Anime Oasis 2012 - Part I: Opening Ceremonies, Guests, and the Dealer's Room

Well I've certainly been slacking as of late, haven't I? Anime Oasis happened almost two weeks ago and here I am just now writing my review of the convention. I apologize for the delay, but there have been a few reasons for it:

1. Diablo III
2. The quest for new and exciting employment
3. Laziness

So with those three reasons (excuses) out of the way, I present you with my review of Anime Oasis Double One!

No, I don't know what Double One means either, but I'm sure I'll get emails about it.
Update: Huzzah! I did get info on this. It's called Double One because it's the 11th year of the con. The more you know...

So it's Spring (or early Summer depending on what the weather feels like doing) here in the Treasure Valley, and that means a few things: graduations, the peak of when people break up/get into new relationships, and of course Anime Oasis! This was the 12th edition of the convention, and it's 3rd time at The Grove Hotel in downtown Boise, ID. It's come a long way since then, changing venues from the original Best Western Vista Inn, to the Airport Holiday Inn, and finally to the aforementioned grove. Despite being a smaller convention as far as anime cons go, AO has managed to snag marquee guests such as Sonny Strait, Mari Iijima, and Vic Mignogna over the years. However, as I mentioned in my FurIdaho article, what makes a good convention isn't necessarily the guests or the events, but the rabid attendees that show up and support it. With that in mind, let's get underway.

Saiyan armor, goomba, sailor moon outfits... You know, the usual.

I arrived the Grove Hotel at around 2PM on May 24th, the first day of the four day convention. I checked into my hotel room with my three buddies, got something to eat, and proceeded downstairs to start taking pictures of everything going on. Around 4PM or so opening ceremonies began and I was lucky enough to be granted backstage access to it. I'd like to say the opening ceremonies went off without a hitch but unfortunately I can't. Technical glitches hampered con chairman Jeremy Loppett's opening speech, making it difficult to hear for the audience in attendance. Eventually things were figured out and the ceremony proceeded.

Let's get on with it!

Voice acting guests in attendance this year were the returning Sonny Strait (Krillin/DBZ), who brought his lovely wife Gayla), Caitlin Glass (Winry/FMA:B) making her first appearance at AO, Chris Rager (Mr. Satan/DBZ), and AO veteran Michael Coleman.

Left to Right: Chris Rager, Gayla Jackson, Sonny Strait, Caitlin Glass, an apple.

Other guests included:
- The founders of Idaho's first anime club, COO-IE. The group was on hand to help run events such as Battle Karaoke.
- Manga Kissaten, who taught drawing classes at the convention to aspiring artists.
- Tanglwyst de Holloway (aka Tanya Adolfson), an expert costumer who does makeup, wigs, and props. As well as being a proficient with the creation of elaborate costumes and props, Tangl is also a published author, and the first to be published by Fantastic Journeys Publishing. Her first novel, Thine Enemy's Eyes, is the first part of Souls of the Saintlands Series. The sequel, An Unpolished Gem, will be available Summer 2012.
- The lovely Glitterarti Gals, a burlesque troupe with some beautiful and classy gals featuring classic burlesque tunes as well as some modern flavors, not to mention a Michael Jackson number that I enjoyed immensely (more on the Burlesque show later).
- And finally the Fine Young Deviants, a fast rising local comedy/improv acting troupe. The group focuses on subculture interests and pop culture in their skits, and run the gamut when it comes to poking fun at anything and everything that can be made fun of. Unrestricted and uncensored, the way it should be.

When Mr. Satan talks, you listen.

After opening ceremonies concluded, I made my way throughout the first three floors, snapping pictures all the while. I met some interesting folks, and toured the first two floors which was home to the Artist Alley, Dealers' Room, and the main ballroom which hosted Q&A panels, battle karaoke, and the Formal Ball among other events.

Knickknacks being invaded by orange stickers, apparently.

The Dealers' Room and I have always had an interesting relationship. I patrol it about three times per day of the convention, never buy anything more than $5, and take about 25% of my secondary (read: filler) pictures there. While my loitering nature has never caused anyone to openly say anything, I always feel kind of iffy about taking so many pictures in there and never buying anything more expensive than a wallet or pin. In any case, it's always a lot of fun to capture the atmosphere of the dealer's room and show off all the neat knickknacks available. As a way to atone for my loitering, never buying anything ways, here is free advertising for the Dealers' Room:

Buy things!

Action figures and stuff.

Stuff. Lots of stuff.

Are we good now, Dealer's Room? I promise to buy something from you eventually, really I do. It's nothing personal!

That concludes part I of my review of Anime Oasis Double One! Part II will be up tomorrow evening. Until then,  I'm off to catch Prometheus!

Next: "Part II - Events, Panels, Tea Parties, and What Happened To The Video Game Room?"