Anime Oasis 2010 is my second small yet well put-together anime convention (the first being Kawaiikon 2009), and though there wasn’t a lot to see, with the dealer's hall being covered in just about 45 minutes, there was plenty to do. The day started off relatively slow, with a ton of cosplay photos taken and meandering around the various event rooms, but picked up as the day went on, starting with voice actor and comic book artist Sonny Strait’s panel, moving on to the cosplay swimsuit competition, and ending with fan-driven discussions.
 

 
Sonny Strait is most well known for his voice work as Krillin in Dragonball Z, Maes Hughes from Fullmetal Alchemist, Lupin from Lupin III, and as an artist for the Elfquest comic series. This panel was mostly filled with questions about how he got started (he began as a theater major), his favorite roles (Krillin was the most emphasized, though he also enjoyed playing Lupin and Maes Hughes), advice for getting started in the field (stage acting), and many potato jokes. However, he also hinted at the eventual release of a Lupin III and Conan the Detective crossover movie that has been rumored for some time now, as well as a new Lupin movie that is either currently, or will be, directed and voiced by him.
 
Next was the swimsuit competition, where con-goers create or buy bathing suits to match a character they wish to portray. I don’t remember all the characters that were involved, but here's a few group pictures I took at the end (mostly because my camera died and I missed about four suits while changing batteries). Note the amazing Poison Ivy.

 
 
 
 
The evening wore on to the discussions I attended: Kingdom Hearts and fanfiction. The Kingdom Hearts discussion was enjoyable, though it often led into Final Fantasy discussions (as well as an earlier Square game, The Bouncer). The fanfiction discussion was joined by not only writers in their teens and twenties, but also by two mothers, and two girls who couldn’t be over ten or eleven, all of which led to some interesting insight into how some people involve their parents, and how young some people begin writing.
 
Overall, the convention was small, but so much fun. Everyone was incredibly nice, the events were exciting, and even when me and my con-going friend sat in the Qwest Arena for some downtime, there was entertainment keeping things worthwhile. It was a great first day, and I can’t wait for day two!