That video is from the Meet Gainax event, just to give you a sense of how many Gainax employees there were…I counted 44 total, but there may have been a few missing. (That close-up towards the end was on Carl Horn, of Dark Horse.) After each and every one of the Gainax employees got up on a chair and introduced themselves, we all got to mingle. Tim and I had to scoot off to eat before podcasting so we didn’t stick around very long, but it was a pretty cool event.
It was a little difficult, I think, because about 50 attendees were trying to speak to almost as many Japanese people and there were only like, 4-5 translators in the room. I did my best with a couple of people but man, it was tough!
Gurren Lagann Assistant Director Masahiko Otsuka was there but didn’t get to stick around– several of the higher-ranked Gainax people left for an interview before the event was over. But he DID leave a video camera behind with some employees and they went around asking people to send messages to TTGL director Hiroyuki Imaishi and character designer Atsushi Nishigori, neither of whom was able to go on the trip.
I said something like 私はグレンダンの一番大ファンですよ!えと。。。「グレンラガン」はありがとうございました! which is, by the way, terrible grammar. (I was going for “I’m the Gurren-dan’s biggest fan, and thanks for Gurren Lagann!” which I think they managed to figure out, but yeah, terrible, terrible grammar. Oh, nerves!)
Hit the jump for a random smattering of cosplay photos as well as pics from Japantown (including taiyaki!). Read more…







