Interest

Overnight Crowds, Early Morning Stampedes Ring in Comiket 93

Comic Market, also known as Comiket or Comike, is the world's biggest dōjinshi event held twice per year in Tokyo. As one might expect, an event of this magnitude draws huge crowds, and eager fans line up early. Because the early bird gets the dōjinshi, many fans lined up on Thursday to brave the cold overnight and be the first in line on Friday for Comiket 93.

One Twitter user reported that they saw the all-night Comiket crowd gathering as they returned from a year-end party. The above photographs were taken at around 9:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Twitter user thinks that there were about 10,000 fans already in line at that time.

Some people may think such fans are overzealous. However, with very limited quantities of some merchandise available in both the dōjinshi and official industry sides of the event, the lack of sleep could be worth it. At the very least, otaku who succeed in snatching special swag have bragging rights among their friends.

People who pulled all-nighters were not the only Comiket visitors following the precedent of arriving hours before the event starts. Many people woke in the early morning hours to ensure they could make the first train of the day into Kokusai-tenjijō Station near Tokyo Big Sight convention center, where Comiket is held. Twitter users posted videos of the stampede off that first train.

Including those who were in no hurry to arrive, Comiket 93 attracted about 180,000 attendees on its first day on Friday, December 29. An adventurous biking otaku was apparently among them. Attendance was up from the previous two Comiket events, but Summer 2013's Comiket 84 still holds the record for the most attendees on the first day with about 210,000.

Draws to this Winter Comiket include an abundance of TYPE-MOON circles, TATSUKI's booth, and Pop Team Epic "crap." Comiket 93 is being held until Sunday.

[Via Yaraon!, Hachima Kikō]