So I’m a huge nerd. As such, when a good friend and I received free tickets to an anime convention happening downtown this weekend, of course we jumped on the opportunity to go for several hours today and enjoy the awesome nerd atmosphere. Here are my random reflections on that experience:
- I noticed immediately as we approached the hotel where the convention was being held that we should have dressed up. I’m fairly certain in an unscientific way that at least 80% of the people there were cosplaying or at least dressed up in some way – and I realized way too late that I should’ve worn my one possibly appropriate Legend of Zelda t-shirt. We were clearly in the minority but it ended up being okay.
- Janet Varney is my favorite. She’s the voice actor for the title character of the TV show the Legend of Korra, and she was an incredibly charming, nice, and funny person. Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of her voice acting for the series, but after seeing her (from probably 10 feet away – we were in the second row, yay!) in the Q&A session at the convention, I’m officially a fan. I suppose it might be because she’s not really famous (yet?), so she still retains the genuinely-happy-to-meet-fans vibe that’s really great and refreshing.
- I need to have more money. A large part of the convention involved local artists selling their crafts – mainly paintings/digital prints, key chains, plushies, shirts, etc. – and I wanted to buy something from almost every stall we passed. I ended up getting two small Avatar buttons (one of Sokka and the other of Korra) because I just couldn’t resist, even though I initially went to the convention telling myself, “Don’t buy anything. You don’t need anything. Don’t spend money. Seriously.”
- Being in an all-nerd, no-shame, judgment-free atmosphere was amazingly refreshing. Random strangers ran up to each other to comment on costumes, share photos, and chat about their favorite anime shows or video games. Again, I really really wish I had worn a costume. But in order to do that I first need to learn how to sew.
Our free passes last for the entire convention (through Sunday), but I can’t go anymore and it’s sad. At least I got to spend several hours taking pictures and enjoying the complete nerd-out! Next time I’ll go in costume, plan nothing else for that weekend, and bring more money.
melrlite 