Boise Pride 2012

They're here, they're queer, and I've never had a problem with it.

Ah yes Pride, the festival celebrating LBGT rights and acceptance. I never knew about Boise Pride about a month ago. I'd heard a few friends talking about working security and possibly having a booth set up (see more of those nice folks here) and I thought I'd head down to Ann Morrison park on June 16th and check it out. Upon arriving and stepping out of my vehicle around 12:30PM, I was immediately hit by the hot sun and a thumping bass. "Oh joy!" I thought, "It's hot, I'm two shirts, and I'll probably have a few beers. This is going to end well." In spite of my doubts I headed in through the main gates and into the sea of people that made up Pride.

Fun and diversity for all ages.

Pride's attendees were an interesting bunch, made up of any combination of sexes, genders (which I've learned is not quite the same thing as a person's "sex"), ethnic groups, age, height, weight, and hair color. Having reported on anime and furry conventions before I'm quite used to diverse crowds and enjoy seeing the melting pop of sub-cultures coming together to celebrate at different events. You see this is why I'm not a political reporter; I prefer the interesting people.

A church with open arms wins a lot more fans than one with closed ones, eh?

On the note of interesting people, there were a number of religious groups at the festival, too. The Nampa United Church of Christ, an "Open and Affirming Congregation" according to its website, turned up to show its support of the LGBT community. I heard reports of members of the LDS community also making the trip to show their support but I wasn't able to get in touch with them for confirmation. It's good to see different religious groups and factions accepting and loving those of different lifestyles, even if they do not happen to match their own.

Pride on display.

There was music throughout the day, including karaoke and lip-synced performances. I wasn't able to catch a great deal of them up close due to the huge sea of people surrounding the main stage. I was able to capture a few shots from a distance before retreating to a nearby tent for water and shade. One unfortunate part of the event was the heat, which I believe peaked somewhere in the high 80's/lower 90's. Despite the temperature, hundreds of people showed up, which was good to see.

Food trucks; the greatest gift to any large gathering of sweating people.

Worth mentioning are the vendors and businesses that show up to these kinds of outdoor events that make such hot conditions a bit more livable. There was the standard beer line which required tickets (which for the life of me I cannot figure out how that is more expedient than just taking my cash), peanut stands, hot dog vendors, and cotton candy booths. The event was also close enough to a local Subway restaurant, which I took advantage of and quenched my thirst before heading back out into the baking sunlight. I think it was about the time I left Subway and began the return trip to Ann Morrison that I realized I had contracted a cold. Lovely. Nevertheless, I pressed onward.

Tall, stilt-walkin' drag lady.

At some point after returning I managed to snag the picture above. If there's one thing to be said about drag queens, its that they definitely put some dedication and effort into their outfits. Oh yeah, and this one had stilts. Black clothing, big hair, and stilts in 90 degree weather... For possibly up to 9 and a half hours. You have my respect, madame.

A.L.P.H.A. offers free HIV testing at their local center.

One thing I was glad to see was A.L.P.H.A., who typically give out free HIV testing at the Goddess Festival as well. While the point of the event is to have a good time and enjoy yourself, its good to see the promotion of safe sex almost anywhere, really.

The giant Kiss FM ball looms ominously.

The atmosphere of Pride was light and fun, which is good considering its an event promoting acceptance and tolerance of alternative lifestyles. I saw quite a few youngsters running around and there was definitely a feeling that everyone was welcome. I didn't get a chance to speak with any of the organizers unfortunately, but I did hear that the budget for Pride is limited and donations are always appreciated to keep events such as Boise Pride running. A Paypal donation link can be found on their main website linked above.

Trinkets, bracelets, doilies, redheads!

As this was my first time at an LGBT pride event I really didn't know quite what to expect in terms of the heterosexual turnout, but I was pleased to see a great many of my fellow gay supporting heterosexuals made it out to support our non-hetero counterparts. Having the support of your own community is one thing, but having the support of outsiders is a huge benefit as well.

Being sexually responsible? Now there's a concept.

Again, while the event did promote understanding and acceptance of different lifestyles, it also promoted responsibility. I know, I know... Nobody wants to talk about being responsible when the atmosphere is so festive. However, I'm going to go out on a limb and say not having STD's and unwanted pregnancies is better than the alternative. Just some food for thought.

Even cats support LGBT rights!

Overall I found pride to be a fun event, although the weather was giving my already sick self a run for my money. In any case, I enjoyed myself and hope to cover the festival again next year while in (hopefully) better health. I'll also try to catch the parade, something that I unfortunately missed this year (getting up before noon on a Saturday can be a challenge). Until next year, stay here, stay queer (whatever you fancy), and be good.

If that doesn't qualify as what the kids these days call "fabulous" I don't know what does.

As always, the full photo album is available on my Facebook over here.

Anime Oasis 2012 - Part III: The High Society Formal, Burlesque Show, and Wrap Up.

The High Society Formal

Oh, Jareth!

I'm not generally one for fancy galas and formal dances. Sure I went to a few homecomings and a prom, but I mean real high society events where the snobbiest of the snobs show up and entertain each other with tales of frivolity, money making, and business deals. Well thankfully I still haven't been to one of those snobbish events, as AO's High Society Formal is a place for anime fans to dress fancy and have a good time, while still respecting the idea of a formal ball. It's about as close to a real formal ball as I'll probably ever get, barring some kind of journalist award ceremony where people throw money at me, but I don't know how likely that is (yet).

Evening, ladies.

The High Society Formal is a classy affair that allows attendees and guests alike to dress up and be fancy schmancy for the evening and dance the night away. Male attendees, or girls who dress as men for the dance, must wear a tie, formal jacket, slacks, etc. Ladies (or those dressed as ladies) had to wear a formal gown of some sort that covered the knees and heeled shoes.

Princess Bubblegum!

Despite what might seem like a stuffy event, it was really all about anime fans just having fun and dressing up for the night with their friends. Having said that, I had a great time, and it was nice seeing people being respectful while also enjoying themselves.

Quite the gala, if I do say so.

Burlesque Show

A little something for everyone to enjoy.

I'd never been to a burlesque show before and I didn't really know what to expect. I knew it was all about ladies dancing around while scantily clad, which is awesome, but I had never seen one in person before. The Glitterarti Gals were the burlesque troupe on tap for the evening, and they didn't disappoint. They performed quite a few numbers, taking breaks intermittently to give out free tickets to shows and explain a bit more about who they are and what they do. 

I'm not even going to attempt a "big guns" joke.

There were some beautiful girls in the group, and I can't recall their names at the moment but they were all really good at what they did, and that's dancing while scantily clad to music. I can't really say anything negative about that, because if you have a talent you should exploit it, and I'll be damned if they don't do a good job.

Helloooooo, nurse!

There was also a pretty amazing Michael Jackson impersonator in the group, performing some pretty slick dance moves. I was going to try and shoot some video of the event but I was running low on space as it was and didn't want to sacrifice image quality. In any case, here's some pictures of the guy in action:

Talkin' 'bout Billie Jean, son!

Ow!

Overall the burlesque show was a lot of fun and I hope the Gals will come back next year, as I had a great time watching them do their thing.

Do come back ladies, do come back!

Wrapping Up: The Remaining Bits

Dun da da dun, da da dun, da da dun!

Tea parties, costume contests, bikini contests, vendors, video games, panels, events -- how does one cover it all? Simple: you don't. The main thing I've learned from going to cons over the years (and it hasn't been a lot of years, but I learned quickly) is that you go to what interests you as an individual. I'm  a huge Dragon Ball fan so naturally I attend every Sonny Strait and Chris Rager panel I possibly can.

Sonny Strait, one of my personal highlights of the convention.

I love meeting new people and drinking tea, so hell, why not go to a tea party? In the end there simply isn't enough time or energy to go to every single thing at a convention, let alone every single thing that interests me personally. One of the events I made sure to go and cover, however, was the big costume contest near the end of the convention.

My personal favorite skit of the evening

There were some great costumes and skits, and some not so great costumes and skits. One particularly interesting gaff occurred when two different cosplaying groups had the same idea to sing "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better"... I was sitting next to voice actress Caitlin Glass at the time and I told her (after laughing a bit) "I think they played the same song again by accident." But then they kept going...

The first "Anything You Can Do" Skit.

If you ever see me checking my phone constantly and not really doing anything on it its more than likely because I can't look at whats making me uncomfortable. Opie and Anthony describe this phenomena as douche chilling; when something is so douchey you just can't bare to see it. Evidently the second group to perform the skit with the same song in question, whose pictures I did not upload here or on my Facebook, created quite a scene backstage due to the mix up. Not the best way to endear yourself to your fellow attendees if you ask me.

Dude, at some point you just have to say she's not worth rescuing anymore.

Despite any technical difficulties or drama, I enjoyed the show, and its clear that some people put a lot of care and thought into their props and costumes. There were over 40 cosplayers and skits this year, and that's definitely something to be celebrated. 

Hard workin' tattoo lady.

Oh yeah, and people could get tattoos at the convention, too. Anime tattoos. Cool anime tattoos.

Final Thoughts

Pack it up, we're outta here.

I enjoyed my time at Anime Oasis 2012. Yes there were certain things that weren't perfect but that goes for every convention. Having said that, I had a great time and its definitely a convention I could see myself attending next year. I enjoyed the guests, the events, and the panels that I attended and really that's all I can ask for at the end of the day. 

Where it all starts, where it all ends.

As long as a convention has something that a majority of the people attending can enjoy then it is a success in my eyes. All things can improve, obviously, but I feel like the staff running Anime Oasis have things pretty well in hand from what I can see. Sure, there's always going to be drama and politics in any scene or fandem, but none of that took away from my enjoyment of the overall experience.

See ya' next year!

I'll give Anime Oasis 2012 a solid 4 out of 5. I had fun, nothing terrible happened, and I met great people. In the end that's all that matters to me. See ya' next year!

Anime Oasis 2012 - Part II: Events & Panels, Tea Parties, and What Happened To The Video Game Room?

Continued from Part I...

Events & Panels

Cosplay of the year, all years.

As with any anime convention, there were a lot of events and panels taking place over the course of the convention. Events included cosplay chess inside the main event arena, several Q&A panels with the celebrity guests, battle karaoke, a dating game, an AMV contest, the high society formal, and more. I'm notoriously horrible at going to panels, and it isn't because I think I'll find them boring or anything, it's just that I feel if I'm sitting down in one panel for any length of time I'll be missing things going on throughout the convention that I could be taking pictures of. I'll generally always make an effort to sit in on celebrity Q&A panels, although I've somehow always missed Michael Coleman's due to scheduling conflicts, which is sad because I've heard the guy is legitimately nice and does great interviews. Should he return next year (and odds are he will) I will go out of my way to attend one of his panels and get an interview. And I'll endeavor to make it to a non-celebrity panel if only for a few moments.

Twinsies!

I had the pleasure of sitting in on the majority of Sonny Strait's Q&A panels, which are always a lot of fun. As I mentioned in Part I, Sonny brought his wife Gayla this year, who was able to provide further insight into some questions and pose a few of her own. I actually bumped into Chris Rager sitting near the back during one of Sonny's panels. Chris was a really easy interview, making conversations feel casual and friendly. That's huge with me, as you never want to meet somebody you admire and find out they're a tool bag. Luckily, every celebrity guest I talked to this year was friendly and courteous, and I returned the favor. There are a few rules I have for talking to celebrities that I want pictures with or that I just want to talk to, and I feel that others might benefit from this advice.

1. Never interrupt them while they're eating and ask for a picture.
2. Don't pester them for an interview or pictures while they're talking with their family.
3. If they look like they're in a hurry, they probably are; let them get where they need to go.
4. Don't creep around outside the bathroom to wait for an interview/picture. It's just weird.

Now that that's out of the way, let me shamelessly show off pictures I made famous people take with me:

You rule, Mr. Satan!

Like OMG!

She kept doing her Cammy voice. I may have fanboyed.

Tea Parties

I didn't think I'd end up here either.

I don't remember exactly how I ended up at the gothic lolita themed tea party, but I think it had something to do with me randomly walking around the third floor looking for things to do since the video game room was so lackluster (more on that later). I happened upon the tea party room and thought, "Why not? I'm thirsty and it might be fun". So I popped in and decided to take in some green tea and brownies. We played a few games, too, such as "The Minister's Cat", where the goal is to use one word starting with each letter of the alphabet at least once. My table, proudly titled "Team Mmm Bananas" came up with some interesting descriptions for the poor feline in question.

Fancy gothic lolita ladies.

I chose green tea, and I have to say it was pretty good. You never really know what you're going to get at an anime convention in terms of refreshments, but I have to say the tea was really enjoyable. My choice for the evening was green tea with a bit of lemon and sugar added in. I enjoyed my healthy drink, and proceeded to dash any benefits I might have received from it by immediately shoving a delicious brownie down my craw.

Hard workin' tea ladies.

I had no expectations going into the tea party but I have to say it was a lot of fun. I'll be sure to cover another one of these events next year. Thanks to Steven Barber for making me feel comfortable and welcome in the highly unfamiliar atmosphere of a fancy schmancy tea party.

I guess he couldn't handle the sight of them.

What Happened to the Video Game Room?

At least Samurai Showdown showed up.

Shocking as it might sound, not everyone attends anime conventions for the anime, the cosplay, or the events and panels. Some people attend anime conventions because of the video game rooms, where fighting game tournaments are often held. These tournaments can be attendee run or staff run, and generally have some sort of cash prize or convention bucks to throw out at the winners. Generally these tournaments are played on consoles via a projector or TV donated by an attendee or staff member. In any case, these events are generally a lot of fun and are where I spend the majority of my time downtime during conventions. This year there were no console games to be found, and instead there were arcade cabinets shoved into every corner of the two game rooms. There were some traditional favorites like DDR and some other rhythm/dance games, which I've never really been too keen on.

Don't be fooled by its colorful appearance, this machine is pure evil.

While there were some fighting games present, the majority of them were older games that I didn't hold much interest in. I asked a few staff members why there weren't any more console games, but I never really got a satisfactory answer. I suppose I could have asked Jeremy, the con chairman, but I felt he had enough things to worry about. In any case, the video game room fell short for me this year. I'm not saying there should be a huge variety of every obscure fighting game known to man, but there should always be a few basic hits that everyone enjoys playing: Smash Bros., Marvel vs Capcom 2 or 3, Street Fighter, Tekken, etc. To be fair there was a Tekken Tag Tournament arcade cabinet set up but it's extremely hard to run a tournament off of one arcade cabinet. Along with some good games, the following should be present in every video game room:

Sorry old friend, maybe next year.

- As mentioned before, fighting games: Smash Bros. Melee or Brawl, Marvel 2 or 3, the latest version of Street Fighter IV, the latest Tekken, Soul Calibur, etc.

- Memory cards/HDD's with every character unlocked. Nothing more annoying than having to unlock your favorite character just so you can have some fun.

- Controllers that work properly. I've been to some cons with some egregious controllers that look like they've served a couple tours overseas.

- Fans. Nothing worse than having a gigantic stank cloud hovering around the players.

- Chairs. For those of us with horrific backs, its nice to sit down on occasion.

That's all I ask from a game room. I don't think these are ridiculous requirements/demands, particularly with enough time to prepare.

 Hopefully next year the video game room(s) will get some more attention, but we'll just have to wait and see. On the plus side, I did manage to win a game of NBA Jam against my buddy Mario, smashing the backboard in the process. 'Twas a good feeling, 'twas a good feeling indeed.

Next: Part III - The High Society Formal, Burlesque Show, and Wrap Up.

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?"