This was quite an adventure and I almost didn't make it. I had purchased a 3-day VIP pass to December's GalaxyCon waaaaaay back in June, thinking I would book a hotel and rent a car just like I did for my last convention. Fast forward several months and I realized I didn't have enough money to pay for those things, so I cancelled all my reservations and resigned myself to the fact that I probably wouldn't be able to make the convention after all.
But then I couldn't stop thinking about GalaxyCon. There were a lot of celebrities there who I thought were worth meeting, but it was the voice actors I wanted to see the most. Some of them were people I had dreamed of meeting, like Jason Liebrecht, who voiced Hei in Darker Than Black (one of my top anime) and Yato in Noragami. He's my all-time favorite VA and I didn't want to miss him.
So, I decided to still attend the convention, but only for one day. I chose Friday based on my experience with Animate over the summer. At that con, I knocked all but one actor out for autographs because it just wasn't as busy as the rest of the days at the convention, so I hoped that it would be the same way for me for GalaxyCon.
Well, my total shock when I arrived was that the place was crowded and there were lines for everything! This was probably because the roster of guests was so thoroughly amazing, for one. Check out the guest list here!
Anyway, I got to the convention right when it opened at 2pm and then as soon as I was checked in, I beelined straight towards the voice actor autographs. That was my main mission for this trip: get signings! And since Jason Liebrecht was my most important person to meet, I headed for his line first.
I got to tell Jason how he was my favorite VA and that everything I've ever seen him in, he's always done a great job. He seemed really touched by my words and he was excited I brought him Darker Than Black to sign. His assistant told me it was his favorite anime he's done and I was so pleased he got to sign for it. I also had him sign my Noragami Blu-Ray insert as well. Anyway, I had such a great experience with him and I'm always going to remember it.
I also got two major actors in Chainsaw Man. Now, I did a review of Chainsaw Man on this blog and had some issues with it, but I still thought the cast did a great job with the acting on the show, despite some of my qualms with the characters.
Well, after meeting Ryan Colt Levy (Denji in Chainsaw Man) and Reagan Murdock (Aki in Chainsaw Man) and talking to them (kinda deeply!) about their characters, it made me reconsider what I thought about the show and how I shouldn't give up on it, and maybe see them in a deeper way than how I first viewed them. It's not like I went up to each actor and told them how I felt about the series; it just came about organically when they were talking about their experiences performing and creating their characters. It really made me want to give Chainsaw Man another chance. I had a great experience with both actors and they were so much fun to talk to. Ryan Colt Levy is a genuinely kind person and Reagan Murdock was so open and warm when I talked to him.
Lastly, I got to meet Kellen Goff, who is really famous for voicing in Five Nights at Freddy's, but I know him from My Hero Academia and Sasaki and Miyano. I have the Blu-Ray to Sasaki and Miyano, which I got on impulse, and ended up falling in love with the series, so that's what I had Kellen sign. He was also very kind and great to talk to, and at the end of our conversation he thanked me in Sasaki's voice, which was an unexpected surprise!
There were lots more voice actors I wanted to meet, but I was picky about how long I wanted to wait in line (some VAs had really long lines) and I also had some anxiety about driving home in the dark while the weather was misty rain, so I left GalaxyCon as the sun was setting. I was pleased with my autograph haul, and I also picked up a Demon Slayer character poster from Artist Alley before leaving. I wanted more autographs and more art, but I really needed to be careful with my spending, so I left once I was happy with what I got.
Here's a photo of all of my goodies, with my Artist Alley purchase, my autographs, and the free swag I got from GalaxyCon as a VIP.
I had a really great time while I was there. I hope I can go back next December and have more funds to stay longer and get more things signed! This trip, though it was a short one, was so worth it.