The Las Cruces Anime Day, a one shot event in the Corbett Student Union of New Mexico State University, brought in a crowd of 494 anime fans and curious locals at its first event and first anime convention for Las Cruces, NM. The concept of packing an entire convention into one day is not unheard of, but seemed to go off without any complications other than the occasional technical hiccup during panels and video display. Attendees were extremely polite and behaved and as some noted, the convention seemed streamlined-not surprising as LCAD had been a quiet project for almost a year.
LCAD was brought about by the El Paso Anime Coalition, a group of individuals who have been running a convention (El Paso Anime Con or EPAC) in the El Paso, Texas area for six years and the Las Cruces Anime Night, a student organization at NMSU. To help tie a relation to the two events, the convention offered a discount to previous EPAC attendees. 15 dollars for normal full entry, with a badge rate of ten to previous EPAC attendees and current NMSU students.
For a single day event, not a moment went by without some kind of event or activity going on-some more popular than others, with panels ranging from a Convention Survival Guide to Cosplay Workshops and an Art Class alongside other expected event such as a Hall Cosplay Contest, Masquerade and Dance. Monica Rial, voice actor for Funimation and ADV Films, attended as LCAD’s Guest of Honor where she hosted a Voice Acting panel and a special screening of Soul Eater, in which she voices Tsubaki Nakatsukasa. Despite the streamlined nature, the mixed reactions came from the schedule itself, which was published at least four days in advance of the event. Some felt the tension of what to prioritize when planning which events to attend. With a tightly packed schedule of panels, video rooms and karaoke as well as the Masquerade, some felt that it was too much and cut into other activities, while others felt it kept them busy the full day.
Several gaming tournaments were held: Street Fighter 4, Blazblue and Tekken 6 with prizes provided by an El Paso anime store, Happi Robot. A smash tournament was also held by local gaming organization: Game Knights. Many agreed that the free entry of all tournaments encouraged more participation from attendees, making it more enjoyable.
The gaming room was large, like most of the rooms and expansive, featuring XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii and PS3 consoles as well as DDR, DJ Hero and more. An assortment of retro consoles provided by an independent store and retro specialist, Super Mega Turbo, kept the nostalgia at bay while reminding the room where modern gaming originated and for the attendees that played, it was a much enjoyed flashback. The Artists Alley was active with a variety of art styles and hosted its own panel, Iron Artist, pitting artist against artist. With a small number of vendors, the Dealers Room seemed normal, with vendors offering an assorted array of anime plushes, DVDs, models and figurines as well as Gothic Lolita Fashions by independent designers.
One of the highlights of this particular event was the charity auction, with art pieces donated by Artist Alley participants and other local artists which sold in range from 50-60 dollars and consisted of artworks, including a handmade Full Metal Alchemist stained glass piece. In total, LCAD raised 250 dollars for Child’s Play, an organization that provides video games to children in hospitals.
It is in no doubt that the Las Cruces Anime Day was a successful event with hopes that it will return next year to the Las Cruces area, bigger and better. The venue was well furnished, the staff were extremely helpful and attentive and the event genuinely seemed to be a hit with the attendees. Following the success of LCAD, Plans for El Paso Anime Convention 2010 seem to be starting on the path to another successful event.