Magical Girl Site Episode #04 Anime Review

Ever since that day, my life has been a living hell.

What They Say:

Aya Asagiri lives a life of torture. Bullied by her peers and physically abused by her brother, she contemplates suicide as a means of escapism. One particularly harsh night, her laptop abruptly turns on and beckons her toward it. There, a website known simply as the 'Mahou Shoujo Site' offers her a chance to sculpt her own fate with the help of a stick that will grant her powers. But will something as simple as a magic wand truly be enough to save her from a life not worth living?

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

In my last review, I did a bit of complaining about the sporadic release schedule of this series but, based on the last two weeks, I think it's safe to assume that each episode going forward should be up by Friday. That being said, I'm glad to finally have an at least slightly-predictable calendar date for Mahou Shoujo Site because, despite its flaws, I actually really like it. I'm not sure if I've done the best job at illustrating that given just how 'off the rails' it is, but I really do- and this week's episode doesn't change that at all. It doesn't exactly live up to episode three, but I'd go as far as saying its the second best out of the four so far.

The end of last week's installment made it pretty apparent that Sarina was going to be a much bigger character going forward. This week drives that home in full force as we explore both her background and Yatsumura's. Surprisingly enough, Sarina wasn't always a bad guy. In fact, when Aya transferred into her current school, Sarina was the only one who really acknowledged her existence, to begin with. She went as far as deterring other people from bullying her and left plenty of opportunities for Aya to assimilate. However, Aya's timid persona soon proved to be quite annoying to the redhead- especially considering that Sarina was never even thanked for any of the things she did. Imagine you went out on a limb and stood up in the face of adversity for someone only to have them completely blow you off in return. You'd hate it, right? Okay, maybe you wouldn't hate it enough to shove a box cutter down their throat, but you get the point.

Yatsumura, on the other hand, has a slightly more disturbing childhood than anyone else so far. As hinted at in episode two (If I'm remembering correctly), her parents were brutally murdered in the middle of the night when she was younger. This week, we find out that the killer intentionally left Yatsumura alive so that one day, he could come back and have his way with her. Well, unfortunately for him, she had gained some neat new abilities by the time that happened. With revenge being her only motivation to carry on living, she decides that it is in her best interest to wire him to some weird medieval torture device that keeps him alive (Pretty solid revenge if you ask me). But when she collapses and misses school one day, Aya comes over and discovers this weird fetish of hers. Okay, maybe fetish isn't the right word, but I'm not really sure what else to call a half-naked dude tied to a rack.

In other news, Nijimin has transferred into Aya's school. Hooray! If this were last week, I'd go ahead and say that this means we'll be seeing more of best-girl...but honestly, now that Sarina has grown a snaggletooth and become even crazier than before, I'm not really sure if that would be entirely accurate anymore. That being said, I'm happy to see how lively Aya's class has gotten and, now that Nijimin is in full revenge-mode, I can't imagine the energy level dying down at all. Oh, and also, Aya's brother has gotten increasingly weirder and angrier so I can't imagine his next meeting with anyone being all that pleasant either.

In Summary: 

At the end of the day, Mahou Shoujo Site is just as crazy as it's been since the pilot. The reintroduction of Sarina as the new antagonist is fitting and interesting, given that we now know some of her background. And even though a slight cloud of mystery still looms over each girl, their interactions with one another continue to create a remarkably unique and gritty experience filled with plenty of disturbing imagery. Oh, and we also learn that the weird shadow girl is named Nana and this does not detract from her creepiness whatsoever. In fact, Nana is even creepier than normal this episode. Have fun!

Episode Grade: B

Streamed By: Prime Video

Magical Girl Site Episode #02-03 Anime Review

Oh, poor, unfortunate soul.

What They Say:

Aya Asagiri lives a life of torture. Bullied by her peers and physically abused by her brother, she contemplates suicide as a means of escapism. One particularly harsh night, her laptop abruptly turns on and beckons her toward it. There, a website known simply as the 'Mahou Shoujo Site' offers her a chance to sculpt her own fate with the help of a stick that will grant her powers. But will something as simple as a magic wand truly be enough to save her from a life not worth living?

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Yeah, yeah- I know what you're thinking. "Two episodes and only one review? What's going on, DJ? Are you okay?" And, contrary to what my friends and family may think, I am totally 100% okay. No problems whatsoever. The only reason I've had to stoop to incorporating both of these episodes into a single articles lies in the fact that Amazon Prime still has no idea what the hell they're doing. I swear, there have been three episodes of this series so far and I'm pretty positive that each one has landed on a different day. But even though the shoddy release schedule has laid waste to my attitude in terms of reviewing Prime shows, I put my best foot forward to ensure that it wouldn't impact my viewing too much this evening.

Considering that last week's episode ended on a razor's edge (Lol), Mahou Shoujo Site had quite a bit of explaining to do in order to calm things down for a bit. And, without beating around the bush, that's exactly what the second episode accomplished. Apart from the introduction of the stoic Yatsumura, we were able to learn quite a bit about the Mahou Shoujo Site in general. As I'm sure we all expected, there are plenty of other magical girls out there. The only problem is, well, one of them went ballistic and started killing the rest of them. In fact, the only reason Yatsumura approached Aya in the first place was that she believed their powers would synergize well with one another. The ability to stop time mixed with a teleportation gun will allow these two to essentially teleport anyone anywhere in order to interrogate them.

Or, at least that's how they expected things to work. As it turns out, the crazy magical girl who has been killing all of the others stole a magic stick capable of creating an isolation cube. With the power of forced conflict, she corners Aya inside one of these mid-episode, only to be teleported out shortly later. And while this might seem problematic, given this particular character's success rate when it comes to killing other mahou shoujo, it works out in their favor when she slips into a coma from blood loss and organ failure thereafter. The reason for this is simple- using your powers reduces your life. It's something I'm sure a number of us expected, to say the least. Hell, having Enma Ai help you out in Hell Girl equated to literally signing away your soul in order to exact revenge. Luckily for Aya and Yatsumura, they don't have to make such a hefty commitment right off the bat.

What they do commit to, however, is deciding to help this psychopathic killer. Because as it turns out, she's also Yatsumura's friend. Surprise! And what better way to help her out then sorting through a convenient picture book of all the other magical girls and randomly guessing which of them will have the "Get friend out of coma" ability?

Needless to say, they choose incorrectly. In fact, they chose probably the worst person possible. Magical girl number-four is also the chihuahua in a dog-based idol group, Nijimi Anazawa. No, she isn't the worst person possible because she is a dog idol- she's the worst person possible because her best friend was killed by coma-girl not too long ago. And despite being bubbly and composed for the majority of her conversation with the protagonists, Nijimi clearly has a very large vendetta against the Magical Girl Hunter. Actually, it's probably the most intense vendetta I've ever seen. This girl is legitmately insane- but this honestly makes her the most interesting character thus far.

She's a bit much, but Nijimi is hard to overlook from a sheer characterization standpoint. Not only her design but her personality towers over seemingly everyone else thus far. I'm sure that Yatsumura will have some more development the further we get into the story but, as of right now, that isn't really the case. As for Aya...well, I think we've already seen everything she has to offer. But who knows? Maybe she'll come out and surprise me. I'm a complete stranger to the source material so it's definitely not impossible.

In addition, I want to apologize in case this piece comes off as sporadic in any way. Unfortunately, though, that's kind of how the last two episodes came off as well. There is a surprising amount of information that gets thrown at you over the course of just forty minutes, so any attempt to document each individual aspect actually goes on to work against all of that. I feel like, right now, we're supposed to be overwhelmed by this brand new world- the same way Aya is. And even though the hectic rate of which we're being exposed to it may seem distracting at first, it adds infinitely to the hyperviolent shock-fest that Mahou Shoujo Site is. It's not the best series this season by any means, but it's definitely a ton of fun.

In Summary: 

The last two episodes of Mahou Shoujo Site have embellished on not only the world but the characters who inhabit it as well. Yatsumura is clearly more than just the necessary side-character who introduces the protagonist to magic. In fact, she can even be considered the true protagonist of the series- kind of like how many (Including myself) viewed Sayaka from Madoka Magica back in the day. If you're able to look past shock-driven content and can deal with a slightly above average pace, this series still has a lot to offer and has already created a universe with an immensely dark background to it. And while this background may still be shrouded in mystery, the coming weeks will only go on to not only alleviate that shadow but reveal what I expect to be one of the more memorable mahou shoujo series out there.

Episode 2 Grade: C+

Episode 3 Grade: B+

Streamed By: Prime Video

BangDream: All Girls Ranked

(TBD)

25) Hagumi Kitazawa

CV: Yuri Yoshida

Putting Hagumi all the way at the bottom took a decent amount of thought, to be totally honest. I know that Hagumi fans hate hearing about the comparisons to Rin Hoshizora and everything but, to be fair, that played no part in her role at the bottom. Rin is actually my second favorite original Love Live girl, so I thought I'd like Hagumi. What I didn't know, however, was that her personality would be limited strictly to yelling, running, and playing softball. She's kind of cute but she's more of a child than anything else, really.

24) Maya Yamato

CV: Ikumi Nakagami

I feel like Maya was only added to the Bang Dream roster because all series like this need to have at least one girl that wears glasses. I actually think there might be a written rule for that hidden away somewhere. Unfortunately for Maya, there isn't really much more to her character apart from that. Sure, she's a talented studio musician or whatever, but is that really enough to be considered an endearing an unique character? You can talk about her talent and passion for music all you want but, at the end of the day, she's just flat out boring.

23) Kaoru Seta

CV: Azusa Tadokoro

I'm not even sure where to start with Kaoru. In fact, I don't think anyone is sure how to start with Kaoru. She takes the whole 'prince' archetype up to a whole new level and then some. If you thought Makoto from iDOLM@STER was boyish than think again because Kaoru is essentially just a dude. Mix that with her affinity for calling everything fleeting and you have a...well- she's certainly a character. That much really isn't debatable.

22) Eve Wakamiya

CV: Sawako Hata

Speaking of characters with weird catchphrases- Bushido! In all honesty, Eve really isn't all that bad. She's just really weird. It's kind of cute how into the Edo period she is but, in terms of obligatory foreign characters, she's rather lacking. So much so that she needs to remind us she's from Finland pretty much every other sentence. But hey, a lot of her cards are super adorable and that definitely makes her at least kind of desirable.

21) Rimi Ushigome

CV: Rimi Nishimoto

Rimi is cute. Too cute. There lies the problem. She's kind of like what would happen if Ruby Kurosawa stopped crying about literally everything and just started eating chocolate coronets instead. That being said, she's a rad bassist and Chocolate Bass Recipe is funky as all hell. Aesthetically, she't not really my cup of tea- but she'd probably be cool to have as a little sister or something.

20) Kasumi Toyama

CV: Aimi Terakawa

At first, I thought Kasumi was going to be just your average idol/band anime protagonist girl. But after getting to know her through the Poppin' Party storyline, I can safely confirm that she has several screws loose and is, in absolutely no way whatsoever, 'normal'. Kasumi isn't just your average protagonist- she's literally insane. She has no regard for societal constructs and unknowingly terrorizes her bandmates on a daily basis. I also don't understand her hair. But hey, at least she can sing and play guitar. That's cool.

19) Chisato Shirasagi

CV: Sumire Uesaka

I actually thought Chisato would wind up in the bottom three. And while I understand that this might anger a handful of you, let's cut straight to the point. Chisato is a friggin' bitch. Sure, she kind of comes around I guess- but that sense of entitlement and the "I'm better than you because I'm famous" attitude is such a turn off that I actually feel like punching her sometimes. I am a fan of her seiyuu, though, so at least there's that.

18) Sayo Hikawa

CV: Haruka Kudou

Much like Chisato, Sayo is also a bitch. But at least Sayo is a bitch with talent to back it up. Like it or not, Roselia is pretty darn rad- and a big part of that lies in the guitar work. She's pretty adorable on a physical basis too. But she'd be a lot darn cuter if she would just get over herself and give her damn sister a hug for crying out loud. I'm sure some people might buy her psuedo-tsun attitude but, at least to me, it just seems like she might just be trying a little too hard.

17) Tae Hanazono

CV: Sae Otsuka

Tae is...weird. I still don't fully understand her character. In fact, she might even be the character I know the least about because every chance she has to say something, she comes out with some left-field and nonsensical comment about the subject matter. I kind of feel like everything Tae says is tailor-made to confused the player/viewer. Either that or she's just so 'woke' that none of us normies are capable of comprehending her otherworldly (And surprisingly subtle) thought patterns. 

16) Tsugumi Hazawa

CV: Hisako Kanemoto

15) Ako Udagawa

CV: Megu Sakuragawa

14) Rinko Shirokane

CV: Satomi Akesaka

13) Kokoro Tsurumaki

CV: Miku Itou

12) Lisa Imai

CV: Yurika Endou

11) Aya Maruyama

CV: Ami Maeshima

10) Kanon Matsubara

CV: Moe Toyota

9) Himari Uehara

CV: Emiri Katou

8) Yukina Minato

CV: Aina Aiba

7) Hina Hikawa

CV: Ari Ozawa

6) Arisa Ichigaya

CV: Ayasa Itou

5) Tomoe Udagawa

CV: Yoko Hikasa

4) Saaya Yamabuki

CV: Ayaka Ohashi

3) Misaki Okusawa/Michelle

CV: Tomoyo Kurosawa

2) Moca Aoba

CV: Sachika Misawa

1) Ran Mitake

CV: Ayane Sakura

Magical Girl Site Episode #01 Anime Review

Every day, all I think about is dying.

What They Say:

Aya Asagiri lives a life of torture. Bullied by her peers and physically abused by her brother, she contemplates suicide as a means of escapism. One particularly harsh night, her laptop abruptly turns on and beckons her toward it. There, a website known simply as the 'Mahou Shoujo Site' offers her a chance to sculpt her own fate with the help of a stick that will grant her powers. But will something as simple as a magic wand truly be enough to save her from a life not worth living?

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

After an incredibly long break from darker, hyperviolent anime, Mahou Shoujo Site seemed like just the kind of show I've been waiting for ever since Madoka Magica ended nearly eight years ago. Before getting too heavy into comparing them, however, it's important to note that this particular manga adaptation is an entirely different monster with a slew of different themes to display. While there may be several glaring similarities (It's literally impossible to animate a dark magical-girl series without being compared to the former cult-favorite), Mahou Shoujo Site has already delivered a hard-hitting message with an ambitious pilot more than willing to give us exactly what we came here for- absolute chaos.

Now, before you take that last sentence in a negative light, I'm going to outright say that it was not meant to be shown in one. Without beating around the bush, I really like this show so far. Yes, we're only one episode into it, but its got a lot more to offer than all of those regurgitated half-reviews of neckbeards and Madoka purists calling it 'edgy'. (Sidenote: Does anyone else find it rather annoying how often that word is used to describe non-shonen/slice-of-life stuff? Break out a damn thesaurus for Christ's sake). Plain and simple, Mahou Shoujo Site is a unique take on the concept of bullying that is meant to shock and disturb anyone mature enough to approach it without thinking "lol edgelords." 

The series centers around Aya Asagiri, who is essentially the Angra Mainyu of her town. Basically, she is scapegoated for everything and tortured by both her classmates and her family. The abuse comes in several forms but even more important than the acts themselves are the aftereffects and scars that they have left on her psyche. Within just minutes of the pilot, Aya comes across as broken. The only light she has within her dark world is stripped from her halfway through the episode. So, without beating around the bush, we already know that this girl is going to find redemption somehow. We're also able to ascertain that it will most likely be through magic, hence the title of the show. And while the premise itself is clearly not full of surprises, that does not mean watching it is even remotely unsatisfying.

This show is not for the faint of heart, that much is hard to argue. I mean, we've already seen a kitten get murdered for crying out loud. It took Elfen Lied like nine episodes to go that far, and that was a dog. Hell, the viewer base even seems minute at the time of me writing this (With only 2,000 counted viewers on MAL). But this exact allure is what pulled me toward the series in the first place. I wanted something that would make me cringe and I wanted a protagonist I could feel for. And even with the cold, shrunken heart still buried deep in my chest, I was able to do that. Aya is so innocent that the constant berating of her has already created an environment in which we are banking on her success. The means of this success, however, is already a bit more mysterious than I had anticipated.

It's common practice for magical girls to get their magic wand or whatever. I can look past the fact that Aya is given a magical gun instead of a wand, but I can't look past the creepy friggin' face behind the scenes of the Mahou Shoujo Site itself. For real, that thing is ripped straight out of a Junji Ito story. It's a prime example of the mangaka's creativity and a much better mascot than a weird Pokemon thing who just happens to entrap teenage girls by being cute. Whatever the symbol of Mahou Shoujo Site is already has a heavier cloud surrounding it than I expected. And over the next few months, I'm sure that cloud will begin to dissipate.

Apart from the almost necessary comparisons to Madoka, there are notes of other popular series in here as well. Fans of Hell Girl can take solace in the fact that the site itself works in the same manner (Or at least that's what we're lead to believe at the present time). Basically, it only opens up for tortured girls who have run out of the will to live their own lives. This time, however, there is no Enma Ai or weird straw dolls. Instead, there is a strange heart-shaped gun that can cause people to get hit by trains with just one click of the trigger. And that, ladies in gentleman, is a lot more badass if I do say so myself.

In Summary:

As stated earlier in the review, Mahou Shoujo Site is a prime example of a series doing a lot more than others are giving it credit for. It's exceedingly dark and unnerving and has already proven that it's not afraid to traverse paths that other series are afraid to travel down. While the artwork itself may not be its most impressive facet its characters not being particularly unique (At least not right now), the direction and atmosphere of the show are unsettling enough to make this entertaining fodder for all sick minds alike- and I'm thinking that we've only just begun to scratch the surface.

Episode Grade: B+

Streamed By: Prime Video

After The Rain Episode #12 Anime Review (Series Finale)

Let's see the wind together again.

What They Say:

Akira Tachibana is a soft-spoken high school student who used to be a part of the track and field club but, due to an injury, she is no longer able to run as fast as she once could. Working part-time at a family restaurant as a recourse, she finds herself inexplicably falling in love with her manager, a divorced 45-year-old man with a young son.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

After three long months of semi-illegal sexual tension and potentially the worst weather forecast of all time, After The Rain has finally come to a close. And despite the series getting off to a commanding start, recent weeks have lead it down a relatively strange path as it has struggled to remember what it sought out to do in the first place. With the relationship between both of our protagonists left on the backburner, the series finale had a huge task in pulling it back to plain sight. The end result, however...Kind of worked? Maybe? I'm not really sure. But we'll get to that in a second.

The series finale starts like any other episode of After The Rain- Akira rolls out of bed and acts slightly somber but also hopeful and lovestruck for a few minutes. Kondou, following the happenings of last week and the week prior, has apparently become obsessed with writing again and has allowed that to absorb his sleep schedule entirely. So not even two minutes into the episode, we've already got another one of those well placed, Shinkai-esque contrasting shots of our characters just starting their respective days. The mood is set perfectly- the only issue is how that translates throughout the rest of the ending.

You see, the hole this series dug itself into also means resolving an objectively unnecessary subplot or two. For the most part, Chihiro's was handled last week- but Haruka still needs to make at least an appearance or two before her's is wrapped up. Fortunately, we only have to look at her for a minute or two this time, not giving her even the slightest opportunity to ruin everything again. At the end of the day, Akira sends a text her way about being friends or something and everything is wrapped up. Hooray.

Now, back to the real issue, how is the relationship between Kondou and Akira going to end? Here is the short answer: It isn't.

If you're looking for a longer explanation, well there's not really all that much to say. Basically, Kondou and Akira have learned over the last few weeks (Or months?) in their time that they have much bigger issues than pent up sexual frustration and butterflies in their stomachs. That being said, they decide to simply sideline their romantic feelings about one another in favor of focusing on themselves. It was essentially a mutual break up between two people that never even started dating. And even though this ending seemed like a sort of excuse (Or even an apology for straying off course), it's more of a copout than anything else. The entire premise of this series was a forbidden and taboo, blossoming relationship between an older man and a young girl. If the end result only slightly acknowledges the foundation that gave birth to it in the first place, was there really a point to anything at all?

The main conflict in the series was literally resolved with a "Guess we'll just have to wait and see" when, in all likeliness, none of us ever will. A second season for a show like this is even more seldom than a show this niche in the first place. After The Rain took the safe way out in resolving its major issue by just resolving one or two smaller ones and saying, "That seems good enough" then waltzes off as if nothing had ever happened.

If it seems like I'm mad, well, I am. Because the fact of the matter is that everything about this series was above-average until its final few episodes. It's like I was baited and switched into watching any other slice of life school drama when I came for something unique and unlike anything I'd ever seen before. There are so many things that this series does right. To think that it would throw them all away because it's afraid to stand up for itself contradicts the exact themes the characters recite in their final moments together.

In Summary:

After The Rain is not bad. In fact, most of it is inherently great. There are a few scenes that are brimming with emotional intensity and, for the most part, it tells a story that you rarely see in this particular medium. Unfortunately, the series does lose its way near the ending and elects to focus on the smaller aspects that, earlier on, seemed more akin to filler than anything else. However, if you're able to look past the narrative's shortcomings, the artwork and soundtrack are phenomenal through and through. And even though the series did not live up to the expectations I had for it, I would still go ahead and recommend it to...well, anyone that is interested in weird, forbidden romances.

Episode Grade: C+

Series Grade: B-

Streamed By: Prime Video

Anime Matsuri 2018 Roundup

Having recently moved to Houston following a year-long hiatus from conventions, finding out that Anime Matsuri was less than a thirty-minute drive away was a sort of blessing in disguise. Slated to begin the same weekend as Anime Boston (Which I've cited as my personal favorite convention for several years now), I was sure that Matsuri would be the substitute needed to fill the void in my heart once occupied by eastern conventions. What I wasn't sure of, however, is how exactly it would measure up in terms of content. I even saved myself from looking up any information about panels (Apart from the highly advertised Evangelion Exhibit) and limited my search to strictly foreign and local guests. Unfortunately, the seams of Matsuri's neatly presented package started to unravel at this very moment.

You see, what I didn't know about the convention prior to registering was that it had been subject to a pretty big scandal over the last year or so. And while this is in no way confirmed or official, it seems like said scandal laid a pretty huge impact upon one of Houston's largest annual conventions. What I mean by this is- there was pretty much no one notable there. Sure, some of the Japanese guests were okay. Doug Jones was even there (You may recognize the name from Del Toro's recent Academy Award-winner, The Shape Of Water.) And if that doesn't ring a bell, you'd probably recognize him as every other monster in every monster movie ever. But even though his appearance is much more than just 'notable', there's already the issue of the biggest guest at an anime convention having...well, zero affiliation with anime. Combine that with the next biggest guest being a former Japanese AV actress (Yua Mikami) and you have a rather...interesting lineup, to say the least.

But hey, I can look past an unimpressive and rather offroad guest list. I mean, Anime Boston is a much bigger convention and I'm sure that plenty of the VIPs flocked over there instead. I'm also sure that some of the American industries like Funimation and Sentai Filmworks will be there. I mean, Sentai is literally stationed in Houston and- Wait, what? Neither of them are going to be there either? Well, what about Aniplex then? No? 

So, as you can see, Matsuri already had an underwhelming itinerary before even kicking off on Thursday. The bright side, however, is that this meant shorter lines for everything. And, to be fair, these lines were managed rather well. What was not managed well was literally everything else. I've gotten accustomed to the whole "You can't go in through this door! This is an exit!" spiel that you'll get when trying to enter the dealer's room (Or exhibit hall or vendor floor or whatever the hell you call it), but Anime Matsuri kicked that up a notch. If my counting was correct, there were about six different double-sided entryways. With two doors at each passage, this equates to around 12 different ways of getting into the only exciting area of the convention. You'd think this would make things easier but, in all actuality, it was one of the most unnecessary, tediously micro-managed processes that I've ever witnessed at a convention.

For those of you who haven't been to the George R. Brown convention center, it's huge. The main hallway is probably twice the size of AnimeNext on its own. That being said, there was significantly more walking room than I am accustomed to at things like this. So why on earth would anyone think it's a good idea to space out exits and entrances to the point where I honestly contemplated hiring a Lyft just to chauffeur me to the correct door. Hell, what's even the point of designating two or three areas to let people out of the room? What can you possibly gain from that? It's not like the halls were busy or the entrances were crowded or anything- I'm talking huge double-sided doors with no other visitors around that staff will literally prevent you from exiting out of as if someone would kill their family should they fail to uphold that.

What was even more confusing, however, was the escalator fiasco. In the words of the great Mitch Hedberg, "Escalators don't break, they just become stairs." Well, at Anime Matsuri, they were apparently never working to begin with. Across the approximate four-mile long hallway, there were two escalators you were actually allowed to take. This doesn't seem all that bad until you realize that there are around six in total. Hell, maybe there were even more. And while I understand that one or two of them had to be closed off due to the sprawling Evangelion Exhibit (Which I will get to momentarily), there seemed to be zero purpose to close everything else off entirely. The only thing I can think of would be the fact that, at certain intervals throughout the day, there were 'escalator police' stationed at each one. I kid you not (This is entirely true and not an exaggeration. I'm not the type to fool around on heavy, stair-based machinery), I was actually screamed at by a woman at the top of the elevator for turning my head 90 degrees to answer a question from someone behind me. I was so confused that I actually looked around for who she might be talking to. Upon reaching the top of the escalator, I was lectured on the dangers of them and how I should be very careful about which way I'm looking. Hey, I might have even agreed with this if I wasn't thirty seconds away from the top at the time she denounced me.

At the end of the day, though, all bad conventions must have something good going for them, right? I mean, the panels were a bust because of the whole nazi thing (Which I will also get to momentarily) but at least there was the Evangelion Exhibit. This exhibit, in all honesty, was the highlight of the convention for me. Even after waiting in line for around two hours (Sidenote: This was probably the slowest-moving line I've ever been in. The two guys taking tickets at the gate were almost definitely half-sloth), I still managed to enjoy my time in the art-gallery style, maze-like display room. As you walked down each hall, you'd be greeted by cell art and models from both the original Evangelion serious as well as the reboots. There were even sections with video loops and angel displays that breathed life into an otherwise dead convention. Traversing the labyrinth was akin to walking directly beside the timeline of the series itself. The press liaison for the event (Shout-out to you, Philip) was very welcoming as well as the rest of the staff who had been running the inside of the exhibit. Photography was strictly prohibited for anyone other than press and they did their best to ensure that we'd be able to get the footage we needed (See below).

But even though this particular event was a diamond in the rough, nothing was able to make up for how poorly run and almost embarrassed the rest of Anime Matsuri seemed. The first and only panel I went to opened with a literal Holocaust joke. The panelist then proceeded to read fanfiction about Anne Frank while the vast majority of the room slowly trickled out and, when brought to the staff's attention, was met with a simple, "Well, what do you us to do about it?"

Oof. I even brought this to the attention of Anime Matsuri via Twitter just seconds after the panel kicked off and the only thing they had to say about it was a vague response-Tweet to someone the next day about how "They don't condone his actions" or whatever generic excuse they pulled out of a hat. And as if that wasn't enough, the dude literally got in dressed as a Nazi. Here is a picture of him.

But wait, it gets better. Apparently, the panel he hosted was actually meant for a completely separate organization, Geeks 5 Ever, and was actually cancelled over a month prior to the event. So not only was the panel not removed from the schedule despite being cancelled, it was literally hijacked by a Nazi and the staff pretended to have no idea despite several members being stationed INSIDE of the room. 

Listen, I'm not the type of writer to slander an entire event for just being an event. In fact, I'm not even doing that now. I'm sure that plenty of the people working for Anime Matsuri had no idea that any of this was happening. But the fact of the matter is, whoever is pulling the strings for this shindig (Most likely the same dude who birthed the sexual assault allegations) has virtually no control over his own convention and, judging by the actions of his peers and industry members themselves, is not worth the effort or cost. It works out, though, because that's actually how I'd round up the convention itself.

Anime Matsuri is a complete and utter mess and I will not be going back until its mistakes and shortcomings have been corrected.