We checked in Thursday afternoon so that we could get there bright and early on Friday. We took a shuttle early Friday morning just before the con opened. There was a long line and a short line to get in. We decided it would make sense to get in the short line. We were wrong. They let the long line in first. In hindsight, I think we got in the will call line, even though we didn't need to be there.
The first thing we did was go to an Attack on Titan panel. I had seen the first season of the anime, but as of then, I hadn't started the second. Edward hadn't seen the anime at all, but was up to volume 13 of the manga. We spent most of the panel covering our ears. Actually, we walked out in about the first 10 minutes, so we spent most of the panel not at the panel.
We went down to explore the Artists' Alley. I bought three buttons and gave two to Edward (out-of-character moment #1). All I really wanted was the button with a picture of Greed on it. After all, I had all the official merch of him (one cellphone strap), so why not collect unofficial stuff? I guess I'm greedy for Greed.
I also met a webcomic artist. I told him I read the comic he drew. I asked if the writer of the comic was there with him, because he was a friendly, online acquaintance that I knew from years back. He wasn't, so I told the artist to tell him that "Keba" said "hi."
It was around that time that I got a text from "Samurai" (I mentioned him from last year). He and the cosplayer formerly known as "Goggles" were at the con and asked if we wanted to meet up. Then he said that the two of them got separated and he had to find her.
In the mean time, Edward and I did some shopping around the Exhibition Hall. She bought a steampunk top hat because it actually fit comfortably. Apparently, that was a rare thing for her.
We then went to the back of the Hall to find a bookshop. There, I gazed upon a rare find: the third Fullmetal Alchemist artbook which had never been localized. Despite the fact that all the artists' commentary was in Japanese, I HAD to have it. Edward kept making comments about how envious she was because the shopkeeper admitted that he didn't know if they had any more copies. As I completed my purchase, the heavens parted, the planets aligned, and I spotted someone putting another copy of the artbook back on the shelf. Edward instantly nabbed it. Turned out that they only had two copies-- one for each of us. Now, to learn Japanese...
Samurai sent me a text that he had finally found Goggles. We decided to meet up by the registration area for lunch.
Goggles had a new costume. She used a great deal of accessories intended for a costume of My Little Pony's Twilight Sparkle. She was not Twilight Sparkle. Whenever someone made a comment about her being Twilight Sparkle, she instantly corrected them and said she was a character from the Sly Cooper video games. I had never heard of the character before, and have forgotten the name since.
I briefed everyone on the afternoon plan. Samurai had to excuse himself from lunch for a moment as Edward, Goggles, and I continued to talk. When he came back, we set out for the next panel.
The panel was about Japanese culture in Chicago. Chicago has no Japan Town like they do in San Francisco, but I learned about some cool places and things to try out. I'm SO glad I took notes.
We had to leave early to attend Funimation's official panel. Then I found that Samurai hadn't come with us. I guess either I didn't give him the memo, or he forgot entirely. After some time, he texted me. Unfortunately, I was too absorbed in the panel to notice until about a half an hour in or so. Many apologies followed.
The Funimation panel was pretty cool. They showed clips of shows that they were simulcasting and putting out on DVD. When they announced that they had the rights to distribute The Seven Deadly Sins on DVD, I went nuts. They also got Edward and me curious about My Hero Academia. Anyone seen that one? Is it good?
After the panel, we reunited with Samurai and did a little shopping. By then, it was evening, and we were starting to get tired. Edward and I decided to call it quits and go back to the hotel. Samurai and Goggles went home.
By the way, did I mention that it was Edward's birthday? Well, it was Edward's birthday. So I took her out to dinner at this little diner next to the hotel. Of course, I changed into some clothes that were deemed more acceptable by society's standards (Edward wore a t-shirt the whole day that said "This IS my costume"). The diner was surprisingly empty, but that was kind of nice. The wait staff were also very nice. The food wasn't anything to write home about, but we still enjoyed ourselves.
