Otakon was a whirlwind of feelings. This is a con I've grown to love and had the fortune of attending for the past three years. If you've kept up with our Otakon coverage, you know that I've waited almost a decade to check out Otakon. While large cons tend to by frowned upon, I still enjoy Otakon. Anime Expo is looming shadow of their former self. Otakon appeals to fans of every otaku generation. Something I noticed at Otakon is that everyone was happy to be here. Everyone wanted to be here. Even though people criticized the badge price increase and the lack of day passes, it was still an awesome con. While there has been talk in the drop in attendance this year, people have speculated a number of factors from the safety of the area, badge price, or were just waiting for Otakon to move to the larger DC venue.

Otakon has been around for a while. It clearly shows the staff knows what they're doing. They know how to run a weekend anime event that caters to fans of all generations. They also know how to bring generations of fandom together. I don't think I was ever bored at Otakon. True, I needed a pit stop every now and then to relax from the summer hummidty, but I was thought there was something to do no matter what time of day it was. Otakon always has a robust programming schedule from contests, karaoke, maid cafes, etc. It's almost impossible to do everything in one day.

Of course, no con is ever perfect. First of all, it's always a good problem to have when there's so much to do in so little time. Even off site events such as the Lolita tea party event conflicted with the Sailor Moon events on Saturday. Of course, this cannot be helped. When one is involved in too many fandoms, one must decide. It's almost like picking a favorite child. I also learned that with your Otakon badge, you can get discounts to Chick Fil A and free admission into the Geppelli museum. This wasn't well known; only if you kept up with social media and downloaded the Guidebook, you would know this piece of information. You really do get a ton of value with the weekend badge, even if it might be a bit much. Compared to Anime Expo, while $75 a day at the door can get you into basic events, a weekend badge for Otakon will get you into everything including concerts and masquerade.

I really like the people in the DC / Baltimore fandom. It's one of the things about this part of the country that make me want to come back (and even reconsider Katsucon) People are generally friendly and people are more than happy to collaborate on cosplay projects. In an age where cosplay is a race for the most likes and followers, it was refreshing to "friend" people after the con rather than "follow." This needs to happen more in fandom. Personally, I've always thought that cons were great venues to meet likeminded people and create lasting friendships. I hope this can be the case with the people I've been acquainted with at Otakon.

As a member of the press, I've always liked how Otakon treats their press members. I appreciate the emails and updates on social media. While there's always a panel or an event to check out at Otakon, I do enjoy the press conference interviews with notable guests of honor. We were able to only get Romi Paku this year, but we're hoping to take advantage of this opportunity more. Not many anime conventions follow the press conference style of interview and open it up to willing outlets. I commend Otakon for being professional to all press members, but still keeping the fandom spirit.

I would recccomend Otakon to anyone who doesn't mind large conventions. Otakon had close to 30,000 warm bodies in the Baltimore Convention Center. If you're planning to attend next year and are worried about safety, budget $20 to take an Uber from BWI to the convention center. The train ride can be sketchy; our train driver got into a heated argument with a passenger who refused to pay. Waiting for the train once Otakon shuts down gets a bit sketchy as homeless people start to wander back into the area and get aggressive about spare change. Don't let this hinder you from going, but it's wise to know what to avoid before you go. Next year will be Otakon's last bout in Baltimore before moving to DC. Otakon has called Baltimore home for so many years, it's almost sad to leave the Inner Harbor.

Otakon is the premiere anime fan weekend celebration. It might not be the biggest, but it is definately one of my favorites. I will come back next year to say farewell to Inner Harbor. I'm already signed up for yet another Sailor Moon cosplay group (this time I get to be Sailor Pluto's time traveling companion, Sailor Chibi Moon) and a nautical themed Love Live group (with super soakers!). I'll just remember to dress accordingly to humid 90 degree summers as opposed to the giant red thing I was wearing on Sunday. Cheers to you, Otakon! I'm already pumped for Otakon Vegas!

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