PMX 2006 was a nice comeback after the 2005 edition. In 2005, attendance was very low due to various
reasons ranging from sky-high gas prices in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to having a music program
consisting of many small, independent performers. This year, with the rebuilding of the music program
and the addition of a few more Gothic Lolita events, attendance rebounded and the final attendance
figure was very respectable for a two-day convention. This goes to show that fans expect certain things
from certain conventions. Fans expect more from a convention like PMX than they do from a convention
like Anime Los Angeles or AniMagic. This year, PMX once again gave fans something to be excited
about and the fans came back and actually didn't complain about paying extra for things like better
concert seating and an Un-birthday party with Novala Takemoto.
For me, PMX is by far my favorite convention. I'm a big fan of Asian pop culture. I'm a big fan of Asian
pop music, films, dramas, anime, and the list goes on. It's just nice to have all these things in one place.
This year, I stayed very busy with my work for J!-ENT covering the guests and concerts. Some people
wondered if I was there at all. At most conventions that I go to, I'm usually wandering the halls and taking
photos of cosplayers. At this convention, I really don't have a lot of extra time to do that and the results
showed. I even passed up the UchuSentai NOIZ press conference to cover CosFest. Without CosFest, I
really would not have anything to put up on this website for this year. The highlight for me this year
would probably have to be covering OLIVIA. Back in 1998, I was just discovering J-pop music and one of
the first CDs I bought was Love is a Melody by D & D, which was the Eurobeat group that OLIVIA was
part of back then. D & D was one of the groups that sparked my interest in J-Pop and Asian pop music.
At PMX, I got to meet OLIVIA, shoot an interview with her and see her in concert. It's really amazing how
things work out like that.
If this convention becomes consistent in getting major label support for their music program, this
convention will continue to grow. I think this con lives and dies with their music program. That's still the
big draw at this convention. That's what makes it special and that's why people come to it. If this
convention can nail down that aspect of this convention, this con will continue to grow. I hope that it
continues to grow so that they will be forced to move it to another location. I'm not too fond of this one.
See you next year!
Nergene Arquelada
super-no1.com
