Over one thousand anime fans came together this past weekend to celebrate Japanese animation at Peoria's one and only anime convention, Anime-ZAP!
Happening at the Four Points by Sheraton downtown, Anime-ZAP! scheduled over 100 events for anime fans to participate in during the three day weekend, including a foam-weapons battlefield, an elegant formal dance, a date auction, and a couple of high-energy rave dances.
Staff Organization/Friendliness - 5/5
There were large signs outside of main events rooms with the events schedule, and everyone one staff was very friendly throughout the weekend.
Registration - 3.5/5
Registration was extremely quick and efficient at Anime-ZAP!, with extremely short wait times in lines. However the convention gave out wristbands instead of wearable badges, because several attendees registered for free or for $10 or less.
Events - 5/5
For the size of the convention, the events list was top notch. There were several anime specific panels and several interactive and social events, including a photobooth as well. The formal ball began with excellent formal dance lessons, and each night's rave was brilliant lit and sounded great. The only thing missing was Karaoke.
Video Gaming - 3.5/5
For the size of the convention, video gaming was decent, but it could have used a bit more space to have even more games.
Hotel/Location - 4.5/5
Other than being a little crowded, the location was perfect. Everything was easy to access, and easy to find. Hotel rooms were relatively cheap at only $90/night.
Overall - 4.5/5
Overall Anime-ZAP! was extremely well run and very fun for almost anyone who attended.
The biggest memory for some over the weekend was an inspirational performance by Nick Santiago, lead singer of V is for Villains, who badly twisted his knee on stage and left via ambulance. He kept singing until the paramedics had to take him away, leading to a series of tumblr gifs proclaiming the performance as the "Best *ing Show Ever."
The next convention for area fans is Anime-zing!, which will be held May 3-5, 2013 in Davenport, Iowa. Announced guests include LittleKuriboh, creator of The Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged Series, and V is for Villains.
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