What Does a Girl Have to Do to Get Moyoco Anno’s Autograph These Days?

There are reasons why I’ve never been to an anime convention outside of California. Number one: it’s expensive. Number two: it’s even more expensive if I don’t crash with local folks I know or share a hotel room with them. Number three: I don’t know a lot of people outside of California (except online) and it’s hard to impose on folks who you only know through the internet. Also cons are just more fun when you’re with good friends.

But even if I wanted to go to NYCC at the very last minute this year, I can’t. I signed up for a certification course at a local community college that has it’s first class -you guessed it- right in the middle of NYCC. Attendance is mandatory at all classes or else you fail. That’s okay, I can live without going to NYCC. There usually aren’t any major attractions for me…

So, of course, Vertical Inc. and NYCC announces that Moyoco Anno, only one of my favorite mangaka of all time, is coming this year. And they announce it well after I’ve signed up for the damn certification course. Desk, meet my head. Pillow meet my tears.

Okay, okay. Fine. This has happened before and you’ve lived. (Natsume Ono at TCAF, on not only Mother’s Day, but on the day before a much-anticipated trip to Vienna.) It’ll suck, but maybe you can  get someone to get her autograph for you. That would be a nice consolation prize, right? Yeah! I’ll post it to Twitter and offer to pay people for their time getting me my autograph.

No dice. One friend of a friend offered to get it if he “had the time.” Well, that’s not the point of me trying to pay you to get it! *Sigh*

Okay, I’ll try Facebook? A college friend offers, but then we find out that you have to get tickets at 8 A.M. for the signing and she is, of course, unwilling. (Edit: An inside source at Vertical Inc. tells me you have to get the tickets from the Vertical booth or at the Moyoco Anno panel, not at the 8 am giveaway listed on the NYCC site. Maybe there is hope for me?) Can’t say I blame her, I refuse to do the same for friends at SDCC. (But then again, most of the friends who want me to get stuff like Derpy Hooves don’t offer financial incentives.)

So now? I have no idea. It seems like, in the end, I will not get to meet Moyoco Anno or get her autograph. Goodness knows if she’ll ever come back to a U.S. con, considering how often her work gets published stateside. And, considering how many West Coast publishers there are that bring mangaka to West Coast cons, it’s unlikely that the cost of getting to meet Moyoco Anno will go down.

I will spend the entirety of next weekend crying inside.

About Daniella Orihuela-Gruber

Daniella is a freelance manga editor and blogger. She likes collecting out of print manga and playing with her puppy. Yes, someone got her a puppy already.
This entry was posted in conventions, manga and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to What Does a Girl Have to Do to Get Moyoco Anno’s Autograph These Days?

  1. Justin says:

    ….Seems like a poor time to pile on, but I plan on meeting Moyoco Anno *is going to NYCC* (secretly mentions this to be evil :>)

  2. Darn Daniella, I wish I can help you also as well.. since I would be going to NYCC on Saturday, but I don’t think I can get you an autograph.. getting autographs from certain NYCC Japanese guests in my experience involves waiting at 6am lines, but if Vertical is going that route of giving away tickets like that… perhaps? Good luck…

Leave a Reply