Conventions / Miscellaneous

General Cosplays and Pictures of the Venue

League of Legends Gathering

After being spoiled with Anime-Expo for the past four years, I thought it would be cool to go check out some of the other conventions that were somewhat close to where I live. So after a spur of events that introduced Anime Los Angeles or ALA to me, I applied to get a press badge — and I actually got it. Review of the Con and tons more pictures after the break!

The Venue

Held inside the Marriott LAX which coincidentally is smack-dab next to LAX airport, ALA’s choice of hotel is pretty nice. It’s a decent sized place that keeps everything insanely clean for the amount of traffic going through it each day. And if you were smart and used their coupon code, the room prices are an affordable $116 a night when you travel with buddies.

What I liked the most was probably the Pool Deck and Patio which held most of the cosplay gatherings. Besides providing various types of backgrounds and lighting for the photographers, it was nice knowing that there were two main places that people would congregate at. Unlike larger conventions that have everyone running around everywhere, I enjoyed knowing that if I wanted to find a certain cosplayer (or person), I could.

At the same time, the size of the venue also became a negative for my buddies since they quickly ran out of things to do. With a lack of diverse panels and a super tiny Artist’s Alley, people who didn’t want to go and take pictures of cosplayers could find themselves getting bored quickly.

Photographers and Cosplays

If you’ve seen my previous Anime-Expo posts, you’ll know that I focused mostly on the cosplays with all the pictures I’ve snapped. Since then, I’ve attempted to become more knowledgeable with photography and less of a noob with DSLRs. Something that was nice about this con for all the camera enthusiasts like me, is that you really have to get intimate with your camera to snap some good pictures. With the sun beating down at the Pool Area and tons of shade at the Patio, it was a blast learning how to get the most out of my camera.

Getting back on point though, I was happily surprised with the amount and quality of the cosplays at ALA. Ranging from high-average to completely stunning, there was a diverse range of shows and games getting that cosplay love. But what came as a surprise to me was just how popular FREE!, Kill-La-Kill, and Kyoukai no Kanata were at this con. Seeing how they’re all relatively new shows, I never expected to see things like Ryuuko in her jammies or a pool full of Rins and Makotos. At the same time, can someone enlighten me just what the heck is Homestuck about?!

Overall Impressions

While it isn’t Anime-Expo, Anime Los Angeles had this charm to it that made it really enjoyable. From the smaller size to the friendly atmosphere that everyone was giving off, it became clear that ALA is definitely one of those more relaxed conventions. However, relaxing doesn’t have to mean not fun or not worth going. If anything, it’s a nice change of pace versus the hectic atmosphere larger conventions bring. I just wished they had a larger Artist Alley ;__;

Random Thoughts

  • I can’t believe how insane things get at night. What was an attempt to snap some nice nighttime photos turned into watching a ton of people puking into trashcans. Explains why the hotel smelled like Pine-SOl in the morning.
  • Smaller Convention = Nicer People and Staff.
  • Seeing how big some of the gatherings got, I should probably make it an effort to figure out where gatherings during AX happen.
  • League of Legends Cosplays Galore <3. Ten points if you know my three favorite champs :p
  • Again, just what is Homestuck? It’s apparently super popular and involves MSPAINT.
  • If you find the Assassin picture, notice how he’s holding the gate. THAT’S DEDICATION.
  • For any camera guys wondering, I stuck with a 50mm f/1.8 the whole time. Can’t be lazy out in the field!

TL;dr — ALA is a chill convention that packs a lot of awesome into a little space. And even though its size is noticeable at times, it’s still super enjoyable.

42 Comments

    2. Funny thing, those are probably three of my favorites. Especially Sona and Ahri…I’ve kind of fallen out of love with Lulu a bit. They all play second fiddle to Lux and Ezreal though. And Archer Illya <3

      Stilts
      Reply

  2. Homestuck is a ridiculously long and (apparently) good webcomic (mostly) drawn in mspaint. And people go batshit insane for it. It’s also not made in japan which leaves me about as baffled as you.

    Nitro
    Reply

  6. Archer illya <3 and dat Mirai ^.^
    Those Kill la Kill cosplays are great, i really like that Inumuta. And RWBY cosplayers FTW!!. Also… Dat Samumenco.
    I wish i had money and lived in the U.S. lol. Thanks for the post, Takaii.

    Krainsan
    Reply

    1. Funny story about that picture actually — there was some random photographer guy taking a ton of shots of them and literally eating up all their time. He also untied a balloon that the convention used to mark something and made whoever he wasn’t shooting hold it. So after about 3 minutes, I got fed up (because it wasn’t a shoot, just a random guy asking to take a photo) and asked the Gilgamesh and Saber to take their photo.

      The Gilgamesh was kind of awkwardly holding the balloon and I was like, this is a perfect opportunity to take a cute photo.

      And there you have it!

      Takaii
      Reply

  15. I’m going with Jinx (easy pick), Ahri, and Ashe. I also (because I’m a bastard and am going to cheat) had Jax, Nidalee, and Ezreal as possibilities. That’s just based on the pics though…from playing with you I’m pretty sure you can play whoever, for which I am jelly

    Stilts
    Reply

    1. Close, close but not those either xD.

      So my favorite two champs would be Annie and Morgana — I have most of all my games on the two. If I were to pick a third, it would be probably from whoever I’m currently playing which in this case would be Kat!

      Close fourth is a tie between Ahri, Vi, and Jinx haha.

      Takaii
      Reply

      1. Nice champ pool. My first main was Annie, then I only played Ahri and Morgana for a long time before playing a lot of Zyra (when she still was played mid in S2) and Kat. Lately I’ve mostly played Orianna and Riven though.

        Also DRRRAAAAAVVEEEENNNNNN

        Annyms
        Reply

    2. Pardon me while I edit my comment to have all the right answers… XD

      Annie was actually one of the other ones I was thinkin’. Annie so stronk :X But I guess you really do love your AP carries, eh? Not that I’m not partial to them myself, though since I mainly play TT it gets hard to play someone squishy in a map full of think bruisers. So much Darius…

      P.S. Kinda surprised at all the Draven and no Darius cosplay. And that Swain was pretty bitchin’!

      Stilts
      Reply

  16. as much anime as I watch, it saddens me how small my experiences are sometimes. I don’t recognize most of these cosplays, more so than some of the other conventions shown on RC before )=. but great work nonetheless!

    GoXDS
    Reply

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