Anime Conventions

Dragon Ball Daisuki · Post by **Dragon Ball Daisuki** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 6:58 pm

Ooooh, looks like I've finally been promoted past newbie... sorta. This calls for an avvy change!

*ahem*

So, I've never been to a convention before. I've also never had an overwhelming desire to do so in the past, but I've developed a sense of community now to the point that I think I'd like to check it/them out. What should I know?

What have your experiences been?
What are the main conventions I should look out for?
How has attending conventions helped you share your comraderie?
And, uh... how bad is the cosplay?

:3

Jerseymilk · Post by **Jerseymilk** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:37 pm

Cosplay can be good or bad or anywhere in between. Ya there's been some really God-awful DBZ cosplayers out there, but I've seen absolutely awesome ones too. QuantumDestiny, who is a member of this board is extremely talented at bringing the charas to life accurately. She's just one example of many I know of.

Anyway, as for what ones to attend....it helps to know where in the world you are. XD It isn't very helpful for me to suggest Otakon for example if you're in France. One tip I can give you is that I would start off with a smaller con first if you've never been to one. People I know of that had their first con experience at a big one always felt really overwhelmed. Not that they didn't have fun, but it's just more difficult to get a feel for things your first time out I find. With smaller cons, you tend to get a much more relaxed atmosphere and a feeling of "we're all friends here". Large cons are awesome for how much there is to do and see and the variety of it. Hence why I recommend you try a small one first since you'll likely want to try everything. Once you know what events and stuff you enjoy more, then a bigger con is easier to plan an itinerary for, since you can cut through all the mish-mash of things.

Relating this to DB, there isn't as much merchandise surrounding it at cons nowadays, but with the release of the Dragonboxes and stuff from Funi over here, it's had a bit of a comeback. You're bound to see *some* stuff in the Dealer's Room.

As for me attending cons? Well I've made some really awesome friends at them and just had a heck of a lot of fun. It's relaxing and hectic at the same time, so it's quite a neat phenomena to experience. Hope that helps some anyway.

Dragon Ball Daisuki · Post by **Dragon Ball Daisuki** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:27 pm

Anyway, as for what ones to attend....it helps to know where in the world you are. XD

Ahah. Good point. Country-wise, you can find me in America. State-wise, I'm in Pennsylvania. Other-wise... well, we don't need to get too specific, do we? Anyone in the PA/NY/NJ area who could maybe point me in the right direction?

Or even North America in general would be groovy.

(;

Jerseymilk · Post by **Jerseymilk** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:54 pm

Yes that helps a lot. XD Well Otakon is the big, major one near you. It's in Baltimore. Now when we talk about feeling overwhelmed, that one would certainly do it. XD It's the second largest con in the States after AnimeExpo in California. It's one that I definitely think you should experience, but not as a first time con-goer. ^^; Katsucon in Washington, D.C. is kind of a middle-tier con in terms of size. There's also Tsubasacon in West Virginia, Tekkoshokon in Monroe, PA, and AnimeNext in New Jersey which is the one that Mike and Meri are always at every year.

You could also look into AnimeBoston, though it's a bit of a bigger one as well.

This list of North American cons will probably help you too:
http://www.cosplay.com/conventions.php

Post by **VegettoEX** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:06 pm

http://www.fansview.com/consked.htm

BlueSky · Post by **Kaboom** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:33 pm

Otakon in Baltimore just last month was my first anime con, and it was a blast.

Dragon Ball Daisuki · Post by **Dragon Ball Daisuki** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 12:13 pm

Oh, wow Mike. That link is pretty much the end-all be-all response to my queries!

^.^

Are there, like, specific "official" pages for the bigger cons I wonder? God, I feel like such a noob.

SSj Kaboom --> Devil's in the details. Was it... as overwhelming an experience of what I now fear it to be? Specifically, what did you do there? How were the panels blahblahblah?

:]

Post by **desirecampbell** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 1:29 pm

I've never been to a con either Dai, but there's a small one right in town (that I didn't even hear about until last year) called 'Animaritime' in March, so I'll be going to that.

I'd be a little bit worried about going to one of the big cons first, so this is perfect for me. Though, on the other hand, the first concert I went to was that OLP/Hip/Rolling Stones concert with the entire town, and that was awesome.

Anyway, I'm rambling! Onward with more information from people who've attended conventions before!

Jerseymilk · Post by **Jerseymilk** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 3:40 pm

desirecampbell wrote:Though, on the other hand, the first concert I went to was that OLP/Hip/Rolling Stones concert with the entire town, and that was awesome.

I have to say Desire that that must have been one awesome concert. I envy you.

Daisuki: This link has listings to cons worldwide. It's mostly centered around cosplaying, but many conventions named on it also have the link to the official website.
http://www.nyx.net/~wsantoso/cosplay.html

Post by **desirecampbell** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:09 pm

Jerseymilk wrote:
desirecampbell wrote:Though, on the other hand, the first concert I went to was that OLP/Hip/Rolling Stones concert with the entire town, and that was awesome.
I have to say Desire that that must have been one awesome concert. I envy you.

Third row from the front, against the catwalk barricade - 100,000 people behind me. We sang along with two of the best Canadian bands ever, and Mick Jagger sweat on me (that wasn't as cool as everyone seems to think).

Anyway, I was going to post a similar thread as Animaritime got closer. What to expect from a con and all that. I'm really excited about it, especially that it's right in town so, worst case scenario, I can bail and go home

fps_anth · Post by **fps_anth** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 1:06 am

I just attended Fan Expo 2007 in Toronto, and it was awesome. I picked up some Dragon Ball toys and posters (and a Death Note artbook

) for great prices.

As for the cosplayers, they aren't bad in Toronto. In fact, I took some pictures with some stormtroopers

kuchi · Post by **kuchi** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 3:03 am

I've been to a couple Anime Expo and Fanime cons out here in California in the past few years; cons are obviously a great way to find merchandise, information and people interested in or relating to your favorite show or shows. At the same time, it's a haven for members from all strata of the social spectrum (if that made any sense...). By this I mean: while I've met some incredibly awesome people at conventions, I've also encountered some shady and/or idiotic individuals who I definitely wouldn't want to meet again. But that's a totally subjective perspective--I guess you could say it's about how you "jive" with the people you meet or wait in line with. Usually, you'll jive just fiiiine.

My personal favorite part of cons so far has been attending panels that covered a wide variety of Japanese-related subjects: from learning traditional Japanese dance to getting art critique from Kobayashi Makoto (keyframe animator for GONZO) to meeting the cast of Red vs. Blue, there are bound to be panels you'll enjoy. Wow, that sounded like such a sales pitch. Anywho...

Also: contests. Most cons these days probably have a music video contest of some sort, and karaoke is probably in there somewhere as well--at AX, singing and voice acting culminate in a massive contest known as "AX Idol." I've attended a few of both of these in my con experiences, and on the whole they've been quite fun (but it sure helps to be a finalist when you're battling thousands of other people for seating =.= ).

Hope that helps! I definitely recommend attending one (if not a few) conventions, if not for anything else than for being a part of such a unique experience.

kinoko · Post by **kinoko** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 9:17 pm

DBD, I've attended one convention, AnimeNEXT (NJ), for the past two years, and con-going has been a wonderful experience all-around. I like the feeling I get being a part of the anime/manga community, and cosplay has become an increasingly central thing for me. (I met QuantumDestiny recently at AN, and she, along with her sister, does *amazing* cosplay.) Of course, you'll find a lot of variety and fun with the panels and dealer's rooms.

MangaNEXT takes place in October, and while it's one of the newer cons out there, I'm really looking forward to it. ^^

Super Sonic · Post by **Super Sonic** » Sun Sep 02, 2007 9:34 pm

I've attended Sakuracon the last few years, though this year was my first going for all 3 days. Was at Anime Evolution in Canada as well. Though I admit there weren't a lot of DBZ cosplayers, I did see a few for the last few times. A good buddy of mine also makes a great Krillin.

QuantumDestiny · Post by **QuantumDestiny** » Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:31 pm

fps_anth wrote:I just attended Fan Expo 2007 in Toronto, and it was awesome. I picked up some Dragon Ball toys and posters (and a Death Note artbook ) for great prices.

As for the cosplayers, they aren't bad in Toronto. In fact, I took some pictures with some stormtroopers

I was there too, mwhaha. I picked up a Piccolo gashapon and managed to find 3 GT DVDS for only $7.50.

Anyway, I've attended conventions (ranging from 1-4) every year for 7 years... lol. So, honestly, your very first few conventions are the greatest ones. Conventions are.... highly addictive......... Afterwards if you keep going to the same ones they just get filled with drama

.

Cosplaying certainly helped me with meeting people and making friends who liked DBZ and other interests. I just find it's easier to talk to other cosplayers, and people who are in normal clothes will strike up conversations more. There are MANY bad cosplayers lol yeah ^_^;... Everyone starts out kinda bad... but there are plenty good ones too.

For your first convention.... try to go to it with a friend, and look at the schedule beforehand so you're actually interested in the events!! Also make sure to put aside some money for food... the first con I went to I spent it all on merchandise and only had 13cents left, LOL.