The Chef

Shows The Chef Will Probably Buy

• Pumpkin Scissors: Currently available in the U.S., but I've been too lazy to put it on my Netflix list. Post-apocalyptic military with a vaguely 1930s or 40s Germanic feel, which should come as no surprise since it's a Gonzo project. A veteran of some kind of military super-soldier project who's just trying to escape the war ends up working for a team cleaning up the country after the war. Also of note is the outright psychotic team commander, Alice Malvin, who can be charitably described as "enthusiastic" (or "batshit crazy", if you're not feeling charitable).
• Gurren Lagann: Caught this one at ADV's presentation. Weird post-apocalyptic good-guy gang kind of series. Visually, it seems to be an homage to classic 1970s and 80s super robot anime, with ludicrous and ornate mecha designs (most of which are giant heads with limbs). This one already has a significant following in the U.S.
• Moonlight Mile: Two buddies head for space - eventually. Moonlight Mile, judging by the description, sounds like an animated version of The Right Stuff. However, the first few episodes are one of the characters - an Air Force pilot - making it out of the (presumably) Iraqi desert after being shot down. This show takes the “slow buildup" concept seriously, but it works.

The Chef's Convention Swag

The Chef's Loot.

Now we come down to it. The socialization with other weirdos is nice and all (and possibly the only time that some congoers see the outside of their parents' basement), but the real point of going to a convention is to buy stuff. The Chef was no exception (in the “buying stuff", not the “never seeing the outside of the basement"). My haul included:

• A t-shirt with the Battlestar Galactica “BSG 75" insignia.
• Another t-shirt with the Serenity logo/nose art on it.
• Yet another t-shirt with the Blue Sun logo (from Firefly; I don't believe it was used in the movie).
• A shirt from Sighco advertising Evil Brand Lager (“Made with the finest virgin blood and unbaptized baby fat deep in the bowels of Hell, 6.66% alcohol by volume.").
• The Revoltech figures of Saber and Saber Alter (the evil version) from Fate/Stay Night. I have no idea what the game or the anime are about, but these were so awesome that I had to buy them.
• Robot Masters Beast Convoy and Beast Megatron (smaller versions of Optimus Primal and Megatron from Beast Wars).
• A shot glass with the Decepticon insignia on it, from Good Guy Comics. Eventually, I'll probably get the Serenity shot glass set, too. The Chef likes his liquor, and he likes it even more when it's coming out of a glass with some geeky reference on it.
• A bunch of Pocky and Ramune from Wizzywig, bought after I realized that I had been a good customer of theirs but hadn't ordered anything in six or seven years.
• A couple of posters for Wings of Honneamise from Kujaku Trading, which tickled me to death. Finding anything at all from that movie is something of a coup.

Back Next Year?

So, now it's time for a final verdict: should we go back next year? For one, I'm going to have to say “probably not". This is mainly because I'm planning on attending Dragon Con next year, and I don't think I can stand making two trips into the bowels of Atlanta's nether-regions in the space of a month or two. Compared to Middle Tennessee Anime Convention (MTAC) a couple of years ago, AWA 2007 was larger but didn't offer much more. It was fun but not “must return every year" fun.

There. This is written. Now I can go back to looking at porn.

By the way, more pictures of TVGA escapades at Anime Weekend Atlanta can be found here, on the Maitre d's personal site.

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