Which guests are you excited to see at T-MODE '07?

annie may · Attendee Joined: 03 Aug 2007 Posts: 278

With T-MODE '07 nearly here, which guests are you excited to see?
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insaneben · Attendee Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 46

None.
If a cosplaying couple and a pair of voice actors from Pokemon are the biggest guests at T-Mode, then I have reason to be concerned.
I mean, practically every anime convention (decent, lackluster or otherwise) has Monica Rial and Greg Ayres as their guests, so why not get them? Or better yet, why not nab Steve Bennett? The man's a wellspring of knowledge concerning any-and-everything Japan-related.

I'd list more suggestions, but seeing as how there's less than six weeks left before T-Mode faces the music, I'm not sure if anyone's suggestions will actually be taken into account. Prove me wrong...

annie may · Attendee Joined: 03 Aug 2007 Posts: 278

insaneben · Attendee Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 46

First of all, annie may, let me thank you for a quick and detailed reply.

Now, I'll admit I'm looking forward to seeing Bill Rogers (since he was in Genshiken, one of my all-time favorite anime series). Michele Knotz, on the other hand, I can't quite say the same, since she's only had almost as many roles as there are fingers on a hand. Thus (IMO), she has yet to prove her chops as a voice actress.
It's no secret that those two (as well as a few others) "took over" the roles of the main characters of Pokemon early last year (and by "took over", I mean "usurped"). I'm not going to let this affect my judgment of your guest choices, but the fact that such well-established roles were taken from veteran voice actors/actresses (like Veronica Taylor and Rachel Lillis) and handed over to upstarts doesn't exactly sit well with me.

As for making PixieKitty and NeonGenecide guests, well, I don't really have a problem with that, but maybe it's the fact that I ran into them at Anime USA 8 last year (and they were regular attendees). Maybe it's the fact that I assume guests at anime conventions have some sort of position in Japanese culture (like J-Pop artists, anime directors, and character designers).

As for what I meant by "prove me wrong", well, seeing as how there's been a real lack of information regarding T-Mode for quite some time (there were no advertisements for it at Otakon), coupled with the fact that the forums just got up and running a couple days ago, makes me question the overall professionalism of T-Mode's staff. I want to have a good time, to be assured that this whole con won't turn out to be another "Katsucon '05", and to have some reason to return next year. I treat every anime convention like it's my last, so I expect to get what I paid for. If I'm greatly disappointed, not only will I demand a refund, I also may never return and take my business elsewhere.

annie may · Attendee Joined: 03 Aug 2007 Posts: 278

Glad I could help! Very Happy

Yes, typically guests at anime conventions do have some sort of position in Japanese culture, like, as you've said, J-Pop artists, anime directors, and character designers. However, we're also open to expanding that notion to include people who are fans of the culture and who show great talent. For example, Yaya Han started out as a regular attendee at conventions, and now she's internationally known for her cosplaying abilities.

I can also say that our staff is nothing but professional. We take customer service very seriously and are always interested in hearing feedback, whether positive or negative. We've already made adjustments based on some of the feedback that we've recently received. We had a blog system in place for people to post comments. But after learning how people wanted an area where they can discuss any topic about T-MODE, we decided to create the forums.

We've actually been promoting T-MODE for months. We offer Pre-Registration promotions like the Video Games Live concert ticket giveaway, we send out newsletters and press releases, and we have created a club support program called Club TM. I guess we just need to increase our marketing efforts even more. We also had flyers passed out at Otakon, and plan to increase our presence at more conventions.

We want everyone to have great time and we will feel disappointed if you don't. Out of curiosity, could you explain what you mean by "Katsucon '05"?
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insaneben · Attendee Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 46

Annie may, please see my reply in "Questionable Questions" under General Discussion.

annie may · Attendee Joined: 03 Aug 2007 Posts: 278

OK.
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Adv1sor · Attendee Joined: 06 Aug 2007 Posts: 35

Adrienne

insaneben · Attendee Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 46

sailorutena1122 · Attendee Joined: 08 Aug 2007 Posts: 64

I'm looking forward to the musical guests. I love Japanese music. I think Japan has a lot of artists that are so much different from what you see in mainstream American music. I think that sometimes they make music that is a lot more poetic, even if they are wearing extravagant (silly or sexy) costumes. Everyone has something that makes them special and I'm looking forward to the showcase T-mode is putting forth for us. I've never seen a Peelander-Z performance but everyone tells me they are great crowd pleasers. I've heard snippets of The Captains stuff and I'm looking forward to hearing them live.

Adrienne · Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 9:17 pm Post subject:

Aoi Shoudo · Attendee Joined: 03 Aug 2007 Posts: 83

Concerning Insaneben's comment:

This is the first year of T-Mode's promotion, and I for one am proud to work for and stand by my fellow staff. Who knows, it could have been *and still could be* me as a special guest if it wasn't for my staffing. I think this is an innovative idea, because cosplaying is becoming quite a serious business. And that's who any con invites--people in the business. Am I right? Voice acting is a business, making anime and games is a business, what of costume designing and costume roleplaying?

I hope this and Annie May's comments gave you some clarity ^_^
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Tsuki · Joined: 31 Aug 2007 Posts: 6

Im looking forward to seeing yaya han, she has awesome cosplays. She's so pretty and pulls everything off. Im interested in seeing what she does at the con.