Well, first of all, I need to get some rambling out of the way. Four years ago at Otakon
'95, I went up to State College PA on a lark. I was starting to get interested in anime
and I wanted to go to a convention. I'd never been to an anime con before, so I didn't
know what to expect. It blew my mind. The next day, Eric and I both went, and it
opened up a whole new chapter in our lives. There was no turning back.

Meanwhile, back in the present...

I will admit here and now, I'm biased towards Otakon. For me, Otakon has always been
a great convention. It's within a couple hours of driving from my house, so I still have
enough gas to get to work when I get back home. There's always something to do. They
have always been able to handle their own size. Some cons simply get bigger; Otakon
grows. This year, they grew to the point where they needed to go into a full-fledged
convention center.

6:00 am: Woke up, stuffed some clothes into a suitcase, and grabbed the usual
assortment of con-related junk.

8:45: Finished the Keep-the-Acura's-muffler-from-dragging-on-the-road project, then
took a bath.

9:30: My roommate for this convention, Sean Felton, arrives, and thus we stuff my car
with luggage. We set off for Otakon a half hour later. This is Sean's first anime
convention.

11:00: Discovered muffler was serving no function whatsoever, but is still attached to
the car. Well, that's what I was hoping for at the least...

12:00 pm: After getting lost from looking for a grocery store, we succeed in getting to
the Hyatt. The room is very out-of-the-way, but rewards us with a wonderful view of
the Inner Harbor.

1:00: Finished the first round of munchies. We go to finally get our badges and such.
Now THIS is a program book. Describes the shows, the panels, even gives a history of
anime and fandom. The program book is another thing about Otakon that impresses me,
as well as the wide selection of color badges.

4:00: After watching Mini-Goddess, wandered around awhile. I thought Akon was big,
but this place is HUGE...

8:00: At last! I watched some Trigun! There's a series to look for. Lotsa action and
comedy! Now, I'm sitting in line for MAT3K. It'll be at least another hour of wait. So
far, I haven't bought anything from the dealer's room. I just feel like not buying
anything yet... At this rate, by the time Neko-con rolls around, I might not buy anything
at all. Nah...

Waiting in line isn't such a bad thing. It's a very effective way to meet new friends.

12:00 am: Back in the room. MAT3K nailed "Lensman" this time. Not bad, but not as
good as in the past couple years. The sound was a bit crappy. Oh well, gotta go to bed.

Otakon never fails to amaze and amuse me. While other cons come apart at the seams,
(I'm not naming names) this con can take whatever comes its way. Problems occur, but
are taken care of somewhat quickly.

1:30 pm: Missed a coupla eps of CCS, but that was my fault. Finally bought something
in the dealer's room.

2:45: Found Dave in his Kero-chan costume... I think he wished his Kero-head was
substantially more ventilated. (As a side note, if I made it, it would likely have full
air conditioning and refreshments.) Walked around for a little bit, while Dave posed
for pictures.

6:30: After parting ways with Dave, checked out the fansubbing workshop. There, I
learned much. Ended early, so since Dave was going to be in the Cosplay, I wanted to
see what this one would be like. Grabbed my camcorder, and discovered the line was
growing rapidly. At least I have something to kill time with. Plugged in "Bad Scottish
Dubbing" for my enjoyment and strange looks from fellow fans.

7:15: A staffer catches me off-guard, and guides me to the photo ops line, which is
incredibly short, and gives me a better view of the show. Lucky!

The Otakon Cosplay: Not very different from others like it, except this time there was
enough room for everyone who wanted to see it. After loading everyone into the
theater, taking care of final details, awarding prizes for costumes and music videos,
the whole thing ran just over three hours. Sending 60-something acts up onto stage
took about two hours.

10:30: Cosplay ends. I really wish I brought my tripod along with me this time. Using
my arms and legs to steady the camera and sitting on a cement floor all that time
almost wrecked my knee.

12:00 am: Settled in for some Vampire Princess Miyu. Increasingly difficult to walk,
which is a double-whammy due to the size of the convention center.

1:00: Caught the end of Catnapped, which is best described by the program book as
"Myazaki on acid". Then Geobreeders, followed by some parodies. The Eva paro I'd seen
before, but it was the one after that... the Pokemon parody... that I had come to see.
This is likely one of the most offensive yet, and it was great. The only downside is
that the sound was really low. Even with the audio equipment turned all the way up, it
was still hard to hear.

3:15: With the parodies finally over, I somehow managed to stumble back to the room,
where Sean was already fast asleep.

Saturday reflections: Otakon '99 reminds me of a KMFDM song that goes: "KMFDM:
better than the best, megalomaniacal and harder than the rest." They started small,
but they're getting big. Regardless of how many people are there, there's always
enough room. The video rooms run on time more often than other cons. Yeah, there are
glitches, but they happen here less often than elsewhere. Otakon does something that
few if any other cons do, and that was originally seen as an inconvenience, but instead
has probably improved con-going. That is shutting everything down at about 3 in the
morning, and not restarting until 6 hours later. This is good, because it lets schedules
re-align themselves, gives the equipment a chance to cool down, and lets staff, guests,
and members alike all get a chance for some much needed sleep. These breaks, in my
opinion, lets the convention as a whole, rest. For the insomniacs, room parties become
available without sacrificing that rare anime you've been waiting to see. 24-hour
theaters are fun, but only if you can get sleep at other times. Besides, with six
theaters, it doesn't have to run 24 hours to show a lot of stuff.

11:30: Finished watching "Serial Experiments Lain" which is probably Pioneer's answer
to "Evangelion". I think Lain and Rei Ayanami are related somehow...

12:00 pm: Got everything out of the room and into the car, and checked out.

About checking out of a hotel after a convention: If a credit card is used, you can
easily check out by using either the phone or even the TV if the hotel has its own cable
system. I bring this up because lines for checking out are getting longer and longer,
yet they don't have to be. Unless there's a billing dispute, or something else that
requires contact with hotel personnel, such as paying in cash, there's no need to stand
in line to do something that can be done from the room. That is one of the "good"
powers of a credit card.

1:30: after a final trip to the dealer's room, went with Dave to see some more CCS.

3:00: One last thing: The feedback panel. No major complaints, so Sean and I leave an
hour later. Still hard to walk, and Ai-chan is still... loud. Trip home was quick and
uneventful.

Highs:
saw some more fan parodies
watched a healthy dose of anime
spending control is stronger
plenty of room for everything
good view at Cosplay and MAT3K

Personal high point: Ikapay Ukfay (Pokemon parody)

Lows:
had to cancel the order for the Vampire Miyu TV LD box set due to Ai-chan's exhaust (so
close... yet so far away...)
knee still hurts from funky sitting position at Cosplay, compounded by convention
center's size
going between the convention center and the hotel, which was like walking through a
blast furnace

Personal complaint: more men than women dressed as Sailor Scouts... There's
something WRONG with that... >_<  Jeez, I can understand men doing that for a
brief comic bit in the Cosplay, but for the WHOLE CON!? No, no... Guys, if you want to
show off your craft, then make it to fit a female. I don't believe Sailor Mars goes THAT
long without shaving...

And so ends another Otakon. Seeing as how the trip home was only an hour and a half,
it was probably for the best that it was quick. The con crash is only drawn out by long
trips home. The dust is already starting to settle.

Now, the good news. Otakon didn't use all of the convention center, and there was still
plenty of room. In fact, last year felt crowded with 2500+, but this year, there were
no less than 4500 attending and it felt more open. That's big. I never had trouble
finding a seat. On top of that, having it at the convention center took most of the
stress off of the hotel elevators, so getting to the room was easier. And since it took
place in the convention center, which is a city-run building, and Otakorp and the BCC
like each other, Otakon has gained recognition by the Baltimore tourism bureau.

More tips on surviving a con, and keeping the shirt on your back:
make sure your shoes/feet/legs are in good shape--yer gonna do a lot of walking.
If you can, use the phone or TV to check out of the hotel room, and save yourself a lot
of standing and waiting.
If there's a little pre-stocked fridge in the room, STAY OUT unless you're prepared... to
pay the price! (example: $2 for a can of soda) Get your food elsewhere: better
selection, and cheaper.
Inspired by the giant Kero-chan at Otakon this year? Two words to keep in mind when
making something like that: proper ventilation. (If you're really daring, you could go
as far as installing A/C or such.) Granted, Dave said it wasn't intolerable, but it could have
been a bit better inside.

Other Otakon stats:

Attendance: 4500 (estimate), up from last year's 2500
6 theaters, plus 1 main events
3 panels, plus 1 autograph session
2 workshops
Dance/Karaoke
That's up to 14 different things going on at once!

Next convention:  Anime Weekend Atlanta '99!
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