When you think of it, anime conventions are pretty surreal. It’s essentially a ton of people getting together to talk about their favorite shows, buying things from their favorite shows, and dressing up as characters from their favorite shows. We pay upwards of $70 to attend these types of functions and spend an unthinkable amount of money on merchandise that is sold at the convention. We go to panels with people talking about different aspects of anime and we wait in line for hours just to get a signature from a voice actor. We survive on nothing but ramen and poor sleeping conditions because we wanted to save money for the actual con. We spend hours waiting in lines and we spend hours walking around a huge hall carrying upwards to 10 pounds of merchandise.
Why in the world do we keep going to these cons?
If you really think about it, we suffer a lot for these cons. We suffer from costume malfunctions, exhaustion, and hunger for these cons. Why would anyone want to put themselves through this kind of torture?
Because, my dear reader, they are so much fun.
For example, I just attended a convention called Anime Central in Rosemount, Ill. It’s one of the largest anime conventions in the United States and one of the longest running conventions. Every year, there are always more people who come from all over the states to attend.
This year had to be one of my favorite years going to a con, and here’s two reasons why.
1. I got to meet a ton of awesome people
Even though I had to wait in line for 30 minutes to get my badge, I met some very fun people to talk to while I was waiting. One girl was in town for business and decided to drop by for a day to check it out. We chatted about our favorite anime and how amazing the staff were at ACEN. When I worked one of the booths at the con, I got to talk to several con-goers about their favorite manga and I got to give them recommendations. I love getting to know new people and especially those who share a common interest with me.
2. The merchandise can get expensive, but it’s all really cool
My favorite part of conventions is the dealer’s room by far. I love browsing through all of the booths for new merchandise, including manga, DVDs, figures, and of course, plush! I especially love the artist alley where all of the local artists come in to sell their charms, prints, and original comics. I always love supporting artists and their craft. In return, I get to both admire and purchase their work to hang on my wall at home. This year, I bought so much manga at ACEN. All of the sellers were so kind and loved to talk about their items. They knew what they had and knew how to sell to their audience, which I can respect.
Anime conventions are always hard to explain to those who have never been. They seem like a torture method rather than a place to have fun. However, anime conventions are really fun. You meet some of the nicest people and get to buy so much cool merchandise. All of the other aspects like the lack of food is just a part of the experience. It’s like going on a water ride. It’s wet, short, and can make you feel gross after the fact. But in the end, you had fun. You got to experience something different and got to have fun along the way, just like an anime convention.
