There is always an anxiousness to get the Expo started, but the actual start time was 10:30 am. This is good, as I was champing at the bit at 7 am (when the buses start running), but I should go out WITH the wife and daughter so we can pretend we’re a family.

Now, the bus stop is right across the street from the Biltmore, but it is Stop 2/3 (as we share it with the Hilton). Stop 1 is the Omni and I have to assume that they filled up the bus, as a #2 drove right past us! Also, this particular stop is popular, as it takes in six LA Transit lines, plus a variety of other buses, so buses came by every five minutes….just not yours.

So, when another #2 showed up, the line now stretched from the bus pole to the end of the block and around the corner. The bad news was that some folks didn’t get on. The good news was we did, so calloo callay. Then, we got to the venue.

The first line to go in stretched from 11th Street to 9th Street, I guess. I didn’t want to find out, as we never saw that end. I tried to find the line for the Middle Entrance, but I never found THAT end, either. The South Entrance was much shorter, and we got past security and inside, while those in Line 1 were still standing about.

Once in, we got the event book, but it would only tell you that this was happening today. No times, no locations. So, we had to download the app. Now, I’m not a Luddite, but I don’t want too many apps on my phone. However, since this one can tailor what I want to see, it was really helpful.

We went into the Exhibit Hall, but it was jammed to the teeth. I would have gone into the 18+ Booths, but I would have run out of time and potentially miss the World Premiere of two “My Hero Academia” OVAs (which will air in August).

The first one involved the Hero Baseball League, a fight between Team Orca and Team Liones and this is the WORST baseball ever. Let baseball, more revenge. The second was our Work Study group going against their most challenging criminal to date. Forget Stain, Mr. Smiley will smile at you, and you will laugh for two hours.  What an odd show. Then came the Problem, which bedeviled the first day.

The area outside Hall B was gridlocked and no one could move AT ALL. How can I move to one side when I can’t move anywhere? It took me 15 minutes to get outside. Now, we wanted to make sure that we got in line for Trash Taste, but that was such a zoo, as we stood in the blazing sun for two hours and then, we had to rush the doors to make sure we got in. We did.

It was an entertaining panel, but the boys were obsessed with American burgers and White Claw seltzer. I left that to try and get into the taito drum session, but the line got capped long before I stood in line. Bugger.  After cooling my heels at “Name That Pokemon”, I went to the Crunchyroll Premieres. They will be doing this three times and each session is a different premiere.

This one had an ‘historically correct anime’ (which means nothing) called “Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys”, about a group of criminals who become a police force in Edo Kyoto. Survey says you want to see this. The second one was the second season of “Utawarerumono”. I was shocked, as I reviewed this show a decade ago and I initially thought it was pretty good, then the last three or four episodes completely ruined what went before. I watched just enough to see that the peace that has come upon this land is being torn asunder and we must be able to protect what we have. yawn.

I then had to hotfoot it back to the Main Building so I could get my 18+ badge and finally get in to all those hentai panels, even though it meant sitting about for 90 minutes in line so I didn’t get shut out. Now, I saw “Hentai Boobies” and these were the most physics-defying boobies and certainly some truly gross-out stuff as well. No kink shaming here, but this was not erotic at all, and they concluded with the breast bullets from “High School of the Dead”.

Got back to the hotel late, as it was a really full day, despite some misfires. And since Day 2 is a Saturday, it may be even worse than today.