This was my second year at Otakon and at this point it is safe to say that Otakon is one of my favorite conventions. It has a great vibe, tons of programming, and the area has plenty of food options. In fact, my experience at this convention is so good that even with two years of travel problems I still want to go back for a third year. It is rare to find an event so good it can overcome travel issues, but Otakon is that convention for several reason that aren’t just limited to the good seafood you can get in the area.

The location is great there is plenty of room for all attendees, there are an abundance of panel rooms, and there are a bunch of hotels in the area. Despite my good experience, there are two problems I noticed this year. The first is that if you are not in one of the adjoining hotels you have to suffer the heat and humidity until you get into the convention center. This can make things difficult for cosplayers, especially those with heavier costumes. This is even more important to keep in mind if you are waiting for badge pickup. Second, there is a large amount of homeless people, while they did not appear dangerous that does not guarantee they are safe. While they were disbursed during the event, they do come back once the show is over and can make things uncomfortable when you are waiting for the train. These are a couple things to keep in mind when you go to Otakon.

Once at the convention, it becomes obvious that there is too much to do. There are plenty of panel and video rooms, cosplay gatherings, the museum, and a whole load of late night entertainment. The only problem with the panels is that some of the rooms got filled to capacity, but this was only a problem with the panels based on the more popular shows. There was a large variety of titles that had cosplay gatherings and I was lucky enough to be in the Pokemon gathering. The atmosphere of the gathering was relaxed and everyone was friendly. No one was competing for space nor were there rude photographers. Outside of events there was still plenty to do. Several fan groups had social gatherings around the area and you could wander the dealer hall for hours. In addition to that, the Otakon museum and artist alley are both worth checking out, even if only for curiosity sake. Cosplay meet ups such as the Pokemon and Jojo ones were awesome becacuse everyone at Otakon is awesome.

A friend of mine noted that ‘everyone is happy at this con’ and I think that is the best way to describe the vibe of Otakon. People are friendly and happy to be there. All fans are welcome and everyone wants to be there to have fun and enjoy a nice escape from reality for a few days. Even those outside the event are friendly, which makes eating at a restaurant much more pleasant than it is at some other conventions. Most importantly the staff is friendly and helpful, if a staff member cannot answer your question they will find someone who can. The people are one of the best reasons to attend Otakon, if only more events could have this great vibe and friendly attitude.

It is odd for me to heap praise on an event. However, the vast majority of my time at Otakon was good. While I did get a little lost on day one I ended up remembering the layout and had no problems after that. I had some iffy run ins with hobos, but nothing that was scary or dangerous. I missed some panels due to crowding, but that just meant I got to see other panels on my list. I didn’t run any panels, which just means I got to have more fun. Compared to other conventions of similar size (and larger) Otakon has almost no problems and what few it has are not that big of a deal. Otakon and Otakon Vegas are the only two conventions I am looking forward to hitting next year and there is no better endorsement I can give than that.

With every event there are those who helped make my convention the best experience it could be. Special thanks go out to: Ari, that girl at the idol panel, the Gundam guys, Mazinger family, the Pokemon peeps, Canada crew, team Fate, Bart, the boss lady, Paula, Todd 3, and the whole Otakon staff. Until next time I will leave you with my list and remind you to give my love to the USS Torsk… she’s a fleet girl right?

The List:
1. Humid
2. Hot
3. Did I mention humid or hot?
4. Too many panels
5. Robotech
6. Psychic types!
7. Idols everywhere
8. Lost nothing
9. Too rich for my blood
10. Boats!
11. Rocking some OCremix
12. Learning about new anime
13. Poor, poor line people
14. Jimmy Johns
15. RE: 14 – mmm……
16. Jaeger you say?
17. Next cosplay: Iceman
18. Note to self: Iceman wears fur, d’oh!
19. Ice cold water for just one dollar
20. Stairs….
21. People are wearing mascot costumes?
22. RE: 21 – I thought I was over heating
23. Can’t wait for Otakon Vegas!
24. Can’t wait to go back
25. Foodie Adventures!
26. Wish I did some panels
27. I’ll be back that’s a promise!

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