windseeker

I saw a perfect Griffith cosplay at the Berserk panel on Friday morning.

Forgot to include this under Bad: The Otakon Game Show. I didn't stay for the whole thing because, well, I couldn't see what was going on. You had to be in the first few rows to even get a glimpse. And from what I heard at the con feedback session, it didn't get much better, a guy was complaining that the whole thing was basically "elementary school games."

I went but ended up leaving because we couldn't see anything where we were sitting. You had to be in the first few rows :/

Christopher Sabat Christopher Wehkamp

I was able to sneak in food just fine (there's a hidden compartment in my bag so I used that lol) but on one trip into the building security told me I couldn't have my mini water bottle on me because someone had put liquor in one of theirs. Fortunately she seemed to change her mind and to go on in. It was weird.

Good: The guest lineup Richard Epcar's Outtake Panel My panel went better than I expected, I was nervous about 1 AM turnout but it went well. Fan parodies are back! The Marriott Marquis really got its bag-storing in order for guests, got a nice big room to store our luggage in and an orderly system. Pigeon-kun Bad: The ban on bringing in outside food and in some cases water bottles. Protests outside the con because of workers getting screwed over (not by Otakon but the convention center) The Women in Anime panel had quite a number of issues, but there's already a thread on this. Not at all Otakon's fault, but on Thursday as we were checking into the Marriott Marquis, there were a bunch of MAGA-enthusiast teens hanging around (presumably from the Turning Point event) lounging around and some took to heckling con-goers. Fortunately they seemed to check out on that day as I didn't see them after Thursday. UGLY: A LOT of reports of con goers getting sexually harassed by homeless people, I'm in an Otakon FB group and saw a lot of reports about this. It seemed especially bad this year. Apparently there were roaches falling down from the ceiling in the convention center's dining court area? I heard rumors that someone took to finger painting in one of the bathrooms, only they didn't use paint.

I'm running a panel related to Studio Ghibli on saturday night ("Urban Legends and Studio Ghibli: Fact or Fiction.") Its 18+, just a heads up. Hope you might be interested!

Glad I got the connected hotel this year, also for the fact that my panel got scheduled for midnight on Sat....

Game of Thrones would like a word... Anyways, I went to AnimeJapan in Tokyo in 2018, and while it was more of an anime trade show/fair than a traditional con, it had a lot of the same elements. Cosplayers, industry booths, meeting voice actors, merch for sale, etc. Though the most different thing I noticed was that I didn't see anyone arriving in cosplay to the con, most came with rolling suitcases and changed there. Fandom is a thing anywhere there's pop culture.

Christopher Sabat

Well, I'm suddenly glad I opted for the Thursday pre reg pickup. I hope badges arrive on time, but I'd hate to have this anxiety going on...