It…wasn’t very memorable for the most part. Quite possibly the harshest I’ll be right now, but I make no promises that it won’t be harsher later. Now, if you’re into everything NYCC has to offer (You know, aside from anime/manga), then this might have been a great con for you. But for me, I’m into anime/manga, so I can only judge based from that perspective. And especially compared to last year’s con, NYCC 2013 was a pretty big step down. Let’s get the good out of the way before I get into what were major problems for this year’s NYCC. (Marked by + and -)
(+) Press Lounge
Granted, I don’t usually spend much time in the Press Lounge at NYCC. That’s generally because it has horrible internet access and definitely felt congested. This year however should have been an exception because it was now moved into the top of the NYCC Con Center (where the artist alley was a few years ago). It looked as if this year you didn’t have to pay for Wi-fi if you were part of the press (because they had the user and password available). Overall it felt exactly how it should feel: relaxed, able to take a break from the madness for a brief while, and also to charge your phone. That unfortunately was the only time I really used it, as the other time I tried to use it, the Press Lounge closed at 7. I was there around 6:45, and only then I realized I could access the internet on my laptop there. Too late to find out now. Otherwise, seemed like a good place to be at when it was open and needed a break, aside from the show floor.
(+) Press Registration
Last year, the methods of Press Registration were unlike anything I had yet to experience. You had to submit your information online, then you had to fax your business card and articles of cons you’ve written about (or something related I guess) to NYCC. And yeah, I don’t have a fax machine at home, so I basically had to pay an amount (can’t remember how much) for a Press Pass (and I might not have even gotten access.). Needless to say, that was pretty Draconian. This year, that was dropped. And it should stay that way. Or so I will hope, buuutttttt after what happened here, I’m willing to bet the guys at Reedpop are going to think of something different because to allow those guys access to NYCC is unacceptable and exactly what NYCC needs to not have happen again. I really just hope I don’t have to fax anything again….
(+) Food Trucks
I’ve been going to Comic-Con/Anime Festival since it’s inception, and yet, this was the first time I can recall there being a food truck in the space of the con. Yep, there were two trucks that sold food, and for the most part, kind of cheap compared to what’s inside the Javits Center. I think I would like to see a few more trucks next year, as it beats having to always walk too far away from the con to get some grub. This was a good idea.
(-) Getting into/out of the con
This is admittedly a minor gripe compared to the list of everything else I had major gripes with. But one addition to NYCC was the ability to scan your pass to make sure it is a valid and legit NYCC pass. Now, I actually don’t have a problem with doing that getting into the con. But I’m flabbergasted as to why it’s necessary for when you exit the con. Is there like pass exchanges inside the con or something? We should be able to leave without any hangups. I just find it a waste of time. But again, if they brought this back for next year’s con, I probably won’t care too much, as it’s a minor gripe on my part.
(-) Panel Placements
But let’s get to the big problems this NYCC had. Now, had I not ran into someone that also mentioned they got shut out of 2 or 3 panels not related to anime/manga, I most likely would have accused the con of being 100% dismissive of anime/manga content. Instead I can just say NYCC had a terrible time deciding what panels would be in what room, and my guess is that they underestimated the bottom level of the con. (I can say that for past NYCC’s too). However, I’m still going to call them out for being dismissive (Maybe a 85% scale). Unlike last year’s con, practically all the industry panels (Funimation, Kodansha, Yen Press) were all placed in the small rooms this year. Hell, ANN had a bigger room last year (although that turned out to be good luck since they made an error in applying for a panel), and this year not so much. Only Aniplex (and I guess Sunrise) managed to get a sizable room…this after they were actually placed in a smaller room, at an earlier time (4PM). I can only guess E.J broke three or four arms or legs before NYCC was willing to acquiesce to his demands (NOTE: this fantasy took place in my head). Just like last year, we had clashing industry panels (Yen Press VS Kodansha/Funimation), for no reason other than to provide anguish, since you know if miss one panel, you’re not getting into the other (and in turn, you have to figure out what to do next). I think it’s about that time NYCC can figure out how to stagger these panels more.
(-) Line Placement
This is probably unfair, since in total I only managed to be in 4 rooms over the weekend, but the line instructions were pretty terrible if you didn’t get there early enough. I think the situation improved over the weekend, but on Friday (when I got shut out of panels), there wasn’t a staffer explaining where the line ended at, which meant a grand waste of time for everyone waiting to get in. Of course they didn’t get in, and eventually we were encouraged to leave since they said it was full, but needless to say, it’s not acceptable for a con to have this much trouble. But again, thankfully it looked like this was fixed over the weekend. Next year though, they really need to have arrows, or just more people making sure people know where to line up.
(-) Guests
This was an obvious markdown. Last year we had a good amount of JP guests. This year? Not so much…or not so much for the right reasons. It was cool to see the creator of Afro Samurai here. It was also cool to see Masao Maruyama here. But last year had the creator of Zetman and designer of Tiger & Bunny, and it had Moyoco Anno, among the other ones at NYCC. And they were out in front for what they are known for. The 4 JP guests here were involved for Wikia Live: Animanga, which I’ll talk about more in my other panels post. But needless to say, there wasn’t a huge guest that would have inspired checking out, and it’s kind of disappointing to be honest. I can only hope there’s going to be some for next NYCC…assuming there’s going to be any anime/manga programming next year.
So overall, despite meeting with a few peeps that I know on Twitter, and talking to new people in general, can’t really say this NYCC was all too fun. And it does get to the point where I wonder if going next year is a possibility. I probably will anyways, but I think there’s just more doubt for me now.
This is me abusing my press privileges by using Strider Hiryu’s sword incorrectly. (Ok it’s not a press privilege.)
