Lately, I'm starting to get jaded by going to too many conventions. But Otakon... I really look forward to Otakon each year. I knew ahead of time that it would be big.
The Prequel
The week before: It's coming up. Normally I don't get so enthusiastic about going to conventions anymore. But this is Otakon. This is different. There is a subtle tension in the air for fans around here that are going. How many of them will make it there? Thinking back to Project Akon, and the 20+ hours of driving each way, I wonder how close I got to not getting there. I remember making arrangements with EK that if I didn't get there she should try calling my cellular number and if that didn't work, to call my home and let my family know there's something wrong. Hopefully, I won't have to worry about travel for this convention. But, as was pointed out, it doesn't matter if it's a five minute trip or five hours, it all comes down to that split second. Anyway, I'm starting to ramble already.
I look around me, and wonder what I'll need to do for this convention. Thankfully, I got my brakes on Ai-chan fixed. Yes, I know I just had them fixed for Animazement, but that was a temporary fix. The inevitable had arrived, and that was to replace the rotors. Fortunately, that operation went well for a DIY job. Now, onto the cast of characters, of which there are many.
Rusty, at his first anime convention.
Kevin, coworker of mine. We've been to a lot of these conventions.
Eric, on staff for the video game room.
Aeris, the girl of many costumes.
Tanuki, keeper of the rooms
and many many more...
Onward! To Otakon!
Finally got myself moving around 7ish in the morning. Fudge, I need to finish cleaning out Ai-chan. At least that's all I have to do. Carpet cleaner makes it reek like bug spray.
When we last saw our heroes...
Got to the hotel just past noon after picking up Rusty and Kevin, and conveniently met Dave in the lobby, waiting to check in, thus getting the room fairly easily. The Hilton I stayed at is about a half a mile from the BCC. Can't see it from the room, which has windows, but all we can see are other buildings and a rooftop. That's it. Honestly, this has got to be the worst view I'd ever seen from a hotel room. But the important thing is, it's a place to sleep, four walls, a roof, and beds. Rusty's sour about not having a VCR in the room. Ah, he'll live. After getting registrations, we decide to check out Jubei-chan. How about that... they're using an Apex DVD player. But the promo disc is corrupt, so no Jubei-chan. Brain Powerd takes it's place. It's good watching anyway. Bleh, it's rainy outside. Noticed even more while walking from the hotel to the BCC. And on top of that, the Skywalk is incomplete. The line for the dealers room looks atrocious.
Evening.
After returning from the room with my camcorder, Rusty, Kevin and I find the dealers room line has gone down a lot. It's also moving steadily. Inside, I find the usual chaos. Fans of all types crowd around the goods like ants on dropped candy. Some tables are mostly clear of buyers, others are nigh inaccessible. The stuff I want is found relatively quickly, and in under an hour, I'm over budget. Just like other conventions.
Not sure if my knee brace is working for me or against me. I'd like to dump my stuff in the room but I don't know if I can make the trip back. It's a brisk walk outside for 5 minutes each way. I shouldn't complain too much, as I could be in on one of the BWI hotels, which I think are about 8 miles away. Next year, I'll try to stay in either the Hyatt or the Sheraton, high costs and fire alarms be damned. They're significantly closer, if only for the sake of my knees.
Oh, the costumes here! They get more daring. At least there were enough complaints about last year to cut down on the amount of men dressed as Sailor Moon characters. Of course, that may change tomorrow. Anyway, there are plenty of minimalist costumes here. I could gain weight by just looking at all the cheesecake.
A moment of rest.
Discovered the Skywalk is completely useless after around 6 or 7. Crossing the three streets each way is like a perverse 3-D version of Frogger. Got a sandwich in me, and now I'll wait in line for MAT3K. Most of the music videos I'm not sure about staying up for. There's a long line for it, but the room can hold a lot. Too humid, bleh.
Egads, "H" has returned to the video schedule of Otakon! Guess the video programming staff has finally gotten over showing "Cool Devices" a couple years back. I saw Aeris here and there... If I see her for more than five minutes for the whole weekend, I'll be surprised. Rusty's been on his own for a few hours, I wonder how he's doing?
And you don't seem to understand...
As much as I like Lain, and Boa's music, I couldn't fathom sitting in
another line for opening ceremonies. Saw the "Final Fantasy" anime
get the MAT3K treatment. While I kinda liked the anime, I still laughed
my ass off at all the one-liners and cracks. Found Rusty, and we sat in
on some of the music videos, waiting for Dave's to come up. After
that, Eric and Dave went their own ways. Rusty and I wandered from
theater to theater, until we decided to call it a night and head back to
the room running on borrowed energy at 2:30 in the morning. No "H"
after all... some yaoi stuff, but not my cup of tea.
Sleep? At a con?
Woke up after a nice 8 hour snooze. More sleep than I normally get. Decided that whatever I missed I can live without, and a shower is in order.
Meanwhile, at Otakon...
There's a fierce looking line for the dealers room, but that won't last. More costumers than yesterday. I have yet to see any men in Sailor Moon costumes, but I've heard of three so far. Hope there aren't more. Well, I suppose if I want to see some artwork, I gotta start waiting. Lotsa walking. Knee strain. I'm gonna lose a couple of pounds this weekend, either from the exercise, or the barfalicious smell of convention center pizza. I think it's pizza. Well, after I run through the art show, then I can justify getting out the camcorder. The line has been reasonably quick.
Still going!
The walk to and from the hotel is getting easier, except for the knee thing. It's been bothering me all weekend. When I go to the cosplay, I'll try to bring along a cushion. The tripod alone to hold the camcorder might not be enough. Ah, I could use my clothes from yesterday... Hm, I gotta go back for my tripod anyway...
Now for the cosplay... Huh?
A bit later, I'm standing in line for the Cosplay. Don't know if the same thing as last year will happen again. From what I understand, it might be press only. But, I'll wait. I'll see if I can get in like last year. Maybe I'll get a good spot from a regular seat. After all, 360x zoom can get real close.
Hurry up and wait
This camcorder bag was starting to get heavy. Contents: camcorder, notebook, a bunch of tapes, cell phone, some cables, pencil boards, and a banana. Yes, that was most certainly a 1.5 liter bottle of water sticking out of my pocket. Extra tapes, and 12 hours of InfoLithium! I'm ready! I don't have to hold the camcorder the whole time, but I still have to compress myself into a small space for the next several hours.
When the masquerade is over...
Whew... all done. They limited the Cosplay to around 45 skits, plus the little fashion show. It doesn't sound like many to someone that was trying to get on stage, but for anyone sitting on a cold cement floor trying to get good footage of it, that's plenty.
For as much as I like anime conventions, especially Otakon, I just feel like I'm not getting as much out of them as I used to. The version of the Cosplay that I got pales in comparison to the official one, done by staff with better preparation. I guess I'll go back out... It's close to midnight in Baltimore. Best to be careful.
A little better now.
Went into the dance, remarking to myself of my complete inability to dance, and that the music there wasn't my cup of tea. Then went over to video gaming, and found Aeris there. Her knee went out in the dance, so she's limping around. Thinking back a year, in video gaming, someone's knee went out and I'm in danger of it going out both years of Otakon being in the BCC. This place doesn't like knees for some reason. From there, went to see the Ultraman SD shorts. Cute and silly is an understatement. After that... Something I can count on at Otakon, are fan parodies! This year, they're showing Pinesalad's Dirty Pair! Yeah, I've seen them before, but it's different to see them on the big screen. They took the place of the hentai anime that was going to get shown tonight. I get through two episodes and I start to nod off. The walk through Inner Harbor at 3 in the morning isn't something I'm looking forward to, but it needs to be done.
Whoosh! Where did the weekend go?
Sunday is blazing by. Got everything out of the room and checked out. Then I moved the car closer. Damn, parking is expensive here. Picked up a bunch of extra souvenir badges, and some extra program books. Afternoon on Sunday is open admission, three hours free. Now I wait for D4 Princess to start.
Last call...
Went to the feedback session, where I heard both standard and new complaints. At 4 in the afternoon, the convention has really wound down, spurring Rusty, Kevin and I to leave.
Home sweet home.
Finally got home after dropping off Rusty at his place, and Kevin went
on home as well. And so, this concludes my adventure at Otakon 2000.
Total attendance: approximately 7750, give or take a few. Another video theater, and Video One moved to where main events was last year. (Recently saw a map of total area of the BCC: Otakon could double in size and there'd still be enough room in that place.)
Disturbing con trend: Last year it was too many men dressing up as the Sailor Scouts. Fortunately that has all but stopped, aside from a few here and there. However, that has been replaced by grown men dressing up as Card Captor Sakura. On the other hand, the cosplay skit of the Card Captor Corps made it worthwhile.
Perhaps the best parts of the convention was while watching the MAT3K, and the next evening watching some Dirty Pair parodies and the SD Ultraman. However, the long and dark walk to the hotel afterwards was something I wouldn't have missed. Fortunately, all I had to contend with were some panhandlers, and not the muggers and deranged homeless that some had to face. So, for anyone that plans on going to Otakon next year that hasn't been there the past couple years, here's some advice:
Try to get the closest hotel available. Parking isn't cheap. If you park there, expect to pay AT LEAST $20 for a weekend of parking. A tried and true method for food is to pack it beforehand, like you're going on a picnic. Well, that's what it amounts to. Since the place is huge, you may want to consider some physical fitness training a month or so prior to the con to prepare for traversing the vast size of the BCC on foot. Get some good walking/running shoes. You'll be using them.
Visit their web page for other information at http://www.otakon.com.
So, that's all for this report. Up next: AnimeUSA 2!