First things first: I've redone the other sites page, changing some wording and adding two more categories of sites. I still consider it incomplete, but it's getting better.
Less importantly, I fiddled with the formatting of the previous entry. #
Thoughts on Otakon 1998
I was at Otakon last weekend, so I guess I can't call myself a casual anime fan any more. (Anime is the Japanese word for animation, and refers specifically to Japanese animation among English-speaking fans.) About 2500 other people showed up, so I'm in good company.
While there, I got a chance to watch some shows I hadn't been able to see before and I got to hear people in the industry talk about what was going on. Most eye-opening, for me, were the various panels about dubbing. I've always preferred to buy subtitled editions, reasoning that dubbing hasn't lived up to its potential. I'm no longer certain that's true in all cases. I saw a clip from a dubbed parody series called Shinesman, and it was hilarious. As for any changes... that's what liner notes and obsessive friends are for.
I also picked up some CDs, including the soundtrack for Cowboy Bebob, an SF series created by Shoji Kawamori and scored by Yoko Kanno (both of whom have previously worked on Macross Plus and Escaflowne). Despite not being a big jazz fan, I'm really enjoying it. If only I could see the series the music is written for....
Speaking of Shoji Kawamori, I didn't get to spend a lot of time at his panel, but I did get his autograph. From what I saw, he seems like a pleasant fellow. Makes some good anime, too.
Finally: after seeing the Evangelion movies, I never need to see them again. (Unless I'm with someone who can explain what was going on. Now I can appreciate how people who saw 2001 without having read the novel felt.) #