Anime Expo 2022 📸✨

{ Currently listening to: "Stay This Way" by fromis_9 🎶 }

Things been crazy again lolololol.

Despite attending Anime Expo every year since 2012—HOLY IT'S BEEN TEN YEARS ? ! barring the two years it was virtual..... This year I hadn't planned on it until a month beforehand because the team I work with for BAR Con was either managing, representing, or collaborating with a bunch of music performers and we just needed more personnel on-site. It was thanks to volunteering at Fanime, having a great time with the team, meeting cool performers, and having so much fun taking photos that solidified my decision and I'm glad I went ;u; Hindsight certainly says I would've regretted not going.

The thing to regret though... most of my friends caught COVID. 💀 It's hard to pinpoint how and when. Miraculously considering I shared a room with someone who's been bedridden this past week, my body seems to have managed to fend it off entirely..? Shout out to my 2nd booster vaccine that I was able to get by citing mild immunodeficiency from my lung risk—you a real one. 🙏

It was definitely a different experience; Anime Expo in the past always felt like a bonding camp where I'd squish into a hotel room with too many friends and we'd just chill together, I cosplayed pretty much every year, and we'd leave at the end feeling like a little family with the stupidest inside jokes. It was the central place where we could meet our youtitty friends from all over the world and I helped out with organizing the AX Youtaite Meetup, sometimes vlogged, one year we even filmed Youtaite React. Heartwarming, bursting with friendship and things that became wild stories, mostly wholesome. Many of my favorite memories are of AX!

This year most of my typical friends hadn't planned on going... until just like me: many ended up there for staffing, boothing, or networking/work-related purposes. Pandemic isn't a good time for sardine-mode hotel room so we did our separate things. Very interesting that we've spent enough years attending the con and gaining experience/rank that we now stand on the other side of the velvet rope—my friends have become so powerful hahaha.

Speaking of powerful,,, having this thing was such a lifesaver. 😎 Evading lines, the convenience of backstage areas and routes, and at one point I had to rush to the literal opposite end of the convention center so security gave me an amazing tip—that I had access to the top floor where there were absolutely no crowds (boy, was the con crowded) and a kind staffer even personally escorted me so I wouldn't get lost, bless their soul.......

Back to the point, this year was still a blast; it was fulfilling and gratifying in different ways! :> Just exhausting from the long days, some stress, lots of physical work, about 5 miles a day of mostly brisk walking... Comparable to the intense business trips I've been on lolol. But it was fun! ❤️ I love being of service if I possibly can. I love our team, I loved getting to know our affiliated artists, I loved the music and performances, I loved watching the artists & audiences enjoy their performances, I love working on productions, accomplishing crazy things with a team, I love supporting the successes of passionate people and being surrounded by them.

And despite the lower turnout, I got to meet a ton of youtaite friends for the first time! We still had a meetup that was hosted by Karegami who graciously stepped up since our admins were either working the con or not attending at all. It's always so heartwarming as we gush over one another, meet new cool people, reunite with familiar cool people, and watch all the friendships blooming over the weekend. Everyone is so sweet and supportive and fun to talk to and I wouldn't give up this community for anything. I'm so glad that these kinds of AX memories are a staple in my life.

thinking bout how fun and inspiring the AX youtaite meetup was 😭😭 everyone is super cool, i'm happy we got to meet in person and freak out over each other

the hour went by too fast - i could've been with y'all forever ;w;

ty @Karegamii for hosting and the pics!! pic.twitter.com/shW4jPiTE9
— Eva ❖ CODEX // Gemini (@waterpixieva) July 5, 2022

The staff work that I (also fome) did included... driving a car that wasn't our own to bring performers from hotel to con, familiarizing myself with the venue layout + escorting them to places, getting food, setting up and selling merch and answering fans' questions, helping move gear, being the person who ran around passing a microphone during a panel Q&A 😳😳😳, and taking photos! And then I try my best to do photo selects and upload ASAP so that people can post on socials if they wish.

Again I'm very much an amateur photographer and after these experiences I'm thinking I ought to invest in more camera lenses... Here are some of my personal favorite shots!!

(majority of photos unedited, I'm lazy)

---

// Diana Garnet

(aka Tonkhai - very legendary youtaite who's now active in the Japanese entertainment, anime, and game industry ♡)

She gave an incredibly insightful panel about working in the Japanese industry; and yes, if that fellow next to her looks familiar....that is fome being her moderator LMAOOO.

Bonus: fans were taking photos with Diana at her meet & greet so once the line was done I was like 👉 👈 wants one too,,,