Colorado Anime Fest 2022: Day 3 Sunday

Day three started with us grabbing breakfast on our way to the con instead of having to worry about trying to get food at the hotel. Even though it was Easter morning we were able to get in quickly to the Snooze that was about a block from the hotel. My review of Snooze you can find on my Google Local Guides reviews. The last day of the con was a mix of wondering around and panels.

Anime Collecting Then and Now

Program Description: (The panel descriptions disappeared from COAF's website)

Notes: Back in the day it was really lucky if you could find anything. A lot of collecting used to be all about the hunt since you couldn't just use the internet to find what you want. Some of the older items now go for huge prices. One of the shirts that the panelist had from the 90s he had recently seen on Amazon for $700. It was nearly impossible to find Anime on laser disc. People would hang out near the anime shelf in the video rental stores in the hopes of not only making friends but also getting access to barrow any anime they may own. Cons also used to be one of the few places you could get things. The early 2000s saw the rise of access and cons that specialized in Anime. The internet has opened access not only to new animes, but also to the world of products. Older dubs would have swear words thrown in just to make it seem edgier even when the scenes didn't call for it. The panelist runs a con in another state and he found out that it had saved a girl's life because it allowed her to make friends and gave her an outlet to express herself. One way to tell if a wall scroll is a bootleg is that it won't have the name of the anime in the bottom right corner or some type of copy right there. People can use anime to break out of their shell.

Overall Impressions: The panelists for this one were a married couple and sometimes this proved to be funny in how they interacted with each other. He kept mention how people feel like his house is a museum and I wish that he would have brought pictures of how his house is set up.

Pop Goes the Culture! The History of Asians in American Pop Culture

Program Description: (The panel descriptions disappeared from COAF's website) Panelist - Gil Asakawa

Notes: The 1800s saw Japan as an exotic place. Sessue Hayakawa and Anna May Wong were super stars of their day. He was even cast as a sexual lead in movies while she was the first big star to dress in the flapper style. WWII was when it became dangerous to be Asian in America. There was even propaganda to tell the difference between Japanese and Chinese. This was also when a specific font started to be used to show or be in relation to all things Asian. After WWII yellow face became popular and it was a way to replace Asian actors. Some actors that did this were Marlon Brando, Katherine Hepburn, Mickey Rooney, and Jerry Lewis. In Japan they don't have an issue with Scarlett Johansson being the lead in Ghost in the Shell. Japanese people in Japan also don't mind the word "Jap" and he (the panelist) has been confronted by Japanese people about his issues with the word. For them they just see it as a short version of the word Japanese, but as a Japanese American the panelist puts its American use in history to the meaning. There are not a lot of Asian opera singers, so most of the time Madame Butterfly is played by white singers. Jello had a highly racist commercial in the 1960s about a Chinese baby not being able to try Jello with chop sticks and it had to wait until its mother gave it the "western invention" of a spoon. Calgon in the 1970s actually showed Chinese American actors without accents. Today's commercials show mixed race families and no accents. Bruce Lee defines Asian men even today. Saving Face is a LGBTQ+ movie that covered a blend of sexuality and culture. Margaret Cho was hired an "Asian coach" because she was seen as not being Asian enough.

Overall Impressions: Right before this panel we walked in on a conversation where a few people were trying to convince the panelist that the food panel was first and then the pop culture one (the panelist was running both). I broke out the schedule for the panelist and confirmed, much to their disappointment, that the pop culture was first. This panel was ok and I did like how he used actual clips/commercials to show what he was talking about.

Tabemasho! Let's Eat! The History of Japanese Food in America

Program Description: (The panel descriptions disappeared from COAF's website) Panelist - Gil Asakawa

Notes: Chinese food became popular in the 1900s with chop suey being a popular dish. Hiroaki "Rocky" Aoki tried to make Japanese food feel safe for Americans. Sushi caught on as a hipster/yuppie food in the 1980s and 1990s. Conveyor belt sushi was invented in 1959. The California roll was created because of Americans not wanting to eat raw fish and to hide the seaweed on the inside. Ramen actually came from China, but the Japanese made it their own.

Overall Impressions: In this panel the panelist actually pissed me off with how biased he is. At one point he was taking about kids being teased at school because of what food they brought from home to eat. Then he gestured in my direction and I shook my head no. He then said "I didn't mean you. I meant the Asian guy behind you." Well thank you very much. This guy doesn't think that someone who presents as white could possible take "non-white" foods to school for lunch. Well Gil, sorry to break your world but as a child I took everything from kimchi to curry to sushi to school for lunch. This was different then what the school offered, but many of the people I interacted with in grade school also brought food to school not only the generic American fair, but food from other cultures and not just their own. Even Mommy Geek was was shocked by how he thought he knew what type of food she had sent me to school with when he was not there. This is a great example of an "expert" projecting their bias on the lives of others and just being rude in how they do it. The con should not allow this Gil to return as a panelist since he shows open bias against people he sees as being from a specific ethnic group and is not will to learn from others experiences. 

At this point in the day we were frustrated with our overall experience at the con and decided to call an end to the con.