00pm to 10:30pm - Bandai Surprise (probably)
- Otacafe from 8:00-ish pm to 9:00pm - Waiting from random internet people to say hi
- Otacafe from 9:00pm to whenever pm - LOL Karaoke
Sunday:
- Panel 1 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm - ADV (maybe)
- Panel 2 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm - Udon (maybe)
Sometime Saturday afternoon, I am predicting, is the autograph session for JAM Project.
And sometime Friday (possibly before, or after the Touhou panel) I’ll be in line for the concert. Only if someone would hold my place in line for like an hour and a half.
And hopefully operation glowstick will pan out.
I would probably go to the dealer’s room after the Madhouse panel or before the Lantis panel on Friday, only just so I can scope out the place and make sure I don’t miss anything super obvious and good to know.
There is actually no video programming I want to watch this year at all, which is somewhat unusual. I always at least want to see one thing. Otakon has ditched their 35mm programming and oped for HD projection. Not a bad choice this year I suppose.
And if it wasn’t obvious, I’ll be at the JAM Project show at 8pm Friday and probably at the Jrock thing Sunday. The latter I’ll just show up and see, not going to line up.
I would like to go to the Kadokawa US Premiere panel but I don’t think it’ll fit. I know, nothing’s conflicting with it on the schedule, but this is a total hunch/foresight through experience. Likewise with Pony Canyon. Why is that panel 1.5 hours long anyways?
And while I don’t particularly harbor any ill will towards anyone, it seems fitting if something violent and awesome happened at the fansubbing panel. I suppose it’s a good panel to go meet internet peoples; you got a large room and not enough people interested to fill it up, and hopefully they’ll do this very chill. Tofu-sensei should not disappoint. This year, Otakon is hosting these people, and I cut/paste:
Featured panelists include John Sirabella, CEO of Media Blasters, Lance Heiskell, Director of Marketing for Funimation, and veteran representatives from Live-eviL, Shinsen, Anime-Empire, and Dattebayo fansubbing groups.
That is awesome. Of course Sirabella is a different kind of beast, but I don’t think a whole lot of Lance Heiskell from what I read. Hopefully that’ll change.
Otakon 2008 Countdown?
It’s always a good reminder that the summer convention season is in full swing. We even got our nice (but expected) industry announcement out of the way and hopefully that’ll kickoff a very good summer for us in 2008.
I know I made a couple promises earlier this year but unfortunately one of them fell through. No panel for omo! I’m still up for karaoke however, and I am planning to send out an email very soon. It’s not too late to join in on the potentially epic lame/lol-ness–just leave a comment (and fill in the email field) saying you are interested about embarrassing yourself.
I said this before, but I am still interested in meeting up and saying hello to some of you. JP/Hinano will be spending their carefully saved monies at Mitsuwa Summer Matsuri, so we will certainly be in lack of Russian fangirl nerdrage (if that’s keeping you away, Scott). Since no one said anything I have to presume: 1, no one cares; 2, there’s a better party somewhere I don’t know (and I want to come!); or 3, people are really okay meeting up at my originally proposed time….
Which has to be changed if the JAM Project show is at 8pm … Well, one thing I know is that this year I’ll be using my cell phone to follow twitter. You can stalk me easily by subscribing to it, or let me know who you are so I can do likewise.
Who’s coming? Readers and bloggers alike? I’ll be there from Thursday night until Sunday, so my schedule is relatively accommodating. If meeting random internet people online is too freaky for you, I can work with that too if you don’t want to be identified…but you just have to email me or something.
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Some more useful information. We found out JAM Project’s Brazilian set list from their show last weekend. The only thing you need to take into account is that the individual artists had solo shows prior to the JAM Project concert, and it reflects in their solo section of the set list as reproduced below:
1. Rocks
2. STORMBRINGER
3. No Border
4. CRUSH GEAR FIGHT
5. GARO ~SAVIOR IN THE DARK~
6. Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger (Masaaki Endoh)
7. Rondo ~revolution~ (Masami Okui)
8. Dengeki Sentai Changeman (Hironobu Kageyama)
9. Yakusoku no Chi (Acoustic)
10. In my heart (Acoustic)
11. Angel Voice (Yoshiki Fukuyama)
12. We Are! (Hiroshi Kitadani)
13. Battle Communication
14. PORTAL
15. Break Out
16. Genkai Battle
17. VICTORY
18. SOULTAKER
19. EC1 Hagane no Messiah ~2006 ver.~
20. EC2 GONG
21. EC3 SKILL
Also, on youtube you can find videos. They did not ban video cameras and the like at the show. It’s likely they will not ban it at the Otakon show, too…
The other piece of news is that there’ll be an English verison of No Borders, the single that came out this past Tuesday, performed at Otakon. You can see a glimpse of the words at Masaaki Endou’s blog.
JAM Project @ Otakon Primer
At the JAM Project events for Otakon 2008, there may be some stuff you’d like to know ahead of time. And unless you’re a JAM Project fan who goes to Otakon a lot, odds are you probably don’t know all of these.
1. It’s a bit of news for some still, so I’ll repeat it–Rica Matsumoto is taking a break from JAM Project activities this summer. Some fans are still holding out on if she’ll make it to America and the other tour stops, but it’s quite unlikely. It’s kind of ironic considering she’s the one who has been to Otakon already in 2003.
2. The concert at Otakon is part of their NO BORDERS tour, which started off in Japan and the international part of the tour began in Taipei this past month. Even without Matsumoto they were able to do most of their songs. Naturally some songs will be difficult (FREEDOM?) but looking at the set list it shouldn’t be a problem. Do expect each of the JAM Project folks to do solo songs at the show.
Speaking of which, you can check out the Taipei set list here.
3. Because it is a tour, the JAM Project roadies will be selling some of their tour merchandise at Otakon. We can pretty much confirm they will have at least t-shirts and CDs for sale. It’s hard to say what else they will bring, and in what quantities. However, there are some reports from Taipei and I saw a picture (and…can’t find it anymore) of what was on sale there. It’s a good bet that there will be less stuff at Otakon, simply because there are fewer roadies and it’s harder and more expensive to ship that stuff. But picture books, towels and bandannas are definite possibilities, along with sweat bands, stickers and whatever trinkets they decide to ship over. Not sure about DVDs because of region locks.
And as usual, they’re probably going to hawk the goods at the dealer’s room rather than at the venue itself.
One thing about T-shirts–it’s likely that they will have American-sized shirts on sale rather than super small Cospa type shirts that are from Japan. Good for us?
4. The venue is going to be at the First Mariner’s Arena, which is big enough for 14000 people. Back when L’Arc-en-Ciel played their show at Otakon 2004, people weren’t able to pack it out, but I hope it draws more than TM Revolution’s show at 2003 would… Well, who knows. Anyways, for people who are familiar of the ordeal you had to go through at the L’arc show, they should have some expectation of what things may be like at JAM Project’s show. In other words, you’ll likely to be standing outside if you are waiting in line. And Baltimore weather in August is, in a short word, hot.
As an aside, the Otakon masquerade this year will also be at the Arena.
5. While it’s not official and subject to change, the JAM Project show is going to be on Friday, August 8 in the evening, like 8pm. 8/8/2008 8pm. LOL superstitious Chinese numbers. Anyways, it’s better to stand in line at 6pm than 3pm, for sure. But this also means Friday night is going to be hot and bothersome since I’ll be pumped till like 11pm. And because First Mariner is a proper venue, there won’t be ticketing (cost $ for Otakon) and there won’t be anything allowed inside the venue as you would expect any other rock concert of that kind. No food and drink (probably not even bottled water), no camcorders and cameras, etc.
For Otakon goers that are commuting from outlier hotels and residences, a lot of cheap parking is near the Arena, so it should make going home after the show easier. Otakon’s website and their forum can help with that.
6. Of course, the ultimate highlight about American-style anime conventions is the opportunity for guests to interact with the fans. That means, yes, panel and autographs for JAM Project. While I don’t know any real details (besides those things will happen), you can pretty much bet on that like prior years, Saturday late morning/afternoon will be the prime time for autographs. Also it seems that Otakon is going to treat JAM Project as “one” guest, meaning all the JAM Project guests will have the same autograph session. This also means, more than likely, the five artists will sit on the same table and deal with just one line of fans at a time.
Otakon does have a set autograph policy on their website, but in years past they will deviate from it slightly to accommodate you as long as it’s not obstructive and if there isn’t a long line. But of course a lot of it depends on the guests and their managers willing to accommodate the fans too. What is definitely up in the air is the use of tickets; in some years prior Otakon gave out tickets who attended panels to make sure they get an autograph, in some prior years they did not bother and you just had to camp the line. Well, we’ll see.
7. Sort of related to the high cost of getting JAM Project to play at a con, JAM Project won’t be playing with a live band…I think. At least there won’t be one flying in with them I guess. Will that put their signature 10-minute version of SKILL in jeopardy, I don’t know.
There will likely be more information available as we approach the date. I’ll try to post as they come out in reasonable doses.
