[XenoBlade]

I'm still wondering why MLP is a fad (not knocking it, I'm just wondering why people love it so much. Is it meant to be irony because of the show's targeted demographic?)

Kinda late to the party, but never got around asking. It's like how late I am with Homestuck (still can't read it. Too slow at the beginning.)

[JujuFox]

XenoBlade, on 07 May 2012 - 07:58 PM, said:

I'm still wondering why MLP is a fad (not knocking it, I'm just wondering why people love it so much. Is it meant to be irony because of the show's targeted demographic?)

Kinda late to the party, but never got around asking. It's like how late I am with Homestuck (still can't read it. Too slow at the beginning.)

I tried reading Homestuck, but quit before it got good(apparently).

If you want to understand the MLP phenomenon check out the video and meme history entry here.

[XenoBlade]

DavenEvanXaviour, on 07 May 2012 - 08:02 PM, said:

I tried reading Homestuck, but quit before it got good(apparently).

If you want to understand the MLP phenomenon check out the video and meme history entry here.

Yeah I did the same. I read all of Act 1 and ragequit afterwards. Just starts off WAY too slow for my tastes. >_<

And thanks. I'm going to take a look.

[rondo]

XenoBlade, on 07 May 2012 - 08:11 PM, said:

Yeah I did the same. I read all of Act 1 and ragequit afterwards. Just starts off WAY too slow for my tastes. >_<

And thanks. I'm going to take a look.

As for the MLP phenomenon, there are so many angles that could be viewed as for the reason for its nutty popularity.

Creators play to the nerdy/geek crowd especially with cameos and some of its characters, creators response to the fan base in general, Lauren Faust, the voice actors, a girlie cartoon from back then that is quite different and not so girly now, the fairly easy going messages each story portrays.

You can also find parallels to Anime fandom in comparison to MLP fandom, to some extent. Look at all the fan made stuff based on the show. There is tons of it.

On a funny sidenote, ESPN had some pony toys and a brony shirt on Pardon the Interruption yesterday. Every once in awhile, the fandom will get a shoutout from somewhere.

This post has been edited by rondo: 08 May 2012 - 07:38 AM

[GITS SAC Motoko]

I've seen some MLP and I can see why people like it, it's cute and it's cute and kiddy to the point it's kinda funny. Though it's not something I would just be like "oh, I'm gonna watch MLP today." And Homestuck, I haven't gotten around to reading it. I feel it's just one of those "huge cosplay rages" at ACEN that every ACEN has. Like 2010 I remember seeing ALL Code Geass or Death Note. Now, this year it's Homestuck and MLP. (Not at all bashing, just saying observations). But I'm not against them at all, it people like it and it floats their boat, then it's all good .

[The Fujoshi]

GITS SAC Motoko, on 08 May 2012 - 10:04 AM, said:

I've seen some MLP and I can see why people like it, it's cute and it's cute and kiddy to the point it's kinda funny. Though it's not something I would just be like "oh, I'm gonna watch MLP today." And Homestuck, I haven't gotten around to reading it. I feel it's just one of those "huge cosplay rages" at ACEN that every ACEN has. Like 2010 I remember seeing ALL Code Geass or Death Note. Now, this year it's Homestuck and MLP. (Not at all bashing, just saying observations). But I'm not against them at all, it people like it and it floats their boat, then it's all good .

I don't mind MLP but it's funny that I used to like MLP as a kid, then it got lame, and suddenly now it's popular again. It's like if I mention the old cartoon people look at me like I'm nuts. Same with Strawberry shortcake.

I have not read Homestuck but I wish that I could find more pictures of other stuff.....like Subway masters or Guilty crown ._.

[Dark Spellmaster]

I like both the old MLP and the newer one, however I do draw the line on how to behave at events and even with excitment the only people I would be touching would be those that I know and don't mind (IE Friends) or those that seem to welcome some sort of pose for it. Only then would I touch someone, and ask them if I can get a hug. Other then that it's not right to latch onto others. MLP has a lot of insider jokes and things only adults and teens might get, which allows for all sorts of viewing. They also embrace modern things, like the Iphone commercial. Over all it's actually nice to see fans that enjoy a cartoon with the same excitment as say the Animaniacs, and the likes of Beetlejuice.

On the other hand it means the more popular something is the dumber some of the fans can be, so one has to make sure that one keeps oneself from causing issue with others.

As for Homestruck, I haven't actually read it yet, and honestly in a lot of cases some web comics to me take themself way to serious trying to be hip.

[Karmada]

Dark Spellmaster, on 09 May 2012 - 12:27 PM, said:

As for Homestruck, I haven't actually read it yet, and honestly in a lot of cases some web comics to me take themself way to serious trying to be hip.

Not to get entirely off the topic of the thread - but I wanted to add, I too was curious about Homestuck. (As I was scared of some of the fans n stuff too)

So I sat down and finally caught up to what was going on. I'll admit, you DO have to get through like 3 acts of what seems like "frivolous stuff" to get to the meat of the story, but you'll find out later that everything was/is important in what the universe is like in this particular story.

I personally find it to be a delightful jump in what webcomics can be. It mixes a webcomic story with animated GIFs, full on flash animations, music, and interactive segments (that play like a videogame).

It's not for everybody, but I found it very interesting, and just the time physics that go on in the story boggle my mind somedays.

-------------------------------------------------

My on topic reply: I'm wondering if that the reason we're seeing so many non-japanese cosplays is that there's not a lot of good things to choose from right now (i.e. anything that's 'taken the world by storm' like naruto or hetalia did?). I know I have a hard time finding anything worth buying lately now that FMA brotherhood finished up. And anything worth buying that I don't feel they're trying to gouge me (Madoka Magica... I'm looking at your DVDs...)

though princess jellyfish IS on my to buy list - I forgot to pick it up at Acen this year

[STVO]

I'll throw in my quick two cents on MLP. With all due respect to the bronies and pegasisters (I think that's the female fanbase name) I just can't get into it, lol. I honestly don't see what about it makes the male demographic want to dress up as mostly female characters. I'll admit the animation and character designs are cute, but besides the children and female demographic, I'm not sure what's the appeal to males 13+. This is coming from a guy who enjoyed Power Puff Girls and like Disney movies.

I'm sorry if I offend any bronies, but you know what, don't listen to me, continue to like it! My mom showed me some old home video footage when I was 5 and I was playing with a My Little Pony. So I guess at one point in my life I guess I was considered a "Brony." Enjoy on though.

Going slightly back on topic, I decided that I haven't shown enough love for anime in my cosplays but one of the top reasons is usually when I ask friends (both anime and non-anime fans) what to cosplay, they usually suggest I cosplay as American made properties. I have decided while I am doing an American cosplay (good old Marvin, as long as that's my final decision) I would like to cosplay as Roger Smith. My biggest challenge is not looking just like a guy in a suit. I suppose I'll make or buy some kind of Big O prop to follow me.

[GITS SAC Motoko]

The Fujoshi, on 08 May 2012 - 02:59 PM, said:

I don't mind MLP but it's funny that I used to like MLP as a kid, then it got lame, and suddenly now it's popular again. It's like if I mention the old cartoon people look at me like I'm nuts. Same with Strawberry shortcake.

I have not read Homestuck but I wish that I could find more pictures of other stuff.....like Subway masters or Guilty crown ._.

Yeah I totally see what you mean there.

I feel though Homestuck had such a huge population it was like the amount of Naruto and Bleach cosplayers combined. I secretly think there is a conspiracy among the Homestuck cosplayers to OCCUPY ACEN! :3 hahah just kidding. But again, if they like it, it's their call.

But I haven't put in my ENTIRE two cents about this thread, I still think ACen is still an anime convention. I believe it is what you make it. I did plenty of things related to anime this year. I cosplayed, went to a photoshoot, went to some panels, attempted to go to the masquerade ;3, talked to people about anime, and had a great time. I did a few things that werent super anime related like seeing Eyeshine but it is nice to have that diversity. I also learned how to play Go this year and I watched some tabletop gaming--never done that before. It was something different and I think it was awesome I got to see that. I played my first PC game in I don't know how many years (Reign of Thunder table) and it was awesome! I feel I did plenty of stuff anime for sure, and it was at the forefront of my days at ACEN. I feel it's what you make it. ACEN has SOOOOOO much to offer and the hardest decision you make is what to do first. Go anime, go general geekdom, steampunk, what have you. you have to have diversity, people have other interests and I feel the "other stuff" at ACen accents the anime theme. It's so soooo specialized that it's anime only. Heck, I don't even think all cons have "anime only" themes. Even the small ones like KollisionCon and Anime Midwest they had other diverse stuff too which is nice to explore especially if you like that or don't do it as much.
I feel if we limited ACEN to be more stricter with the anime theme and kicked out some of the diverse hobbies in the geekdom world it would hurt ACen, not help it.

I always like to think "it's simple: over specialize, and you breed in weakness. It's slow death," as said by Major Motoko Kusanagi. :3

[magishine]

^ THIS!


Not to sound generic. but I agree. You can't expect people's interests to be so one-sided. You must allow for growth or be prepared for diminished returns

[Dark Spellmaster]

GITS SAC Motoko, completely agree with you. The one thing that makes Acen special and makes other cons special is that they diversify. I believe, even in Japan, anime or conventions in general tend to mix things up too. It's not 100% anime, if that was the case you would not only have to take out the Non Anime (Western Cartoons, Computer games, non anime cosplay) but also the Manga- as that is not animation, most video games since they are interactive media and not animation, good by panels that have no connection to anime, also fairwell to some of the voice actors that might be picked up internationally since while most do anime, some don't strictly do it and might only be known for one show, and that means no questions in reagard to anything not related to Anime. Cosplay is not anime either, it's a dress up, so you'd have to technically get rid of that, raves gone, crystal ball gone,artist alley -unless it was strictly anime based drawings good-bye, Venders would be way limited and basically all you would have is maybe some panels and well a few guests, and maybe some cosplay, and the screening rooms and that's about it. Doesn't sound like a fun time to me.

As you pointed out Over specialization leads to limited uses of the convention circut which leads to a slow death for the con. In the end if you limit what a person sees they would only come really for a day or so, and calling them not a fan because they only came for a day would be rather rude.

[GITS SAC Motoko]

Dark Spellmaster, on 10 May 2012 - 10:57 AM, said:

GITS SAC Motoko, completely agree with you. The one thing that makes Acen special and makes other cons special is that they diversify. I believe, even in Japan, anime or conventions in general tend to mix things up too. It's not 100% anime, if that was the case you would not only have to take out the Non Anime (Western Cartoons, Computer games, non anime cosplay) but also the Manga- as that is not animation, most video games since they are interactive media and not animation, good by panels that have no connection to anime, also fairwell to some of the voice actors that might be picked up internationally since while most do anime, some don't strictly do it and might only be known for one show, and that means no questions in reagard to anything not related to Anime. Cosplay is not anime either, it's a dress up, so you'd have to technically get rid of that, raves gone, crystal ball gone,artist alley -unless it was strictly anime based drawings good-bye, Venders would be way limited and basically all you would have is maybe some panels and well a few guests, and maybe some cosplay, and the screening rooms and that's about it. Doesn't sound like a fun time to me.

As you pointed out Over specialization leads to limited uses of the convention circut which leads to a slow death for the con. In the end if you limit what a person sees they would only come really for a day or so, and calling them not a fan because they only came for a day would be rather rude.

Dark Spellmaster I really like your break down. If we didn't have diversity, heck we wouldn't even have cosplay, or even an artists alley. And not even manga! T_T that would be devastating! And I just thought of this--video games would be gone. No Final Fantasy, no Tales series, no Megaman, no Metroid..NO ZELDA! AAAAH! The con is huge for a reason, and like I said before the hardest decision you make there is what to do first. THE CON GOER makes it anime like. THE CON GOER makes it a gaming con/non anime con.

And hey, if there are some people that don't agree, that's fine and if you don't want to go to ACen anymore, that's cool too. you have the right to be unhappy, and no one will judge you whether you come or not. I just know that I will be attending ACen for TONS of years down the road and that I make special time for it every year, and that's what counts. And here's another thing too--NO CON IS PERFECT. There is always something that goes wrong, and hey it happens. You gotta make the positive out of the negative. Yeah that's really idealistic and optimistic or whatever you want to call it, but it's true. For example, we waited hours to see Eyeshine this year, ended up meeting some awesome people in line, made new friends. I feel that anything negative that happens you can just turn the tables and make it a positive thing. Hey, ACen can only get better from here right? The Staff see our gripes/compliments and make adjustments accordingly. :3

This post has been edited by GITS SAC Motoko: 10 May 2012 - 03:39 PM

[Mullenkamp]

...Just to play devil's advocate here (because I don't mind seeing comic book/MLP/western cartoon cosplayers - Homestuck I do object to a little just because it seems like they're taking over every con I go to, but I recognize that's just me XD), despite the name "Anime Central", it's always been a <em>Japanese media/culture</em> convention, not strictly anime.

So even if they did "return entirely to their roots" it wouldn't mean getting rid of lolita or other Japanese fashion, or martial arts demos, or Final Fantasy/Zelda/etc. cosplay. All that stuff also comes from Japan.

And honestly, I think it would be fine if the actual programming reflected that. Cosplayers, not so much - I wouldn't want to see anyone kicked out just because their costume isn't up to some particular standard. But actual convention events, I'd like those to remain oriented towards Japanese culture (pop or otherwise). There are already other non-Japanese, western pop culture conventions around, including a huge one right in the same area. The focus on Japanese culture is what makes ACen different. Sure, they might be bigger if they just covered everything, but if they lose their focus too much, or focus on non-Japanese material... those of us who enjoy Japanese media/culture and go for that reason have no reason to go. And I'd imagine that the organization who puts together ACen - considering their name - would find the lack of focus on Japanese material kind of self-defeating.

A little diversification is fine - I liked the ren faire panels this year, I know people appreciate having a place to appreciate and discuss MLP, and the Oregon Trail panel (often at times where nothing Japan-related was going on) has generally made me laugh until it was a good thing I was already sitting on the floor because I would've fallen out of my chair. But I kind of get the impression (which may be wrong, I don't know! It's just the impression I'm getting) that a lot of people arguing for diversification here would be cool with ACen if the con became 90% western pop culture, 10% Japanese pop culture, whereas my friends and I would probably quit going and start meeting up at some other con that remained geared towards the Japanese material that caused us to meet and become friends in the first place.

[Ohki]

re; MLP, I can't speak for anyone else, but my personal enjoyment for it is entirely because it's a good show. I don't care that the target audience is little girls. I never care about target audiences for any of my entertainment. If it's good it's good. MLP:FiM has compelling, well-written characters. I actually care about their lives, their problems, etc.

There's also the extra layer of me being really happy that a show that's so well written is available for young girls to watch. So often, girls are given really poorly written, frivolous entertainment. It's assumed that all they need to do is include cuteness, talk about clothes and makeup and other traditional "girly" things, romance if the target audience isn't too young, etc, and bam, instant hit. Who cares about making a good story, or having characters that are worth caring about? Save the good writing for the boys. But MLP: FiM doesn't do that, it just gives us an excellent show.

Also, just a thought to anyone who thinks the show's popularity is weird because of the target demographic: how many ultra popular anime titles are actually targeted at kids? Quite a few. Say what you will about there being more mature content in them because of differing standards on what it's okay for kids to see, but is the shonen and shojo that's so popular really popular because of the violence and sex? Or is it because it's a good story with interesting characters?

[XenoBlade]

You have to also look at the fact that Japan and america have very different standard for kid shows. That's why a lot of shonen anime is so popular among older folk because it seems to be a step up from childhood cartoons. If america stopped treating childreb as braindead idiots who can't handle death, blood, or violence, shonen anime wouldn't be as popular. But with MLP, its a childrens show in america, so i think the age thing is a valid question. But thats not to say it can't be good. Look at Avatar. Lots of good in that show.

[sisterdiscord]

Personally, I have to say that when I was chair this thread always helped me..even while it was making me ranty

Sure, not everyone is nice, and not everyone is constructive, and there will always be ideas (like 'Let's move the con to a different location' 'ban all non-anime cosplay' and 'cancel all non-anime events and guests') that I always just looked past, because they'd fundamentally change ACen in ways that would turn it into a completely different show, and cost us things we don't want to give up.

But most of the folks here are respectful fans with genuine gripes, and often some VERY good ideas for how to fix them. That is incredibly valuable to a fan-run organization. Some of the best ideas we've pulled in over the past five years have come from you guys, and from this or other forum threads that started with a conversation of the problems. You know what? there will always BE problems. It's how we deal with them when they happen that differentiates us: do we listen to the fans, acknowledge the issues, and try to come up with a plan to remedy for the future, or do we as a con staff just make excuses and look the other way.

We're all fans too, and we do this same kind of gripe/complain/brainstorm process after con internally (in fact in about two weeks we meet to do it!). We do it because before you can get to solutions, you have to clear the air, and purge the stress and emotion, because putting on the show is a complete pressure cooker, no matter how smoothly it ran. So, in short-- keep 'em coming. Keep talking about what you perceive as the biggest issues, and how you'd fix them. And (cue the sales pitch!) if you decide you want to be part of the fixing process..VOLUNTEER. Come down to the Volunteering thread and sign up- we're always happy for fresh ideas and new enthusiastic people who want to be a part of things.

Keep the ideas and opinions coming!
Should we make some tweaks to reg and specialty badge pickup?
Should we limit ages on the dance?
Should we change the time on the masquerade and add more buffer?
Should we work on a better way of announcing panels schedule changes?

[MasterHavik]

So much salt in this thread. I thought Anime Central was screwing amazing this year. This year was a really good spread. there was good anime cosplay. I mean it's better to have good anime cosplay than just decent anime cosplay. I saw a lot of good high qauilty costumes. It was good to see the mlp fanbase show up too. But I'm happy that the cosplay for anime was better this year. I felt last year anime cosplay was very lax and they didn't seem to give a screw. About that little Masquade thing or whatever. I can understand time getting cut and everything. They had some time delays on a lot of things. They need to work time control better. I wasn't happy about the wait for the LM.C show. So in the end...cut the salt acen vets. Things are changing and it's good to get to see different stuff. american pop culture is growing and that won't cut it. If you had it your way, then all the cosplayer from anime games won't be consider anime and manga cosplayer.

[antisocialist]

To all of the people saying, "Respect the ravers and keep it to two raves a weekend." I propose this.

Get your butt on the Blue Line and go to Chicago if you have to have a Saturday Night rave so much. Chicago is only an hour from Rosemont. We are literally outside of the 3rd largest city in the United States, and I'm pretty positive that there should be something going on. If not, someone will plan something if Soap Bubble is moved or if Hardcore Synergy is cancelled.

Acen is not about you. It's about the anime/J culture.

If it is so dire and important that you have your rave, then HAVE IT, but don't expect for an anime convention to cater to you if it's not expressly anime related, and certainly not to the expense of anime staples. Maybe moving the raves or having one sent to Chicago proper would get rid of half of the people that come to Acen thinking that it's the raver/underaged equivalent of Freaknik. (and yes, I'm showing my age here.)

As for cosplayers and steampunk people - I feel like they do have a place in anime conventions. Cosplay of any kind is a staple of anime cons, and there aren't enough steampunk cons, and especially not in this area. They do, and should, have a place. They, however, don't get particularly catered to like the rave people do, so they're not enough of a presence to screw with the con functioning.

Lolita is not anime-based, but it is JAPAN based, and this is an anime AND Japanese Pop culture convention. It has a place and should remain to have a place. Ultimately, everything should be second to Anime/Japan pop culture. I'm fine with geekdom, but anime/asian culture is what matters here - everything else is a tangent.

This post has been edited by antisocialist: 23 May 2012 - 11:08 PM

[STVO]

antisocialist, on 23 May 2012 - 10:48 PM, said:

To all of the people saying, "Respect the ravers and keep it to two raves a weekend." I propose this.

Get your butt on the Blue Line and go to Chicago if you have to have a Saturday Night rave so much. Chicago is only an hour from Rosemont. We are literally outside of the 3rd largest city in the United States, and I'm pretty positive that there should be something going on. If not, someone will plan something if Soap Bubble is moved or if Hardcore Synergy is cancelled.

Acen is not about you. It's about the anime/J culture.

If it is so dire and important that you have your rave, then HAVE IT, but don't expect for an anime convention to cater to you if it's not expressly anime related, and certainly not to the expense of anime staples. Maybe moving the raves or having one sent to Chicago proper would get rid of half of the people that come to Acen thinking that it's the raver/underaged equivalent of Freaknik. (and yes, I'm showing my age here.)

As for cosplayers and steampunk people - I feel like they do have a place in anime conventions. Cosplay of any kind is a staple of anime cons, and there aren't enough steampunk cons, and especially not in this area. They do, and should, have a place. They, however, don't get particularly catered to like the rave people do, so they're not enough of a presence to screw with the con functioning.

Lolita is not anime-based, but it is JAPAN based, and this is an anime AND Japanese Pop culture convention. It has a place and should remain to have a place. Ultimately, everything should be second to Anime/Japan pop culture. I'm fine with geekdom, but anime/asian culture is what matters here - everything else is a tangent.

Pertaining to the raves, I understand that some of the crowd they attract isn't the right one but with the money it does bring in and the love it gets from fans such as ravers-only AND anime fans, I assure you they aren't going away. The anime fans who enjoy Soap Bubblr and other dances maybe not all on here, but I urge you or anyone else to do a survey on either ACen/Anime Central Facebook groups or any other convention fan page and ask how many people are anime and rave/dance fans what they think of them? I have a feeling you'll get a good chunk of people of all ages saying they enjoy them.

Take a look at Anime Midwest and Kollision Con. Both of them have raves too. Maybe not Soap Bubble/Hardcore Synergy size, but they're there! Why do you think they exist? Likely because they see the popular turn out at Anime Central and other cons that have them. I can agree with you to anyone who is upset that they don't consider to rave-specific standards can find a Blue line however I can also say that other people not happy with ACen can find other things going on that's not the Soap Bubble/Hardcore Synergy at their disposal too. Panels, video rooms, hotel parties, talking with friends at Denny's/IHOP, the karaoke event(s), etc. I have an idea for a panel for 21+ that I would like to propose this year offering video games/board games/etc. to be an alternative to The Soap Bubble and such, but we'll see how it goes.

I wouldn't be opposed for ACen to move the Soap Bubble to another hotel but it honestly doesnt bother me. Let me repeat, I do think the Masquerade being cancelled is a severe injustice and wish that Soap Bubble gave up at least 2 or 3 hours, but they aren't all to blame like it or not. To remind everyone, why did the Masquerade start late? Couldn't the prior panels end on time and we could have at least seen some skits done? Also, let's not forget the jerk with the fire alarm. Not only did he/she screw the Masquerade over but other panelists and events too.

And not saying anyone is suggesting it again, but just in case, pertaining to people cosplaying as something non-Japanese/non-anime, the following can solve your problem: 1. Ignore it. 2. Walk the other direction when you see a group of non-anime cosplayers (good luck getting around it) 3. Lighten up, and 4. Stop going to Acen and other conventions, it will only upset you more. As for panels, if you're not happy with them, well... Make 1 panel, tell 5 friends to make anime/Japan only panels, have each of them tell friends to make anime only panels, and maybe you'll increase what you want. Worth a try at least?

[antisocialist]

STVO, on 24 May 2012 - 04:18 AM, said:

Pertaining to the raves, I understand that some of the crowd they attract isn't the right one but with the money it does bring in and the love it gets from fans such as ravers-only AND anime fans, I assure you they aren't going away. The anime fans who enjoy Soap Bubblr and other dances maybe not all on here, but I urge you or anyone else to do a survey on either ACen/Anime Central Facebook groups or any other convention fan page and ask how many people are anime and rave/dance fans what they think of them? I have a feeling you'll get a good chunk of people of all ages saying they enjoy them.

Take a look at Anime Midwest and Kollision Con. Both of them have raves too. Maybe not Soap Bubble/Hardcore Synergy size, but they're there! Why do you think they exist? Likely because they see the popular turn out at Anime Central and other cons that have them. I can agree with you to anyone who is upset that they don't consider to rave-specific standards can find a Blue line however I can also say that other people not happy with ACen can find other things going on that's not the Soap Bubble/Hardcore Synergy at their disposal too. Panels, video rooms, hotel parties, talking with friends at Denny's/IHOP, the karaoke event(s), etc. I have an idea for a panel for 21+ that I would like to propose this year offering video games/board games/etc. to be an alternative to The Soap Bubble and such, but we'll see how it goes.

The Crowds - I'm sure they do bring in a lot of money. They also bring in a lot of destruction and potential for lawsuits.

I'm sure people do enjoy them. I would enjoy the opportunity to party hard too, especially when I'm underaged and at an event where the convention is footing the bill. Nor am I saying that we should stop all of the raves. But two nights of raves is nonsense, especially when convention standards are being pushed aside to make room for something that isn't anime related.

Also, what brings in way more money for the convention are the people actually attending the convention. A lot of people, for the Soap Bubble, will only buy one-day passes and only attend the Saturday night. A lot of anime fans CAN do other things at a con of this size, and that's precisely why if a person has a problem with not having a rave on Saturday night while still having one on Friday night, they can go to Chicago.

Anime West and Kollision Con can also handle their crowds and plan a hell of a lot better than Acen too. Do you really think a Masquerade will get shelved because 'OMG OUR RAVE ISN'T GOING TO START ON TIME!!' What Acen did might not be unprecedented, but it shows amazingly poor judgement. Acen CAN HAVE multiple things going on, but we are dealing with management that can't plan to save their lives. Panels were getting cancelled left and right and no one was being told. If they're screwing up panels and a Masquerade, what is the need to have two raves?

This post has been edited by antisocialist: 24 May 2012 - 07:35 AM

[YoungBirdcall]

antisocialist, on 23 May 2012 - 10:48 PM, said:

To all of the people saying, "Respect the ravers and keep it to two raves a weekend." I propose this.

Get your butt on the Blue Line and go to Chicago if you have to have a Saturday Night rave so much. Chicago is only an hour from Rosemont. We are literally outside of the 3rd largest city in the United States, and I'm pretty positive that there should be something going on. If not, someone will plan something if Soap Bubble is moved or if Hardcore Synergy is cancelled.

Acen is not about you. It's about the anime/J culture.

If it is so dire and important that you have your rave, then HAVE IT, but don't expect for an anime convention to cater to you if it's not expressly anime related, and certainly not to the expense of anime staples. Maybe moving the raves or having one sent to Chicago proper would get rid of half of the people that come to Acen thinking that it's the raver/underaged equivalent of Freaknik. (and yes, I'm showing my age here.)

To address the first "highlighted" sentence: it seems a bit ridiculous of you to demand that people go elsewhere for an event that has certainly become a staple of Anime Central. As STVO & others have already pointed out, the Soap Bubble is appreciated & enjoyed by many people, more than just the "kandi kidz" that you seem to revile. As STVO said, if you don't like Soap Bubble, perhaps you could hop on the Blue Line & find something else to do that's more to your liking.

To address the second "highlighted" sentence: I have never understood this argument. Soap Bubble (and Hardcore Synergy) were created by anime fans, for anime fans, at an anime convention. I can agree that dancing to loud music is not explicitly anime related, but to say that Soap Bubble is out of place at ACen is a complete joke. This same complaint comes up on the forums every year after ACen, and every single year, it is rightfully ignored, because the Soap Bubble is not the problem, in-and-of itself. I know that you're unhappy that "Kandi Kidz R CATERED TO! AT TEH EXPENSE OF US TRUE ANIMU FANZ!" but please, get over yourself. The Soap Bubble & Hardcore Synergy are not going away, so stop wasting your breath.

And your "BUT WHAT ABOUT THE POTENTIAL LAWSUITS?!?!" argument is so inane that I won't even bother to contradict it. Okay, yes I will: at any large convention (or at any large gathering/event/group of people, for that matter), someone might do something criminal to someone else. This does not mean that the people organizing the convention are (by default) legally responsible or even legally liable for said criminal conduct. In terms of security protocol, MAPS does what it is required to do by law. If I get assaulted at Six Flags Great America, for example, can I then sue them or the company that owns them? Sure. Would I win my lawsuit? Almost certainly not (barring ridiculous circumstances, such as: "Six Flags security guards watched, pointed, and laughed while I was being violently assaulted;" if this were the case, then sure, the park & its owners might be held liable).

It is not the fault of the Soap Bubble that the Masquerade got cut short. It is the fault of all those panelists whose panels ran over their allotted times. It is the fault of ACen organizers who allowed these panels to run over their allotted times. Most of all, it is the fault of the d-bag who whipped out the fire extinguisher. It is also the fault of the ACen organizer(s) who made the call to cut the Masquerade short. But the Soap Bubble didn't do anything to anyone. I understand that you're bitter (extremely bitter, apparently), but please, direct your derision towards deserving targets.

Bottom line: get mad at the jerks, not at the dance itself. And before you reply with "But the Soap Bubble attracts the jerks!" let me just note that I'm inclined to agree with making the dances 18-and-older only, if only because they run so late into the night. But let's not kid ourselves into thinking that people would suddenly stop behaving badly if one or more of the dances were to be canceled. That's a ludicrous assumption.

[myrla]

You know what annoys the hell out of me?

There aren't any late night things at ACen that aren't dances or raves.

No real parties sponsored by ACen, no "here, let's show a giant movie that everyone would like to see, maybe we can get a special version of a Ghibli or something" kind of thing.

Just the raves.

ACen is done for me at night when the photoshoots are done.

[The Fujoshi]

sisterdiscord said:

Keep the ideas and opinions coming!
Should we make some tweaks to reg and specialty badge pickup?
Should we limit ages on the dance?
Should we change the time on the masquerade and add more buffer?
Should we work on a better way of announcing panels schedule changes?

Panel schedule changes should be emails for the people who don't have apps and should be texted/etc. for the people running panels. You also could have people who do PS in a similar fashion for times/change of people running it, etc.

Limit on Soap/raves should be 18+ and you need a badge or at least a cover charge for the people who only come for this alone and don't have badges. It's too easy to go into panels and the hyatt without having a badge, feel that since I don't have a badge and I don't pay for anything that I can wreak the place.

Registration should be more organized and less confusing, even with a loss of staff and helpers.

Hoping to help out in 2013 in some way or fashion and that my health is good by then.

[STVO]

Edit: Myrla's post showed up after I was done posting. I have a proposal for a late night event that would be an alternative to Soap Bubble, I'll try it. Not sure if it'll be approved. There are video rooms and video game rooms for late night but I agree something on a grander scale should be done. Just my opinion. Anyway I'll leave original post as is.

No one answered the question before (at least I don't recall it) but my question of the hour is, what would you replace the Soap Bubble and Hardcore Synergy with if they weren't there? Voxx made a nice proposal that you have both dances on one night (one all-ages, one 18+) and then try to do Masquerade, Anime Hell, and other famous programming events on another night. I don't oppose it but not sure if it would happen. As for getting rid of the dances completely, you're going to lose revenue. Heck getting rid of two dances will lose revenue in my personal opinion. Yes it creates damage but the fact that they have done the Soap Bubble since the inception of ACen and Hardcore Synergy doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon. If it was creating a hazard with money, honestly wouldn't they have stopped last year or the year before or whenever? Price increases happen and it's not exclusively due to people breaking crap. Look at Wizard World this year. Prices for all the days have jumped and for a four-day pass, I remember paying $55 on-site in 2005 but now to buy it online it's $75 while it's $85 on-site! When something grows in popularity, they will jack the prices up to meet demand.

I did look at Kollision Con, it looks like they're pretty much charging the same rate as last year and you know what, kudos to them. Will it stay that way? I doubt it, especially with the positive word of mouth it receives. There is one thing that makes me think hey maybe next year it will stay the same: the fact it is on Black Friday weekend. I think that is going to hurt the con this year. I hope it's okay with attendance and I will do my best to come in for a day or two, but I really really wish there was something they could do. Anyway I'm getting off-topic here. Once again: Dodge the raves, push others to make panels, or look for other conventions to go to. I'll admit ACen does need to work on time management more (again the events leading to Masquerade could have ended on-time.) I know that no one from staff or otherwise could have foreseen the fire alarm, but perhaps they have become too accustomed to starting the events too late? That isn't good. Here is a complaint I can see as being legit. ACen panels starting late or being cancelled randomly. I won't argue that. When I went to events at C2E2 (including the C2E2 Comedy Show) they all started at the appropriate times.

This post has been edited by STVO: 24 May 2012 - 11:18 AM

[XenoBlade]

Seriously, i love if Voxx's idea was considered. Everyone wins. no more masq vs soap bubble wars.

[kahad]

antisocialist, on 23 May 2012 - 10:48 PM, said:

Get your butt on the Blue Line and go to Chicago if you have to have a Saturday Night rave so much. Chicago is only an hour from Rosemont. We are literally outside of the 3rd largest city in the United States, and I'm pretty positive that there should be something going on. If not, someone will plan something if Soap Bubble is moved or if Hardcore Synergy is cancelled.

Not everybody here is local to the Rosemont area. I live a good 7-8 hours away by train.

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet (or if this idea is even financially possible), but I would recommend looking into moving Hardcore Synergy and the Soap Bubble to another hotel.

This post has been edited by kahad: 24 May 2012 - 11:31 AM

[YoungBirdcall]

XenoBlade, on 24 May 2012 - 11:20 AM, said:

Seriously, i love if Voxx's idea was considered. Everyone wins. no more masq vs soap bubble wars.

This what I don't understand, though. The Masquerade and The Soap Bubble are not, nor have they ever been, mutually-exclusive. We can have both. I don't understand the "Masq vs. Soap Bubble wars" thing at all.

[Washu Takahashi]

myrla, on 24 May 2012 - 10:37 AM, said:

You know what annoys the hell out of me?

There aren't any late night things at ACen that aren't dances or raves.

This would be my biggest complaint too. I'm not against the raves, and I like dancing, but at the end of the day I want to wind down not exhaust myself further. By that point pretty much all that's going on is showings of hentai/yoai/yuri, and no offense to anyone who frequents those, but it's not where I want to spend my time. We need some other late night events.

[Roark]

sisterdiscord, on 13 May 2012 - 10:13 AM, said:

Should we work on a better way of announcing panels schedule changes?

Panel changes should be an exception, not an expectation. I understand the difficulties, but work towards releasing a finalized event schedule no less than 90 days before the convention. Include all main programming, autograph, panel, video game, TTG, AMV, video room, photo shoot, and miscellaneous events. Make the locations, times, and dates firm. Make any delta additive instead of moving things around.

I grok the pain points that prevent this. Eliminate or alleviate them.

Edit: I know this doesn't address the question directly. The goal should be that schedule changes are so rare (99%+ of events occur as planned) that the need for multi-pronged communication is eliminated. In the rare event that a change needs to be made, communicate it with large, bold signage in a high-traffic area near the event's location (i.e., not just right outside the door that people can't approach due to lines). Have panel programming staff on hand to communicate the change and point people to the correct location, as line control IRT has proven incapable of this in the past.

This post has been edited by Roark: 24 May 2012 - 12:45 PM