Tomodachi Fest 2012 Feature - Day 3: Wrapping Up & Looking Forward

Wrapping Up & Moving Forward

Finally...

The sickness delayed, semester finals inhibited, and laziness obstructed final part of my Tomo Review is here! Sorry again for the wait, everyone, but I believe it will have been worth the wait. Just ask those Asian fellows up there. See how happy they look to be featured on my blog? You should be happy that they're happy that I'm happy! Anyways, let's get into Day 3.

:3

The third day of Tomodachi Fest wasn't quite as event laden as the previous two, so I spent a good amount of time examining the various booths and shops set up in Artist's Alley and the Dealers' Room. There was still quite a large amount of guests at the conference center well into the third day, many of which were taking advantage of "end of convention" deals being offered by the vendors.

Hangin' out in the dealers' room.

There were still quite a lot of items on display, which is pretty common for a convention's last day. Most dealers tend to overstock (and this goes for every convention I've been to) and end up taking the majority of their wares home with them. I always feel kind of sad when I start to see the vendors leaving, because it means that con is almost over. And alas, it in fact was.

Fine Young Deviants: fielding questions in their inimitable style.
Featured (from left to right): Gabby, Odinn, Einar, and Leif.

"Tomodachi Fest 2012 -with the Fine Young Deviants!"
Courtesy AmuGabbyGirl

I poked my head in to catch some of the comedy stylings of the Fine Young Deviants, a local comedy troupe that frequents many of the local conventions in the area. The Deviants are comprised of the Celusta brothers, Odinn, Einar, and Leif as well as my friend AmuGabbyGirl. Their comedy style is full of wonderful deadpan snarkiness and surrealistic humor, and I do recommend visiting one of their panels if possible. Check out the video above to see what I mean.

Next up was Newton Ewell; artist extraordinaire and (unbeknownst to me at the time) quite the anime historian. He was presenting his "Ancient Anime" panel, a showcase of anime from days gone by.

Newton schools us on old school, old cool anime.

Ewell started with some of the classics including Astro Boy, Star Blazers and Macross. I can't remember every anime shown, but I can definitely say that it was a very nice trip down memory lane. I grew up as a huge Robotech fan, and eventually found and fell in love with the original Macross. Without going into too much detail, Robotech is an American interpretation/retelling of the original Macross story with additions from other series along the way. Another way to put it would be that Robotech is to Power Rangers as Macross is to Super Sentai; different translations, completely different stories, but the same footage.

The master addresses his audience.

Go, Go, Astro Boy!

Ewell had a certain air of respect about him. As soon as I met him and shook his hand I just felt like I was dealing with a professional with knowledge far beyond my years. Without gushing too much, I think I may have developed a bit of a man crush.  Whether drawing or discussing "ancient anime", I could listen to the man talk about pretty much anything! I definitely hope Mr. Ewell returns to Tomodachi Fest next year, although rumor has it he may be at Anime Oasis earlier in 2013 as well.

Another treat for me on Day 3 was getting to see a tattoo being done, something I have only seen once before, but never at an anime convention.

Prepping her canvas.

Erykane Art did several tattoos for attendees at the convention and my friend Elizabeth was nice enough to let me sit in and watch the entire tattoo process.

Before tattooing, tracing of the original picture is done.

After tracing the artwork (in this case, the fire symbol from Bioshock: Infinite), the artist is ready to get started.

Inking the arm.

After a few minutes, which I'm sure felt much longer for my friend Elizabeth, the tattoo was done and looking good.

Putting on the finishing touches.

The final product!

I'm considering getting my first tattoo from Erykane at Anime Oasis, or maybe even before. Finding a good tattoo artist is really difficult, particularly one that is decently priced.

Another tattoo done by Erykane:
Surfin' Pikachu

As the day wound down, closing ceremonies approached. I would usually attend closing ceremonies, but I wanted to get home and start sleeping off my con plague as soon as possible. I'm told they went off well and that there was some great energy.

So finally, after all is said and done, what did I think about Tomodachi Fest? See below for details.

(And remember, this is just my personal experience, so don't throw adulation, love, and praise or hate, spite, and rage at anyone but me)

The Good: 

• Good panels.
• Artist's Alley and the Dealers' Room were both easy to navigate.
• Pretty good atmosphere.
• Had no trouble getting my comped badge.
• The staff didn't come off as overbearing.
• Started strong, lots of good energy on the first day.
• Staff interacted with my professional and were able to field my questions.
• Lot's of good events on the first two days.
• I didn't encounter anyone with con funk!

The Bad:

• The video game room was basically a carbon copy of Anime Oasis's. To see my thoughts on that, you can check out that article here. For those who can't be bothered, it needs console games; gaming rooms are pit stops for media folks to relax in their down time.
• Day 3 didn't feel like it had enough going on. I know the convention ended around 7:15 p.m. but I feel more could have happened.
• I don't know if the hotel would have allowed this, but it would have been nice to have something set up in the main conference center lobby outside of the main events room. It just felt like it was missing something, and that hurt the atmosphere.

The Ugly:

• The Batsu Games. Don't get me wrong, I loved them, but wow was some of that hard to watch.

Overall, I'd give Tomodachi Fest V an A-. Everything went smoothly, I experienced no drama, and (despite getting sick) I had a really good time. 

I can definitely recommend Tomodachi Fest and will be returning for Tomodachi Fest 6 next year, October 4-6 2013.

What: Tomodachi Fest
When: November 23 - 25, 2012
Where: Boise Hotel & Conference Center
Official Website: TomodachiFest.com
Official Facebook: http://goo.gl/FteB1