Japan expo 2011

[SaiHawkeye]

I would expect that there were other authors as well, Hasith. You just know which ones Cory were after. =P lol

These are some great photos Cory! Thanks for sharing. ^^

[Monsterful]

I see yaoi! You got yourself a treat! Didn't you Cory? XD

[Corycaly]

Yaoi paradise!

 There weren't as many authors as last years, as expected seeing the actual situation in Japan. u__u

I wanted to have a signing from Trigun author and The breaker author but it was impossible, either because of trains shedule , either because I had other events in same time.  But I'm quite happy with what I had! a a a

[Hasith]

Well Maybe next year it will be better. Did you find anye good promos about Manga or Anime ?

[Corycaly]

No interesting manga anime promo. The shopping area was badly organised, it was impossible to find what you were looking for!

[Corycaly]

Here is the first part of my Japan expo Report!

1. Trains are hell.
Friday, 22H13
It's been now four years I attend to Japan expo, and it's been four years of trains problems!
When it's not sudden train strikes, it's late trains!
I knew I'd have schedules problems when my first two trains had respectively ten and 20 minutes of delay.
Once in the night train which would lead me to Paris, impossible to find my place! I took an empty one (happily no one asked it ^^) and tried to sleep. Problem: the train driver had put clim at full force instead of soft heat...result, everybody was frozen all night long!

Saturday, 7h13
Train made no miracle and was late, this making me late for the tramway!
I had planned this possibility and had printed all tramway/metro schedules. Problem: all schedules were uncorrect! It seems a sudden strike, once again, along with roadworks (which took place of course in convention area in the convention days!) made all my plannings wrong.
Instead of arriving at the convention at 8h, I was there at 8H40. T__________________T
I had special tickets to have a 8H30  entering (ideal to get signing sessions tickets etc) but they were already busted with the trains delay. 
And of course, a misinformed organisator send me to the wrong queue, making me waste 15 more minutes 

8H45
I'm in the right queue, miracle!
Problem: the security system has problem reading my tickets.
Happily, it is solved quickly.

8H50
I'M IN THE CONVENTION!!!!!!

[Corycaly]

Here is the second part of my Japan expo report!

Already exhausted from the last day and morning bad luck, I didn't want to risk anything and went to my priority: obtaining the signing sessions tickets for Toko Kawai (yaoi) and Hinako Takanaga, my favorite yaoi author!
Miracle, I got them without problems!
In the same time, I buy new yaoi books and obtain exclusive Japanese yaoi goodies!
a file pocket from Yebisu celebrities


yaoi books I bought



First marathon

It is now 10H. Deciding to explore the convention and find the cosplay  change rooms for the afternoon cosplay, I begin the marathon. 2km later, at the extreme north of the convention is the cosplay area. Did I precise the convention is the biggest in Europe? It took me 15min to find the change rooms, and the convention is still not full of people! oO
I decide to put on my cosplay immediately, seeing that I wouldn't have much time between the first signing session and the cosplay event to remake that marathon.
I also buy a sandwitch before going to the signing session...4 euros the damn sandwich!!!!

Key to heaven
I find the queue for the signing session of Toko Kawai, there are already 20 people. I have 40 min till the signing session beginning soI sit down patiently with my sandwich and yaoi books.
The session has begun , I have the ticket, that one, firmly in my hand.

One second I have it, one second later: where the hell did it go!!!
I check every pocket, bag and book, shake my dress...ticket is nowhere to be find. During ten long minutes, I am looking for that damn paper. Another yaoi fan queing with me helps me...with no result. T___________T
Despaired, I am ready to abandon the signing session when she got a brillant idea:
"couldn't have it fallen in that ground hole?" Indeed. The ground had a little evacuation hole, less than 2 cm wide AND TICKET HAD FALLEN INSIDE IT.
Seemed like my back luck marathon wasn't ended yet...
From then on, I didn't take my eyes off that damn ticket and ioooooo miracle all went well. I got my yaoi book signed by Toko Kawai!


Toko Kawai was astonished by my cosplay, she asked many questions about it and took pics of it! ^o^

[Tostificer]

You like Yaoi... A lot. 0_o

[TsukiokaLoli]

SO much yaoi... I really wish that bookstores carried yaoi... its so adorable...

[Corycaly]

Yes, I like yaoi, but I wanted to buy those books at the convention because there are hard to find locally.

Third part of JE Report.

I had no choice but to cancel the Trigun morning signing session if I wanted to be on time at the cosplay event.
10km to find toilets to put my make up on and I went once again in the marathon to find the editors booth.

To give you an idea of the convention size, feel free to check its plan and remember that each booth makes at least ten
meters of length.
Japan expo plan

Organisation.
Once on the editors booth, the first nightmare was to find the cosplay area: the booth was so big it took 5 minutes to find it! oO
We were around 50 cosplayers. It took ages for the organisation to prepare the cosplay event: they called every name ten  times,
 didn't know where the cosplay event would take place or how, they hadn't called the jury nor given them the basic instructions,
 they made us go from one place to another, separated the cosplay groups because they weren't ready for a group tornament...
they stocked us in a hidden gallery, let us wondering what the hell we were doing there...we even doubted the cosplay event would take place!

I don't remember how late they were but it finally began. We didn't even know what we were supposed to do and where!!
o_______________________________O
All we heard was hysteric fans yelling all around. The convention alley was paralised, full of photographs and fans!
You had to walk along a Black Butler background, take a pose for the photographs, walk towards the jury, pose again and leave.
Quite simple indeed but it was very impressive due to the enthusiast of the dozens of fans! It was a mix of Jaws movie and Holywood awards
atmosphere. o__O

Once the event ended, it was once again a nightmare to find back our stuff. Me and several cosplayers prefered to stay near the booth to wait for the results. We were too tired to walk around the convention ...
That was the occasion for me to meet several great cosplayers: Bibichan in a Doll Cosplay and Sandy cosplayed in Beast!

30/45 min late, they announced the results! Instead of the ten winners announced, they choose ten winners and three absolute winners!
I had the surprise to be one of those! I won the 3rd place out of 50 cosplayers! ^o^
Here is what I won: Black Butler glasses, hair band, mouse pads, a BB broach..all in limited edition directly from Japan! ^o^

[Fallen Kite]

You won 3rd place? That's awesome! Congrats 

[TsukiokaLoli]

I love the kuro*censored*suji stuff!! >3<

[Corycaly]

Japan Expo Report, part 4.

After the cosplay event,an exclusive photoshoot by Objectif Costumes
for the three winners took place!


After the photoshoot, I had to rush for another signing session, this one organised by Kaze/Azuka Editions with Hinako Takanaga, author of the yaoi Silent Love, one of my favorite yaoi authors!
This time, I didn't lose my ticket and the signing happened without any problem!


I stayed a bit longer and left to find my hotel.
End of saturday: after a long shower and two bowls of soup, I end the afternoon/evening relaxing on my bed.

[Fallen Kite]

Were there the only Yaoi artists? 

[Corycaly]

Yes, those two authors were the only professional yaoi representants. There were many yaoi fanzines too in the amateur area.

Japan Expo report: sunday. 8H30

Way more relaxed and in form than the day before, I arrive at the convention, wearing my Edward Elric cosplay,  just in time for the special tickets door opening.
It's great to visit the convention without all visitors rushing inside but the main inconvenient is that some shops aren't opened and that the bags keepers area is closed too!
I have to take with me all my bags and cases until I can put them there...

I have the luck to get a signing session ticket to meet Shiitake, a great artist I discovered some months ago.
The signing will begin at 11H so I have time to enjoy the  convention. I go to Dybex Booth, a dvd anime editor (they edit Cowboy Behop, Trigun, FMA, Evangelion etc)
and get congratulations for my cosplay. It is also the occasion to get a ticket to meet  Nobuteru Yûki, Escaflowne chara designer! The signing sessions will begin
at 11H15 so I have in theory enough time to get both Shiitake and this signing session.

10H30. I am queeing for Shiitake signing session.
11H20. The signing session hasn't even begun!
11H22. I leave the queue and go to Yuki Nobuteru signing session which begins in time. Seems some editors have better organisation than others!

11H40. I have a dedicated shikishi from Yuki Nobuteru!



I decide to take a break and find food, this meaning I have to go to the other side of the convention, meaning another walking marathon for me!
10 km later, surprise, I find a little Japanese restaurant inside the convention! I decide to have hot food, a first for me in all those years of conventions and buy a donburi.
It is also the occasion to relax and sit down in a real chair, before having to rush again for the cosplay photoshoot.