My feelings with Otakon have always been mixed. In many ways Otakon is my bad luck convention as there is almost always some kind of problem with the convention every year I attend. This problem is not the fault of the convention, but seems to be connected to the circumstances of my attendance. Sometimes it is due to travel problems or roommate problems, but this year it was a problem with the general attitude of some people I ran into throughout day two. My bout with bad luck aside this year did feel weaker than previous years, but it was far from a bad convention.
As this was the last year in Baltimore it is almost pointless to discuss the location. The convention center is really nice, but with nearly thirty thousand people it was feeling very crowded in the hallways. It was hot like always, but the humidity seemed to prevent the heat from fading at night making it uncomfortable outside no matter the time of day. Finally, it seems like many of the restaurants in the area aren’t very friendly to the convention crowd as this year we had to add more restaurants to the list of places we will avoid in the future. Granted with the convention moving the odds of us returning to Baltimore in the future are very slim.
Programming was mixed this year, but in a very strange way. The mornings had some really interesting panels as did the evening, but the mid-day and afternoon time slots were very weak. This was even brought up at the gripe session and there was no good answer for this problem. The next issue was that many popular panels were put in rooms 3 and 4 the smallest of the panel rooms. The only way to really enjoy panels in those rooms was to camp in the room early in order to find and keep a seat. Late night panels were a problem due to the endless line to get 18+ wristbands, which was located in the middle of the convention center and not near any of the panels. While it wasn’t impossible to enjoy the programming at Otakon it wasn’t easy and for the most part it wasn’t very fun.
The dealer hall and artist alley were both up to expectation this year. The dealer hall had the various types of booths clustered together so if you were looking for videos, manga, or merchandise it was easy to move to that general location and do your shopping. There was enough space between different booths in order to not feel crowded so it was also very easy to get around. The artist alley was also well handled and it was easy to move around and explore without feeling crowded. The artist alley was also connected to the art show which was filled with a good variety of pieces like usual. It’s also the location of the art auction which is always a nice way to relax on the final day of con. Of course the auction is a bit more exciting if you have the money to spend.
The biggest problem this year was the attitude of some of the attendees. While it was hot and uncomfortable during the convention it wasn’t anything that long time Otakon attendees haven’t had to deal with in the past. However, the heat did causes most of the people to not leave the convention area, worse still, it pushed the majority of the costume gatherings into the building as well. No matter how good an event may be if you cram too many people together the vibe of the whole event usually dies. Many people had a bad attitude from the crowding, but there were also many irritated cosplayers who were outright rude to anyone they met. Between the bad attitude and the crowding my second day was completely ruined. In fact, I was feeling so bad after day two that I declared that I would not go to the last day of the convention. After talking things out with a couple friends I relaxed and decided to give the last day a chance. I was surprised at how much better things were on Sunday, which did save this con for me. However, I am still worried about the vibe of next year as it will be a new location and people will probably be on edge once more.
Overall, Otakon would rank about average this year. It had many good parts, but it had one really bad day which drags down the score a bit. While I will miss the Baltimore atmosphere I am glad that they are moving to a larger venue. Otakon needs more room and that extra space (if used wisely) will eliminate all the problems that were faced this year. This is a convention where the staff actually listens to complaints and does their best to make each year better than the last. While this year was easily weaker than the previous two I attended it was still better than some other conventions I attended this year. I am looking forward to next year, but I am also aware that the first year in any new location can be a little rough. Let’s hope the staff goes all out for next year so we can all give Washington DC a warm welcome.
Before I leave you with my usual list there is a whole gaggle of people I need to thank for helping me through this mess of a convention. Thanks go out to: my roomies, Ari, the good panelists, the video room guy, the Otakon staff, the Clamp kids, those supportive few, that nice doorman, and the really cool people at Shake Shack. If you need to contact me for any reason: don’t unless it is work related. Finally, I humbly as you to give my love to Baltimore as I likely won’t see her again for a long time.
THE LIST:
- Zero Escape
- Stupid belts
- Airline problems, of course
- Thank you Guidebook
- SHAKE SHACK!!!
- Clamp times were had
- So… hot…
- Matsuri was fun
- Always carry around some snacks
- Stupid small panel rooms
- No panels this time around
- Don’t be a jerk!
- RE: 7 – I’m talking to you cosplayers!
- The… smell… is… killing… me…
- Table top was just cards? Boring…
- New mecha series to catch up on
- Survival is sometimes the only win you need
- Found a new boat!
- Next cosplay: Young Ramba Ral
- Another con, another bitch session
- Wish I could have picked up something from the art show
- Batteries lasted just long enough
- Almost pulled an Axl Rose
- Gio and Persian
- Bag of holding worked out well
- Too many layers
- Not enough pictures this time
- I’m lucky I have good people around me
- Plastic bunny and her fair weather friends
- I missed the maid café?
- Always remember winner never quit and quitters never win
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