So, this article will be a review about J-Popcon 2009. Afterall I was an Organizer till saturday noon, after that I was not!
Anyway, I’ll leave the bad sides to another article about J-Popcon, which will also be posted here.
Admittedly it was my first time as an organizer, the former 3 years I’ve been there as an gopher, so this was the first time I actually expected to have to work and get some ‘off-duty’ time to enjoy the convention, but to my disavail, that didn’t happen. I had the greatest of time doing my events friday with Jankip, best of time ever at a convention, and also the time when we didn’t have to do any events. Nonetheless, friday itself was a little bit stress’ish for me, not too much to be unbearable, but it was there anyway. Another organizer obviously had a thorn in my side for doing as I almost pleased, and the fact that he threw a print assignment into my face, because HE had to do something else, and that while there was absolutely no printer available. Nice going, dickface!
During friday, I had to host ‘Hardcore Otaku Quiz’ and ‘Pose-off’, the first being co-hosted by the one and only Jankip, it went great despite me speaking danish when the questions was in english, big bad whoops for me ! And Pose-off, J-Popcon haven’t had that great event for 4 years, and I brought it back to life, or at least I tried to and it think it worked. Never got any response but I definately had fun doing it and I think everyone else did too.
So after doing the events I was pretty much off duty, so hanging out with Jankip became my top priority, had alot of fun and bought her some presents too. Spent some time in the photoroom with Cosplay Denmark taking pictures of random cosplaying people. Untill about 21.00 where Jankips health issues started to make her have to go home, I was a bit sad about her going, but there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t get any room at all for some resting, despite the fact that I during saturday heard that they managed to fix up a sleep room for the organizers and gophers (RAEG!). Anyway, I sent her home by a train, and went back.
I went back to Cosplay Denmarks photoroom, taking pictures of random cosplaying people, which was totally awesome. Managed to borrow two external flashes for my Canon EOS 450D, only used one of them at the same time, despite having a wireless trigger. Which seemed to work the best that way too, notice to those having taken pictures off. I will get them uploaded to the flickr site as soon as possible. I was up till about 01.00 at the photoroom, before I decided to close down, switch off the light, pull out my sleeping bag and pillow and sleep on the floor near a radiator. Wow that was cosy ?
(At least I slept pretty well, concerning that I had to get up at 07.00 in the morning!)
Saturday, oh saturday that was probably the most dramatic day of the entire convention. Morning starts off with no big deal, managed to get up at 06.45, get a very quick shower, brush teeths, get my hair straight and clothes on before 07.30, after that I packed my photo equipment into my photobag, packed my other gear into my bigger bags and left it inside that room, knowing it would be open for me again later on that day. I had some quick setups to do before the ‘Softcore Otaku Quiz’ that morning, which sadly was only hosted by me, no Jankip there to have a bodyguard dog. It went super that event, everyone was happy, it was fun and everyone seemed to enjoy it! So that made my morning a good morning!
What destroyed my saturday ? Well, later on that day I managed to do a major wrong in the gameroom, it’s a long story and I’d like to keep the drama out of it, which made me think twice about the convention and the younger people attending. Which also lead me to say that I’m no longer Organizer, what happened ? I’d love to tell but then no, it’s too dramatic to reveal all out. Nonetheless, I only had minor duties till 16.00 when the ‘Cosplay Show’ started, I rustled myself and my photogear over to Marketenderiet, and finds myself into a situation where I get a shitty spot, and then comes to women from a danish show called ‘Troldspejlet‘, to film the entire show. I don’t mind them filming at all, I do mind that their big fat asses was constantlly in front of my own camera lens, which means I can’t take pictures. Again, I was supposed to be an official photographer for J-Popcon and they stick with a shit for a spot to take pictures from. Infuriated with anger, stress and a near breakdown I decided to leave after the 2nd act, people who looked at my face would see that I was definately not happy about it. Despite that, I rushed back to the main location of J-Popcon, told the lead staff I was going home before a serious nervous breakdown, packed my gear and went home by train, the time was just about 16.40 or so by that time.
So that’s what happened to me at J-Popcon, many people did ask why I left and what happened, but here it is. To leave out any dramatic equation to a nonetheless quiet article, I’ll leave the bad sides to my other article.
Admittedly, I have very little good points about it, despite the hours spent there with Jankip. I absolutely loved every minute of it, and was very sad she had to leave early, but I understand why and I understand her health issues, and have no trouble with it at all.
This is probably the end for me being at J-Popcon, unless I have a special reason to go there, this year just sorta ended too horrible for me, and I’ve got an inside look on how they work and operate, and let me tell you. It ain’t pretty at all.
