NY Comic Con '08 Report - Saturday, 4/19

*gasp* No pre-reg lines!

I walked out of the house and onto the train in complete cosplay...minus the ears. ^.^ Slept all the way into the city and took the bus to Javits Center. The first thing that greeted me at the center was...the concept of 'Where are the lines?' O.o It was already a bit past 8am (which was when ticket booths are open) but there was NO ONE lined up outside...or even inside. That was because NYCC learned from the past and proceeded to mail out their pre-reg badges for those who ordered online. And those who registered at retail stores (like me) got their badges same day. *cheers happily*

Of course, there was already a growing line for the Dealer's Room. ^.^ I checked in my coat, went to the restroom to put on my ears properly and joined in the Dealer's Room crowd.

Event 1 of the Day: Storm Troopers, Jedi and free stuff

I was extremely happy to have arrived at the con super early (like the rest of the lunatics ^^;) since by the time the Dealer's Room opened at 10am, the line filled the entire room. I was near the front. ^^V To keep the mob satisfied, the staff gave out free poster bags (that is kinda like a golf bag,) t-shirts and threw Batman action figures into the crowd. Figures in those plastic boxes with sharp corners. A dangerous game, but for free stuff, I wouldn't mind getting smacked with one of them. Didn't get the figure, but I received the bag which was good enough for me. I consulted with one of the con goers who were there on Friday to figure out the fastest way to the TM Revolution booth and then sat down to read Ai no Kusabi vol. 2 and play on my DS.

Yes, storm troopers walked by including one black special ops storm trooper. (The only reason that I know what kind of storm trooper it was, was because one of the Star Wars fanboys talked about it. Of course! ^.^)

Event 2 of the Day: I must get the ticket!

I headed straight for the TMR booth and found it with little problem. I situated myself on the line and proceeded to worry if there were tickets left. TMR autograph session is a ticket-only event. Tickets have started being given out on Friday. Admist my contemplation of any possible loss, I was greeted by Natsuo (whom I have met at NYAF '07.) Natsuo (cosplaying Natsuo again ^.^) introduced me to her friends, including a Haruhi cosplayer aka. TMR fan extreme.

While we were waiting for the tickets, a staff told us that TMR will only be signing the program books. No merchandise and no personalization...so that they'll save time. o.O It was kinda wtf, but I told the staff that I understood (lines are killer) and she gave me hug. Staff: You're the only one that said that! Me: ^^; However, there was a requirement that in order to get a ticket, you need to buy something. That made little sense since he couldn't sign something we bought...but we were okay with it. Disappointed, but fine.

Another O.o moment was when I found out that they don't have any cds for sale... A concert at a con with no cds. Anyway, I bought a sticker sheet (with his photos on it) and received an autograph ticket. ^____^

TMR booth also displayed 4 outfits and pictures from the various PVs that he did. My favorite was the one below. I kept on forgetting which PV it was...but he looked so cute in it. *drools*

To calm down from the excitement of 'WE GOT THE TICKETS!', we decided to rest on the beanbag chairs that filled the sides of the con wall and some open spaces. So comfy! We took pics, chatted and decided to go around the Dealer's Room before heading to the TMR panel. Nearby, I caught some awesome Code Geass cosplayers (they performed at NYAF last year.)

Event 3 of the Day: Nishikawa Takanori-san!

We met two more of Natsuo's friends on the line of the TMR panel, King Mickey Organization XIII member and Kagura (Gintama) cosplayer. While we waited for the panel to start, I showed Kagura her character on my Jump Ultimate Stars game. ^.^

A TMR tour group from Japan came with him to NYCC. They sat in the two rows in the front (actually in front of us since we were in row 3.) As a tour group, they got so many cool things...a special tour badge, a bag, TMR plushies (I don't know if the fans made them or they were actually given by the tour, but they were nice looking plushies!) and more. What surprised me was the age of the fans...mostly middle age women aka. obasans. O.O Wow, they must've being following (as fans) of TMR since he first came out. *applauds their awesomeness* Their children are so lucky...they probably have all the merchandise. ^.^

The no photo/recording policy was in place and announced repeatedly (to the chagrin of my companions. ^^;) The host announced the panel and they showed a video clip of TMR's PVs and hits from past to present. When 'Invoke' came out, I was screaming like crazy. After the vid, they introduced Nishikawa-san. *crowd explodes* Nishikawa spoke a little English and answered a few questions by the host. He has come to NY at least 10 times and he enjoys watching musicals when he is here. Since the podium blocked his view of the audience on his right, Nishikawa-san would poke his head out every once in awhile. *fangirls screams* I was in the middle so no worries. ^^V

The next vid features all of his live concerts. One of my fav concerts include the one at Tokyo Disney (with Wendy and Peter flying overhead) complete with fireworks. (Me and Kagura's only thought was "They're probably saying, 'don't hit me' with the fireworks." ^.^) The other one was with white balloons flooding the entire concert hall. It was beautiful. After the vid, the audience could ask questions and one of the main things that were asked were really statements of "Come back to NY!" or "Come to my city!" The reply was along the lines of, "I would love to!" Of course, the host prompt us to voice our thoughts (to the powers that be) so that TMR would be called to perform there. <.< He likes alot of anime, but Gundam Seed holds a special place in his heart. *collective awwwww* He is the seiyuu of Haine Westenfluss in Gundam Seed Destiny. The name 'Westenfluss' is actually the German translation of 'Nishikawa' and 'Haine' is a previous stage name that he used. He performed in several Japanese musicals, including lead role Seymour Krelborn in 'Little Shop of Horrors'. ^^;

A surprise guest appeared who turned out to be Pierre Bernard (Late Night with Conan O'Brian) who is an avid anime fan. He presented flowers to Nishikawa-san and requested to be part of his entourage. lol The panel closed with another vid of his latest works, including a lead in a new movie about of a guy who is too lazy to work, 'Corazon de Melon'. (Nishikawa-san was hiding his face in his hands after that clip was shown. Kawaii! ^.^) The question concerning his possible involvement with the upcoming Gundam Seed movie is uncertain since the producers haven't approached him about it yet. ^.^

After the panel, I ran for the autograph line which is held at 1:30. (The panel was from 12-1pm)

Event 4 of the Day: autograph...

I don't know how fast Haruhi ran, but she was there way before I got there with Natsuo AND she was near the front half of the line. O.O (One of the guys kept on saying, 'Asians levitate!' and I'm starting to believe him. ^.^) We joined Haruhi along with Aya, (another fan who was Japanese and actually modeled for one of the J-Rock fashion booths. O.O) The staff announced the no photo policy (again) and reminded us of the autograph-on-program only policy. >.< Still hopeful, Haruhi took out her cd...and she got it signed! Another girl in our group got her TMR t-shirt signed as well.

He is sooo nice! When it was my turn, I greeted him with 'hajimemaste' and he responded in the like. ^.^ He shook everyone's hand as well! *faints from excitement*

Event 5 of the Day: shopping!

Afterwards, Natsuo and I headed to buy lunch (cause we were both HUNGRY.) The price of the hotdog and water was high, but expected. We chatted about NYAF and even called Rachel (the guy we met last year) to see if he was here. He didn't come to NYCC, but will be at AnimeNEXT. ^.^ I called P-chan and we spoke for a couple seconds before we went back to look for Natsuo's friends. I decided to part ways so I could do some serious shopping.

At least I tried to do some shopping. The reason why they call it a 'comic con' is because it gathers all the big names in the industry together. And have a giant dealer's room filled with comic vendors. 'Golden Age of Comics'. 'Silver Age of Comics'. I guess the fans know what to look for in piles of comics and signs like these. ^^; I checked out the cel shop as well as the usual manga stands. Actually, the large comic vendors had great manga prices, but I didn't buy anything. The DMP booth actually had all their July releases available at the booth. O.O I checked out some titles, but didn't pick anything up. I picked up another 'All Nippon Airline' dust jacket though. ^.^ I spoke with the sales staff about the awesomeness of the dustjackets and confirmed that the 'ANAL' dustjackets were initially all printed out, ready for store use. However, Borders and BN didn't want that on their shelves so DMP changed it and gave the initial dustjackets to fans. Still, an awesome freebie for us.

I picked up some paper (posters, postcards, sample books) and even got a free European manga by a Korean author, 'Y Square' by Judith Park. Hosted by Yen Press, the signing for the mangaka was underway, but I wanted to go to the Xxxholic panel. I packed all my things up in the free bag that I got in the morning and checked it in with my coat.

Event 6 of the Day: anime and wishes...

The panel was really an anime showing. They showed the first 2.5 episodes of Xxxholic. The first episode was shown in Japanese with English subtitles, then they tried out the dubs. The staff of the panel (the one in charge of the remote,) asked how we thought of the dubs to which were some positive responses. (There were none of the 'I hate dubs' or 'Japanese only' in the crowd...though if there were, they weren't fanbrats.) Someone stated that the dubs were good, though slightly overdone. Like everything was exaggerated. *nods in agreement* None of the voices were grating and the only one that kinda threw me off a bit was Mokona's voice. I guess it's hard to voice something as cute as that. *gives pocky to Funi for another awesome dub* We only watched .5 of ep 3 because the time was up. ^.^

I called Natsuo and located her and crew at the Konami booth. Of course, they were DDRing on the new Wii game. I joined in for some dancing and totally embarrassed myself...though it was fun. ^.^ I watched her friends, Namine and Kairi duke it out on the American Idol Karaoke Revolution game. Afterwards, we headed down to the IGN theater where the TMR concert will be held.

Event 7 of the Day: ice cream makes the time go faster...

Initially, Natsuo and I only wanted to check out the line (to see how long it was since it was 6pm and the concert starts at 10pm.) There was already people lining up...and Haruhi was there near the front. The line was not very threatening in size, but people have been waiting since 5 something. O.O Seeing that we had nothing else better to do, we decided to just wait with them.

I got glomped by an emo guy who loved Loveless and demanded fanservice from Natsuo and me (as Ritsuka.) I retorted that I will never betray Soubi. ^_^ One of his friends will cosplay Youji with Natsuo in the future. They started talking about arranging for a photoshoot...which I'll love to join in if it actually happens. Aya joined us and we talked about JE and J-rock bands. We also talked about underweight J-celebrities with 80lbs bodies and super tall height. o.O Nishikawa-san is about 80lbs, short and is still underweight. >.< We agreed that we don't think it is on purpose but is from the stress and energy that from all the performances. *gives TMR pocky*

Since I was craving ice cream and felt kinda bad for being allowed to cut in line with ppl I just met, I decided to buy them ice cream. I went with another girl back to the Dealer's Room...since that was where the ice cream venders were. On the way there, I met a Chewbacca. It was super tall and made the strange noise Chewbaccas made. O.o Of course, I had to get it's pic.

I didn't mean to take a pic with it, but while hugging it (which I absolutely had to-he is so furry!) cameras clicked away. Ritsuka hugging Chewbacca! ^^; Nearby, I also saw two cosplayers from the movie 'Enchanted'.

Finally at the Dealer's Room, I bought a king cone for myself and ordered strawberry ices for the others. The rest of the waiting time was filled with Natsuo and Namine dancing (something from N'sync,) two of our group running around shooting water guns at each other (guns were freebies from somewhere,) snacking on ice cream and Asian snacks. The staff started letting us into the theater at 8pm. *runs for the doors*

Event 8 of the Day: 'Will Yaoi for TMR!'

We were seated near the front half of the room at the aisle which were good spots considering the Japanese tour group was a few rows ahead of us. The camera panned across the crowd (viewable on the two screens on both sides of the room) and people started holding up signs and random things. They were not so random since most were concerning TMR. There were a signs of 'TMR Rocks!', 'I <3 TMR', 'Marry me, TMR!' and my fav, 'I want to have your children, TMR!' A Naruto cosplayer carried a large sign along the aisle that said 'Hug Me!' which the camera focused on. (The sign was part of her cosplay and she was carrying it around.) The crowd started chanting 'Hug her!' and then 2 L's glomped her. ^-^ Some autographed CDs were held up and I encouraged Aya to hold up her J-rock mag with Nishikawa-san on the cover. Since there was an article on him, she opened up the mag to a photospread and held it up. Once the camera zoomed in, we started turning the pages. (The one of Nishikawa-san and his dog is my fav. ^.^) Of course, other fans started holding up their mags as well. Natsuo tried holding up a Shin-chan sign (a freebie from the Funi booth) along with a mag, but it didn't work. Our guess is because the Shin-chan sign was kinda obscene...being what it is. ^^;

I recognized Allen, one of Haruhi's friends from a D.Gray Man cosplay group as one of the panelist from the AnimeNEXT yaoi panel last year. I wasn't too sure though until they held up the sign 'Will Yaoi for TMR!' When the camera focused on them, Allen and Komui started kissing each other. *fangirl squeals* However, the camera panned away before they caught the kiss on the big screen. (Maybe it was done on purpose.... ^^;) After they sat back down, I approached Allen and introduced myself as 'the only other Asian at the panel' and received a hug. She said that she will most likely host the yaoi panel at AnimeNEXT this year to which I responded that I'll definitely be attending. Yay!

Event 9 of the Day: TMR! TMR! TMR!

The staff of course said, 'stay in your seats' but we knew that a moshpit would be forming as soon as the concert started. Sure enough, when the room went dark, TMR appeared, everyone ran to the front. Me too. ^.^ 'Invoke' was the first song and lots of people sang along. I had a good view in the middle, but by the end of the concert, Aya and I was in the front row of the moshpit. (The only thing separating us from him was the staff that lined the front and the silver fence that separated the staff photographers from the stage. ^^V) In between songs, he would speak to the crowd in English (from a teleprompter in the front ^.^) which brought more screams from the crowd. His responses for all the 'I love you!' chants were 'Me too!' *more screams* One time, he drank and sprayed water at the audience. (At that time, I was still behind a girl in the moshpit, so she was the one who got sprayed.) Clips from the various anime and video games like Gundam Seed and Darker then Black were shown on the screens on in between the live feed from the stage. Some fangirl scream-worthy moments: when he took off his long black coat, then took off his black sleeveless shirt (with an open back...) so much skin.... *drools* He also sang a brand new song with the intro, "You guys are the first to hear it!" The concert set list was:

Encore
12. Meteor
13. High Pressure (U:C Version)
14. Hot Limit (U:C Version)

Support Musicians:
Left Guitarist: Sunao
Drummer: Ueno
Bassist: Ikuo
Right Guitarist: Shibasaki

'Heart of Sword' was the last song before the two encore songs. For the encore, they changed into their TMR: NYCC tour t-shirts and addressed the crowd. Of course, he spoke in Japanese for the Japanese tour group. *swoons* The first encore piece was my fav ballad from Gundam Seed, 'Meteor' which I totally love. At the very end, the band members with Nishikawa-san all stood next to each other, holding hands. Then they bowed before waving their arms back and forth. They also high fived each other and left. Nishikawa-san threw kisses at the crowd before leaving the stage.

When the concert was over, I downed my entire bottle of water. So thirsty! My wig didn't slip much which I was happy for. I collected my stuff from coat check and said good bye to Natsuo and her group.

Event 10 of the Day: the long walk home

I planned to take the taxi home if I couldn't get the bus. (It was already 11pm.) However, seeing that many people were already walking along the long avenues, I decided to walk to Penn Station. Upon arrival, I checked out the schedule, called okaasan of the arriving time, and bought a hot dog and potato knish as my late-late dinner. Oishi! At home, I unpacked my stuff, washed my hair and slept.

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