Spring time for cosplayers in California. There were several gatherings and several photo shoots. Sadly, I missed out on the Cherry Blossom shoot in Van Nuys. I was in the Bay Area that weekend, but according to Stan, it was one of the most ethereal sights he's ever seen.

The Japan Town (San Francisco) gathering was worth it to flying up to the Bay Area. I wish could have seen more of my friends there - Nando, Katie, Bart Boy, and a few others. Otherwise, it was a relaxing day in Japan Town. We pretty much sat down and talked how the past couple of months been. It really was not about the cosplay that made it great, but just seeing my Bay Area friends again.

Gathering wise, I really didn't feel like we were a community there. Maybe it's just the fact we just want to stick with our friends. There's nothing wrong with that, but the best part of gatherings are social mingling. Knowing that we all like cosplay and anime breaks the ice.

The Little Tokyo (Los Angeles) gathering did have more of a community feeling. It was a pleasure I got to chat with people I only see pass by at Southern California events - Betty, Hayley, Mr. Postman, etc to name a few. It was great to finally sit down and chat with them. Yet, unlike the Japan Town gathering, there was a disregard for public safety. From what Carolyn and Stan observed, they did not approve of an individual swinging around props. Deb said it felt like a drunken party. While these were not the direct fault of Cosplay Cyborg, for future gatherings, I reccomend enforcing guidelines, based on common sense. The last thing we need is to be banned from public spaces.

I often question the behavior of young, teenage otaku. Back when I was a high school student into anime, no lie, I did fangirl over things I wanted in the dealers room, only because there's nowhere else to get them. Yet, there is a difference between squeeing over fandom and invading one's own personal space. Don't touch me if I do not know you well enough. I was holding my doll at the Little Tokyo event and girl just started to randomly poke me. This doll cost me a fortune. Imagine the ramifications if there would have been damage. This is not the first time. One fangirl was running around Anime Expo 2006 and ran into Tom nearly destroying our video equipment. Please respect people's personal space.

Yet, I'm still up for good times in Nihonmachi - cosplay or not cosplay. Little Tokyo has Curry House. Japan Town has On the Bridge. If anything, I love Nihonmachi for the food. Most of my money goes to fine dinning. I can have Curry House every day.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed going to these gatherings. It was mainly for the people I got to spend time with. Many thanks to Tom for a place to stay, a ride to San Francisco, and a person to cuddle with. Many thanks to Stan for the ride and for letting me borrow a wig. Many thanks to Cosplay Cyborg for running this event.

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