Self

When I was thinking about how to write up whatever happened this weekend at New York Anime Festival, I came to remember that this is mainly a content industry where plastic discs, books, and digital files are sold and distributed. The convention panels from companies seem more like advertising than news when watching from a distance and ring more hollow, even though some fans get happy about certain things being brought over – like I did in response to Tokyopop announcing RATMAN – and those companies’ employees are enthusiastic about what they do in attempting to localize Japanese media.

If I had attended NYAF in person, I think I would have wanted to see Yoshiyuki Tomino speak rather than listen to company reps talk about things that will be reported or tweeted by many other people, despite the fact that I don’t have a deep relationship with Gundam. I recognize how much of an impact it has had over the last 30 years, both in influencing artistically and in inspiring a couple generations. That sentiment has made me seriously consider skipping the big industry panels in the next conventions I attend and seek out the ones that I may not have previously considered.

This attitude could change in a few months but I surely hope it doesn’t. It’s easy for me to do bypass those panels because I don’t *have* to be at them – I’m not a correspondent for a website, possibly with an obligation to provide content for a relatively broad audience. (I can also avoid encountering needless questions that are regularly asked and become annoying to those of use who try to keep themselves up-to-date.) The lack of immediate knowledge could make it easier to get a overall perspective of what happened during the weekend. I remain interested in a business sense of how these companies will be releasing and marketing their products but the emotional ties that I have to those companies has lessened.

If you’re wondering why the somber mood, it stems from two other events that happened elsewhere in the world: flooding in the Phillipines and protests of the G20 summit in Pittsburgh. First, the flooding (some videos). It’s hard for me to think about living in an area where there is a seasonal threat of high water levels; I certainly would have some qualms about moving into an environment with such a risk – the same goes for forest-fire prone areas. I hope those who live where Typhoon Ondoy/Ketsana hit stayed as safe as they could and didn’t suffer too much damage. (ghostlightning, who lives in the affected area, wrote about people willing to help and support each other during and after Ondoy. Also: this CNN page has links to ways you can donate or help victims of this and other causes.)

About the Pittsburgh protests: I don’t entirely share the views of those involved (I do think there should be more done to assist areas in poverty), but it was unsettling to see peace officers be more violent than they should be. Some of those participating put themselves in harm’s way and have less right to complain about the crackdown than university students who wanted to return to the dorm rooms but couldn’t. Both events hit me in “there is a whole world outside your city” sense and gave me pause on Friday night.

It also comes after reading usagijen’s report on a Wordcamp summit, particularly the section on “responsible blogging”. I acknowledge that most anime and manga conventions are not meant to be world-changing (both mainly present a method of escapism) but questions bubble up in my mind, asking about any deeper meaning and “what’s the point?” The Schoolgirls & Mobilesuits conference/workshop looked like it could serve some of that need and was also going on this past weekend but I’ll have to see what comes out of it in any reports, transcripts, or recordings. Perhaps I’m expecting too much – I’ve had moments at conventions where I wonder why I’m even there. The combination of meeting fellow bloggers and making connections helps to combat those pessimistic feelings but some more meaningful presentations would also be appreciated.

I guess I should end this on a positive note and say that I’m still looking forward to attending a few conventions next year and possibly putting on a panel at Fanime that will require a fair amount of research on my part. I may be burnt out on companies’ PR, cosplay galleries, “news” that sometimes really isn’t (i.e. quirky stories), and others’ sometimes fannish enthusiasm but I still have some drive for other subjects and will try to focus writing about those in the future.