Anime Weekend Atlanta 2010 Report

There was a lot to see at this year’s Anime Weekend Atlanta XVI (September 2010) at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel and the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia. Had you attended you previously, you would know there is always something to do. How does this con rank, you may ask, against other conventions and itself in previous years?

My first concern was the time waiting in line. Since I had the luxury of getting there around 10AM on Friday, I didn’t have to wait very long to receive my pass. Although from what I saw this was not the case for those who showed up later in the day as I witnessed a few people having to wait 40 minutes to get their pass. However checking into my hotel was a rather difference experience this year as my roommates and I were forced to sign a waiver as provided by the convention. The convention layout itself was kept the same from previous years stretching across two floors.

On the main floor there were four or five video game rooms all separated by genre. My personal favorite was the fighting/beat game room. Favorites such as IIDX as well as about every other fighter you could think of filled the room; from Smash to Unthinkable Natural Law. This year, the video game rooms felt a lot more spacious and more sanitary than in previous years. It also feels they might have lowered the limit of people to the room which despite having to wait a few times it was probably for the better. Unfortunately, DDR and Pump It Up have yet to make a return. Other video game rooms included FPS Room, The Rock Band room, and the Video Game Tournament room.

The con also provided your typical RPG and TCG rooms. Unfortunately since neither of these have anything I am into I can’t comment too much about it other than from what the other attendees me. From what I saw, both were filled to the max at just about all times. My friend who is into TCGs said YuGiOh was the most popular one played. Unfortunately for him, one of his decks had gotten stolen. Fortunately for him, he would go on to win first place where he was awarded cards that more than made up for the loss.

Perhaps the biggest and most popular room in the convention was the Dealer’s Room. Your typical vendors from last year returned, however it seems a few of my personal favorite were either missing or I overlooked. Particularly the one that specialized in Japanese PC games and the other that focused primarily on art books. There were some deals to be scored; particularly if you’re looking to stock up on manga. I could not say the same for the video game vendors present that were somewhat overpriced. There was also the artist alley which is normally the second biggest room. They hosted lots of talent and became the place I spent most of my money.

As far as cosplay went, the top trend this year was definitely Hetalia with Vocaloid trailing behind in second place and anything zombie related. Whereas running into a Vocaloid wouldn’t be uncommon, running into a Hetalia cosplayer was inescapable. Fortunately, this was not all bad as more popular trends in previous years such as Kingdom Hearts and One Piece were down which presented something new to see. The real treat to see however was some of the more diverse cosplays I ran into. With cosplays ranging from older animes (Kenshin, Vampire Hunter D, Magic Knight Ray Earth) to more obscure games (Touhou Project, Magna Carta, Bust A Groove, Nights). As usual though your occasional off topic cosplay would continue to make an appearance this year ranging from Alice in Wonderland to, of course, your occasional Star Wars character. In the end I feel there was some real talent that went into many of these costumes. A lot of costumes which I regret not getting pictures of, such as the 8 Bit cardboard link.

For some reason, it felt despite the talent I saw, the costume contest was lacking a bit. The audience didn’t seem too into it at times. Clocking in at about an hour the contest sort of just came and went and from what I understood it actually ended earlier than expected. The hosting and lighting, however, were improvements from previous years.

When it came to the video programming, it seems there was quite a line up. I typically do not watch anything at cons, but for what was provided it definitely caught my interest enough for me to sit in on a few. For anime, some of the highlights included Genshiken 2, Inu Yasha: The Final Arc, Gundam Unicorn, and Slayers Revolution. I also took note that Millenium Actress, Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers, and Perfect Blue were being screened in memory of Satoshi Kon’s recent passing. AWA also provided once again the most diverse selection of live action films ranging from current popular Japanese films such as Goemon, bizarre cult films like RoboGeisha, and classic HK films like The Kid With The Golden Arm.

The rest of the panels and events there were definite improvements from last year. There was so much going on that caught my interest that I wasn’t able to attend all of it. All ranging from your standard VA panels, game show style contests, maid café, art exhibits, and of course, your standard con rave. One thing I had found interesting was that they had a Maid Café panel while having a maid café. My personal favorite panels were found in the panel room that was completely dedicated to cosplay. These panels pretty much covered everything you’d want to know. Another surprise panel that came back was the Bebop Lounge. For those who didn’t want to wait in line for an hour to get into the rave or simply wanted a break from all the noise this room provided a more lax atmosphere. There was also a dance tutorial on how to swing. Despite all that the con offered, there were a few things that I either enjoyed better in the previous year or felt could have been better.

The rave for what it is worth was a huge improvement from last year considering that last year had one of the worst djs I have ever heard for an anime convention, and as usual there was a less crowded alternative dance/rave room. While I enjoyed the alternative room which housed mostly Eurobeat I could not help but prefer last year’s take at the alternative room which instead of housing a standard dance room, it housed a retro gaming exhibit. The noise was also very loud even in the late hours. I remember being in my hotel room around 3 AM and still hearing the con going on. The selection of food vendors was also nice, but unfortunately the staff at the one I went to mixed up my order. One compliant I heard a lot, but didn’t have any problems with, was the fact that in order to get to the front lobby from the dealers room you had to walk outside to what is generally the smoking area.

Although as you can see there is a lot that can be said about AWA and I am happy to see how it has grown and improved over the years. At times it can feel more of the same, but it is evident there is a lot of effort in providing diverse and new content for con-goers. Perhaps the most enjoyable highlight was the overall friendly atmosphere from the attendees. There was one attendee who I’d like to extend my thanks to for charging my camera battery on Sunday when it died. Overall though despite these problems and a few of my own problems actually getting to the convention I had a great time. I look forward to returning again.

Review and Photos by Kenneth Davis