August 2, 2009
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Review and Preview
It’s been over a month. A lot has happened in the last month, and the more things happen, the more work that’d go into an update, and the less inclined I feel to update.
The quick version: I’ve been dealing with preparation for grad school, I went to Otakon the weekend-before-last, and I really enjoyed my vacation.
What I’m going to do is give a quick recap of Otakon in this post. As for my vacation in Japan, I’ll be doing that over the course of several posts (much like my series of posts on my vacation in Morocco. I have over 250 photos and a ton of things to say, so a serial is the only way to get to all of it.
So, as for this post:
Obligatory Otakon 2009 Recap
Otakon was still definitely worth it this year. My main draws for going were:
- The Lunar panel that me and DM Lou were co-hosting,
- A meetup I was putting together for some folks on the XKCD forums, and
- The OverClocked ReMix panel on Saturday.
There were a few other draws, such as the usual artists’ alley, dealers’ room, etc.. And there were a few other panels I really enjoyed, such as the Falcom Series one. Oh, and of course the several other people I knew who’d also be at the convention that weekend.
Lunar Panel
About the Lunar panel then… This is the third year we’ve had one at Otakon. This time, though, we had some more substantive information: a new Lunar game that’s been announced for the PSP. Plus, since our last panel (in 2007), I’d also finished the last abridged English version of the Lunar novels, and the walkthrough for Magical School Lunar.
I won’t bore you with the details on most of this. But if you’d like, take a look at the recap on LunarNET:
Otakon 2009: Lunar Panel
Overall, the panel was a pretty good success, I think. Lots of people there, and that excitement at a new Lunar game, combined with the reservation of it being yet another remake. I’m also not the only one who bought a PSP specifically because of Lunar.
We kicked it all off with the original TSS intro, added in some gameplay footage from Magical School Lunar, and sort of brought everyone up-to-speed on what we know so far about the new Lunar game.
XKCD Meetup
I tried to get another meetup on the XKCD forums for those of us going to Otakon. Turned out pretty well, I think: about 6 of us got lunch together on Saturday. Some folks I’d already met, and some folks I’d been looking forward to meeting.
OC Remix and FF4
Lastly, there was the panel for OC Remix (a community dedicated to the appreciation, interpretation, and promotion of videogame music) which was immense and packed, as always. Big news this time around was the debut of the Final Fantasy 4 album project: Echoes of Betrayal, Light of Redemption.
Saturday night after the panel was a listening party for the album, both online (through IRC) and at one of the remixer’s place in Baltimore. I originally hadn’t planned on going, but made the decision last-minute (and ended up being the first to arrive). About a dozen of us showed up. It was plenty of fun, even though I had to leave around midnight (which apparently was good timing, since an hour later his drunken roommates came back unexpectedly unclothed).
Sunday after the convention was a BBQ at another guy’s place in the city–same place I went to last year. More fun and food to be had.
Next Week…
I’ll cut the Otakon update there, and skip ahead to a preview of the next few posts. Here’s what I’m thinking:
- Tokyo – visiting old friends, getting acclimated
- Kasugai/Nagoya – visiting host family, return to my ‘third hometown’
- Kyoto – visiting more friends, kicking the vacation into second gear
- Fukuoka – brief yet luxurious rest
- Nagasaki – well, it’s Nagasaki, a tagline doesn’t do it justice
- Nagoya – visiting host family, winding down
- Tokyo – last stop, reflections
Check back next week. I’ll try to make a new post every 2 days according to this schedule. Content may change, but I’ll do what I can to see to it that the timing does not. KF
