Kei Tsubasa reporting once again, this goes to Fanime of 2009:

After the long drive that didn't seem long at all, along with getting lost a little from being given a bad address, we (we being myself and Yomi-chan) have finally arrive at the long awaited Fanime 2009, and it did not disappoint.  After dropping off our luggage at the Hilton hotel which luckily they let us use their carts, we didn't expect to actually have brought enough luggage to fill up two carts.

Dropping off the luggage at the room, I took a long deserved break after the long drive then got changed to my first cosplay of the day, Soune Kei, and went off downstairs in hopes of being overrun by cosplayers like last year, that in itself was a surprise due to the fact that I was one of the very few that actually did dress up.  Granted it was day zero, I expected much after my research on the internet of the amount of people planning out their cosplays, many which involved day zero as well.  Taking pictures of whatever I could of cosplayers that appeared on day zero, I ran into a few old friends, some which consisted of Kitsune Valentine who was providing live feed of the pre-registration line to Bartboy who later on at Fanime, arrested a Mojo-jojo in his LCPD uniform for having two stars.

Browsing around the game room, they seemed to have been still setting up which is understandable as it is not official con day yet.  Rules that were set seemed organized for console department, though I sometimes wondered what game was even played.  Arcade department went as far as disappointing to outstanding, due to half my Maximum Tune cards becoming useless since they were one upgrade behind, and the loss of not seeing any form of Melty Blood, Arcade or console.  Disappointments aside, I was blown away by seeing a UFO crane machine which is the very first time I've ever seen one, to an In The Groove machine that had almost every song in existence uploaded into it.  Sadly, it seemed that some of the other machines seemed to have been outdated as well, mostly stemming from Drum mania, Guitar freaks, and Para Para. Even so, that did not hold anyone back from playing to their fullest.

Waking up to the real beginning of Fanime, I did what every cosplayer should do, I took a shower.  Getting into my Death the Kid cosplay, I once again went downstairs in hopes of being able to take many pictures of cosplayers, and I was not disappointed this time, sadly I had to wait it out for most of them due to the fact that most of them were standing in line for their badges, though the cosplayers who have already received their badges took more then enough to pass the time.  Soon enough, I was Kid'napped (yes, I made a pun! take that!) for the Soul Eater photoshoot which consisted of myself and Larein as Death the Kid, Imari-chan as Liz, Charie as Patty and Yomi-chan as Maka.  Though it did take some time, I believe the photoshoot came out pretty well, and I'm not sure how or when, but ACE seemed to have gotten their hands on some of the photos as well.

Taking another break, I eagerly awaited my next cosplay which was being made by Heulangel, and due to the cosplay that was put on my, I was given very little chance to take pictures during a long period.  After a photoshoot with the current cosplay at hand, I finally changed out, took a SHOWER and changed into my next cosplay, Kagene Rei. This outfit really helped me out in the long run, for some reason, it was most comfortable to take pictures in, which is what I needed to make up for the loss in the past few hours.  Walking out the door, I was ambushed by the countless amounts of amazing cosplays that surrounded me, I was at a loss on where to even start, and just let my camera guide the way.  Lasting into the night, I've ran into cosplayers I've ran into the past including Yukie Dong who I've instantly become a fan of at AoD 2009, sadly I was unable to attend at her Maid Cafe event. Even further into the night, Fanime have earned all right to be called a 24 hour convention, if my camera's battery didn't need a recharge, I would've been able to witness first hand, the restlessness of the Fanime attendees.

Saturday which should obviously be known as the busiest day of any convention truly was a day to be lost.  If a photographer was lucky enough to get a back drop without anyone else walking in the background, you had all the luck in the world, even more so if you didn't have other photographers and "photographers" standing behind you, interrupting your pictures. From unique cosplayers like a Jack-in-the-Box, to intricate YMCA dances, Saturday at Fanime was truly a day to remember.  Each gathering came out wonderfully, unfortunately I don't prefer gathering pictures, and this was no different after watching fifty cameras pointing at a group gathering event.  After walking around,  I wondered if I would run into another day so amazing as a Saturday at Fanime, which ended in the best was by listening "Be a Man" being sung by two guitarist in one side of the convention and a pyramid being stacked on the other side.

Sunday went by without a problem; the day slowly went by as if many were building up their energy for an event later in the day.  Prove me wrong as the Black and White ball was around the corner.  An event where many cosplayers have created an outfit made specifically for this event? You can bet your Fanime 2010 badge that I'll be there with my camera. Surprisingly, I did not see any other photographers in such an eventful time, so I felt obligated and honored to be one of the few that would take pictures of such cosplayers and their elegant ballroom outfits.

Finally, the last day has arrived, as any other eager con-goer; I myself have dreaded this day, for many reasons beyond the fact that this was the last day of Fanime.  Last days of conventions are notorious for cosplayers packing up, leaving the cosplayer amount to a drop in a bucket.  If that was the case, this year's drop of water has become a flood in my home that's reached the second floor that I had no idea existed.  I had a hard time leaving due to the countless amounts of new cosplayers that have appeared on the last day. After taking as many pictures as my limited schedule would allow, I finished the day saying goodbye to my convention friends and a quick "dance" in front of cosplay protesters.

Fanime of 2009 so far has been the best that I've been to, and from what I've heard from others, the best they've done in quite some time.  For that I'm glad I made time for such an event. From the amazing cosplayers, the well organized game room, to the cosplayers themselves making their own event, though next year, I hope someone can remember to bring a beach ball of some sort to do the traditional ball toss next year.  Once again, quite possible the best Fanime I have been to, and looking even more forward to next year, and hoping to see many others again soon.

See you at the next convention!
Kei Tsubasa

Pictures will be posted soon.