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Stormtrooper

I survived Armageddon

By Bronwyn Smith

This time round, the end of the world feels a bit different. For starters, we are nowhere near the Convention Centre or the Town Hall. Plus, most of us here have been through a couple of REAL end-of-world-type events recently. Still, like the rest of Christchurch, the Armageddon Expo has risen from the rubble and is bravely pushing forward to the future.

And the future looks pretty bright, really. Especially if you like Katamari Damasy, sonic screwdrivers, Death Star command posts and Naruto. Ooh, and zombies dripping intestines.

Large crowds

Despite some worries about people not coming, the turnout is amazing. Over 7000 visitors in two days – it’s hot, noisy, and incredibly crowded. Luckily I don’t have to resort to violence to get through the crowds, but it’s a close thing: I’m not sure who would win in a knockout bout between a lightsabre-wielding Darth Vader and an agoraphobic middle-aged librarian …

Heaps to see

So round the Addington Raceway stands we go, and there’s heaps to see. We battle through cosplayers and lolita girls aplenty, get tempted by lots of stuff to buy, and drool at the enticing smells of fried foodstuffs. There's also some pretty ferocious gaming going on (both with and without pillows).

Upstairs there are screenings of all sorts of anime and other movie goodies. Summer Wars is a must-see (one of my faves from last year’s anime film festival), but there’s also Vampire Knight, Black Butler, and a couple of others I haven’t seen before.

Reading material

Voting and daleks

For those who feel grown-up and responsible, there are tables staffed by friendly folk who want to tell us all about MMP, the Greens, and general election stuff. There’s a group from NatColl, who have shiny screens and heaps of info about making cool career choices. And for the really old farts, there’s a group from Oxford who have set up a Time Travellers Museum, full of everything from Rupert the Bear and David McCallum collectible cards, to full-size Daleks and Tardis.

We manage to see everything (probably), get photos taken with an Outpost 42 stormtrooper, and on the way out laugh at the decidedly confused-looking regular folks who are attending the home show next door.

Bring on the next Armageddon

All in all, an outstanding event given the circumstances, and we are already looking forward to 2012 …

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Updated July 2011