The con panel at Anime Expo was a total trainwreck this year

I went to a panel on Saturday called 'The Future of Dubbing' and the moderator just let people ramble for 20 minutes about why subs are better. Half the room walked out before they even got to the guest speaker. The guy next to me was literally scrolling Twitter the whole time. Has anyone else had a panel that just completely missed the point?

3 comments

3 Comments

ward.kim1mo agoTop Commenter

Does anyone else notice how this kind of thing happens everywhere now, not just at cons? I went to a town hall meeting last month about the new park and some lady just talked about her cats for like ten minutes while the moderator nodded along. @the_brian is totally right about that guest speaker probably bailing - I heard a guy from a different panel say the same thing about his own talk later that day. It's like people forgot how to keep things on track, whether it's a panel or just a regular conversation with friends.

the_sam1mo ago

People forgot how to keep things on track" - man, tell me about it. I'm the worst offender in my own life, honestly. I caught myself at a family dinner last week rambling about how my neighbor's dog keeps stealing my mail while everyone just stared at their plates. @the_brian's mention of the cattle prod got me thinking though, maybe that's what I need for myself, not just for moderators. Like a personal timer that zaps me if I go over thirty seconds on any topic. The cat lady at your town hall sounds like my spirit animal, but in the worst possible way.

the_brian1mo ago

Sounds like the moderator forgot they were supposed to actually moderate, not just stand there like a potted plant while the crowd hijacked the whole thing. Twenty minutes of sub purists ranting at a dubbing panel has to be some kind of new low for con planning. The guy next to me would've been out the door way before the half mark, Twitter or not. I half suspect the guest speaker was probably in the back having a drink while they waited for the chaos to die down. Next time they should just hand the mic to someone with a timer and a cattle prod.