Convention Report: AniMagic 2004: Everything Taboo
If you were in the Southern California cosplay scene in the early 2000’s, you probably remember AniMagic. AniMagic was the small convention to contrast Anime Expo. This was placed during the fall and was nicknamed “Camp Cosplay” by locals. I was too young to appreciate AniMagic and what it meant for the SoCal community to have a cosplay-friendly convention that was more of a hangout for us than having to worry about getting from one place to another.
AniMagic 2004 was unique. This time, it was held in Valencia. The location was a huge miss for this crowd. Attendees favored the hidden Lancaster Best Western as it was an oasis for cosplayers rather than being close to major shopping districts and soccer moms (and their daughters) who would not understand why there were costumers gallivanting in downtown Valencia.
I had mixed feelings about this convention. It was close to university midterms, so I never quite felt the spirit of it like my older Gen X friends who attended.