Just the facts, ma’am. And some opinion and advice. I’d say this post may update but I got no time to do so, realistically speaking. [And ho, Update 1–Otakon lounge and booths][Update 2: oh boy new rules for concerts this year woooo whole sections out of the door][Update 3 added FUNi][Update for correct panel info]

The latest schedule (now a PNG). Just get it on Guidebook instead.

TM Revolution’s concert with Home Made Kazoku is at the Arena at 4pm on Saturday. TMR is also selling a special compilation CD at Otakon. See their booth in the dealer room. Details for the show here.

Yoko Kanno’s concert with Ishikawa Chiaki is at main events at 1pm on Sunday. Piano Me will probably need an advance lineup if you want to be in the live audience (and by advance I mean like, 9-10am), but [T]here is a simulwatch room as well for late comer types. I presume merch is also available in the dealer room, since there’s a booth for her. The concert will now require tickets. The tickets are available in limited quantities Friday and Saturday from 1-3PM, and Sunday 9-10AM. They are first-come first-serve (2 per person) at Sharp street lobby by Hall D. To go watch the concert live you will need a ticket. You don’t need a ticket for the simulcast. And you still have to line up for the concert as usual! Details here.

Good Smile Company is going to be at Otakon, at least sharing a booth with Daisuki. Goods TBD.

Daisuki will be doing their usual deal as per AX, booth and a panel. I assume Crunchyroll is doing the same thing, but it’s worth checking out if they’re doing any interviews with guests. Would be cool if Ishikawa showed up.

Aniplex is basically done with their Otakon plans. We have the charity poster, we have the OreImo event (and a poster giveaway there). There’s probably a booth autograph session since there’s only 1 con autograph session with the OreImo guests, and 2 con autograph sessions with the SAO ones. And of course they’ll be selling leftover AX merch. Adachi will be live drawing at the World of SAO panel.

The OreImo Premiere screening might or might not require a room clear. I hope not, because this way I can catch the Young Animator Showcase that goes before it. Well. Maybe. This could be complicated.

Mangagamers said at AX there are 5 titles for Otakon, so yep. And probably more leftover AX merch to sell.

Otakon has their Thursday festival. It’s cute but also a little quaint. And this year is no different. What’s different is it’s at the West Shore Park.

Studio Nasu, the Otakon video Game people, are doing a pre-con game room thing for their Otakon game backers (of any level). It’s neat and I probably should spare you the details–check your email or the project updates if you are a backer before Thursday night.

What is this I don’t even.

Funimation is doing the Wolf Children dub premiere at Otakon. They’ve got their usual lineups of actors and actresses. Some loot based on badge tags. You know the drill. More importantly is the Evangelion 3.0 screening on Friday…

Lastly, the rumored autograph random draw–TMR and Yoko Kanno both have 2 autograph sessions and Otakon is actually doing a ticket lineup (on Friday morning 10am) for these autograph sessions to lessen the line/crowding at the autograph area. Details here. I am going to be there like, crack-ass dawn, because I have to be somewhere at 10:20……

Oh hey, a 21+ lounge at Otakon. Pimp. Friday night 8PM, top of Hyatt Regency. A cash bar and … dance lessons?

PS. Again, free iM@S tags if you can catch me!

PPS. Come to my panel 7:30pm Saturday in Panel 4 (BCC) lol.

So far this AX is shaping out like many other AX that I attended, minus the guests I really care about. Well, okay, I still care about the PA Works folks. I kind of care about huke? I can’t say. As a Kick Heart Backer I do care about Yuasa’s new work. I want to see Shinkai’s feet anime on a nice master (not sure if this is possible at AX). Well, you know. Otherwise few things rise above my care for Foodtruck Con 2013.

But I do care about the whole press/industry angle. Soooo glad I’m doing this con with Hiroko. Really opens up my agenda for other stuff. Gotta prep interview juice.

So far the funniest pre-AX joke, other than the various “AX this year sucks for guests” types, is Little Wicth[sic] Academia. Ok, I probably shouldn’t laugh. What makes me laugh is how they are now not selling said pillow cases. Oh well.

I’m sure soon enough we’ll be cracking jokes about bag checks.

Packing a bunch of shikishi this time. For discs, I’ll lug around Shinkai’s feet anime and some portion of the True Tears BD box…I probably should just request Ayahi and Iguchi for now on, at all them forums. Maybe I’ll take a concert program to show off too.

All my worries stems from just not enough time trying to get it all done. Still have to do my schedule for Saturday and Sunday. Still have to fill in all my corresponding references for the team. Gotta charge my batteries. Gotta wake up at 4am on Day 0.

This AX feels just like every other AX. On the flip side it makes me more glad that I am hopefully not gunning this alone. The lack of wota guests become a blessing in disguise. A blessing that Otakon, fortunately, is too good to have a need for?

Oh, check this for deets guys. All the AX deets that I care about anyway. And lots that I don’t apparently.

[Last Update 7/2]

All dates/times/etc are subject to change. All schedules can change. This post probably will change too as I update over time. AX’s posted schedule almost most definitely will change [edit: 6/29 lol yep]. Check the con info desk and twitter/FB for the latest info as usual.

AX’s schedule here (now v2, changelog here. Most notable for Crypton’s panel Sunday 3:30pm and StarChild panel Saturday 10:30pm.) Autograph schedule here.

Scroll down by bold text. I am excluding most things not industry related and even many industry-related things, you have the con schedule for that…right?

Sentai Filmworks last AX marched out a female auteur. This year they’ll march out a male one. FB/HP.

• The Garden of Words English Language Premiere: Saturday, July 6th, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM in Video Room 1
  While Shinkai will introduce his film there, it runs against… AnimeSols, Production IG guests panel, and Crunchyroll. Plus this is Saturday, I ffear the lines.
• The Garden of Words Green Carpet Reception: Saturday, July 6th 4:15 PM – 5:15 PM in Lounge 21
  Free drinks with Shinkai is great. This runs against Kazuhiko Inoue and the A-1 Pictures panel. There is a 21+ age restriction which is GREAT.
• The Garden of Words Panel: Sunday, July 7th 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM in LP1
  Cuts into Charity Auction, but probably not a big deal.

Aniplex of America has an array of things, maybe more than last year? What’s good is that they’ve made a page that keeps track, right here. I like that fact, really. Because there’s sure a lot of stuff to keep track of. Notables:

• Lots of giveaways, but nothing super notable or doesn’t require great luck.
• Four limited scrolls for sale (might pick up the bake one, it’s p. nice, even if OreImo is more of my jam).
• Autograph ticket and poster w/ purchase of AoEx DVD/BD
• …and the AoEx autograph session is 3:15-4:45pm on Saturday at their booth. Including (Takamitsu) Inoue o/c.

The panel that I’m interested in the most is the A-1 Pictures panel, Saturday 4:30-5:30 at LP3. It runs against Kazuhiko Inoue’s focus panel and the Drinks With Shinkai event. I’m meh about AoEX in general but you can catch a screening of the film at AX–or just wait until it gets to driving distance of a town of your choice.

FUNimation… Placeholder.

The top brasses of Max Factory and GSC are coming, flanked by huke and some Gonzo guy who is banding together some small animation companies. Worth a visit for sure. Thursday 6:30 at LP1. Deets in the PR here. It also overlaps with the Shugo Chara concert unfortunately. GSC booth will also have some stuff–huke’s autograph session, special goods like this, plus their usual exclusives. They have finally listed their stuff for sale.

One of the things MangaGamers will go over at their AX panel is the self-published visual novel, World End Economica, from the author of Spice & Wolf. You can actually find out the messed up launch here, indie is gonna indie. I bought the game from DLSite so orz is me. Their panel (18+ required as usual) is on Thursday, 9:30pm to 10:30pm in LP1.

Starmarie has a meet&greet from 3-4pm in the 21Lounge Friday. They’re also in the fashion show. No concert as far as I know however. There may be a Starmarie ninja live? Who knows.

Mirai no Neiro: 2 Panels this year as far as I know, both on Saturday: LP2 at 10 and LP3 at 12 noon. Guests for the vocaloid panels include UtataP, Dixie Flatline, tennen, buzzG, and illustrator WOGURA. Thread here. As an aside, Nihongo de OK is a go, same place, Saturday 5:30.

Little Witch Academia: localization team is partying up with a AX Day-0 screening of Little Witch Academia, on July 6th, 2pm. Go read about it here. It’s not a part of the con. Only 50 lucky entrants can go.

Kick Heart will “premiere” at AX on Friday at 1:30pm in LP1. The short should not take up even half the time allotted so I think there might be a good 30-45 minutes of Q&A with Masaaki Yuasa at the premiere.

NISA finally put out their “Prinny newsletter” for AX on Friday. As usual there will be a game panel, 2:30pm Saturday at LP2, and an anime panel, 2:30pm Thursday at LP2. Speaking of which, Aksys has a panel right before the game panel, Saturday 2pm at LP3. Why you do this AX?

More importantly there are actually a ton of booth autograph sessions for NISA. These may require purchase so check with the booth before lining up. Also, there’s some kind of “photo session only” note under Kazuhiko Inoue and I’m not sure what it means. Okada and Kikuchi have autograph sessions at the same time. Click here for the source.

• Inoue: Thursday 3-4pm, Friday 2-4pm, Saturday 2-3:30pm.
• Ito – Friday 10:30-11:30am, Saturday noon-1:30pm, Sunday 1:30-3pm
• Okada & Kikuchi – Thursday 4:30-5:30pm, Saturday 10:30-11:30am, Saturday 4:30-6pm
• Sohei Niikawa (yeah…) – Friday 4:30-6pm, Sunday 10:30-12:30pm.

It takes a moment to sink in, but NISA is fronting three really big guests at AX this year. If anything that makes my annual NISA purchase at their booth something I look forward to; without these guests AX would be a utter husk of its former self. Keep bringing over the good people, d00ds.

The latest AX Schedule update also now lists a 12:30am event on Saturday, something like NISA movie premiere or some such. It’s in Video 1, after the StarChild panel also in Video 1, 10:30pm.

JAST has a panel at AX. I’m not sure if they run any other panel at any other con, given a typical year. So this is the place to hear all their new eroge/galge announcements, listed here. They’ll also have other usual and new things, like posters. Friday at 10pm, WS2. It’s an 18+ only panel, natch.

Small-time idol group Starmarie will perform after all. AX has posted their schedule here. Basically an hour before the fashion show, they will perform. The times are Friday at 1pm, and Saturday at 1pm. Both are at the Hybrid Dance/concourse. This is also on top of the meet-and-greet at 3pm in Lounge 21 on Friday, and the meet-and-greet at the Cure booth at 3pm on Saturday.

Others:

• There’s a panel on streaming in North America that takes place in LP3, 12:30pm on Thursday. Right after that is the FUNi inside the Industry panel. Then it’s ANN, then it’s Sentai’s industry panel. I’m not sure what that FUNi panel is suppose to be, but there’s all kinds of FUNi panels (heh) this AX and until they publish a guide of some sort I have no idea which is what.
• Wolf Children is screening 4:30pm on Thursday. Great movie. There was a snafu in AX’s schedule and said it was a dub. Nope, it’ll be subbed–Otakon is premiering the dub, for better or worse.
• If you want to watch Perfume’s live show in London on AX Day 4 (which is a 2-day-late-cast?), you can check it out here. It’s not a part of the con but it’s nearby
• I hear Toshio Maeda’s 18+ panel might actually be interesting. Anyone knows what it’ll be about? It’s 8 to 9PM on Thursday, LP1.
• Crunchyroll still gives free t-shirts to premiere subscribers. God bless their souls.
• Danny Choo has a schedule posted. Kind of amusing. Also he is going full merch this AX.
• Lastly… FOOD TRUCKS

PS. Food truck breakdown–

7/4/2013 Thursday
1    George’s Greek - I’ve had it. P. okay.
2    Luck Dish– Possibly alternative. Also, what is up with the kancolle link lol
3    India Jones – I’ve had it. P. okay.
4    Tokyo Doggie Style
5    Phantom Truck – Possibly first pick
6    Trailer Park Truck – Possibly alternative
7    Tornado Potato – Will target
8    Kogi – always massive line, but maybe!
9    Piaggo on Wheels
10    Bool BBQ – Possibly first pick
11    Mighty Boba – Pretty okay but probably pass
12    Fluff Ice – If line is not too long

7/5/2013 Friday
1    George’s Greek
2    Luck Dish
3    India Jones
4    Tokyo Doggie Style
5    Phantom Truck
6    Trailer Park Truck
7    Tornado Potato
8    Jogasaki Burrito – Will target
9    Me So Hungry
10    Slap Yo Mama – Liked it last year, will try again?
11    Rancho A Go Go
12    White Rabbit
13    Kogi
14    Piaggo on Wheels
15    Belly Bombz – If they still have any left…
16    Fluff Ice

7/6/2013 Saturday
1    George’s Greek
2    Luck Dish
3    India Jones
4    Tokyo Doggie Style
5    Fresh Fries – Could be good
6    Trailer Park Truck
7    Tornado Potato
8    Me So Hungry
9    Slap Yo Mama
10    Rancho A Go Go
11    White Rabbit
12    Bool BBQ
13    Belly Bombz
14    Boba Truck
15    Del’s Lemonade

In the past there are also trucks on Sunday, but it’s just whoever wants to come back.