And while there was still snow that fell on Katsucon day one, it didn't stop otaku from attending Katsucon. For the morning, Eri Kagami went as Maki in a bridal outfit. People were still lining up to pick up badges and waiting for the dealers hall to line up. It's a con all right!

Sit down, shut up, and play this JRPG by Jared
This panel was a quick run through of about 30 different titles that had come out in the last ten years. From Ar Tonelico to Star Ocean this panel covered a way array of the more recent JRPG titles. It was a great way to introduce people to many obscure titles and to have fans cheer for some of their favorite series. This was one of the best ways to begin the convention because it allowed JRPG fans to gather and talk about our favorite fantasy worlds.

Every con until you like it: the Nasuverse panel by Jared
One of the more obscure fandoms is the Nasuverse made up of Type-Moon series like Tsukihime and Fate/Stay Night. This panel looked over the history of the various titles made by Type-Moon and the spin off works done by other groups. This was both a great introduction for those interested in the works of Type-Moon and those who are long time fans wanting to know about more titles in the Nasuverse. The best part of the panel is that you will leave with a list of new works you want to check out when you get home.

Let’s Pretty Cure Max Heart: The Precure Panel by Eri Kagami
Since we ran the Pretty Cure panel last year, I thought it would be interesting and education to learn more about Pretty Cure from fellow fans. The panel was hosted by two HappinessCharge Pretty Cure crossplayers, Cure Lovely and Cure Princess. The table was decorated with toys and random PreCure swag. There were a few PreCure cosplayers in the audience as well. It was a humble turnout; the panelists went through each of the series with their personal recommendations. At the end of the presentation, the panelists had a contest on who can dance the best to one of the PreCure all stars ending. Perhaps what drew me into this panel was the program guide description, “Sailor Moon Crystal got you down?” The panelists did an awesome job covering all of the PreCure incarnations leaving fans happy.

Love Live Cosplay Meet Up by Eri Kagami
There were two Love Live cosplay meetups during the weekend. The first one was on Friday early afternoon. It took place on the village level. The number of Love Live cosplayers were a plenty through the weekend. Because of the ease of ordering premade costumes online and how popular the mobile rhythm game has become, Love Live fandom has reached exponential levels easily outnumbering iDolm@ster cosplayers. Additionally, Love Live cosplayers can choose from hundreds of costume variations. To help celebrate the recent “Come Fly With Me” campaign, in which each of the idols pick a city to get married in, I went with bridal Maki on Friday. This was a great way to meet other cosplayers in the fandom and stay in touch afterwards.

Opening Ceremonies by Eri Kagami
Katsucon had their opening ceremonies late in the evening. Most cons do opening ceremonies earlier on day one. Some international guests flew in on Friday afternoon to make it in time for the con. Opening ceremonies was your usual fare; guests of honor VIP are introduced. Katsucon tends to draw a lot of American voice actors (Canada and state side), professional cosplayers, artists, and performance artists. There’s always an interesting variety of programming at this mid-sized anime convention. Additionally, Katsucon also played a tribute to former Katsucon staffer and otaku veteran, Big Danny T. I’ve only known Big Danny T as the masquerade coordinator the year I competed at Katsucon. I had no idea he was a local legend among East Coast and Southern otaku.

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