By Mark Rodriguez
So we came to the final day of the con. To make things easier on ourselves, once we checked out of the hotel we took all the extra junk back home and returned to the con with the basics. Now feeling a lot lighter, we were ready to go for some shopping!
I discovered DBZ blind boxes, as well as other based on My Hero Academia and such. I decided to go for the DBZ one, and was told they each contained one Funko Pop and if I were to get the Trunks Funko Pop autographed by Eric Vale, to head back to the booth for a photo on their social media. I also bought a Dragonball and Dragonball Z mystery boxes, so I'll be looking forward to opening those. Johnny also scored himself two LVL Up Expo shirts and a cap, and I was able to grab one final shirt before they ran out.
Naturally we went back for more Wild Bill's refills and I mixed their Rocky Mountain Root Beer with their Vintage Vanilla for an awesome combination. It wasn't too long before the vanilla was all out again. That flavor is just too good!
Today I finally noticed that the big van they had parked in the middle of the dealers hall did not only have games that you could play on the outside... there were actually games set up that you could play inside, including the new Mortal Kombat 11. I kept coming back to see if I could get a chance to play it, but it was always full. I did feel that even though there were tons of tables for retro gaming from games like Rampage, Smash Bros. and even Millipede on the Atari... they always seemed to be full.
I also ran into this awesome Jade cosplayer. Little did I know, I would see her again during the Main Event of Versus Pro Wrestling. This time it was their version of the Royal Rumble with a new wrestler coming in every few minutes, the difference being you still had to take out the opponents by pin or submission instead of just throwing them over the ropes. Surprisingly, Jade turned out to be one of the wrestlers, though in this match she was one of the valets.
Another surprise was running into Shawn, the guy responsible for ShineCon Las Vegas 2018. We got to pose with him and we did get word a few weeks prior that there will indeed be a ShineCon 2020.
After eating, drinking, and checking out any more last minute price drop deals with the dealers, we finally hit the panels upstairs. We checked out a bit of the Cosplay Masquerade Contest and ended the evening with the Voice Acting Competition. This was similar to the panels we saw yesterday, except this was for real, so there was no messing around and everyone brought their A-Game. While we did see some anime like FMA and Azumanga Daioh, we did see a whole lot of Korra as well. I have to say, that is a favorite that continues to have a strong and devoted fanbase even after the show ended in 2014.
The con wrapped up soon, despite the Voice Acting Contest advertised as being from 6PM to 10PM, they made sure to announce the winners and end it by 9. We said our goodbyes to some of the con friends that were still around and called it a night.
Overall Impressions-
Being my first LVL Up Expo, it was quite the experience. While I know there are way larger, this is probably the largest con I have ever been to, I feel previous cons I attended could have fit in just the dealers hall alone. The downside to this was how easy it was to get lost in the shuffle. I found myself getting lost any time I was trying to look for Johnny or my buddies, or even trying to find the Wild Bill's for another refill.
The guests were cool, especially for fans of DBZ and RWBY. The voices of Mario and Bowser were there too and we also had some horror icons as well. Several Youtubers and Twitch Streamers were there as well, including Team Four Star and Kat Contii.
The gaming looked cool but I honestly never got to game personally. I guess I got too busy with the refills, shopping, wrestling and hanging with friends I haven't seen in years to really sit down and play video games, but there was quite a selection. Sadly though it always seemed the tables and that gaming van were always full, so I don't know when I would have found a turn anyway.
The only true complaints I could think of were the annoyance of always having to form in line every time you got back in the building, which I understand was for the sake of security but still annoying, and the bags they give you for your booklet break too easily. Mine broke on Saturday and figured it was a fluke, but then another bag also exploded. I was lucky none of the items were fragile.
Overall a fun experience and the minor nitpicks weren't enough to ruin the overall experience. I did find it weird that the con ended at 9PM every night, since most anime cons I've been to got past midnight, sometimes with panels even starting at midnight. It was clear the real MVP of the con were the Wild Bill's refills. Whenever they announce LVL up Expo 2019, the first question before I book my flight will be 'will Wild Bill's be there?'.
So we came to the final day of the con. To make things easier on ourselves, once we checked out of the hotel we took all the extra junk back home and returned to the con with the basics. Now feeling a lot lighter, we were ready to go for some shopping!
I discovered DBZ blind boxes, as well as other based on My Hero Academia and such. I decided to go for the DBZ one, and was told they each contained one Funko Pop and if I were to get the Trunks Funko Pop autographed by Eric Vale, to head back to the booth for a photo on their social media. I also bought a Dragonball and Dragonball Z mystery boxes, so I'll be looking forward to opening those. Johnny also scored himself two LVL Up Expo shirts and a cap, and I was able to grab one final shirt before they ran out.
Naturally we went back for more Wild Bill's refills and I mixed their Rocky Mountain Root Beer with their Vintage Vanilla for an awesome combination. It wasn't too long before the vanilla was all out again. That flavor is just too good!
Today I finally noticed that the big van they had parked in the middle of the dealers hall did not only have games that you could play on the outside... there were actually games set up that you could play inside, including the new Mortal Kombat 11. I kept coming back to see if I could get a chance to play it, but it was always full. I did feel that even though there were tons of tables for retro gaming from games like Rampage, Smash Bros. and even Millipede on the Atari... they always seemed to be full.
I also ran into this awesome Jade cosplayer. Little did I know, I would see her again during the Main Event of Versus Pro Wrestling. This time it was their version of the Royal Rumble with a new wrestler coming in every few minutes, the difference being you still had to take out the opponents by pin or submission instead of just throwing them over the ropes. Surprisingly, Jade turned out to be one of the wrestlers, though in this match she was one of the valets.
 |
| Seeing that she turned out toe be a wrestler, this is one Jade Cosplay that can really kick your ass. |
After eating, drinking, and checking out any more last minute price drop deals with the dealers, we finally hit the panels upstairs. We checked out a bit of the Cosplay Masquerade Contest and ended the evening with the Voice Acting Competition. This was similar to the panels we saw yesterday, except this was for real, so there was no messing around and everyone brought their A-Game. While we did see some anime like FMA and Azumanga Daioh, we did see a whole lot of Korra as well. I have to say, that is a favorite that continues to have a strong and devoted fanbase even after the show ended in 2014.
The con wrapped up soon, despite the Voice Acting Contest advertised as being from 6PM to 10PM, they made sure to announce the winners and end it by 9. We said our goodbyes to some of the con friends that were still around and called it a night.
Overall Impressions-
Being my first LVL Up Expo, it was quite the experience. While I know there are way larger, this is probably the largest con I have ever been to, I feel previous cons I attended could have fit in just the dealers hall alone. The downside to this was how easy it was to get lost in the shuffle. I found myself getting lost any time I was trying to look for Johnny or my buddies, or even trying to find the Wild Bill's for another refill.
The guests were cool, especially for fans of DBZ and RWBY. The voices of Mario and Bowser were there too and we also had some horror icons as well. Several Youtubers and Twitch Streamers were there as well, including Team Four Star and Kat Contii.
The gaming looked cool but I honestly never got to game personally. I guess I got too busy with the refills, shopping, wrestling and hanging with friends I haven't seen in years to really sit down and play video games, but there was quite a selection. Sadly though it always seemed the tables and that gaming van were always full, so I don't know when I would have found a turn anyway.
The only true complaints I could think of were the annoyance of always having to form in line every time you got back in the building, which I understand was for the sake of security but still annoying, and the bags they give you for your booklet break too easily. Mine broke on Saturday and figured it was a fluke, but then another bag also exploded. I was lucky none of the items were fragile.
Overall a fun experience and the minor nitpicks weren't enough to ruin the overall experience. I did find it weird that the con ended at 9PM every night, since most anime cons I've been to got past midnight, sometimes with panels even starting at midnight. It was clear the real MVP of the con were the Wild Bill's refills. Whenever they announce LVL up Expo 2019, the first question before I book my flight will be 'will Wild Bill's be there?'.
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