I have to say that of the three Starfest conventions I’ve been to, this one has been the best for me. This is due in part to the number of guest that I wanted to see and in part to Lepidus and I deciding to spend the weekend at the hotel, thereby giving us a place to relax, use the bathroom, blog, read, or whatever in addition to not having to worry about driving back home.
I was glad that the 501st Legion Moutain Garrison had a MUCH bigger presence this year. One of my complaints last year was that there were only a few storm troopers. This year, there were many storm troopers as well as the normal token rebel pilot, a couple of Imperial officers, a couple of Darth Vadar’s (both the right size rather than being too short), and others. In fact, on Sunday, I felt that I had to let the people staffing their large booth this, and they were appreciative of my thanks. I also think that Starfest’s decision to put them where they did this year (which is where they were in 2006) is the right one. Last year, they were stuffed off in a corner and easily lost in the crowd.
I still wish anime had a slightly bigger presence at this convention instead of a tiny booth in the dealer room, a few cosplayers, and a panel room where all they do is show titles (mostly fansubs, but some modified stuff too, like Voltron). Depending on how much packing I’ve managed to do will determine when I post my lone anime Starfest report on my anime blog (this blog entry is being written well in advance of the actual publication date, so I’ve no clue how I’m doing packing-wise as I write).
What will determine my return to Starfest in 2009 is mainly my employment situation. If I have a job that pays enough and I can get some free time, I’ll try to go since there’s likely to be at least one guest I’m interested in.
Note: I’ll work on pictures AFTER my move, so look for those in May.