Anime Expo 2014
BonKyuBOMBGIRL
We had so much fun at our very first Anime Expo! The BKBG Studios team has never been to an out-of-state convention before, so this was a new adventure for us. :)
After our favorite local con (Anime Central) had ended in May, we were in full-on EXPO mode until the Monday we left for California. Aside from opening the new studio and launching the website, I had to complete 12 costumes in 3 short weeks! The list includes 5 bunny suits, 2 gantz suits, 4 sailor moon costumes, & 1 special edition Mirai Suenaga costume. It was so stressful!ヽ(´□｀。)ﾉ
Many, many long nights & early mornings took place as our departer date got closer & closer. I don't think I would've been able to get it all done in time if it wasn't for the helping hands of some amazing people (I'm looking at you, Karl, Kevin & Kim!). The men's Gantz suits didn't even get finished until the midnight before our 9am flight, & I was not even packed yet. ( ≧Д≦)
It was all worth it though when we were finally got to enjoy the beautiful weather of California.
Flying Virgin America!
Virgin America offers some really neat in-seat features for its guests. We were able to chat with TopHatShaw who was sitting at the opposite end of the plane.
TopHatShaw & TheAsianMenace.
We made it a point to try some of the famous local food, like In-n-Out Burger and Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles. It was easily the best fried chicken we've ever had! (っ˘ڡ˘ς)
Exploring Little Tokyo. Of course, we had to stop & get some ramen.
We forgot to get some food porn shots, but this place was pretty amazing! (~￣▽￣)~
TheAsianMenace with her dream man.
Mike enjoying a well-deserved beer at Yard House.
I wish we could say that our trip was all play, but there was still much work to be done. Here we are Wednesday night before the con working on last minute details. I made it my goal to launch the brand at Anime Expo, but the website had yet to be finished. (((( ;°Д°))))
At around 2am, BKBGstudios.com went live! And not a moment too soon, because we needed get in line to get our Expo badges at 6am.
Waiting in Line Con bright & early!
After getting our badges, it was time to suit up and enjoy the con!
Welcome to Anime Expo!
ToraDora! Her favorite anime of all time. (´▽`ʃƪ)
We love taking pictures with fellow con goers~
Anime Expo Day 2:
We debuted our first bunny suit collection! Please welcome Sailor Moon Bunnies!
We had a blast taking pictures with everyone!
With Amazing Sailor Mars!
Thank you Marilee T. for sending us this awesome photo!
The newest and most beautiful cast members in the Kill La Kill: Season Two.
Anime Expo Day 3: GANTZ
There was a lot of stress Friday night & Saturday morning because we did not know if we were actually going to make it on stage for the Masquerade. Although we had signed up months prior, there was a glitch in the system & we got put on the very end of the wait list. ლ(´﹏`ლ)
As you can imagine, we were less than thrilled and began bracing ourselves for the worst. We were so relieved when we found out there was room for us in the show! The Masquerade staff were some of the nicest people & it was truly a pleasure working with them. They were extremely accommodating to our situation & made the entire process a positive one. The staff took good care of their contestants & treated us like family.
Shout out to our awesome stage mom, Jessie! We couldn't have asked for anyone better :)
Gearing up & getting HYPE in our hotel room before the Masquerade!
Slipped on some flats to save my aching feet D:
The view can be appreciated both from the front & the back. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
Booty, booty, booty.
If anyone knows were we can find some good photos taken at the Masquerade, please let us know!
Going home winners! ;D
Day 4: Operation Danny Choo
My only mission for Sunday was to meet my longtime idol, Danny Choo. I have been a fan of his for years, and meeting him was practically all I talked about during the weeks leading up to Expo. I couldn't pass this opportunity up!
His amazing staff member helped me out a ton & sent me a text when he was at the booth Sunday morning. So I got dressed in my Mirai Suenaga bunny suit that I made in his honor and went straight to his booth.
Senpai noticed me. (❁´▽`❁)*✲ﾟ*
It was so surreal meeting him and having our picture taken together. I even wrote him a letter, & I felt truly blessed that I was able to give it to him in person & thank him for being such a big influence in my life.
BKBG Studios team even made it on his website (which is a huge deal to me, if you couldn't have already guessed xD)!! You can check out those posts here and here. ^^
Mission Accomplish!
TopHatShaw: Always ready to party.
The rest of Sunday consisted of me catching up on all the sleep I didn't get during the convention. (▰˘o˘▰)zzz
Monday: Back to Reality
The end of a convention is always a downer because not only does it mean it's back to reality, but we have to wait another year to do it all over again. We weren't all frowns though because on the way home to Chicago at LAX, we ran into Steven Tyler from Aerosmith! He was kind enough to stop and take a picture with us. He even chatted with us and asked us about our trip, which no one really responded to because we were all pretty starstruck. ꒰⌗* ᵕ ॣ*⌗꒱৩
