Anime Expo 2012

 Anime Expo! Biggest event of the year for an anime fan in California, and well worth going to.

Tea Party photo with Lolita modal Misako Aoki

I only went for two days (work, c'est la vie) but it was still a great weekend. I wore Lolita one day, to go to the tea party, and cosplay the second day. I didn't take too many pictures because I knew there were lots of other professional photographers that would do a better job, but I couldn't help snapping a few of some great cosplays, and of course, me and my friends.

My outfit for Saturday

On Saturday, I wore Masquerade Theater from A/P with an A/P white blouse and hair combs. It was surprisingly comfortable, except for the boots, and I got a lot of compliments. Even the wig behaved the whole day!

Saturday afternoon was the "Tea Party" with Misako Aoki. It was nice, but kind of a let-down. There wasn't any tea, just Starbucks coffee and pastries, but everyone was very nice, and they had an Angelic Pretty-sponsored raffle. Everyone got to meet Misako, and she was very sweet, though she didn't speak hardly any English at all. Once Misako made her rounds, it was pretty much over, and I had to rush off to the best part of the weekend!

Saturday night was the Yuki Kajiura concert featuring FictionJunction, one of the groups she writes soundtracks with. It was gorgeous. Seriously, one of the best concerts I've been to, and that's saying something! Even though I didn't have great seats, I could see one of the screens clearly, and the sound was good from where I was, so I think it turned out perfectly. I should have sneaked a picture to commemorate the event, but I didn't think of it because I was too busy just absorbing the music.

My awesome friends dressed up as Pinkie Pie and Soarin' from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I don't watch MLP, but I still thought their outfits were pretty cute. (Notice the blouse I made for her in use? It turned out so perfect!)

On Sunday, I wore my Hitomi Kanzaki (Vision of Escaflowne) cosplay, since that poor outfit doesn't see much daylight. I was pleasantly surprised by how many people recognized me, since it is an older anime and hasn't been popular for many years. Oh, and Pinkie Pie is the queen of photobombs.

We didn't do very much on Sunday, but we did go to a the fashion show just for fun. It was fine, but we didn't have very good seats, and the music was kind of...odd. It was all pretty much more pop style, which isn't really my thing. Then it was some last-minute shopping in the Exhibit Hall and the long drive home.

Here are some more quick shots of the people I hung out with and some awesome cosplays I thought were worth digging my camera out of my black hole of a purse for.

Adorable brolitas! My good friend Danny is on the right.

The best Ciel and Sebastian I saw the entire convention.

Final Fantasy cosplayers

AWESOME Nightmare Before Christmas group!

I didn't buy a whole lot, but I did get these cute Nendoroid Petit figures of Ilya from Fate/stay night. I was hoping for a Saber figure, but these are super cute, too.

I got home a sore but satisfied anime geek, ready to watch Madoka (soooo many Madoka cosplayers!) and start getting ready for Comic-Con...