Super Awesome Sakuracon 2010 photos.

Hey there folks Scififantasyanimeman here. Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve been on my blog. I’ve been feeling uninspired and have been preoccupied with a lot of stuff. But I’m back from a trip to Sakuracon. Sakuracon by the way is an anime convention up in Seattle, Washington. I’d heard a lot about it and decided to go check it out. And let me state for the record the adventure I had proved to be truly OUTSTANDING. The Photos I’m going to show you are of the cosplaying guests, the voice acting guests of honor, and some other aspects of the convention. As always my work is safe and clean in both words and material. Oh and i will admit some of these costumes I don’t know so if anyone out there does know let me know in a polite fashion and I’ll put them in and make an honorable mention of you in my blog. But before we get to the pictures a couple of things. Here in Portland, Oregon I discovered a neat place for anime lovers in Lloyd’s Center a short time ago. It’s called Anime Asylum, and it’s a store that sells, anime videos, paraphernalia and T-shirts related to anime. I bought a movie trilogy from there which I’ll review at a later date. But I can strongly recommend that if you’re an anime fan go to Lloyd’s Center and check out Anime Asylum. Also I’d like to send a VERY SPECIAL shout-out to a person who recently entered my life who means the world to me. The lovely and beautiful AnimesGirl73. Baby I love you, you mean the world to me. Now ON TO THE PICTURES!!!!

This is the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, Ground Zero for Sakuracon. It’s definitely BIGGER than the Portland Convention Center as it has 6 Levels instead of 3. And HOLY COW let me tell you this place is HUGE. I can’t remember how many times I got lost in this place  en route to getting some food, a panel or an autograph. Anyway there’s a Taco Del Mar, a pizza place,a place called Cafe Dior, and a restaurant called Moby’s on the 1st floor along with a FedEx place on the 1st floor. A place called Juice it+ On level 2, and on Level 4 they have a Subway and a place called Tully’s Coffee. There’s also another Subway outside the Convention Center as well as a place called La Creperie Voila. Although I strongly suggest getting to those places early the crowds there during the lunch hour can be a killer. Still during my time at the convention I DID manage to get a Meatball sub and an Oven Roasted Chicken Breast. My two most favorite Subway foot long Sandwiches.

This and the picture above of the Convention Center were taken on Thursday April 1st before the Convention started. Sakuracon s actually April 2nd through the 4th. Because I live in Portland it takes four hours to reach Seattle from my home city. Let’s just say I have the advantage of having relatives who can drive this legally blind person up there. Anyway after making it into the convention center I did some wandering of the place looking for where Registration and check-in were. All i can sa is good thing I pre-Registered. The lines for last-minute registration were INSANE!!! Fortunately the line for those who had pre-Registered was very short so I was able to get my name badge,  get my swag. and scam. However no sooner had i left then i ran across these cosplayers here. As you can see their capes actually give them a fantasy-like vibe. So I just Had to snap a picture of them. As with all my subjects I asked their permission first. I find that it’s a lot easier to get what you ant by just simply asking and being polite. And the end result of which was all of the pictures i got at Sakuracon. And as with all my subjects I’d like to thank them for their cooperation.

 I found these ladies while coming down from Registration. I found them on Level 1 sitting by an indoor fountain. Something about their costumes and their relaxed vibe caught my eye. So I just HAD to snap some photos of them. I like taking pictures of differing cosplayers and sharing them with you the blogging world. I was amazed it was only Thursday and the place was getting packed. That indicated to me that the crowd was going to be HUGE much bigger then Kumoricon…er nothing personal. Although since the convention Center does have 6 levels it stands to reason that there would be a lot more people there. Maybe not as big as some conventions but big enough. Getting around was no piece of cake but my compliments to the Sakuracon and convention Center staff for keeping thing reasonably organized. It speaks of very well-trained professionals.

This is the hotel I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Seattle, a pretty good hotel. It wasn’t cheap I bought my hotel room there for the 1st through the 5th. And the total cost for the stay was over $700. Yeah, not cheap. I had originally been scheduled to get a room with two Queen sized beds but at the last-minute they sent me to a room with one King sized bed. That was probably for the best. The hotel was very clean and tidy and the staff were friendly and courteous enough. However I did have two minor complaints. they could stand to turn the heat up in their rooms because it was a trifle chily. And also they needed to get some showers with warmer water. The shower I was in was kind of on the lukewarm side.  They did however have a convenient entrance to a nearby Starbucks where I was able to buy some good food and some Orange juice for Breakfast. So while the Grand Hyatt does leave some things to be desired overall it gets a 5 out of 7 stars rating from me.

As I recall I snapped this picture on day 1 of the convention.This gentleman with red hair and a magical rod looks ready to kick some rear. Anime heroes are known for being very complex characters. Well they have to be in order to win the viewers out there. I found this fellow on Level 1 and as with all my subject had to snap his picture after politely asking. This fellow here is playing Reno from Final Fantasy VII and thiis fellow looks like someone you’d best stay on the good side of if you want to keep all your body parts. It should be known that as with Kumoricon, Sakuracon  policy states that props only be used for posing purposes and NEVER for real life fights. The swordplay usually happens away from the convention. Inside the convention all weapons must be made of wood or other non metallic material and they MUST be peace bonded indicating that while on con grounds props will only be used to add to a cosplay The rule is reasonable enough, that way nobody gets hurt and lawsuits can’t happen. And there’s enough lawsuits going around as is.

While on Level 4 of the Convention and trade Center I was waiting for opening ceremonies to start when I ran across these fellows. Costumes tend to vary from person to person. Some cosplayer are fairly loose and relaxed in how they create their costumes while others tend to be very meticulous in their planning out a costume. Relaxed or focused costumes are costumes and all are awesome in my book. And seeing as how I’m legally blind and costume making isn’t my strong suit I find that every costume I take a picture of is epic in its awesomeness.

.IT’S TIME TO D-D-D-D-D-DUIEL!!!  Here we have another couple of anime characters. One you’ll notice is wearing a Yu-Gi-Oh duel disk. Yu-Gi-Oh, at least the original, has always been a favorite show of mine. But I’ve always had some problems with it a number of which I talk about in my Yu-Gi-Oh critique. This was taken on the 4th level of the convention center. I Think that the girl in the picture has a sword or some kind of weapon with her. And looks to me she’s holding what looks like a stuffed toy of some kind. If anyone can see more clearly and tell me what it is I’d appreciate it.

ALCHEMISTS, ALCHEMISTS, EVERYWHERE!!! Here we have a picture of TWO state sponsored Alchemists Edward Elric, and an older version of Alphonse Elric, as seen in Full Metal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa. Full Metal Alchemist was always an angsty kind of show. I’ve not seen Conqueror of Shamballa but I hear that the movie is pretty good. I’ve also heard they’re coming out with a new Full Metal Alchemist series. i don’t know for certain but it’s what I’ve heard. Anyway I recall i met these two on Level 4 of the convention Center.  I have to admit the cosplay here is pretty good.

Here’s an interesting trio. One is dressed as a character from the video game Kingdom Hearts and even has the keyblade to match. Another is dressed as the character Alucard from Hellsing I think the anime’s name is. And the person with the silver hair as ninja or shinobi of some kind written all over her. Here’s I’m always amazed by the lengths people will go to for their cosplays. And I can say these people love their anime or video games enough to put in the extra time that they’d put some extra love into their creations.

Ladies and gentleman on the 6th level of the convention center I found straight from the show One Piece…The one and only Sanji. Sanji is the cook for Monkey D. Luffy’s pirate crew. He’s also quite the ladies man, and he has kick that will knock the block off even the hardest of heads. This fellow’s Sanji costume is quite good in my opinion. It should be noted that some fan fiction writers who do guy/girl pairings have paired him up with a girl who joined Monkey D. Luffy’s crew later on in the series Robin. All i can say is keep those fast feet ready, keep on cooking, and behave yourself if you get together with Robin. 

In the midst of my travels I came across this group of very goth/emo anime fans dressed in very cool looking leather attire.  They are members of the Kingdom Hearts game Organization XIII. Usually there are 13 of them but for some reason I was never quite able to get them all in one place. Oh well. These three awesome anime fans I found in one of the larger, roomier, and quieter areas of the Convention center. Heh that quiet wasn’t much because there were a LOT of people at Sakuracon which of course means plenty of noise. Still it’s a small price to pay for having the opportunity to take pictures of all these amazing characters. Here’s a funny thing about anime, in anime they make the swords economy sized. As this cosplayer shows with his prop blade.  Oh well, viva Otaku!!!!

This fellow is dressed as a character from the game Metal Gear Solid. This is Snake Solid a man famous or rather infamous for putting himself in a box and mailing himself all over the world. He’s also noted for sneaking up on enemies in said box. Why this is so I don’t know these anime characters are sure a quirky bunch. And this character is definitely one. I think there’s a story featuring him trying to do something horrible to voice actor Travis Willingham at the Sakuracon 2010 panel Story, Story Die over on PaladinCecil’s channel over on Youtube.  Boy it’s amazing the kind of crazy and imaginative ideas that some of these anime fans come up with.

Now here’s a costume I didn’t expect to find at Sakuracon. But this costume is no less epic in its awesomeness, Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith. the same one from straight out of the Universe of Star Wars. I was stymied when i first found this costume but I immediately realized that snapping a photo of this costume was a MUST> I would’ve never been able to sleep with myself had I not snapped a photo of this cosplayer. And I’m definitely grateful to the person behind the Vader mask for his consent and cooperation. I didn’t see any Luke Skywalkers there and perhaps it was a good things for those of us who are Star Wars fans we all know what happened when Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker met.  Anyway I caught this guy outside the theater room for the anime music videos. This convention center is huge and Sakuracon was wonderful. So much so that i think I’ll be going back next year to take more pictures and have more shameless fun. I may even do a panel who knows.

Now here’s someone you WOULD find at an anime convention. Here we have a fellow dressed as Urahara “Hat N’ Clogs” Kisuke from Bleach. And we have another gentleman who is dressed as Shuunsui Kyouraku a captain from Bleach and a VERY popular one at that.. As you can see this fellow next to Urahara is wearing one of the Asian style  hats. So help me I have GOT to get one of those things. If only for the fact that they look really cool and they’d help me fit in a little more at an anime convention. But then again People might not recognize me without my traditional NAPA auto Parts cap. It’s something I’ll have to consider carefully. Anyway I found these two wondering Level 4 of the convention Center. Level 5 was only available to convention center and Sakuracon staff. What can I say thems the rules.

If i recall correctly these two characters are characters from the show Full Metal Panic. I must make a note to get it and review it sometime. So many animes to critique and so little time.  Anyway these cosplayers and their prop guns I found wandering the area near the main stage and the autograph area.  it was pretty roomy so i was able to get these two heavily armed gentleman who look like they’re getting ready to attempt to take one another out,. Heh feuds in anime tend to be very epic in scale. Take a look at the anime show S-Cry-Ed as an example of such. As i recall this was right before opening ceremonies. I decided not to take some pictures there because I thought it would interrupt the stage performers routines. And i pride myself on being as inoffensive as possible. So I wouldn’t want to do that.  As i recall there was a soft drink machine and a Vita-Water vending machine nearby which was a good thing because there were times where I had to get a quick charge to keep going and snap some pictures. Ah, the life of a blogger.

Oh boy, now here’s the real meaning of “GETTING BURNED” On the Kumoricon forums I have a friend who for security reasons I’ll call Cyprus. Well he made mention on the Kumoricon forums Sakuracon thread of a Meet-up to go to a place called the Wing Dome. The Wing Dome is a chain of sit-down diners in the Seattle area. They even have a website you can go to. But then again everyone seems to have a website of some kind these days. Anyway Cyprus, his girlfriend, and members of the Central Oregon Cosplay group the High Desert Cosplayers, as well as some people from the Portland area (Including myself.) accompanied Cyprus to the Wing Dome. There Cyprus and this powerful looking fellow Kyle engaged in an EPIC challenge: Eat 7 Hot Wings, with 7 alarm Sauce, in 7 minutes.  I had a little of the seven alarm sauce and HOLY COW!!!!! Let me tell you that challenge is definitely NOT for wimps. That 7 alarm sauce is potent stuff. If you go to the Wing Dome I advise EXTREME caution before taking their challenge. Kyle somehow survived the challenge and all I can say is dude you are a real trooper.

These two ladies are two of those who accompanied Cyprus and me to the Wing Dome. The smaller girl is a friend of mine from the Kumoricon forums Soundninja. Anyway she and her friend tried one of the remaining seven alarm hot wings and they got red in the face and couldn’t take it was so hot. Not that I blame them I myself don’t do well with spicy food either. One taste of that seven alarm sauce was enough to convince me that I’d chosen well when I picked the less spicy stuff. Yeah I openly admit while I’m adventurous I’m not adventurous to the point of suicidal. Soundy you and your friend were much braver than me in trying one of those 7 alarm hot wings. The outing was VERY pleasant and Cyprus has indicated he wants to do it again next year. All I can say is since I’m probably going back next year “Cyprus COUNT ME IN!” Though once again I’ll probably order something far less powerful than the 6 or 7 alarm sauce stuff.

After getting back from The Wing Dome and going our separate ways I found myself back on Level 4 of the convention Center in the lobby outside the Main Stage and Autograph rooms. I found these cosplayers one of whom is dressed as Rukia Kuchki’s brother by adoption Byakuya Kuchki from the anime and manga series Bleach. .  Second from left is Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII: Advent children. Second to right we have Vaan lead character from Final Fantasy XII. And furthest right we have Lightning the protagonist from Final Fantasy XIII. The one who is playing Byakuya Kuchki especially did a good job with creating their costumes. Ah cosplayers truly unique creatures they are.

And here it is the 1st of my celebrity photos. Ladies and gentleman I give the voice actor behind such characters as Father Abel Nightroad from Trinity Blood, Mr. Troy Baker. I was wise enough to get there early the lines for some of these voice actors was absolutely NUTS!!!! It took me a little over 2 hours to get to Mr. Baker. But when I did I can say he’s a rather charming fellow. I had him sign my program book on the autographs page. He wrote Something noteworthy in my program. I mean he LITERALLY wrote “Something Noteworthy” alongside his autograph in my program book.  I hope to someday see Mr. Baker again. Or better still have him voice act in something based on some of my own work. He is truly a splendid fellow.

And what do we have here at this anime convention….Its the man, Mario! This is one character I’ve known since I was a kid WAAAAY back in the 1980’s.  Mario who started off as the arch-nemesis of Donkey Kong has come a long way from jumping over barrels and climbing up ladders to rescue Pauline. Now he’s become a symbol of American video game culture. Nintendo has really taken him to the next level since they created Super Mario Bros. all those years ago. Now people everywhere recognized the small plumber and his brother Luigi in their efforts to safe the Mushroom Kingdom time and time again. I was surprised when I saw this fellow dressed as Mario on Level 4 . He did a terrific job on the details. It’s always nice to see those people who really take out time to hone a costume to such a great point of accuracy.

And here once again is my friend Cyprus. Here he’s taken a turn for the darker as he dons the cosplay of a character from Repo, the genetic opera  the detail and the who ominous look of it is awesome. Cyprus as well as a regular on the Kumoricon forums is also in charge of a cosplay group called the High Desert Cosplayers. They’re called that because they reside in central Oregon which is essentially a desert region. I got him on Saturday. I didn’t recognize him at first but once I did I just HAD to snap a photo of him in this neat outfit. I’m looking forward to seeing him and his girlfriend at Kumoricon this year and to chatting with them, he’s actually quite gregarious and a swell person to chat with. And definitely don’t cross him when he’s wearing this outfit.

This lovely lady right here is Cyprus’ girlfriend. So hands off boys this lovely lady is taken. As you can see she’s dressed as Misa Misa from Death Note. Misa In the series was a  goofy girl who had a NASTY little secret, the fact that she for a while had a Death Note as well and had a Shinigami (Death God) of her own. She ended up teaming up with the series protagonist/antagonist Light Yagami and murder criminals while trying to create a “perfect world”. As you can see she did a pretty good job with the outfit. She really has captured the essence of the girl. Alas poor Light instead of choosing love he chose power and power eventually led to his corruption and downfall. Such is the fate of all aspiring tyrants.

This is one bear you might want to think twice about cuddling. I recall this anime bear is secretly a psycho who will kill just as readily as hug someone. Definitely not something you want around your kids. When I first spotted this fellow on Level 4 I just had to get a picture because the person in that costume did some real good work in creating this outfit. This is a clear example of the old adage “Sometimes things are not what they seem” especially this seemingly cute and cuddly thing.

And here is another incredible non-anime cosplay I managed to find at Sakuracon. This gentleman here is playing Doctor Who #10 David Tennant. Doctor Who is a British sci-fi series about a time lord called the doctor who goes around doing good deeds. unfortunately in his efforts a lot of good people die. It’s sad but that’s what happens when bad guys get involved. I’ve actually been watching the series for a long time and nothing personal David Tennant fans but I’;ve always been a strong believer that Doctor Who # 4 Tom Baker was the best. When I was in England several years ago I chatted with a British gentleman who made it clear that it was pretty much the majority opinion that “Baker was the best.” Still David Tennant did do a good job. I recently heard however that David Tennant’s tenure as the Doctor is over and they have someone else now. Anyway as to this fellow his cosplay as the doctor I think is pretty good he has the look of David Tennant as the Doctor. Now if only we could help this fellow find his T.A.R.D.I.S. heh.

The Anime fangirl or fanboy has boat loads of enthusiasm. And this flock of fangirls i found are no xception to the rule. I liked the cosplays they were doing so I decided to get a picture of them for my blog. The vitality and energy of anime fans is something that is truly in and of itself extraordinary. The randomness, and the screwballs sayings such as “I LOST THE GAME!”, “IT’S OVER 9000!”, and a strange new one based on an old pool game, “MARCO!” “POLO!”. Anime fans are an amusing bunch with a strange culture all their own.

Now here’s anime character I’m VERY familiar with. On Saturday while travelling to the Dealer’s room I came across a cosplayer playing none other than Master Roshi from the Dragonball saga.  Nastwer Roshi was a martial arts master who trained the protagonist, Goku in the original Dragonball series. He was also known as the Turtle Hermit because he lived alone on an island and wore a turtle shell on his back. I don’t know to what lengths this fellow went to get his Master Roshi cosplay down but I have to say now THIS is definitely dedication to their craft.  Because this is a pretty good cosplay in my book. You’d think this was Master Roshi himself come to life and not a cosplayer. I say kudos to you sir on a job well done.

On Level 4 I found these three cosplayers walking around. If anyone knows who the masked fellow is I be greatly appreciative. I’m not sure about the one in the middle either. But there is one here who’s dressed as a student from the show Ouran high School Host Club. OHSHC as it’s known in short is an anime comedy about a girl who unwittingly ends up becoming a member of an all boys group  of said name. It’s a comedy series that I’m planning on reviewing sometime in the future. Maybe I’m naive or something but I enjoy taking pictures of ALL cosplayers, I’m not all that picky.

Now here is an interesting change of pace from my other pictures. I had been thwarted in my efforts to get a close up seat in one of Vic Mignogna’s panels so I left feeling rather discouraged. For whatever reason I’ll never be able to quite comprehend my travels took me to the room on Level 6 called the Sakuradome. Here I found myself watching this man, Mr. Bobby ‘Sushiman’ Suetsugo teaching willing participants the art of Sumo wrestling. Mr. Suetsugo went over to Japan when he was 15 to study his family’s people. He ended being entranced by Sumo wrestling and spent the next 10 years studying the ‘strict and manly’ traditions and ways of sumo at a sumo-beya. Currently residing in Seattle Mr. Suetsugo now teaches people the ways of his sport and the traditions and exercises involved in it. I watched as he took volunteers and put them through the paces of Sumo training. I’ll say this I’d been kind of fascinated with SUmo but after seeing the kind of hard work that’s involved in it I have a whole new respect for the sport of Sumo Wrestling. I had the chance to speak to him following his demonstration and Mr. Suetsugo having an understanding of focus, discipline, and respect for others is a kindred spirit to me as I practice Taekwondo. I hope to see Mr. Suetsugo again next year. And I also mean to get a picture of the Kendo team next year should they come back. Ah, the martial arts are a wonder.

Well I pride myself on fairness and balance. And so as I showed Mario now I show one of his many enemies, the evil imposter Wario.  this villanous imposter first appeared around 96  or so in a Game Boy game. Later on he got a puzzle game of his own from Nintendo and he’s been a fixture ever since. I was travelling down the hallway between one of the panel rooms and the Sakuradome on Level 6 when i ran into this cosplayer. I think Wario and Mario are also in the Super Smash Bros. fighting game. One thing’s for certain if these two ever have another plotted out battle in the mushroom kingdom chances are the results will be epic indeed. Beware the power of Wario.

Now here’s another non-Anime character I didn’t expect. One of the staff of Sakuracon was dressed as none other than Cobra Commander from the G.I. Joe series. I have to say they did a pretty good job of putting this cobra commander outfit together. Personally call me picky but as good as G.I. Joe the movie was i always thought the original series was far better. But that’s just me. As with all the cosplayers I’ve taken photos of my thanks to this gentleman for his cooperation and my compliments of the fine work done on his Cobra Commander uniform. This outfit captures the dark malevolent aura that Cobra Commander had.

Here’s another couple of non-anime cosplayers I took a picture of. They’re dressed as the Dark Knight, Batman, and The ultimate symbol of America Superman. Both of these characters who have been with DC comics from its earliest days have been around since long before I was born. Although in the mid to late 80’s Someone came up with the brilliant idea of getting Batman back to it’s roots and hence gave birth to the Dark Knight. And Superman he’s been around forever. from a writer’s perspective I’ve always asked myself what would happen if Superman and Lois Lane had kids? What would they be like, and what would they do? These are some rather interesting questions don’t you think? Anyway I ran into these cosplayers as i decided to head back over to the Dealer’s Hall and see if there was anything I might like.

Okay I’ll admit when i saw this mech cosplay I was VERY impressed. I don’t know how much this cost but based on the time, work, and detail it must’ve cost quite a bit. Mechs have always been major players in anime series. Why else would their be such shows as Robotech, Gundam, Giant Robo, and the Shogun warriors sagas. I was on my way to get an autograph from Vic Mignogna when I ran into this fellow and his magnificent cosplay here. This is definitely not the sort of fellow you want to get on the bad side of if you want to keep all your limbs on your body.  If anyone here knows what series this robot is from please let me know.

And here is my next celebrity photo. I give you the voice of Edward Elric from Full Metal Alchemist, and Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club, as well as the leader of the fan club the Risembol Rangers I give you the very popular voice actor/composer/singer….Mr. Vic Mignogna. Usually I like to take pictures of the subject themselves however, Mr. Mignogna had a professional photographer with him and well…he insisted. And I always give the subjects of my photos what they want if they ask nicely and that’s exactly what Vic Mignogna did. I’ve heard a rumor out there that Vic is hard to deal with and kind of nasty towards others. I can say after only a couple of minutes with him that those rumors should be taken with a HEAVY grain of salt. In short i politely but firmly beg to differ. This guy is up until 1 IN THE MORNING responding to his fans. Jerks aren’t known for giving their fans that kind of courtesy, so therefore Vic Mignogna is in every way including deed and form a gentleman of the highest moral quality. Also I bought a copy of one of his CDs and again I was impressed by his singing voice. Vic Mignogna is definitely the whole package. I hope someday he gets the chance to be the voice of a character from one of my works.

This cosplayer is playing someone all too familiar. Vash the Stampede from the Action/Adventure/Comedy series Trigun. Vash is the Calamity Jane in male form on the world of Gunsmoke. basically Vash is a good-natured goofball who either lands in all types of trouble or has trouble follow him. He doesn’t mean to start anything you could say he’s just one of those people cursed to bring trouble just because of who he is, poor fellow. Anyway while travelling about level 4 after getting Vic Mignogna’s autograph and photo i cam across this guy on Level 6 and got his photo. And i have no regrets about it. With this costume here’s another example of hard work paying off in a good way. All that’s left to say is “THIS WORLD WAS BUILT ON…LOVE AND PEACE!”

Okay an interesting story here. Since day 1 of the convention I’d seen this character from Avatar: The Last Airbender wandering about the convention area. I thought the cosplay was pretty good then finally decided “Aw what the heck.” and asked him to stop for a photo on Level 4. The results in my opinion were pretty epic. I think this is either the main character from the series or a member of the Fire Empire. Whoever this character is the cosplay as i said was pretty good. Another example of hard work and dedication paying off with some good dividends.

And here he is in all his arrogant glory, the ultimate anti-hero of Yu-Gi-Oh Seto Kaiba himself. Kaiba because of some VERY hard circumstances has become a cold, cruel and calculating businessman who’s only interests are in defeating Yugi and giving his younger brother Mokuba the kind of good life he never had. I found this cosplayer for Kaiba on Level 4 . You know a funny story here if you go on some of the Fan fiction websites you wouldn’t believe some of the romantic pairings Kaiba is in. In my opinion some are plausabile and some go WAY beyond the realm of absurd. Either way you look at it Kaiba is a hard person to deal with. Personally someone should’ve knocked some sense into Kaiba and let him know the world is not the terrible place he thinks it is. But when you have an adopted father who abused you I suppose you’d turn out hard nosed also. maybe all kaiba needs to become more socialable is a special person. Anyway i thought this cosplayer definitely captured the spirit of Seto Kaiba nicely…figuratively speaking.

Here’s another character from the Trigun series I just had to get. This cosplayer here is playing Nicholas Wolfwood. Wolfwood is a man of God who is more than he seems. In the series the cross he wears on his back is actually a very powerful weapons and holds some smaller pistols in them. Wolfwood has an orphanage he runs and is always trying to get donations for it. He and Millie Thompson have a brief fling in the series before tragedy strikes.  Wolfwood despite his secrets I actually thought was a sympathetic and rather likeable character. And i thought him and Millie getting together based on what i saw in the series made perfect sense. Wolfwood is also a goofball in his own right so why else would he and Vash become friends.  This cosplayer here captures the whole cool cat vibe of Wolfwood nicely when i found him on Level 6. I’m just glad that unlike the real Wolfwood that cross on his back isn’t a real weapons. THAT would be scary.

  Now here’s one fellow you DEFINITELY do not want to meet in a dark alley. The person here is playing Pyramid Head one of the main antagonists in the Horror/Survival game Silent Hill 2.  Pyramid head wanders around Silent Hill killing unwary victims with his rather large sword. And He makes a brief appearance in one of the endings of Silent Hill: Homecoming. There’s just something about Pyramid Head that I myself find rather unnerving and carrying around an extra large sword doesn’t make me feel any more comfortable. If anything because of my slight aversion sharp objects that makes him everen more terrifying. Boy I’ll say this Whoever created the Silent Hill games dwefinitely had a VERY disturbed mind. They would’ve done Stephen King proud.

While I was waiting in line to get another photograph and autograph sudden inspiration came to me. This fellow here is a staff member for Sakuracon. What is he dressed as you ask? He is evil…he is bad…he is Mojo Jojo! This fellow here dressed up as a famous villain from the non anime animated show The Powerpuff Girls. A quick synopsis of Mojo Jojo is he originally started off as Jojo Professor Utonium’s lab assistant and a chimp. However Jojo was always causing the professor no end of grief. His antics actually helped give birth to the Powerpuff girls when he made professor Utonium add to his formula CHEMICAL X.  The explosion enhanced Jojo’s brain and making him more intelligent and more evil than before. This is what has helped make him one the Powerpuff Girls more troublesome opponents. This fellow as you can see has captured the spirit of Mojo Jojo. As someone in the line I was in pointed out “That costume is epic.” and I heartily agree.

 And now for my next Celebrity photo I give you a lovely lady who has been responsible for the voices of such characters as Wrath in Full Metal Alchemist, Nami in One Piece, and Hani in Ouran High School Host Club to name a few is Miss Luci Christian. I was one of the lucky ones to get an autograph and picture of her for 2 reasons 1. She had a plane to catch and her time was limited. 2. If I recall at the time she was also gravid, and I mean she was pregnant. I’ve seen some of her work And she definitely has a good voice and has a sweet personality. All I can say is Miss Christen good luck to you in your future endevors and I hope you’ll return to Sakuracon or come to Kumoricon in Portland, Oregon  someday.

And here we have my next celebrity photo. This gentleman has played parts such as Watanuki from the show xXxHOLiC and Hikaru in Ouran High School Host Club I give you the very talented and classy Todd Haberkorn. The line for him wasn’t as long as the one for Vic Mignogna or Troy Baker but it was long enough. From what i noted he seems like a pretty relaxed guy. When I had him sign my program he noticed what Troy Baker did and added his own touch to it by putting in “Wow way to take up a page” and put a happy face by it. Never let it be said that voice actors don’t have a sense of humor after what I saw when i checked out what Mr. Haberkorn put down i can say quite the contrary.

And for my last celebrity photo this voice actress has played a number of small parts in which she dies rather painfully. Ugh, what a way to go. But has been noted for characters such as Envy from Full Metal Alchemist and Ilene in the anime series Claymore, I give you Miss Wendy Powell. I will admit I was surprised there weren’t all that many people in line for her. Such a good actress deserves more of a line then what she got.  And well in her current state of dress none would recognize her. As she herself pointed out she looks like a Girls Gym teacher more than anything. As long as she wears something to make look at least reasonably dignified i have no compunctions about getting a photograph of her. And she like Luci Christen gives me the impression of being a  person of sweet temperament. I wouldn’t mind seeing her again someday. 

On the last day of Sakuracon I caught these two after getting the last of my celebrity photos. As you can see they’re wearing leather jackets and have what look like either blue wigs on or have dyed their hair blue these are more Organization XIII members from Kingdome Hearts. Theys eems to be quite prevalent at anime conventions.. Well whatever they did wig or dyed hair it added an awesomely exotic touch to the hair so I just HAD to snap a picture. And I’m certainly glad I did because we’re getting close to the end of this blog entry. Oh well all good things must eventually come to an end. But the memories have insured that I will DEFINITELY be heading up to Sakuracon next year.

It seems I wasn’t alone in my efforts to snap some last-minute pictures of cosplayers at Sakuracon. My journey on the last day of the convention brought me to this couple of anime cosplayers getting photos snapped. Dressed as they were in black with some white they actually had a kind of goth-like classy look to them. I especially liked this fellow’s Mad hatter-like hat. I’m making a mental note that if the weather next year is nice I’m taking some pictures oyutside on the Convention center Skywalk. Chances are there’s probably oodles of opportunity for snapping some cosplay photos there. However Seattle being  close as it is t the pacific Ocean who knows what to expect especially when you add in that Seattle is in the pacific northwest and anyone who claims they know exactly what kind of weather the pacific northwest is going to have doesn’t know what they’re talking about. 

 Now here is a costume that REALLY caught me by surprise. This fellow here is dressed as the nine-tailed fox from the show Naruto. Years ago the fox was defeated and it’s spirit placed inside a baby. That Baby turned out to be Naruto, the protagonist and namesake of the anime series. I have no idea what this cosplayer used in terms of material to get that nine tailed fox look but I have to say whatever it was it worked well beyond any expectation in my personal opinion. This is a costume that ios just THAT good.  Kudos to you sir or ma’am on your dedication to the cosplayer craft you are an inspiration to all by taking on a charcter as physically unique as the nine taileed fox from Naruto.

While awaiting the coming of the panels I wanted to take part in…who of all the anime characters should i happen to stumble on to none other than Tuxedo Mask from Sailor Moon. In keeping with the manly classy look of the character this fellow has got almost completely right. I thought that Tuxedo Mask’s mask was black and but Peach Wookiee my friend pointed out to me that his Mask is silver to white . So this guy has got it just right. And make sure you stay on his good side that rose is more than just something pretty to look at it’s also a weapon that Tuxedo mask uses when he goes into battle. Tuxedo Mask is also the love interest of Sailor Moon though she doesn’t learn that Tuxedo Mask is in fact someone she know who goes to college in the anime High School in the manga untill later on in the series and discovers the whole truth behind her ancient past.

As I was waiting for the panels I wanted to take part in I found myself on Level 6 of the convention center I again found myself catching sight of a familiar character. This time it was from the Mortal Kombat video game series. This ninja here is called Sub-Zero. He’s a nasty one, he has ice attacks that literally freeze a person in his tracks. His attacks can not only freeze a person they can also kill a person. His arch-nemesis is Scorpion. That might be due to the fact that Scorpion tends to use fire attacks. So being that they use different elements that would make them polar opposites and bitter enemies . Personally if those two were to get into a fight the best thing we mortals could do is get out of their way and find some ice and fire-proof shelter to hide in while those two duke it out.

Back on Level 4 in the lobby I ran into this cute-looking girl ninja in her anime attire. I decided to snap a photo of her an place it on my blog here. I think anyway that this girl is dressed as either a sexy female version of Deidara or Sasuke’s evil brother Itachi. I’ve heard some females like to dress up as a female version of Itachi. However if I’m mistaken please politely correct me and I’ll happily make mention of you on my blog page. By this time th convention center was starting to empty with people either heading back to their rooms or heading home. There’s always a sweet sorrow to be found on the last day of an anime convention.

On Level  3 of the convention in my travels I came across this group of cosplayer sitting around chilling and talking all things manga and anime. I just HAD to snap a photo of them for the blog. I find one of the best times to catch cosplayers is when they’re relaxed. And a healthy order of good manners helps too. Those are probably the biggest reasons I managed to snap as many pictures as I have. I certainly am looking forward to snapping more cosplayers at Kumoricon and at Sakuracon next year. One of the cosplayers I think looks like a character from the anime Inuyasha.  The rest I don’t know if anyone has ideas let me know.

Now THIS is a heck of a way to end my Sakuracon pictures. This lovely young lady right here is dressed as a human version of a certain race of small furry creatures from the universe of Final fantasy. These creatures as Griff the Dragoon has pointed out are called Moogles but if anyone out there does know them please nicely let me know. Anyway this costume definitely caught my eye but as you can see I decided to take this picture in my typically TASTEFUL fashion. After all I want younger viewers to read this blog and it wouldn’t help if I started going R rated. Good heavens, perish the thought. Anyway it was on Level 3 that I snapped this picture right outside the room that was two host the panels that were being done by my buddy Paladinelric. Those panels were Story, Story DIe and Anime that jumped the shark. You can see the Sakuracon 2010 Story, Story, Die and Anime that Jumped the Shark on PaladinCecil’s Channel over on Youtube.

Well there you have it everyone those are my Super Awesome Sakuracon 2010 photos. Sakuracon 2011 will again be held at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center and will once again involve the hotels immediately surrounding the place. Me I’m thinking next year of staying at either the Sheraton Hotel or the Seattle Hilton to provide me with easier access although I’m kind of leaning towards the Sheraton Hotel. Since it was just be a simple walk across the street to reach the convention center.  Anyway I’d like to thank all the voice actors and the cosplayers who willingly let themselves be photographed by me. You consent is very much appreciated. Any corrections I’d appreciate having them sent to me and worded ina civil tone. Any compliments or constructive critism as well as corrections should eb placed in the comments box. My next blog entry will be either Kumoricon pics or that long overdue review of G-Gundam. Anyway, this is Scififantasyanimeman saying that I will see ya!

AUTHORS NOTE: Peach Wookiee who is a Sailor Moon fan just corrected me. Tuxedo Mask’s mask IS silver my apologies. Also Griff the dragoon pointed out that the girl in my last picture is a human version of a moogle from Final Fantasy. And thanks to Cyprus for his help with his costume and with giving Kyle his proper credit. Also thanks to  TechnicolorNina from FanFiction.Net and Kurohime from the Kumoricon forums for their assistance.

~ by scififantasyanimeman on 04/12/2010.