This was my first Anime Destiny, so I have nothing with which to compare. UC Berkeley and I never really got along since high school for odd reasons. But now I had a chance to visit the campus to see how the reputed mental challenges of class combined with the student protests fared. Sadly, the convention took place on a pleasant Saturday so there were no classes and nothing to protest that has not already been protested to death. So it is back to the original plan of shooting cosplayers and trying not to go broke buying stuff I usually never open.

I arrived at the BART station in time for immediate dust off towards Berkeley. One advantage I give Berkeley over San Francisco is that I only need to take one direct train to Berkeley during the weekend so my chances of getting lost or confused is greatly reduced. Thanks to Yunaura's map, the march from the station to the campus was simple and I found myself at Anime Destiny. It was a small venue in a class building. Students with study sessions or an urge to jog would occasionally notice the AD attendees in the funny clothes.

Panels were sparse. I visited EB's Con Etiquette panel. Some people go there to learn what not to do during conventions while other people go there to check off what they have already done during conventions. BAAU also had an open sketch session that I had no talent to join while there was a hentai panel I missed, a fansubbing panel that discussed why that hobby is not as fun as it sounds, and a Gundam building panel that my brother would have liked.

Musical guests included Yuki Dong singing anime greats with occasional back up from the Fanimaids. The J-Rock band Zeroth followed.

Running into Little Sister Hanako and her friends Heidi and Michael, we hung out for a bit while watching bits of AMV Hell IV and abridged Yu-Gi-Oh. Claudine was there with her dolls. Pity I did not bring Yo-Joe to meet the wife of his commuter marriage. Sarah and I tried to sing along to Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. It is rare for me to enjoy such video programming during a convention, but the company watching it with me and commenting aloud made it fun.

The Dealers Room and Artist Alley had some unique anime wares, but I wanted to save money. Unfortunately the artists who designed the AD badges had 10 limited prints of their artwork. Despite trying to resist, I ended up buying one.

Claudine and I ducked to Subway for a meal together. Heidi, Michael, and Hanako met us there. At the candy store next door, Hanako truly acted like a kid there as she struggled to decide on the variety of candies to choose. The clerk noted that given my patience with Hanako, we must be siblings. I ran back to the convention to partake in the Project Cosplay fashion show, which took place in lieu of the Masquerade.

While it was a small convention, Anime Destiny featured quality time with fellow attendees. It is something I miss in bigger conventions, so I would not mind attending Anime Destiny.

Never underestimating the power of an afro,