Import Reactor ‘09

Around the time that Import Reactor came around, I had only been in Houston for a few months.  Still, I had caught wind of the event.  I had heard the name mentioned, seen the head counts posted on the boards, and saw the excitement at meets when everyone discussed it.  I knew it was a big event, and I was definitely excited to go.  For reasons unknown to me, our local forum does not allow discussion of Import Reactor, so the only real information I heard was passed along by word of mouth.

Well, fully expecting a big car meet, I was quite surprised when I was told the week prior to the event that Import Reactor was held during an anime convention.  Yes, Import Reactor is a small portion of the Anime Matsuri convention held every year in The Woodlands, TX.  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but with my camera gear packed up and ready, batteries charged, and extra sunscreen in my pocket, I knew I was ready for anything.

When I finally arrived at the event, I was blown away by the crowds.  Seeing the masses of people swarming towards the hotel convention center definitely got my hopes up, knowing that the venue was going to be packed.  Unfortunately, it also got me a parking space a mile away.  As I walked up the stairs to the main entrance way, I noticed the people around me… most were younger, with all sorts of costumes, hair color, and various outfits ranging from mild to wild.  Wow, these kids take this anime shit seriously!

I got to the booth, paid my entrance fee, and began walking towards the door.  I looked down to check my telephone, and ran smack into another person trying to enter at the same time.  I looked up apologetically, fully expecting to be helping a young asian girl with pink hair color up after knocking her down.  To my surprise, I was face to face with some sort of masked mechanical warrior.  To my even bigger surprise, he was holding a hand made 6 foot long gatling gun of some sort.  Damn, these anime kids really do take this shit seriously.  I apologized to the young man / woman / robot and made my way into the building.  I chuckled as the idiot in the robot outfit got stopped and interrogated for his weaponry – shouldn’t have been so creative when you welded that gun up, dumbass!

The event was wild.  You know, I wish I could tell you what the hell was going on, but I honestly have no idea.  Those kids, dressed in all kinds of crazy shit, were packed like sardines inside the building, patiently waiting in multiple lines to get through doors that lead to rooms full of more kids dressed in crazy shit.  I spent two days there, and I still can’t tell you what the hell they were waiting for, as I never had the patience to stand in line for hours.

I cut through the crowd and made my way to the parking garage – finally, the car show!  As I entered the top level, I was surprised by the turnout.  It wasn’t quite as large as I had expected, unfortunately.  This was due to another event going on the same day (an event that is constantly hosting their events on the same day as other events… shame on you, bastards, I’ve seen you do this in multiple states).  Fortunately, a couple of the most loyal teams in Houston decided to make it out to Import Reactor and show, to support the home town shown and not the big, national corporate giant.  I won’t name that company, but it starts with “H” …. and ends with “ot Import Nights”.

While the turnout eventually did grow as more cars rolled in, it wasn’t the number of cars, or the quality of cars that impressed me, but the atmosphere.  The music was blaring (a mix of club music and jdm techno mess, wild!), the import models were out, all the crews were out showing like champs.  It was a good time, and although the competition was fierce, it was friendly.  There was no drama, and I saw alot of friendship between teams.  Good sportsmanship is what its about.  It seems like everyone there was proud to be representing the Houston scene, instead of selling out to the big show out in Austin, Texas.

I was really impressed by some of the entertainment there.  Initial D arcade machines were lined up for head to head competition.  Guest DJs made their way out to keep the people moving and partying.  Strong Machine 1 & 2 came out and did a performance – I can’t even begin to explain, just look them up on youtube… its crazy!   Even Houston’s very own dance crew, “SoReal Cru” (they were on America’s Best Dance Crew on MTV) came out and did a live performance!

It really was a blast.  In summary, I’d have to say that its not about the number of cars, the amount of people, and the number of trophies.  Its about the atmosphere, the friendly competition, showing support to your scene, and having a good time.  Even though it wasn’t a huge, commercial event with tons of vendors, all the big names, and the biggest trophies, and all that jazz…. it had a good enough atmosphere to make it one of the best car show experiences I’ve had.

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