Autograph Sessions
Starting Friday afternoon and continuing all throughout the weekend, each Guest of Honor did at least one autograph session. As has been done in the past, autographs were determined by a raffle system. To receive a ticket, attendees had to attend the Guest of Honor's panel. At the end of the panel, the winning tickets were drawn and the recipients of autographs were told where and when to show up for the session.

The Guests of Honor seemed to enjoy meeting with the fans, and many of them commented that American fans seem much friendlier and more relaxed than their Japanese counterparts. Some Guests of Honor, especially Mr. Kitakubo and Mr. Hayama, also provided "live entertainment" and laughed and joked with the fans.

Live Programming
This year, Anime Expo had three Live Programming tracks packed so full that some attendees complained that there wasn't time to see it all. If you wanted to hear the latest releases from a company, they would be here. If you wanted to hear what Ms. Watase was currently working on, or what Mr. Akitaka liked to do in his spare time, then you would spend a lot of time in the panels devoted to these topics and more. Panel programming began in the mornings and ran until late into the evenings, giving attendees a wide variety of topics to choose from.

But that wasn't all. This year, Anime Expo also had its first video game room, complete with tournaments in several games. After the elimination matches were held, the final rounds were held on Sunday afternoon so that everyone could witness the mastery of the gamers.

Video Programming
Once again, Anime Expo outdid itself, boasting five rooms devoted to showing anime. Attendees tired from shopping, gaming, or those who just wanted to cram as much anime viewing as possible into their weekend could be found filling the video rooms at all times of the day and night.

The Meet the Guests Reception
This unique event allows attendees to sit at a table and chat with their favorite Guests of Honor. The tables were full and the so were the glasses as the Guests of Honor chatted with their fans about anime, manga, and a wide range of other topics. Fan favorites this year were once again Kamiya Akira, who enthralled an audience with his voice acting ability, and Watase Yu, who drew a large crowd of FUSHIGI YUUGI fans at her table.

The Dance
Anime Expo '98 saw the return of the Dance, which was greeted with much enthusiasm by the attendees. Shortly after the Meet the Guests Reception ended, the room was converted into a room suitable for a dance, complete with a dance floor, lights, and a DJ who spun the coolest in both anime tunes and the latest US chart toppers as well. (And no, he didn't play "YMCA").

Who would have thought that Otakus had a sense of rhythm? OK, well actually most of them don't, but they at least made an effort and had a good time, as the dance ran into the early hours of the morning.

As the first night of Anime Expo drew to a close, fans and attendees retreated to their hotel rooms for some late-night parties, or withdrew to their rooms to pour over their loot, make battle plans, and get some much-needed rest. For, despite all that happened during the first full day of Anime Expo, there were two more days to go.

Take Me to Saturday!