Right off the top, this is not an action/anime/bloodfest, so if that’s what you were hoping for, then you are barking up the wrong tree.  This is a “thinking man’s” anime about war and peace and the expendable youth that takes part in it.  I was actually pretty blown away by how deep a “cartoon” could be, but that’s maybe because the only anime I typically watch involves vampires getting chopped to bits or non-stop gunfights with an unstoppable hitman or awkward animated nudity, haven’t really found much depth before.  But that’s what happens when you wander into Mamoru Oshii’s territory.  He shows with this film that he is not afraid to tell a story and let it breath, the action is there too, but highly secondary. Continued after the jump:

Imagine if San Diego Comic-Con had a younger teenage sister and she liked to play dress up. That would be my best analogy for what I witnessed today at the Los Angeles Convention Center as I attended my first Anime Convention. Also, unlike Comic-Con, which is now impossible to walk around on the convention floor, today’s anime convention was easy to navigate.

The first thing that struck me was the enthusiasm of everyone there. I’d say thirty to forty percent were wearing costumes. And not just attendees, as dealers were also wearing and selling costumes. If you’re into anime and live in Los Angeles, I’d definitely stop by and look around (if you’re not there already).

More pictures and info after the jump: