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This Week in Anime
Navigating Anime Conventions

by Christopher Farris & Monique Thomas,

Anime conventions like Anime Expo and FanimeCon are the perfect place for anime enthusiasts from all walks of life to mingle and gather. Join Chris and Nicky this week as they share their adventures and experiences at these conventions.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.
Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead.


@Lossthief @BeeDubsProwl @NickyEnchilada @vestenet

Chris
Nicky, we just had Anime Expo earlier this month, and Otakon is coming up. While I might feel some FOMO over the latter (especially with how many of my mutuals are going to be there), I don't think I'll ever worry about making it to AX. I have had plenty of fun at other, uh, slightly less crammed-together conventions over the years.
Nicky
Nothing brings back memories like seeing a bunch of otaku packed together like a can of sardines. While I've largely reduced my con attendance since the pandemic, I can't exaggerate the impact in-person gatherings had on my life as an anime fan. Whether it's a big con or a small cosplay gathering, being able to stand shoulder to shoulder with people who share the same passion as you is a great way to get the full fandom experience. There's a part of me that's eager to go back, and by the time this article is published, I'll probably be on a plane for a convention already!

However, one should never go to a convention without first acknowledging the risks involved. No matter where I go, I do whatever I can to prepare myself against potential dangers, especially for large gatherings like Anime Expo. Cons can be fun, but they can also pose hazards to your personal safety, health, and wallet. With their recent resurgence, I think this is an opportunity to discuss how we can all have more fun when everyone takes an effort to con cautiously.

Even without drowning in a sea of people like at AX, the experience of a con can be overwhelming. Where do you go, and what do you do first? I've been attending conventions like San Jose's FanimeCon for actual decades at this point, and depending on how many people I'm with, we still wind up trying to decide if a given panel on the schedule is worth checking out or if we just want to wander the dealer's hall to kill time.

Most cons these days will post their schedules of panels and exhibits ahead of time, so it's smart to scope things out early and decide what you're going to prioritize.

I think the best comparison to cons for anyone who has never been is theme parks. They're big sprawling wonderlands you pay to explore and see. While going to Disneyland is certainly a high privilege, it's also expensive – traveling, booking a hotel, badges, food, and swag can rack up a lot of money. Though small local cons can be inexpensive, all cons are about having this limited time to be immersed in this other reality. It's a place where people of all kinds can be surrounded by all the different sights, sounds, and things that define anime – cosplay, artist alleys, dealer's rooms, and panels; there's always a lot to do, and there's always going to be a bunch of others trying to do the same. Even if you're only going to meet up with some friends and hang out, you can save valuable time through good communication and navigation, especially when you're dealing with literal seas of people!
Although one key difference between theme parks and conventions is that while the former has paid actors who dress up as particular characters wandering around to interact and have photo ops with guests, at the latter, many of the guests themselves are providing that kind of costumed content! It's fun but can be a double-edged sword. I remember one year, my large group of friends and I decided to go as a horde of Team Rocket grunts from the Pokemon games. It turned out very cool and garnered plenty of attention, sure. But if you think it might be annoying trying to get anywhere in a con while getting stopped for photos, imagine trying to do it with a baker's dozen of people, all getting stopped every few feet!
Not all cons are as heavy as Anime Expo, which probably boasts over 100,000 attendees a year, but there's certainly a lot of walking and foot traffic between pictures and props. Most cons have dedicated cosplay gatherings for specific fandoms, but that doesn't stop people from putting their everything into showing their love for that one character in hopes of a response. I'm very grateful to be friends with some wonderful cosplayers, and they've really informed me how much effort goes into handcrafting each costume. Cosplay is probably one of the most visible aspects of cons, but I think few regard how much skill it takes to walk around covered head-to-toe as someone's wild creation. This is one of my friends, who was one of the first people I thought of when it came to being an expert cosplayer.

(photo credits: Diana Soreil/ Fabrickind)
Just seeing cosplay from a well-loved (or perhaps more cult-favorite) series can be a delight as you're going around the con. It can be a great way to initiate interactions with fellow fans of such a series. Fanime's tokusatsu cosplay gathering has been a feature I regularly make time for, and it's always a great opportunity for fans of Kamen Rider and Super Sentai to chat about the shows or play with each other's toys.

Of course, the sheer craftsmanship that goes into cosplay necessitates a lot of work done in time you might not plan for when you're first starting out. I've had several friends whose ambitions resulted in some stressed-out finishing touches on costumes in the hotel rooms. Con crunch is real, and it can be dangerous.

There are certainly a lot of amazing and wonderful cosplayers out there, but I think it's important for anyone just starting out to know that their costume doesn't have to be perfect to be appreciated. I don't have the time or energy to cosplay myself, but I've always enjoyed helping friends put on make-up or create their own makeshift costumes, regardless of how they might look. A person doesn't have to look exactly like the character to embody them; it's really about the confidence to put yourself out there at all. I was looking through the late Kevin Lillard's photo gallery when I heard about his passing, and his work as a prolific 00's era convention photographer really exemplifies how all kinds of people can enjoy cosplay.
Oh, absolutely. I've worn a ton of outfits myself, from Slayers costumes tailored and crafted by people I know who do this on commission, to a Go-Busters suit I put together with a jacket, spray paint, and a dream. So, I know firsthand how important it is to pace yourself and not make worrying about getting your costume perfect a full-time job at the convention, lest you lose valuable time that could be allocated to other convention activities.
On the other hand, I'm also an aspiring artist, and conventions have been crucial to how I've met and befriended other artists. I love walking around the artist's alley, looking at all the different kinds of art, and saying hi to people I follow on social media. Not to mention buying lots of goodies and prints, from fan-made merch to beautiful original prints. While cosplay is free, tabling at the artist alley is definitely a full-time ordeal, and lots of artists use cons and their passion for fandom as a part of their livelihood. When tables were cheaper and less competitive, it was more common to see someone sitting at a table with only a sketchbook and a little sign for commissions. But now, artist alleys are stuffed with competing displays bursting with colors. I've definitely heard stories of artists trying to finish pieces last-minute or being saddened because somebody left their stock of buttons back at home before leaving for the con.
I follow and interact with a lot of artists myself, and yeah, it can be a ride to watch how securing a table for a convention can be a bloodbath. These trips can be the main source of income and livelihood for many artists. So don't hesitate if you see a print or a charm that calls out to you! Heck, just interacting with these artists can be another vector for fan connections. I've had great conversations with artists because their displays of what they had available marked them as big fans of BanG Dream or Helltaker.

It's also tricky to post visual aids when talking about this subject since snapping photos of an artist's booth can be considered something of a faux pas. Selling those images is how they make their living, after all!

Artist alley and selling merch based on established IP is also a bit of a grey area. Though a tradition established via Japanese fan markets like comiket, the waters are a bit murky. I really wouldn't want anyone's shop taken down by posting them on an official anime news site. The same reason why I would never post AMVs or other transformative works here. However, since buying and importing official merch can also be pretty expensive, fanart can be a cheaper alternative for getting your fandom fix. Booths in the dealer's hall might also be a way of purchasing official DVDs, books, and merch without having to find a specific store or order online. Some cons also host swap meets where fans can hawk and trade unused parts of their collection directly. Before con season, I like to save money towards my con budget. This typically includes expenses like food or parking, but I also include how much I plan to spend on merch.

(photo credits: Scarlet Rhapsody)
I admit to being pretty easily swept up in the shopping sprees of the dealer's hall in my earlier convention years. But as I've become a bit more discerning in my collecting, not to mention being able to just search up how much a piece of merch is going to cost on regular retail sites, I don't go as hard in there as I once did. Swap Meets, on the other hand, are always something I make time for. It's a great place to stumble upon weird merch you never knew they made for some more obscure series, or score a deal like getting the absurdly rare sixth volume of the Tsukihime manga for a cool ten bucks.

I also just find it fascinating to see the stories told by the parts of their collections people are selling. Sometimes there's a whole host of buttons and keychains for what clearly used to be someone's Best Girl that they've since moved on from. And other times you see people trying to unload their entire set of Rurouni Kenshin manga for some reason.
I don't collect too much, so I don't have a lot to swap, but I know people who go to the meets in hopes of finding some out-of-print rarity. I agree that there's something special about buying something face-to-face. Sure, I save a little extra money buying things at once and avoiding what I'd normally pay in shipping, but there's a souvenir quality about it. Some artists sell original art in either the artist alley or dealer's hall too, and so cons aren't just about looking for representations of stuff I already love but discovering all kinds of treasures. Very shiny, sometimes expensive treasures.

I should also mention that you and I were fortunate enough to meet at a con recently, and so you got to see me add to my dragon hoard first-hand!

It's true! As I mentioned, cons can be a great place to meet up with your friends from the internet, and online-based co-workers are no exception. You and I had a great time, touring across the entire artist's alley, having discussions not unlike what we get up to on TWIA here about current-season anime, and you giving me crash courses on Final Fantasy XIV lore to accompany all those bits you picked up.
For the record, I'm a tiny creature with a health condition that makes getting sick very bad, so it was actually my first time being at any con in the past 3-4 years, and I had a bit to make up for. While reporting for COVID cases is down, the last thing I wanted was to get the con crud version of it. Personally, I wouldn't have gone if the con, in particular, didn't have a solid mask and vaccine policy. It's not perfect, masks don't solve crowdedness, and it took longer to get into the convention, but I felt happier and safer attending a con knowing I didn't get sick.

(photo credits: Diana Soreil/ Fabrickind)
Previewing the masking/vaccination requirements for a con to make sure they meet your requirements for safeguarding your health is definitely a new wrinkle for these events in this post-COVID era. The past couple of Fanimes I've been to have been very strong about such things, which I appreciated. But there were others, like Sacramento's SacAnime convention, which I'd attended a few times previously, that put me off with their more wishy-washy approach.

It's frustrating, given how each show provides different experiences. Fanime is great for checking out fan panels and works, while the likes of SacAnime are better if I wanted to catch appearances by guests, voice actors, and the like.

Even before the pandemic, a particular convention's policy has a pretty big effect on an individual's experience. Ideally, everyone should act on their best behavior, but some people really take the party aspect of cons to bring out their worst selves. It's fine if you want to be loud and act cringe in ways you wouldn't outside of a convention, as long as it's not hurting or explicitly bothering anyone. Some of that is expected, but some people might use that as a cover to be inconsiderate or even sinister. There's a reason why even something as ridiculous as Ye Ole Yaoi Paddle is banned nowadays. And randomly spanking strangers with a piece of wood is supposed to be a light-hearted example!
Yeah, cons can be a great place for nerdy kids to live it up in ways they might not be able to in their 'normal' life. They happily host raves and concerts that people can attend all night, with game rooms also often open twenty-four hours. This can lead to some less-advisable indulgences. My cousin and I once attempted to pull an all-nighter at one of my first Fanimes because we wanted to make sure we were around for an early-morning screening of Fresh Pretty Cure (Back when Fanime still did showings of fansubs).

But in that case, we were only hurting ourselves and our own unfortunate sleep schedules, rather than, say, bothering people by gyrating into others wearing Deadpool cosplay.
I wouldn't call myself a partier, but I've also had some good times having a drink or two after the con. However, that's really not what I'd call con after-hours. I'm not talking all-night DnD, but more like the kind of college-level parties that people host away in their hotel rooms. This might sound like I'm being judgmental, but let me add that it's not a problem to me what adults do behind closed doors as long as they can handle themselves responsibly, like adults. Lots of people will use cons as a means to take advantage of others, encouraging people to party until they drop or until they can no longer consent. Not all cons are great about dealing with known sexual predators, and even back in the halls, there's still a growing effort by con orgs to ensure that people treat each other with respect.
Yeah, I think I recall seeing these signs, along with similar advisories on things like badges, at a SacAnime I attended in the mid-2010s. It's one of those cases of "It's an important thing to impress upon people, but it also sucks that it's gotten to the point that they have to do it this way." And it does suck, since room parties with friends you know and trust can be great. Everyone should be able to securely experience the joy of mixing G&Ts with their friends in the Pokemon glass they picked up at the swap meet that evening.
Nothing like going back to the room to just sit back and laugh together over some godawful movie or OVA or play a quick board game or two. But I also typically prefer to rest well and wake up early in the event that I want to attend one of the morning panels. It's not always about the drinks or strangers, though; sometimes people will use cons to let out their true colors, and other times we might go out and find ourselves in situations we don't want to be in. Someone might be uncouth, someone might have a panic attack, something might've been stolen, or someone might've fainted from heat exhaustion. A lot can happen! It's important that we make plans to protect ourselves in these situations, but what's more, is that we should all be looking out for each other.
Right, going to cons with at least a few friends you know isn't just a good time; it's an important element for taking care of each other as well! Staying in contact and coordinating if groups splinter off for different activities can be tricky sometimes, but it's worth it to know you have a support network. Definitely make sure you have one of those charger banks to ensure your phone doesn't run out of batteries.

It can be helpful even in smaller, less serious situations, like if you need someone to run a cosplay component or something for your panel down to you from the hotel room.

Not only that, but I think it's important that we call each other out. Tell your friends when they're being a nuisance. Know when you need to contact con security and stand up when others are being victimized in front of you. Don't let bad actors ruin the spaces we've worked so hard to create! Warn people over social media. Take care of each other in an emergency. I've lost things at cons (and recovered them), been through earthquakes, helped people with panic attacks, and so I know how amazing it feels to turn a potentially bad experience into a great memory.
It's a smattering of situations in which you've got to support each other. Sometimes you're grumbling with each other because everyone had to clear out of SacAnime for a bit because some dingus pulled a fire alarm. Other times you're scarfing down a meal after your friend tipped you off that Super Soul Bros. was playing a show at a cafe venue just down the street from the con.

Making those great memories out of situations, both bad and good, is why we're at these things, after all.

I wouldn't keep coming back to the hallowed halls of places like Fanime if the people I knew and came with weren't so effectively committed to helping each other have a fun time.

Even some of my coolest friends started as strangers at cons. I've met people from their panels or booths or through other people, but I think the thing that made us friends was the fact that I respected their boundaries first until they were able to chill around me. I really benefited from mostly attending local or California-based cons, so it wasn't always just a one-time occurrence, but I think it's true anywhere. I love engaging with all kinds of people, but you really have to consider the other person if you want to foster something lasting longer than just the weekend. I've even made important romantic connections through cons.
I've got a group of friends I regularly attend cons with, and we've absolutely met people who we bonded with and joined our friend circle to keep up with after the convention weekend had passed. You never know what may come from you and your pals crashing the hotel bar alongside a bunch of other cosplayers as you try to convince them that your Kamen Rider Necrom costume is not, in fact, Ben 10.

Other times, it's taking a step on your own at the con that leads to those new connections. I had a great (and nerve-wracking) time getting to present my Transformers panel at Fanime last year, but I also picked up at least a couple of new mutuals thanks to them seeing it and telling me how much they enjoyed it.

I've yet to present at a con, but I think it's something I could aspire to do. I'm super proud of all my cool and knowledgeable pals who work hard to give people info and a good time, even though I couldn't enjoy cons in person during the pandemic. I think it's worth mentioning that virtual spaces, such as Anime Lockdown or online panels and recordings, are just as valuable as live ones, and they're definitely useful for archiving (something some cons could be better about, tbh). It's so cool that I can just share my friend's whole panel about Shojo Manga's Lost Generation!
It's a great advancement, given how much neat info can be in some of these panels. Applying for slots to present them can be as much of a war as the one for those aforementioned Artist Alley tables. We saw the brutal rounds of rejections go out for Otakon's panel submissions ahead of that convention next week. So it's nice that people might have other avenues to check these out, apart from feeling like they missed out because they weren't around the one year someone actually got in to present it.

Though sometimes you can't beat the spontaneity of live panels. I'll never forget the time I was at Crunchyroll Expo, and Zeno Robinson just showed up in the crowd at someone's quiz show panel.

I've also had friends do test runs of their panels or presentations in Discord or Twitch to help prepare themselves before going in front of other living-breathing attendees. Just last week, a friend of mine did a presentation on Japanese Board Games, teaching me a whole bunch of neat things I had never heard about.

(Photo credit: Alejandro Hajdar & Franklin Raines)
Can confirm that having some preliminary viewers to test-run your panel is invaluable. I bounced mine off my sister and brother-in-law a couple of weeks ahead of that Fanime, and it definitely helped in fine-tuning it.
And since you mentioned my Final Fantasy XIV obsession, I also had a few instances of people using the in-game environment to host con-like situations, like LunarCon or the incredible phenomenon of people piling up in front of a random glitched mob for about a day and calling it RaptorCon (there were shirts). See? I love in-person stuff and big cons, but small cons and virtual spaces really highlight the possibilities when people are together, greatly reducing some of the expense and access problems to cons as they are.
A couple of the smaller local cons I've been to in my hometown have proved to be solidly entertaining day trips. One of them even included my second time in a row losing an anime trivia contest to a Slayers question, which would motivate me to finally go back and check that series out.

And crucially, smaller cons mean fewer issues with any local restaurant you might want to check out for dinner that night, having massively inflated wait times.

Anyways, turns out a lot can happen when you decide to shove a bunch of anime nerds in a big room together. Some of it good, some of it not-so-good, but I truly think it's what you make of it. Not all of it is exclusive to cons; some of these risks happen at parks, concerts, or any kind of travel, but I believe as a community, we could be doing more to improve the con environment. That may involve reaching out to each other or showing less tolerance towards people who sour it. Most importantly, always remember to take care of yourself! It's easy to get swept up in the excitement of a big event, but remember, no matter how much you love anime or other fandom, we've all got our own limits.
We wouldn't have conventions without a bunch of other people besides ourselves to attend them, after all. Take care of each other, take care of yourself, and you can ensure plenty of potential connections and cool memories for years to come.
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