Returned last night from Anime North. I didn’t go last year so I was geared up to go this year. I wonder if I spoiled it with the hype? 😉

In terms of things to do, the convention has been lacking for me for some time now. Granted, I always have a good time, but I’m starting to wonder if it’s worth all the expense and whatnot. Darcy and I were commenting on this while heading towards the gaming portion of the weekend.

Our interests have changed. In terms of fandom, I’ve moved into general sci-fi, horror and tech. And if there’s an anime like that for me, then cool, I won’t turn my nose up. But it has to come to me, I’m just not likely to seek it out. There will always be a place for Giant Robots, so I’m not worried about that, it’s just the rest of it that doesn’t interest me.  

When I first started this anime thing, it could do no wrong. Yes, some were better than others, but it was all good. And as I watched more, and realised that it’s just TV in Japan. And like TV anywhere, it has it’s ups and downs.  One of the main aspects that I do like about anime is that(for the most part) it’s finite. Series end, and not after 7 years. Usually after one. There’s a story, it was told, now it’s done. I really like that, and I wish there was more of that on TV in general. But there isn’t.

What happened?

I’m not sure if there was just one thing that happened, I think I just lost more and more interest over time. And with more and more anime coming out these days, it’s a little overload to try and find the good stuff(it’s still out there). The current fandom of anime is just really young(the vast majority anyway) and they are totally in love with Anime. For them it’s still at the ‘can do no wrong’ stage.  And for some of the older ones, it’ll always be at that stage. And that’s fine. But I’m just not in the same group as they are. And they’re the ones being catered to. And again, that’s fine, it’s a business. I’m not ‘hardcore’ like I was in collage and a few years after.  And I wonder if I really ever was ‘hardcore’ or just a fan. I think the most hardcore thing I did was watch a Gundam series in Japanese with Chinese subtitles.

So now what?

Darcy and I were talking about this. While we both enjoy Anime North, there’s just not a ton of stuff for us to do there. And that we would likely get more out of a different con, but it’s a matter of finding that con. And if we ever win the lottery we’re going to start our own con 🙂

So will I go back next year? Honestly, just not sure. I doubt I’ll find something better, and there’s a little more to it than just anime.  And overall it’s still a good experience. I just wish there was more to do 🙂

 

I wonder if I can get on the board remotely, maybe steer them in a slightly different direction. I guess that’s the problem with a fan run con, everyone wants in.  But I’ll look into it.

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Filed under: Uncategorized - @ May 29, 2011 11:20 am