I love these anime conventions! They’re quite a bit of fun! I first heard about Sangawa through Tekko, as it is organized and run by the same people. It is an 18+ event, as there is alcohol involved and more adult themed anime and manga. Fun, right?! However, in 2015, I was still one year shy of being able to drink, so I only really went because Vic Mignogna, a popular anime voice actor, was going to be there. My younger brother and a friend of ours agreed that we should go and meet him and get pictures and autographs.
They hold this particular convention in early December every year at a fancy hotel close to the city. It is a smaller venue than Tekko, which makes it so much more intimate. Especially after you’ve been drinking several different types of sake (Sangawa 2016/story for another day). At this Sangawa, I wore an Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood) T-shirt, and stood at the back of the room with my brother at the opening ‘ceremony’. As we were standing there, a blond man in a black T-shirt walked by us. I did a double take, poked my brother, and whispered, “That was the pipsqueak.” He looked at him closer and grinned. Vic Mignogna welcomed everyone with an unquenchable exuberance. It was infectious and it made me happy to see it. Throughout the night, we would sit on panels, go to the video or gaming room, and we even stuck our heads in the small market space. That room was definitely several sizes smaller than it is at Tekko.
Around 11:00, Vic had a private screening of one of his Star Trek Continued episodes. My brother and I sat in the front, and that was when I saw something on the menu screen that puzzled me. I raised my hand like a kid in class and said, “Excuse me?”
Vic Mignogna came over to me and asked, “What is it, sweetie?” I asked him my question about the menu and he got a slightly shocked look on his face. “Spoilers!” he said, before he covered my eyes and asked somebody to place something in front of the projector. Needless to say, I was surprised to have his hand over my eyes for several seconds. He thanked me for pointing it out when he removed his hand.
“You’re welcome,” was all I could really say. The screening was fun, but by the end, I had to call it a night. My brother, our friend, and myself returned the next day and got pictures and autographs. I got Vic’s autograph on both my FMA Brotherhood DVD’s and a poster. It was a fun time, and I am going again this year. The voice actress for Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye (FMA Brotherhood), and the voice actor for the Armored Titan (Attack On Titan) will be the guests this year. It should be interesting… especially since alcohol will be involved (again).
And on that note, it’s been real!
It's Been Real! 