Day 1 - We wake up and eat some cereal bars for breakfast.  This is what I ate for breakfast for the next 3 days.  I grab my backpack and stuff a camcorder in it.  I assume that the fully charged battery would last for 4 hours, which was more than enough for the Opening Ceremonies.  Our seats for opening ceremonies were on the left side, just behind the left back screen.  Those things weren't working so I had a pretty crappy view of the left screen all the way in the front.  I record the thing and soon, I notice that the battery is going fast.  I hoped the battery wouldn't go dead, but it did.

For the ceremony itself, I was a little disappointed that Ramen & Rice weren't there.  Yuki Kajiura did a preview of what her concert would be like the following day. Kamiya, from an anime and manga school in Japan, showed us a video of a guy that wakes up and finds that his upper body is a dinosaur.  It was funny.  All the guest were introduced and the right eye of the AX Damura was filled in.  Me and my friend went out as they did it and got in line for the dealer's room.  When we got in, I was glad the hall was fucking huge.  I made a quick pass through some of the aisles, but then I had to leave so I could attend the Furuhashi and Nakajima Focus Panel.  Furuhashi was the director of the entire Kenshin series and part of Hunter X Hunter.  Nakajima has done character designs for Ranma 1/2.  Both are currently working on Get Backers as their respective jobs.

The opening question for the panel was someone wondering if the Get Backer characters were gay!  The entire room laughed, and the guest laughed also when the question was translated.  Both of them said they were not.  The panel was great.  The biggest reason I came to this panel was I was hoping to win a sketch, but I didn't win.  My ticket was called for an autograph, but I was too disappointed to want that so I just didn't go up.  I don't regret it.  I then stood in line for the autograph for Nakajima anyways.  She spent too much time drawing the sketches and they told us to come back for the second autograph session.  I probably should have gone to the yoshitoshi ABe panel.  Meh.

I went to the Dealer's room and ate a pizza and looked around some more.  I grabbed all the freebies I could find.  My friend and I then went to AX Idol.  It was fun to watch, but I should have gone to the "Resin/Garage Kit from Start to Finish" panel first.  I enjoyed all of the judges commentary.  It was a long event, and I stayed from start to finish.  My favorite act was the girl who did a Pocky monologue.  At the end, I gave my friend a box of Pocky to give to her.

Day 2 - The first thing we did was to claim our Masquerade tickets with our vouchers.  Then we went to the hall where we split up.  I then went to the Taniguchi and Kuroda panel.  Taniguchi is a director who has worked on Gundam Wing and Kiddy Grade.  Kuroda is a writer who has written scripts for Onegai Teacher and Trigun.  Both have worked on Infinte Ryvius and s-CRY-ed.  I attended this panel solely for Kuroda.  This was definitely the best panel of AX for me.  Both of them didn't want a formal panel and decided to use a wireless mic to walk to the guest who had questions.  One question was asked to Kuroda about the fanservice in Onegai Teacher.  He said he writes it for himself because he loves fanservice.  ^_^
He also revealed that Onegai Twins was about a guy who has two girls suddenly appear.  One of them is his girlfriend, and the other is his sister, but he doesn't know who is what to him.  It takes place 2 years after Onegai Teacher and happens at the same lake that Kei was sitting by in the first episode of Onegai Teacher.
At the end of the panel, my ticket wins an autograph from both Guests of Honor.  ^_^
As we leave, both guest shake the hands of the people who attended the panel.  I graciously shake and bow my head to both of them.
While I was at this panel, my friend waited in some line to get tickets for the Anime Music Video Contest.

After the panel I scour the dealer's room for a pencil board of Kiddy Grade and an art book for Onegai Teacher.  I find the art book, but not the pencil board.  I end up getting a pencil board of s-CRY-ed.  I have only read the first volume of the manga; so I don't really know much about the series.  I forgot that he had also worked on Gundam Wing.  Oh well.  I get to the autograph line and wait.  When it is my turn I find out that they want to personalize it with my name.  I give them my alias name, Shoju.(Shoju is not my real name, but it will be some day.)  I tell them both arigato.  These two guest were really cool!  ^_^

After getting the stuff signed, I bring it back to my room and head off to the Dealer's room to eat pizza and look around again.  I then go wait in line for the Kajiura concert.  My friend is waiting in line to get an autograph by Kuroda since he didn't win.  The session ends before he can get his art book signed and comes wait in line with me.
Our seats were roughly the same as opening ceremonies, but the back screens were working by this time.  I taped pretty much the whole concert.  My friend bought himself and me copies of her CD "Fiction" before a lot of people noticed that they were selling CDs.  The concert was lovely.  The violin guy, Hitoshi Konno, was very good.  She even treated us to an encore.

I went to the Veterans of Anime Music Videos Panel after.  It was a good panel.  After that, I went to wait in line for the AMV contest.
One of the videos, "Through Time, Through Space," is one that I have already watched.  It also happens to be good enough to be put in my "Favorites" folder.  I voted for it, but it didn't win.  Of all the ones I voted, only "Stop the Rock" and "Euphoria" won.  "Chibi Things that Kill" was a great video, but I wanted "Leaves of Happaness" to win.  The action video of Escaflowne was the one I voted for in the Action Category.  "Eternal Damnation" was also very good.
This year the AMV's went well.  Unlike last year.  Our seats were way in the back on the left side.  I think it was 5 rows from the last row.  My view of the screen was good.
Stupid people complained about a small light that was shining on the screen we were watching.

Day 3 - Since we didn't have to wait in line for Masquerade tickets like I though we would have had to, we went to the Rikudo Focus Panel.  Rikudo is the mangaka of Excel Saga!  He is a very funny guy.  Whenever he was asked about the hentai doujinshi he has made, he made a "ssshhh!" sound.  ^_^
He apparently likes to play pranks on his staff.  One time he took them out to eat and ended up driving for an hour before someone asked him where they were going.  There was a lot of praise for him.  One guy even asked him if he liked Mexican food and asked him if he would like some after the panel.  The same guy ended the Q&A session by singing a song, "When Birds Suddenly Appear," to him.  I would have liked to win a sketch, but I didn't win.  He had already drawn them and were giving them to the winners at the end of the panel.

After the panel I went to the dealer's room and started buying stuff.  I went to the Kajiura Focus Panel after.  The most interesting tidbit I found out was that, in Aquarian Age, the songs she made for it was in a language that was gibberish called Yukarish.  I didn't win an autograph and I didn't feel like waiting in line to get her autograph.  I went to the dealer's room again and bought even more stuff.

Then I went to the Last Exile Panel.  There, a lot of the story was spoiled.  Apparently, Claus hates Alex and that's why they don't talk to each other.  Alex has some relation with Claus's father.  When asked if Al's buns were supposed to be an upgraded version of Chiyo's hair, they answered it was.  Pioneer will try to get the same figures that the Japanese release is getting.  The photos in the ending have a great importance that will be known by watching the show.  There was a question about the Greek that is written on the side of the Silvanna, but I forgot what they said it was.  I think it was along the lines of "Fight with justice" or something.  Great panel.

I then went to join up with my friend, who was already waiting in line for the Masquerade.  The MC this year was much better than last year.  He didn't let the crowd get the better of him.  Last year, my friend and I waited in the stand by line and got floor seats.  This year, our vouchers got us seats 3 rows from the front and near the center.  Our seats kicked ass.  I taped all the good stuff.  My favorite skit was "Yu-Gi-O my God."

Day 4 - Woke up at 7:00 A.M. and packed everything up.  Loaded everything into the car and then checked out when my dad got there.  He gave me some more money and I went to the dealer's room for the last time and bought a lot more stuff.  At the Art Show auction I bid on a Sephiroth piece and won it for $35.  At the Charity Auction, I didn't plan on bidding on anything.  They then announced that they took Discover and they gave me the power to actually bid.  I used that power and bid on a Onegai Twins poster signed by the seiyuus.  I end up bidding against some guy and finally win it at $230.  Which happened to be my limit!

The award ceremonies took place after and then closing ceremonies.

Things I bought:

• A set of Kanon figures (Kanon)

• A huge Ayu PVC figure (Kanon)

• Hellsing capsule figure set (Hellsing)

• A huge Lulu figure (Final Fantasy X)

• A Namco limited edition cold cast model of Mint Adnade (Tales of Phantasia)

• A 1/100 AEGIS Gundam Seed model (Gundam Seed)

• A O.M.N.I. Enforcer business card holder (Gundam Seed)

• A E's Otherwise business card holder (E's Otherwise)

• Gaara pin (Naruto)

• Sakura pin (Naruto)

• 11cm Sakura figure (Naruto)

• Sakura keychain (Naruto)

• 37" shinai

• 2 Onegai Teacher art books (Onegai Teacher)

• s-CRY-ed pencil board (s-CRY-ed)

• AX 03 limited edition pin

• AX 03 t-shirt

• Sephiroth fanart (Final Fantasy VII)

• Onegai Twins poster signed by voice seiyuus of the show (Onegai Twins)

Things I got that I didn't pay for:

• Fiction CD

• Chibi Sakura keychain (Naruto)

• Autographs from Kuroda Yousuke and Taniguchi Goro

Freebies: