This was my second time at Otakon. So far, these two years have been wonderful experiences. We were pretty close not attending this year due to real life getting in the way. By the graces of some luck and adversity, we were able to pull off Otakon at the very last minute. We are forever grateful that Otakon offered us to do a panel on one of our favorite fandoms at this con; 2014 is a huge year for Sailor Moon and we are happy to be a part of that fan experience.

What I do like about Otakon is that I like the general atmosphere. I can't quite describe it in words; there's something about the people that make this place very welcoming and very friendly. In the wake of articles about "fake geek girls" and "cosplay diversity," you have fandom as it should be presented here. There is a huge diversity of cosplayers regardless of ethnicity or size. People who want to be at Otakon are here for the fandom, otherwise they wouldn't pay the $75 for the three day badge. You do get that sense of friendliness among otaku that you don't get much of at other cons; you can even wait for an event to start and make friends with the people next to you. This is what I love about traveling to cons in the Maryland area.

I have very little to critique at Otakon. The programming guide had a few glaring mistakes in the descriptors. For example, for the Jojo's Bizarre Adventures: Stardust Crusaders premiere, the descriptor was about the first series, NOT Stardust Crusaders. The Otakon musesum had a few typos on the info boards, but otherwise, a needed exhibit for the con. While not the fault of the con, I wish some attendees would be more corteous to people with disabilities as some may not be as apparant as others. Example, I was helping our copy editor walk down the stairs to the dealers hall since the escalator broke down. A few younger attendees were yelling at us to hurry up. I affectionately scolded them letting them know that I was guiding someone with a visual impairment down the stairs.

I really liked what this con had to offer to their members. The photo studio was a great idea for cosplayers to get guaranteed nice shots of their cosplay at affordable prices. The way I saw it was get some nice cosplay photos and get a 4GB Otakon souvenir thumb drive fo $20. If you were in certain places early enough - the Pratt / Light Street fountains, Inner Harbor, Charles Street Lobby fountains, etc - you could get some epic cosplay photos.

Programming was a mixed bag. There was so much to do in so little time. There was always something going on no matter what time of day. Nightlife was fairly so-so. I felt the nighttime was more for socializing than panel hopping. Most adult themed panels already were filled to capacity. Also, we were feeling ready for bed before midnight. There were still a few things I would have loved to have done, but there's so much to do! This was the first con I attended where I've actually been to premieres of high profile titles. Otakon sure knows how to give their members their money's worth!

I was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the dealers hall. Of all the anime cons I have attended, no one does it like Otakon. This is a con for all walks of otaku - young and old and everyone in between. There's something for everyone. If you consider yourself hardcore into anime, Otakon is the con for you. I had a blast celebrating my 30th birthday at Otakon. Even after the con, I thought it was nice of the official Otakon and City of Baltimore twitter to wish me a happy birthday. Saving up for this con is well worth it; Otakon does not disapoint!

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