Winter Comiket 2011

December 30th, 2011

In a very sudden last-minute decision, the wife and I ran off to Tokyo to be here for Comiket and New Year’s Day. This afternoon is the first chance I’ve had to play catch up to let you know where I am or what’s happening.

I took a very few pictures already that I want to share:

In the parking lot next to our hotel is this Type-Moon itasha.

The sigil lines are painted in silver, but the flash made them pop out.

We woke up the first morning and came downstairs to see the line for Comiket running right past our hotel:

When we got in, we headed straight for the JESUS DRUG table and for the first time, I was able to meet Hayate x Blade creator, Hayashiya Shizuru-sensei. I fangirled all over her, poor thing.

We found a little Marimite section, and then just threaded our way around all the halls. The wife found some doujinshi she liked and we headed back to the hotel to crash and burn.

In a crazy coincidence, my commanding officer Ana is staying in the hotel around the corner, so we caught up, and had a visit with Dan Kanemitsu, to discuss his work opposing Bill 156.

Day 2, today, we had only a very few tables marked off to visit. First, we headed to the Yuri section, greeted circle UKOZ and then walked around. A few circles I hadn’t seen in years were there. Then we wandered through the halls, stopping at random tables. We ran into the bara section and it was wonderful! Both men and women were selling and buying, but more men, and they were all so happy. I bought a doujinshi (O-san Love, how could I pass that up?) and they guy said, “It’s a gay manga.” I said I know and I think it’s terrific! It’s smiles all around. A gay manga! How awesome is that?

We utterly flipped two circles out. I picked up a Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei/Madoka crossover and the guys just stared at me, like “WHY would you get this?!?” and two women were floored that we knew Tezuka. Oh, oh, oh! And George Washington gave us a US colonial coin, that was swell. We were in the East Halls in the “anime series that never die” section, to check out Sailor Moon stuff, when we gaped at a Violinist of Hameln doujinshi and the circle gaped at us for knowing that series. That was pretty funny.

Late lunch with the C.O. and then we dragged back to our room where we are very busy sagging into throbbing balls of pain. Cement floors are not your feet’s friend.

Tomorrow is ero-day and we have a few circles to find, and a vast crowd to navigate. Time to rest up and build up energy.

Anyway, I’ll do my best to get the Top Ten List together before end of tomorrow, but if I don’t have a Happy New Year!

9 Responses

  1. Jenny says:

    Oh, Erika! I am so excited for you, and so jealous! It sounds like you had a fantastic time, and fulfilled a dream that I’ve had for a long time!

    One question… CO?

  2. Sariel says:

    There’s a retro-section? I had no idea, but damn, I want to see that. And a Madoka/Zetsubou doujin, I want to see that too.

    I’m rather suprised and glad to hear that everyone was (mostly) freindly and a little social towards non-Japanese people.

    Happy new year!

  3. @Jenny – C.O. = Commanding Officer.

  4. @Sariel – People are generally very friendly anywhere in Japan. I can’t imagine why you’d think they wouldn’t be happy to meet non-Japanese fans.

    We’ve only ever had two people be rude to us in all the many times we’ve been here and both times they were older men.

  5. Raelyan says:

    Those cars are fan-freaking-tastic. I envy you for having such an experience ^^;

  6. Jenny says:

    Thank you; I was in the Navy, I know what CO stands for. 8)

    I was curious in what sense this person is / was your (or your wife’s) CO, as I hadn’t known that either of you was in the military.

  7. Ayana Mudou says:

    Oh,I am so happy for both of you. I kind of guessed you might be going to the Comiket due to your mysterious post hehe. Have lots of fun. To meet Hayashiya-sensei and greet the UKOz circle, I am so jealous. Happy new year!

  8. @Jenny – I was not in the military, it’s my nickname for her, since she is in the military.

  9. J says:

    Sounds like you ran into Kaz (Ossan Love) — he’s super-friendly and his English is pretty good. He was even nice enough to leave his table in order to show my brother some of the other bara circles during C80!

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