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hildy89My day started extremely early this morning. The Range Murata panel was at 10am, so I was there when registration opened. While they had the badges, they didn't have the credit card machine ready. They included a Viz and Shonen Jump sampler in the registration bags, which made for handy reading material while I was waiting.
The hotel is very very confusing. I could easily see why people might get lost. I almost didn't realize there was a second entrance to the main programming for the Murata panel.
Range Murata is the character designer for "Last Exile" and "Blue Submarine 6". He also does a number of illustration and doujinshi work. He was a small and soft spoken man, speaking through an interpreter. He said he was a little surprised at how cold it was here, since the highs were in the mid 30s, not counting wind chill. Someone told him two years ago we had a blizzard.
I was a little surprised at how small the crowd was. The con combined two rooms into one massive one and we came nowhere close to filling it to capacity.
Murata answered a bunch of questions. He talked at length about the differences in drawing on paper versus using the computer. He did all his work on "Last Exile" on computer, mostly due to time constraints. He pointed out that it was sometimes too easy with computers. If you chose the wrong color, you could simply undo it and try again. Whereas with paper, you could try recolorizing it and it might actually be more interesting. He talked about extrapolating innovations on certain "archaic" sources to create his designs, using the example of a typewriter.
Only some of the highlights:
Near the end, the lights kept going out on us. Someone theorized there was a master switch somewhere else in the building and they didn't realize what it was attached to.
After the announcement, everyone raced to the signing area to get in line. That was when we saw the other line, winding its way around. My first thought was "Where the heck had all these people been at the panel?" I was a little relieved and horrified to discover they were for the dealer's room! Because the merchants' hall room was so small, they actually had a line to let people in when there was room.
The signing line actually went fairly quickly, all things considered. A lot of people had the Spheres or Futurhythm art books. I'm personally hoping the Last Exile art book makes it across the Pacific. I met a lovely young lady in line who managed to forget her postcards for the con. She was wearing a green costume she said was from Pretear. I think it was one Himene's outfits, but don't quote me on that. I was feeling a little sorry for her, so I let her have the Alvis postcard from my set to have it signed. I had my Sophia card signed by Murata. He was signing in orange, which makes for an interesting effect.
We also had the chance to see most of the Last Exile costumes. I almost wish I'd brought a camera this time around. I counted three Alex Rowes, one lovely Sophia, a Lavi, a Dio & Luciola, plus another in Covenant Dio costume. But the one that warmed my heart was the Moran Shetlend costume, the poor artilleryman. I knew who it was immediately, even if I totally blanked on the character's name. Obviously it's my thing for a guy in uniform, hence the new icon.
Costumers/cosplayers were everywhere. You couldn't walk without bumping into someone in outlandish hair or outfit. Sailor Moon was still omnipresent, although there were an equal number of Hellsing and other fandoms around. It did break my brain later when I wandered past the Crystal City Underground food court and saw all these anime fans.
After the signing, I braved the merchant hall line for my chance to spend money. The line wound its way all the way down and around. It was actually worse when I came out! Security kept trying to make space for people to pass but it was very difficult at times. The security included an formidable gentleman in aluminum chain mail shirt, exactly the type I'd want to avoid. On the other hand, I also learned they're probably going to move the con to another hotel next year, possibly downtown.
Fortunately they didn't appear to be holding too tightly to their bag rules. The con book kept telling people to leave their bags and jackets in the car or hotel room, completely forgetting those of us locals who braved the Metro. In the middle of February, leaving a jacket behind is a little on the suicidal side. The room was packed. You had to wait to get to some of the popular tables.
I had several pressing wants, mostly to revisit Sasuga Books to see if they had the rest of "Read of Die" manga. They did, although it was hiding in one of the boxes underneath, so I didn't see it on the first pass. I also picked up the second volume of "Read or Dream", so I need to find the other volumes. I also found the next volume of the ROD dvd series. I dropped a ton of money on manga alone.
On the basis of the Viz sampler provided in our registration bag, I also picked up the first two volumes of "W Juliet", which is a traditional shoujo romance with a lot of gender bendering, except it's not quite what you expect. Also includes a lot of Shakespeare references. According to one of the columns, the author loved the DiCaprio-Danes version of "Romeo & Juliet", she wanted to do a manga version.
I was tired after the merchants hall adventure, so I said a last farewell to the con. I probably didn't do as much as I could have at this convention, but I came for what I was interested in. I'm debating whether it'd be more worthwhile next year to stay at the hotel. Or try out another convention like Otakon or Ohayocon, if I can get away. Worth thinking about anyway.
The hotel is very very confusing. I could easily see why people might get lost. I almost didn't realize there was a second entrance to the main programming for the Murata panel.
Range Murata is the character designer for "Last Exile" and "Blue Submarine 6". He also does a number of illustration and doujinshi work. He was a small and soft spoken man, speaking through an interpreter. He said he was a little surprised at how cold it was here, since the highs were in the mid 30s, not counting wind chill. Someone told him two years ago we had a blizzard.
I was a little surprised at how small the crowd was. The con combined two rooms into one massive one and we came nowhere close to filling it to capacity.
Murata answered a bunch of questions. He talked at length about the differences in drawing on paper versus using the computer. He did all his work on "Last Exile" on computer, mostly due to time constraints. He pointed out that it was sometimes too easy with computers. If you chose the wrong color, you could simply undo it and try again. Whereas with paper, you could try recolorizing it and it might actually be more interesting. He talked about extrapolating innovations on certain "archaic" sources to create his designs, using the example of a typewriter.
Only some of the highlights:
- "Last Exile" is inspired by a wide range of source material, including the 1930s & 1940s stuff I knew about from the dvd interview, but also bits from the American Civil War and the Napoleonic era. The Guild costumes however have a Japanese influence. He actually mentioned a specific influence, but I didn't recognize the name. The Guild comment pleased the person in the Lord Dio costume who asked the question immensely.
- Old Fords and Packards were the cars that inspired the profiles for the vanships in "Last Exile".
- Working on two anime projects currently, but couldn't discuss them in further detail.
- People had a hard time grasping that he was only responsible for certain parts of the design. Although when asked about what military sources played any part, he said that there was a Japanese battleship called the Mikasa which is a museum, so the mecha designers could have consulted that.
- When asked when he gives up on a character design - "When people are hanging over me, ready to grab it out of my hands."
Near the end, the lights kept going out on us. Someone theorized there was a master switch somewhere else in the building and they didn't realize what it was attached to.
After the announcement, everyone raced to the signing area to get in line. That was when we saw the other line, winding its way around. My first thought was "Where the heck had all these people been at the panel?" I was a little relieved and horrified to discover they were for the dealer's room! Because the merchants' hall room was so small, they actually had a line to let people in when there was room.
The signing line actually went fairly quickly, all things considered. A lot of people had the Spheres or Futurhythm art books. I'm personally hoping the Last Exile art book makes it across the Pacific. I met a lovely young lady in line who managed to forget her postcards for the con. She was wearing a green costume she said was from Pretear. I think it was one Himene's outfits, but don't quote me on that. I was feeling a little sorry for her, so I let her have the Alvis postcard from my set to have it signed. I had my Sophia card signed by Murata. He was signing in orange, which makes for an interesting effect.
We also had the chance to see most of the Last Exile costumes. I almost wish I'd brought a camera this time around. I counted three Alex Rowes, one lovely Sophia, a Lavi, a Dio & Luciola, plus another in Covenant Dio costume. But the one that warmed my heart was the Moran Shetlend costume, the poor artilleryman. I knew who it was immediately, even if I totally blanked on the character's name. Obviously it's my thing for a guy in uniform, hence the new icon.
Costumers/cosplayers were everywhere. You couldn't walk without bumping into someone in outlandish hair or outfit. Sailor Moon was still omnipresent, although there were an equal number of Hellsing and other fandoms around. It did break my brain later when I wandered past the Crystal City Underground food court and saw all these anime fans.
After the signing, I braved the merchant hall line for my chance to spend money. The line wound its way all the way down and around. It was actually worse when I came out! Security kept trying to make space for people to pass but it was very difficult at times. The security included an formidable gentleman in aluminum chain mail shirt, exactly the type I'd want to avoid. On the other hand, I also learned they're probably going to move the con to another hotel next year, possibly downtown.
Fortunately they didn't appear to be holding too tightly to their bag rules. The con book kept telling people to leave their bags and jackets in the car or hotel room, completely forgetting those of us locals who braved the Metro. In the middle of February, leaving a jacket behind is a little on the suicidal side. The room was packed. You had to wait to get to some of the popular tables.
I had several pressing wants, mostly to revisit Sasuga Books to see if they had the rest of "Read of Die" manga. They did, although it was hiding in one of the boxes underneath, so I didn't see it on the first pass. I also picked up the second volume of "Read or Dream", so I need to find the other volumes. I also found the next volume of the ROD dvd series. I dropped a ton of money on manga alone.
On the basis of the Viz sampler provided in our registration bag, I also picked up the first two volumes of "W Juliet", which is a traditional shoujo romance with a lot of gender bendering, except it's not quite what you expect. Also includes a lot of Shakespeare references. According to one of the columns, the author loved the DiCaprio-Danes version of "Romeo & Juliet", she wanted to do a manga version.
I was tired after the merchants hall adventure, so I said a last farewell to the con. I probably didn't do as much as I could have at this convention, but I came for what I was interested in. I'm debating whether it'd be more worthwhile next year to stay at the hotel. Or try out another convention like Otakon or Ohayocon, if I can get away. Worth thinking about anyway.
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no subject
Date: 2005-02-20 01:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-20 01:44 am (UTC)From what I've found online, Gonzo representatives were asked that very question at Anime Expo or even a similar steampunk style anime in the works. Gonzo mentioned a LE sequel is a possibility.
W Juliet has some lovely artwork. A lot of my manga titles have finished off lately, so I was looking for a new series to latch onto.
no subject
Date: 2005-02-20 02:48 am (UTC)