hey guys! i just came back from a brand new convention called animeworld indianapolis that took place this past weekend. i'm not sure if i will be going to my usual con, youmacon (it sort of depends on the bands being announced), so i thought it would be fun to attend since it would be much cheaper than going all the way to detroit.
it was a lot of fun! it was EXTREMELY small, but it was really well-run. that's what sold me on attending in the first place-- that it seemed to be run by a pro crew of convention workers, unlike the other indiana con i had been attending even before it moved to indiana, ikasucon. ikasu got smaller and smaller every year, we always had problems with the staff, and there was a huge decrease in the amount and quality of programming-- so i stopped going. i began going to youmacon, and it is definitely worth the huge drive. it's how i befriended one of my favorite bands, lemon demon, and i really like going to such a huge con.
but animeworld was a delightful change of pace! because of how tiny it was, you could always get an elevator within just a few minutes, and it would almost always be empty or just have a few people on it. the staff was so nice and helpful, and they never yelled at anyone about where to stand for lines or anything like that (or at least i didn't see that happen!). the dealer's room was awesome, and even though it was small it was easy to navigate, had a bunch of great vendors, and was never too packed. there were a lot of other cool features such as arcade cabinets, a well-stocked gaming room, a j-pop concert, and several different panels that were really unique. i've been going to cons since 2004, and this is one of the best i've ever been to! i think it has a ton of potential to become a really great and beloved con of midwestern geek culture, and i hope it can live up to the image of hospitality and fun it has created in its initial run. personally, i would come back next year, and i am thinking of trying to do a homestuck panel or something!
anyway, as i said about the dealer's room, they had a nice diversity of stuff and didn't just cater to what's really popular (the big shonen series that everyone loves, like naruto and bleach). there was a surprising amount of sailor moon, ponies, madoka, and vocaloid stuff that i hadn't seen before! so here's what i bought with some of my graduation money. i can guarantee you that none of this was ridiculously expensive-- i always make sure to survey the WHOLE dealer's room at a con before i make a purchase, to see if any place else sees it. i got a particular deal like that here. and i think i'll be making a con tips guide with information like that sometime soon, either as a blog post or a video!
so to start off i thought i'd show you the strangest thing i bought, a madoka bath bomb with a blind boxed keychain inside.i didn't know that the concept of hiding the blind boxed toy in a bath bomb existed, but i just saw a little twin stars version of this idea on tumblr today.
there are no huge pictures of a bath bomb in the box, so i just thought it was a keychain. you can get a school or puella magi version of any of the girls, as well as kyuubey.
so, completely missing the bath bomb instructions on the back of the box, i opened it up thinking it was a pink-for-madoka capsule, and i realized what it was! i usually don't enjoy the typical bath bomb scent, but this smells delicious. it's sort of vanilla-floral-y? i dont really know how to describe it. but it turns the bath water BRIGHT pink! i don't take baths because i'm not a huge fan of swimming in human dirt soup, but i thought i could take it into the shower and put it in a bucket of water. it worked well and made the shower smell great. once it dissolved, there was...
a teensy capsule! and inside that...
a little baggy, containing my new alt-timeline homura keychain!
the keychain is really small and cute. it seems delicate so i'll probably just be occasionally wearing it on a necklace or something.
i also got another blind boxed madoka toy roughly the size of a puchi/petit nendoroid. she's absolutely adorable and impeccable quality for the price.
she's pretty tiny, but still a little bit bigger than the small nendoroids.
what's tinier, though?
these cute little figures! they're adorable tiny little puella magis, and like the keychains they include school/magic versions of each girl and also kyuubey. but, to match my other win, i got...
tiny schoolgirl madoka!
she's a lot smaller than my other madoka, and she has a little clasp so you can attach her to a phone strap, necklace, keychain, charm bracelet, etc. i don't think i will be using her outside of display, though! she's so cute and tiny, i want to keep her nice.
size comparison from left to right, tiny madoka, puella magi madoka, a puchi nendoroid, and a tiny tiny miku nendoroid.
i also got some of the new sailor moon merch, including this oshiyoki yo button! home circle media had a lot of the new sailor moon stuff, as well as vocaloid stuff (i bought some stickers from them but didn't get a picture), and tons of stationery.
i had to buy the 20th anniversary design sticker, of course. i don't know whether i want to use it or keep it in the package forever...
also from home circle media, i got the princess serenity binder and a set of 5 miku pocket folders! i used one of the miku folders to hold my reference pictures when i got my miku costume judged and i think they liked it, haha!
from artists' alley, i bought these absolutely adorable wrist cuffs. i don't remember the name of the store but i'll try to find it! i'm not really into the cat stuff because i've been going to cons for so long that i've become immune to it, but these were a different matter. the girl who made them offered commissions to get matching items, too. i love these and think they are perfect for wintertime outfits! they're really well made and have fantastic quality components. and they're absolutely adorable.
i bought the CD of the j-pop girl who performed, chii sakurabi, she was very sweet and i got her autograph. i liked her music, and her clothes were adorable. i think she has potential to be pretty successful. for some reason, though, track 7 won't rip to my computer!
there was a booth called credits remaining which was my favorite vendor. they offered fantastic deals on stuff i absolutely love. i got my mom a kirby wallet there, and also got this awesome sailor moon figure set. even though it's not the greatest quality, i expected it to be ridiculously expensive because of how the sailor moon market is priced. i just wanted the wicked lady, but the whole set was only ten dollars!! can you believe that?
i also got the kanto badge set. i liked this PVC set more than the cloisonne-styled one, because it looks more cartoony. getting this set was like fulfilling a childhood dream!
now, there's usually one figure i splurge on every year when i hit up a con. i've adored this hatsune miku max factory figure since it was released, but it sold out really quickly! i think it was about 60 when it came out, so it naturally goes for 80-100 now online. well, i got this from credits remaining for 50 bucks! the stall next to it was selling the SAME FIGURE for 80 dollars! i am SO happy about getting this figure for such a steal.
anyway, that's all for now! i will be reporting more about animeworld once i can get some more of my pictures!
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