America's Greatest Otaku (Revealed)!

I'm not as far behind in my blogging as I thought I was!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!   I  watched the finale of America's Greatest Otaku today (FINALLY!)  !!!!!!!!!!  I am sad to say good-bye to the Otaku 6: Diana Hsu & Dre Jean-Jacques (Team D & D), Stephan Cho &  William Sullivan "Sully" Brown (Team S & S), and Meera Marie & Dominique Kruse (Team Mangaloids)!   (SN: Have I used too many parentheses in this blog post yet?  LOL!)   I am absolutely thrilled to announce that my Hubby, Christopher Wanamaker, was declared AMERICA'S GREATEST OTAKU, with contenders Selene Schneider & Gina Gallego coming in close!!!!!  As the winner, Chris was rewarded with a trip to Japan, where he visited such hot spots as Toei Animation Co., Ltd., creative residence to such popular anime as Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball,  & Fist Of The North Star! Another not-to-be-missed spot along his journey was the Sanrio Puroland, a Hello Kitty theme park!!!!!!!!! (Note to Chris Wanamaker: Thanks for bringing me back such great souvenirs from this spot, Honey!)   He was even lucky enough to be able to see a Sentai (known in America as the Power Rangers) Show!  Wow!  I hope he goes to Japan again for a visit someday!  (If I'm lucky enough, I'll be able to go along with him!) In the meantime, I'll be content to immerse myself in Japanese culture by attending as many anime cons as possible!  Which reminds me, Otakon will be here before I can blink!  I guess I'd better put together my Wish List for the Dealer's Room!  If it's anything like it has been in the past, it's gonna be HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (The Dealer's Room, not my Wish List!  LOL!)  Congratulations to AGO  contenders: 1. Ryan Tumaliuan, 2. Christine Choi, 3. Gina Gallego,4. Elizabet Schweizer, 5. Shireen Al-Zahawi, 6. Di-Khiem Tran, 7. Todd Haberkorn, 8.  Brianna Berry, 9. Janet Enriquez, 10. Becky Rasch, 11. Alexandra Lewis, 12. Selene Schneider, 13. Jasmine Salters, 14. Dianna Santodonato, 15. Joey Hanell, 16. Greer White, 17. Ryan Donafey (female),  and 18. Jillian Marcus!  It's too late for me to say "May the best man win!,"  because the contest is over and he already did!  Congratulations, Chris!  Wife Chan is very proud of you!!!!!!!!!!!

I Want AGO Home!!!!!!!!!!!!! And It Comes Close!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've looked forward to last Thursday night's episode of AGO ever since I saw the bus at Otakon last Summer!   The AGO crew spent Week 5 of their search in Baltimore, MD; Washington, DC; and  New York!  Since I live in that area, I expected to see at least one person I recognized!  And I was not disappointed!: My husband, Chris Wanamaker, the President of the DC Anime Club (http://www.dcanimeclub.org/), turned out to compete for the coveted title of "America's Greatest Otaku!"   If anyone embodies the Otaku Quality of Participation, which is what the Otaku 6 Challenge of the Week was based on, it is definitely Christopher Wanamaker (and I'm not just saying that because I'm married to him)!  Not only is he the President of the most active anime club in the nation, but he also attends several anime cons throughout the year!  I attend at least 3 with him: Katsucon, Otakon, & Anime USA.  Also, he participates in  events such as "Animania" at the FYE stores, as well as the Japanese Street Festival during the Cherry Blossom Parade.  Perhaps I'm biased, but I think my hubby has a real shot at being declared "America's Greatest Otaku!"  Only time will tell, though, so I'll move on to some of the others  vying for the coveted title! Jasmine Salters, an aspiring ainme creator and manga designer, has also created a few plushies.  Some of her spare time is reserved for drawing several times a week, even creating her own characters and stories.  Does she have a chance to win the coveted title of AGO??????????  Who knows?????  And as for Dianna Santodonatto, AGO's New York candidate, she and Salters have something in common: they both love to make plushies!!!!!!!!!!!  As for what separates Santodonatto from the rest of the crowd, it's the fact that she can play songs from popular anime on her flute!!!!  Wow!!!!!!!!!!  And of course, the search for "America's Greatest Otaku" would not be complete without some maids & music!!!!!!!!!  Reni Mimura is both! The Japanese Cosplay Singer  specializes in Moe style performances, a genre that emphasizes the cute look of Japanese pop-culture with the hip appeal of Japanese animation! Mimura is a very busy maid!  Right now, her schedule reveals that she is slated to appear at Jaycon in Pennsylvania on March 26, and a Maid Show the following day in New York!  If she can maintain a busy schedule like that, she definitely has a good chance of claiming the title of "America's Greatest Otaku!"  However, only one person can be declared "America's Greatest Otaku"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Who will it be?????  Only time will tell, so I'm going to keep logging in every week to http://americasgreatestotaku.com/ until the contest is over and a winner is declared!!!!!!!!

"AGO" is A Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's not exactly anime, but it is anime-related, so it needs to be mentioned in this blog!!!!!!! The second episode of "America's Greatest Otaku" was broadcast over the Internet tonight. "America's Greatest Otaku," or "AGO," is a revealing documentary series that searches the United States for the number one American otaku. The term “otaku” refers to any uber-passionate fan of anime, manga, games, and Japanese pop culture for whom it is less of a hobby, and more of a lifestyle.  Todd Haberkorn, a voice actor whom I had the pleasure of meeting at one of the anime cons I attended, is one of the contenders.  Haberkorn is most widely known for his voice work in Hell Girl (as Ren Ichimoku), My Bride is a Mermaid (as Nagasumi Michishio), and xxxHolic (as Kimihiro Watanuki).  I am looking forward to next week's episode of  "America's Greatest Otaku!'"  I wonder if anyone else I recognize will show up!!!!!!!!!!!  The link for the series is:  http://www.hulu.com/watch/218497/americas-greatest-otaku-otaku-quest-revs-up?from=fb_share.  Episodes 1 & 2 are available to view now!