Wow, what a day.
I got to meet a lot of cool people here and had fun trying to remember names.
Some SCANDAL related highlights:
We waited inline for the opening of the exhibit hall to see if we could get some SCANDAL swag first. Initially, the only SCANDAL item in the whole place was "Cure doll vol.1" magazine with SCANDAL on the cover, which ironically I had bought earlier online and brought to con. >.<
The price is marked at 1200yen and but they were charging $12?!?! THAT'S A FRIGGIN' GOOD BARGAIN!!
Then call me crazy, but I just had this hunch that I should keep checking the Cure booth periodically throughout the day. Just a hunch. Lo-and-behold, they brought out SCANDAL t-shirts and albums!
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SCANDAL T-shirt - $30
were also giving out a free autograph board w/purchase that you could have signed
(Similar design to the one currently up on their shop sells for 3000yen - yellow instead of purple)
http://kittywebshop.com/?pid=30887355Not sure when any of the girls ever had blond or purple hair, but eh *shrugs*. Of course though black on black wouldn't have worked.
Again though the 100yen to $1 exchange rate is a bargain. These days it's more like 80yen per $1.
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Temptation Box and BEST SCANDAL CD-only editions - $35
This is actually about the right price.
But then all of this stuff doesn't have the "OMG WHY SO EXPENSIVE X_x" shipping costs. I think most of us here have picked up at least somethng.
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The one thing that ruined it for me today was when I got in the middle of that whole heidi "no-standing at the concert" ordeal. Story below.
Caution: This is very long and has nothing to do with SCANDAL btw so feel free to skip. I'm just venting cause I'm finding it lethargic.- Spoiler:
I caught myself nodding off during the fashion show due to lack of sleep, so I went for a walk after it ended and came back in after the start of the heidi concert. Everyone was sitting. Some people were standing, probably press. I figure maybe everyone just wanted to see or maybe this was a mellow crowd (It sure felt like it with everyone seated) I figure I'd stand in the back and rock out since I was digging the music, and frankly I thought sitting was disrespectful to the artist. Well it took a little bit but someone finally got around to me and asked me to be seated.
I got into an extended debate with 2 AM2 staffers, one calling over another, before they almost called security to have me escorted out when I refused to move. I repeatedly asked why. "It's just policy," was mostly what I heard. That wasn't a good enough reason for me. I'm a very reasonable person, but I didn't see any logic in it. What am I doing wrong? Who am I hurting? I'm not in an aisle, I'm not creating a fire hazard, I'm deliberately standing in the back so as not to obstruct anyone's view. On top of that, weren't we told on multiple occasions that it was okay to stand by your chairs? Maybe someone still missed the memo. I wanted a reason for it and I wasn't hearing one I liked. As the ultimatums to sit or be escorted out continued, one of them eventually told me it was an ACC staff policy and they were enforcing it because they didn't want to get in trouble, and that if I had a problem, ask them. I was so irritated at this point, I knew I wasn't going to be able to just sit and enjoy the concert and pretend like nothing happened, so I showed myself out and decided I was going to get some answers.
I went down to the lobby, and I'd like to think I asked nicely to see the head of the con and someone from ACC regarding their policies. Someone's not informing someone or misunderstanding and I'm suffering for it and I was going to find out who.
I explained what happened, and the guy in charge there said that the "standing by your seats is allowed" was how he understood it was going to go. He said he'd look into it and then directed me over to the convention center's administrative offices where I met the ACC's representative to the con. I explained to her the situation and guess what? She said she was there earlier and also thought it was unusual that people were all sitting down as well. She goes on to explain to me that the convention center's only "policy" in this regard is to keep access routes to exits clear, like aisleways and halls. Sounded like fairly standard fire marshal compliance stuff. Any other policy would've been placed on top of it by the con. So when I left her office, I was pretty sure the people in the concert hall were just simply misinformed at that point and it would be resolved. There didn't seem like anything left I could do, except maybe go back in to try and enjoy the heidi concert, but I just really wasn't in the mood for another possible confrontation, even though I was confident I was justified.
Later on when I dropped in to the Sadie concert to see if things had been fixed, that's when the gentlemen who threatened to have me escorted out previously, informed me they had to keep everyone seated during the heidi concert because of ACC staff, after the stage rushing incident. Special circumstances. I'm not sure whether he was informed of it before or after he was going to kick me out, but if he knew beforehand it would've saved the both of us a lot of trouble if he would've told me then.
But ultimately everything was fixed it seems. Dunno if I had any real part in it, but I suppose I'd like to think something positive came from my misery. Seeing all the standing and the crowd interaction at the Sadie concert made me happier. Gives me good hopes for the SCANDAL concert. But really the whole ordeal cast a black cloud over the rest my Day 1. I couldn't even get myself to really stay and enjoy the Sadie concert or anything else afterward.
おわり
2.5 more days left. No time to mope! The best part's just beginning!
, Rossy Oliver the cute and fluffy 
, Rosa, and Pokey The Cute and Fluffy 
