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Otakon 98 Wrap-Up

Otakon, the anime convention that took place last weekend, had an extremely warm reception by fans.

While some complaints of long lines were made (that were quickly taken care of by convention staff), very few negative remarks were made, despite a few unforeseen problems. The planned theatrical showing of Macross Plus from 35mm prints was canceled as well as other things put into a panic due to alleged negligence on the part of Federal Express. The Macross Plus film, as well as planning materials, were lost and were not delivered on time as promised. (Otakon staff is looking into a possible lawsuit for theater fees, the cost of the lost materials, and damage to their reputation.)

Fans were especially impressed by the hotel's handling of the large crowd on elevators. "The hotel was one of the best I have had the enjoyment of staying in," one fan later mentioned on an anime-related mailing list.

Notable moments in the screening room included the showing of Kenji Miyazawa" went over so poorly that an additional showing was canceled. "There was some amount of unrest," was how one convention-goer described its reception.

Despite this, Mixx's guest, director Macross, Kawamori mentioned that his goal was "to create mecha that were as close to reality as possible." Although he arrived late from Brazil (where he was researching Aztec ruins for a future project), Kawamori was so well-received that his Q & A session had to be moved to a larger room.

Among the announcements made by commercial companies was Bastard!!.

Mixx Entertainment announced that the Angel of Darkness OAV entitled "Idol Singer of Darkness".

Doug Price mentioned that Thomas Cardwell's notorious Shampoo costume was stolen. Other memorable moments included a Mystery Science Theater'ed version of Neon Genesis Evangelion itting to not understanding the last two episodes at all.