Messages

Firstly, I would like to comment that the intro to the speech has tones of Buddhism to it, which I enjoyed quite a bit. It's when the reality that we live in contradicts the imagination that we believe in that causes us to suffer... so in that sense, nerds are terrible Buddhists.

I felt reassured about my status in the world through your talk. You made some awesome points, I agree with the idea that activities such as Fanime allow us to have preset parameters regarding our communication. I felt like most people at the con were easy enough to meet because of our shared interests.

The fact that you didn't use notes and gave your panel free form was awesome. It made it feel incredibly natural, and I think that is why it was so easy to connect with you. That being said, I don't think a general outline with some time notes would hurt. I enjoyed your anecdotes but I can see how some people would believe that it detracts from the message that you are trying to portray.

I really liked how you came out and had a little continuation of your panel afterwards. That's awesome, man. However, some people don't have the confidence to speak out about their relationships and sexual problems in front of a crowd. Have you tried setting up a formspring/tumblr ask/ anonymous option for their questions to be answered? You said yourself that nerds have a better ability communicating through type instead of face to face.

Your panel was probably the most informative and fun thing I did at Fanime this weekend. Thanks for sharing with us. 

I personally had an awesome time at the maid cafe on Saturday. However, I do acknowledge that the food was less than perfect and overpriced, but you can't really expect too much. I'd assume that is more on the side of the convention center than the individuals who organized the cafe, so I can't really blame them for that.

Our wait wasn't necessarily bad, but I never considered myself an impatient person. I do understand that during the busier hours the wait can be a little much for people to handle. Maybe you should invest in more small tables? It would make it easier for more people to sit down without having to join up with another group and wait for a large table. I think smaller spaces also allow certain people to get more comfortable with their meal companions, but I also understand the more reserved individuals wanting larger space in order for them to attract less attention.

Our maid seemed to be in good spirits and that allowed us to have a natural conversation. Even if she wasn't really interested in the con adventures of me and my companion, she did an awesome job at faking it. We had a different maid when we came back on Sunday, and she was a little more shy and reserved. I could tell that she was trying her best to keep our attention, but she didn't feel as engaging as our previous maid. I suppose that ability comes with experience; so I would advise all of the new maids who aren't as skilled yet to keep on trying. People all have their flaws; we just need to work a little harder to get through them sometimes.

I planned to go to the cafe during the Bakemonogatari cosplay event, and the maids who were in costume seemed really cool. I was a little disappointed when I realized that they wouldn't be performing anything during the cafe, but I think that the "Fanimaid Live" event earlier must have taken a lot out for them. That being said, I think that separate cosplay events for Sunday would have been great too.

I think that the maid cafe was a highlight of my con experience. This was my first fanime so I can't really compare it to anything else. Everything has it's rough patches and scuffed edges, but I think that the work that was put into the maid cafe did refine to to a functional point. Perfection is impossible to achieve; I think that the organizers should keep on their path, they are doing whatever they can to the best of their ability.

I had fun, the cafe was functional. I suppose that's the best anyone can do.

Blargh. I just realized that this was for 2011. Believe it or not, I did not time travel to experience the maid cafe last year, this feedback was meant for 2012.