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[Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Sonic Soldier Borgman (1988)]

Good afternoon old schoolers!

Just two days away!  Here's a great looking series that some may know tangentially through the Sega Master System game Cyborg Hunter, which was a re-work of the Japanese Borgman Sega Mark III tie-in.  The series is out there with HK subs but it's better than nothing!

Celebrating An Era - 1980's!  Sonic Soldier Borgman (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5WvRo8dloo

[Celebrating An Era - 1960's! Eight Man (1963)]

Good very late evening old schoolers!

How about something really old school for the late shift?  Anime's first cyborg superhero!  Probably better known to people in the west for the OVA sequel 8 Man After, which was part of the regular rotation of Saturday Anime broadcast on Sci-Fi Channel.

Celebrating An Era - 1960's!  Eight Man (1963)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE6V_PLn2IU

[Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Rurouni Kenshin (1996)]

Good morning old schoolers!

Keeping it going with another hugely popular title from the 90's boom.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's!  Rurouni Kenshin (1996)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oun6BUHI9eE

[Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Outlaw Star (1998)]

Good afternoon old schoolers!

ONE WEEK from RIGHT NOW the Old School (Pre-2001) Cosplay Gathering will be getting ready to get underway after three years!  We are so looking forward to bringing this gathering back to FanimeCon.  Remember, we're at LOCATION G7 this year - CONSULT THE MAP!! Hopefully, in the years that follow, we can move back inside but for 2022 we're tucked over onto The Slab at G7.  We know things will be different this year, we know we'll have to be a bit more spread out, but we will be there.

A couple changes this year -

1. Mask + megaphone just doesn't work out, so I've went ahead and made large flipcards that state each photography setup.  Hopefully this will keep me from losing my voice just before our big two hour Vintage Anime panel the next morning. (which you should also check out, Saturday - Panels 3 - 10am)

2. Pose counts will be shorter.  How close you get is about how comfortable you are (PLEASE respect your fellow cosplayers - especially at this gathering) but the idea is to keep us close together for pictures in shorter bursts.  This means we want to get people set for the picture quickly, strike the pose, get to the countdown faster, and then spread back out.  So if you're a photog following the gathering, we're going to go a little quicker, probably 3-5 second counts rather than 5-10 as in years previous.

3. More time for solo / small groups at the end.  Location G7 really does allow us to be a bit more isolated and protected, allowing space for cosplayers to step to the side and then get into position easier.  This should help us roll through the photography order faster, which means more time after for solo / small group photos utilizing our location.

4. Ribbon for every cosplayer!  Okay, this is no different than in 2019 but we do have a new ribbon.  At the end of the gathering we will be giving out badge ribbons and business cards.  The business card will have the location where an UNOFFICIAL gallery of all gathering pictures will be hosted a week after Fanime (taken by my co-host and myself).  We want to make sure EVERY COSPLAYER in the gathering is able to get that and a ribbon.  If you need to bounce before the end, just come up to me and I'll give you a card and ribbon.

5. REMEMBER WE ARE IN A NEW LOCATION!  You have to go outside and around and then between the Hilton and artist alley ballroom expansion, then all the way to the end.  Please give yourself time to make the journey.  We have to start at 6pm so we don't loose too much sunlight as it sets behind the Hilton.  It only takes a minute to get there if you know where it is - CONSULT THE MAP!

So there it is, we look forward to seeing you all in a week.  Please take care of yourselves and your fellow cosplayers, we're almost there.  Let's start the final week run-up with a series that should have found a bigger audience.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's!  Outlaw Star (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoDUxs3rlRU

[Celebrating An Era - 1980's! Urusei Yatsura (1981)]

Good very late evening old schoolers!

How about one for the late night crowd tonight?  Kinda crazy to think a staple of anime such as this first aired 41 years ago!

Celebrating An Era - 1980's!  Urusei Yatsura (1981)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2Jiic05C0M

Corrected an error I had in the first post.  All systems are still go!  See you Fanime Saturday!

[Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Hana Yori Dango / Boys Over Flowers (1996)]

Good afternoon old schoolers!

Fanime weekend is closing in fast!  Remember we are going to be located at a different spot this year - OUTSIDE and around the corner at THE SLAB - Gatherings G7.  Consult the map in the second forum post / pinned Facebook post for directions!

Going to move to posing an OP here and there until the convention weekend.  How about the anime adaptation of the best-selling shojo manga series of all time?

Celebrating An Era - 1990's!  Hana Yori Dango / Boys Over Flowers (1996)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul9WDDBBrzM

[Celebrating An Era - 1990's! 70's Robot Anime Geppy-X (1999)]

Good late evening old schoolers!

I always like to remind con-goers that the Old School gathering is also open to those who cosplay from Pre-2001 video games.  In fact the first year I attended the gathering we were cosplaying as Taizo Hori and Masuyo Tobi from the classic arcade games Dig Dug and Baraduke.  As long as it's a game character from before 2001, it's good to go!

With that in mind, how about an OP from a video game that looks as if it were based on a vintage anime series.... but isn't?  70's Robot Anime Geppy-X was a 1999 Japan-only PlayStation side scrolling shooter framed around being an homage to 1970's super robot anime.  Spanning four discs, it didn't just go for a visual aesthetic in its gameplay.  Each stage features an opening and ending sequence, animated insert scenes, tons of voice work, eyecatches that lead into commercials for merchandise related to the "show," parody advertisements for other anime series that don't exist, and a bunch of songs throughout.  Speaking of songs, they are performed by Isao Sasaki, who sung so many old school themes including Space Battleship Yamato, Neo Human Casshern, and Getter Robo.

It's all pretty crazy!  The developers basically made a 70's mecha anime series, complete with all the trimmings, in video game form.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's!  70's Robot Anime Geppy-X (1999)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8_IPJ60B3Y

[that's fine!]

Good afternoon old schoolers!

Well here we are, the month of May and FanimeCon just over the horizon.  All systems are still go for the gathering but do remember that although we will be outside this year, we will still be on convention property and need to abide by FanimeCon and Convention Center regulations and requirements.  We're going to have a lot of space where we're located this year but as always, a core of this gathering is that you - the cosplayers - feel comfortable.  This is going to be the same during gathering pictures - if you're not comfortable with getting close, then don't - that's fine! - and we will accommodate that.  If you have any questions or concerns about the gathering, just let me know!!

Of course this final run-up is when I like to start posting anime OPs of the series' that were biggest during the 90's anime boom in the west - that amazing time when anime fandom really began to explode and become more mainstream.  Here's one that was huge over here but not so much in Japan - strange how that goes sometimes!

Celebrating An Era - 1990's!  Trigun (1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OxFSy8G5wk

I'm trying to register myself and my roommate, but there is no checkout button after putting down both of our memberships.

Um, you realize this thread was talking about registration for FanimeCon 2014, right?

[Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Earth Defense Corporation Dai-Guard (1999)]

Good late evening old schoolers!

Apologies for stepping away for a bit, a lot going on outside of Fanime stuff.  Do know you can always reach me on the forums, or by posting in the Facebook Event Page (for when Facebook actually sends me the notification - which it doesn't always do).  We're getting pretty close to the convention weekend and things are still all systems go for the gathering.  Remember we are at a different location than in years previous due to safety requirements - look at the beginning of the forum thread or the pinned Facebook Event Page post for details!

I'm ALWAYS active on the Fanime forums, probably one of the most active people on the forums these days, so remember you can always contact me there.  I'm going to get back into the frequent updates and start to push promotion for the gathering.  That begins again tonight with one of my favorite series from the end of the old school era.  Dai-Guard is both an homage and parody - to both the super robot and real robot genres - that pits a group of office workers in a cheaply constructed giant robot against mysterious giant creatures, in the physics and red tape of the real world.  It's a lot of fun and is currently in print as a single box set after being rescued a few years ago.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's!  Earth Defense Corporation Dai-Guard (1999)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch8Zq10_luA

[Gatherings G7, The Slab location]

Good late evening old schoolers!

Here is a map that will show you how to get to the Gatherings G7, The Slab location, starting at either the main entrance to the convention center or the area where we were in 2018 and 2019 (Gatherings G3).  Note that the maps of the street level don't show the large second floor ballroom expansion where Artist's Alley is generally located, as it's facilities operations space beneath, but I've filled it in so the map is more accurate to the actual layout.

Do not stop at Gatherings G8 (The Hilton Tree Walkway), keep going all the way to the end and up the little set of stairs to reach G7 - The Slab.



REMEMBER - There is NO ACCESS to G7 - The Slab from inside the convention center concourse!  If you attempt to go through the fire doors you will set the alarm off.  You have to approach G7 from the sidewalk along side San Carlos Street, either from the front of the convention center or by walking around the Hilton.

I have also added this information to the second post in this thread!

It's back.  It's approved.  It's twice as big as in years previous.   ...and it'll be at Fanime Saturday 10am - Noon in Panels Room 3.

Vintage Anime - Name That Year! returns for 2022!

[We will be at Gatherings G7, The Slab - the raised area outside between the video rooms and Hilton.]

Good late evening old schoolers!

Just a quick post tonight, as the gathering has been approved and made official.  As per tradition, it will occur on Fanime Friday at 6pm.  However due to an outdoor requirement for gatherings this year, we will be moving to a new location.  We will be at Gatherings G7, The Slab - the raised area outside between the video rooms and Hilton.  All gatherings areas were considered and G7 is the most similar to where we are usually located inside, and will give us a similar degree of space and protection for the dedicated group that our gathering is known for.

In the next couple weeks I'll provide a map for those who are unfamiliar with the location of G7 or how to get there easily from what was our previous location.

[Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)]

Good late evening old schoolers!

I has been a long, long, long time since I've updated.  I apologize for that!  Everything is still moving along as usual (well, as usual as usual is these days), things have just been busy outside of FanimeCon stuff.  With that said, the intent is to move back to weekly posts, with an occasional mid-week like this one.  The only change of years previous is we will be shifting the gathering location outside, as part of a safety requirement request, with more information to follow once we are confirmed for a specific location.  We will still be ON SITE at the convention center, just not at our usual indoor perch where we had been since 2018.  Again, more details to follow once we're confirmed.

Let's get things moving here again...

Celebrating An Era - 1990's!  Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU21rCWkuJw

[Celebrating An Era - 1990's! Blue Seed (1994)]

Good afternoon old schoolers!

For this week I'm going with an OP that I am so happy to see online again.  For whatever reason it was always "the one that gets taken down immediately."  Blue Seed is an awesome series with a spectacular opening and a rocking theme song.  It's also a series that was hugely popular during the 90's anime boom in the West and is also a series that became almost completely forgotten after.  It was featured in our Vintage Anime - Name That Year panel in 2019 and has been rescued and re-released by Discotek as SD on Blu-ray.

I consider it Devil Hunter Yohko with a bigger cast or Evangelion with less hardware.  Now I get some flack for comparing it to Evangelion but hear me out on that... Ancient mythology mixed with modern government intrigue, spiritually superpowered children drafted by a gray organization to save humanity, and a young main character cast into the middle of it all - as it is their fate whether they agree or not.  It also has my vote for being the "most 90's anime."  Give it a look, it deserves way more attention these days and has both great visual style and an interesting story.

Celebrating An Era - 1990's!  Blue Seed (1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MihlQ4aLh8

Seems like as of today all hotels are already booked? Is that even possible? Or did they only have a certain number of rooms available for today's booking windows and only those are booked?

Just kinda worried since my group can't book til tomorrow.

I noticed today that availability was changing window to window and then every few minutes within a window.  I had 10am today (Wednesday) and 10 minutes before my block opened everything went unavailable.  Then it was really hard to find anything for maybe 10 minutes, then I was able to book Marriott (not my first choice).  Got the reservation taken care of, then reloaded the page every 5 minutes or so until I saw Hilton was available (what I wanted), and changed my reservation on the site.

I've also seen on the unofficial facebook group that someone reserved a single day at an outlier hotel, then called to get waitlisted immediately.  Within the hour CMR called them back with their preferred hotel booking.

Hey everyone.  I just submitted the panel for 2022, same as the plan that we were approved for in 2020 - two hours with two full games.  Here's hoping it's accepted and goes through smoothly.

[Celebrating An Era - 1980's! The Wondrous Koala Blinky (1984)]

Good afternoon old schoolers!

Wow, it's crazy to think that Fanime 2022 housing opens in two days.  I know the state of the pandemic isn't good right now and it may seem strange to think about going to a huge convention, especially staying at a hotel there.  However we all know the situation can change week to week, day to day.  Fanime is still over four full months away and things may look up considerably by then, it's impossible to predict one way or another.

Also to those outside of the San Jose area who may be confused by how slim the hotel list is this year, the problem is two fold.  Hotels in the downtown area have only recently begun to reopen in any realistic capacity, and the Fairmont San Jose has been closed since last March when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  It has since emerged with a new management contract and is slated to open sometime this year (2022) under "Signia Hilton San Jose" branding.  That's a huge chunk of rooms that are still a bit of an unknown at this time, not to mention how panels may shakeout without their ballrooms.  Of course, if that does reopen in a couple months, that could be a lot more housing added sometime later and panels may be business as usual - who knows.

Getting back to old school anime openings and endings - here's a bit of a nostalgia curveball for some.  If you watched Nickelodeon in the late 1980's - early 1990's you may remember a cartoon called Noozles about a stuffed koala who can be brought to life by rubbing noses with it.  The koala is in fact an extra-terrestrial named Blinky, and along with his sister Pinky, he goes on adventures under the care of his human friend Sandy.  The series is Japanese in origin and aired on Japanese television in 1984 as The Wondrous Koala Blinky.  For a kid's show, especially an anime kid's show that was reworked for English broadcast, it gets pretty out there... like, really out there.  I haven't seen it in a long time but I think I need to download it soon and give it another watch (you can find the complete English version on Archive).

Celebrating An Era - 1980's!  The Wondrous Koala Blinky (1984)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJeNN9NFTI0

Keep in mind compared to years previous - hotels in Downtown San Jose have had a very odd run through the pandemic are going to be different than before for a little while.  They're only now starting to spin back up to any form of occupancy.

Additionally, the Fairmont San Jose has been closed since last March when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  It has since emerged with a new management contract and is slated to open sometime this year (2022) under "Signia Hilton San Jose" branding.  That's a huge chunk of rooms that are still a bit of an unknown at this time, not to mention how panels may shakeout without their ballrooms.  Of course, if that does reopen in a couple months, that could be a lot more housing added sometime later and panels may be business as usual - who knows.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/11/08/downtown-san-jose-hotel-reopen-2022-hilton-signia-covid-real-estate/