It may be disappointing to learn that the so-called "world behind the curtain" is about as tame as the average desk job. That's understandable, considering that these are the people that turn a hotel or convention center into an anime fan's Disneyland for one weekend out of the year. While the atmosphere may not be one of abject insanity, working with guests (especially those from a nation as quirky as Japan) leads to a number of unique situations.

"It's kind of amazing to see the guests of honor get together and have lots of fun with one another," muses Nam Pham. He recalls an event from last year's Anime Expo, in which "2009 Guest Of Honor Yun Kouga was playing Monster Hunter on her PSP. One of the band members from Moi dix Mois saw her playing and told her that he brought a PSP with him with Monster Hunter." Apparently, the power of Monster Hunter is beyond comprehension, as "they both played with one another for several hours and had lots of fun doing so."

Ms. Friedman reveals a slightly different, yet equally unusual experience. According to her,"being in Japan in front of some of the leading Japanese Yuri artists and writer and being asked to define Yuri, was very bizarre."