by Rob Kohr

AXNY/BAAF, if you are unfamiliar with these acronyms you would think that is some clever new onomatopoeia for a sneeze. But actually it stands for Anime Expo New York and Big Apple Anime Fest. During Labor Day weekend there was a mass gathering of Anime aficionados and otoku (the Japanese word for someone who is obsessed with Anime; it is used with disdain in Japan but here in the States the otoku regard it as a compliment). This was actually my first experience with an Anime Expo and I felt that it is a very intriguing sub culture of the animation world that gets almost no coverage from the animation community let alone pop culture.

Earlier in the summer I picked up ANIME by Susanne Napier. The book gave a detailed account of how and why anime is, how it is affected by Japanese culture, how it influences Japanese Culture and also a brief evaluation of the subculture of anime fans in the USA. The book explained that in Japan, animation accounts for nearly 65% of Japan’s total media exposure (which includes films, internet and television). Japan is also the world’s main exporter of animation too. Because Hollywood has a world wide strangle hold on the live action industry, early on Japan attempted to find its own identity; thus the birth of Anime. Ms. Napier’s book delves much further into this any many other issues; it is a definite must read if you want to know more about the worlds largest animation market.

After reading ANIME I picked up some of the films that she recommended from eBay (a very cheap alternative to purchasing DVD’s in the store). I noticed the BAAF was coming on Labor Day weekend; I figured I would buy a few tickets to some shows. The tickets were relatively cheap, $5 for most shows and $10 to premieres; all were sold out by the weekend. The main event was the premier of COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE, which was sold out due to the overwhelming popularity of the series on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim and the fact that the director Shinchiro Watanabe and the composer Yoko Kanno had a Q&A following the film. The second big event was the US premier of MILLENIUM ACTRESS a movie directed by Satoshi Kon who also directed PERFECT BLUE. MILLENIUM ACTRESS had been going around the festival circuit and will be released in Japan later this month; it also won the Best Picture at the Canadian Fantasia Film Festival. It is a must see, if you enjoyed PERFECT BLUE, though a little more easy to swallow. The producer, Taro Maki was also present for a Q&A following that film. Finally, Yoshiyuki Tomino was presented and the creator of the Gundum saga and the ASTROBOY televsion series was also present for a Q&A following the screening of MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM CHAR’S COUNTERATTACK.

AXNY was also going on across the street at the same time, due to the fact the Anime fans are usually very nice and accommodating, I struck up a conversation with some, and they urged me to go to the Expo too. I decided I would check it out, and to my pleasant surprise I was able to get a free industry pass. The difference between these two shows AXNY and BAAF is quite vast. BAAF is more like a film festival atmosphere while AXNY is more like a Star Wars or Star Trek convention. Everyone is really nice, it really isn’t that scary there was quite a mix of people parents, kids and costumed teens. I did purchase some things, not films because they were horribly expensive. Use Ebay for better prices, though it would help if you are “ebay savy” otherwise you might end up with a lemon.

Over all I was very pleased with the experience. I will attend again next year, hopefully as press. However I don’t think that I am going to search out any more shows, it is draining and it cost a whole weekend of lost work; Anime becomes highly addictive. I am passing the torch to another who will review other conventions, shows and films. Soon Animators Unite might have an exclusively Anime section with its own editor, though we will have to see about that.

Remember that Japan has the largest out put of animation in the world; even though you may not like Anime, you have to give them credit.