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Why did you start attending Otakon?


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Hey all, I've been talking to a lot of cool people on this board. A lot of you are locals (lucky punks, heh) so I guess it was a pretty easy decision for you to start going to Otakon.

But what about the travelers? I drive down from Maine every year, but I've heard of people from the west coast, and even from across the ocean flying in for Otakon.

My question to you, locals and road/air warriors alike, is how did you start this madness? xD

For me, it was a combination of running into Mr. Scott Melzer, fan parody superstar, at the first PortConMaine way back in 2002 (hearing him talk about Otakon, I was intrigued, since PortCon had less than 300 attendees at the time) and a couple of years later, dusting off the original Metal Gear Solid to play through it for the Nth time because MGS 3 was coming out. Playing through it, when I ran into Otacon, I started thinking "Hey yeah, I should look into Otakon." I convinced a friend to make the trek down with me, and we haven't missed a year since.

Each year, Otakon gets better for me, because I learn from my experiences and get more out of the con. Also, I think Otakon has really helped me come out of my shell, as it were, and become much less antisocial. This year I am participating in the AMV contest and the masquerade, and it's the first time I'll have entered either of those events, at any con. I'm really stoked.

Anyway, that's my story, what's yours?

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Way back in 1999, I was flipping through a copy of Animerica and saw an ad for Otakon. I made plans to go, but right before I was to leave, my dad had a stroke.

....so I vowed to attend in 2000.

2000 came and I caravaned down from Rhode Island to Baltimore MD with a few members of the anime group I was a part of at that time. New England didn't have Anime Boston or the other anime cons that are up here now...so yeah, Otakon it was. I remember blowing a $1000 in the dealer's room and one of the guests (Kunihiko Ikuhara) bumming a cigarette off me while I was having a smoke outside (this was when I smoked a long time ago when I was stressed out).

A year later, i decided to come back again and help out with the con because I got horribly bored the year before wandering the con by myself (long story short, I just sorta went on my own for the weekend. I signed up to Gofer for Otakon. Little did I know that crazy idea of mine would get me to where I am now..(a staffer)

So yep, I've been working Otakon since 2001 and got the chance to meet a crazy bunch of people, become good friends with them, and help out with something I enjoy.

The end.

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My story is short cause my first time was last yr but :

Me and my friends were at anime club and we were talking about conventions and they said they have been to otakon. They said it was wonderful. So on the bus ride home i began plannin with a notebook about how much money we would need, how to get down there, options of which parent would take us, just planning. When the time came there was so much excitement cause with some of my planning i got the chance to go. We drove from Pa which was only 1hr 45minute drive. It wasnt that long. (My mom and I used to go the washington like every weekend). We stayed at a cousins house and had our adventures after that.

I hope to participate more into otakon because the idea of having a convention for fans is cool. Im hoping to become a gofer next yr, so i can make other peoples lives happier with my help. And to pass around the word that otakon is great!

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My story started off around march 2007. I was watching Trigun videos/AMV's on youtube. all of which had a focus of wolfwood with them. after watching a few videos i thought to myself "I want to be him, at least for a day...yea just one day and I will be happy" I started to search online for "brown dress shoes and any cross punishers that might be on e-bay" during my frantic and frequent google searches I stumbled onto cosplay.com. I stayed on that website for what seemed like days, just admiring people and thier skill. Then I noticed that they attend conventions "what the hell, like a star trek convention? (i though to myself). after clicking one of the links, Otakon's main site popped up "A-ta-ta-konn?". shrugging off my massive misprounoucing Otakon, I clicked on the forum link, after signing up for the forums and reading what happened in Otakon 2006. I registered for Otakon 2007. Three awesome days and one wolfwood cosplay later. here I am. doing it all over again ^_^

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I went because I heard they were having L'arc come to america. I was just a budding j-rock/j-pop girl and perfect enough, Otakon appeared and as soon as I heard that they were coming, I ran. Literally.

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My friends and I started to become otaku arough age 13, and in high school we all became really interested in going to anime conventions. I remember holding up the convention schedule they published in Animerica, and really wanting to go to a convention because of how much fun I heard they were. Eventually, we got our plans together (and our parents allowed us) to come to Otakon 2004 for our senior trip as a treat for graduating from high school. Wow, was it an experience! We had a blast!

We chose Otakon because it was the biggest, although for a time we really wanted to go to Anime North cause we saw a really cool ad for it. Our hometown con, Tekkoshocon, was just brand new (maybe year 2) and we weren't sure how good it was going to be, so we decided to go to the bestest, especially since we were really into J-Music and L'arc was coming!

Now every year we get a big group to go. Most of us don't really go to many other cons because its expensive, but my dream is ofc to go to many cons on the east coast through out the year. ^_^

When I get older I think I'd like to gofer, but for now I have too much fun doing and seeing everything!

Yeah, Otakon is the best 3 days of my year! ^^

Edited by Samiki
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A little over 10 years ago I demanded my dad take my sister and I to Otakon. We went on a Sunday, and ever since then I've been hooked. Plus it's in my backyard--If I didn't go I'd feel almost ashamed of myself!

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i had a friend online a couple years ago who told me about it, so i asked my mom and she took me and one of my other friends. we went on saturday, and i wanted to go see L'arc, but my mom wouldn't stay late for it. but ever since it's been a habit of mine to go back.

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Started going in 2003 because of my high school's anime club getting a group discount. I had heard of it before hand, but I hadn't really done any research into going, so I figured this would be the perfect way to go. Just to see it, you know, just one year.

Well, unfortunately the great god that is Otakon doesn't accept "just one year". This will be my fifth year.

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When I was in high school I had a friend who told me about Otakon. At the time I was a very casual anime fan, so the idea of going to a convention intimidated us. Years later it just popped back into my head, maybe playing Metal Gear Solid helped a little. ^_^ So early 2005 I made plans to go to my first convention. By that time I wasn't talking to the friend who first told me about Otakon, so I was flying solo into uncharted territory. It was better than ten Superbowls! It was Otakon 2005 that introduced me to the AMV contest. I was so impressed by the creativity of the finalists that I decided to make my own, submitting my first AMV for Otakon 2006. I've been hooked ever since. It's like Christmas in the summer, except all the presents are for me! I'll actually be giving cosplaying a try this year for the first time. So if you see Jin from Samurai Champloo sitting in an AMV panel it might be me. ;)

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I found out about Otakon on the last day of the convention in 2004(the same year that L'arc came :'( ).

I was over my dad's house in Baltimore watching TV with my little sister when my stepmother, who sometimes went to work on Sunday in downtown Baltimore, came busting in. "OMG, I was just downtown and there are so many freaks dressed up in costume down there! Someone told me that it was some kind of Japanese animation thing! Aren't you into that kind of weird stuff? (as she looks at me)"

Well at that moment I'm thinking "What the hell is she talking about? I love anime and all but there is an event?" I never knew anime conventions existed, even though I lived in Maryland where the largest anime convention on the east coast was being held every year. So I immediately googled her description and the wonderful world of conventions and Otakon opened up to me. I've been going to Otakon since 2005 and will attend Otakon 2008 in two weeks!!!

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My friends and I used to get together on weekends and have video game and anime marathons. I always thought it would be cool if there was a place where people like us could get together with others and have as much fun as our small group did (I knew nothing of anime clubs or conventions outside of Star Trekk at this point). So one day in 1999, while my constant Otakon buddy and I were reading the paper, she came across an article about this anime convention that was coming to Baltimore, we made plans to attend but kind of forgot about it until the weekend that Otakon actually happened. We managed to go the final day, which happened to be the 4th of July, and although it was a short day, we had a blast. From that point on we made it our purpose to go every year. I made some awesome friends, joined an anime club (made friends there too), fell in love with karaoke amongst other things, and was shown a whole 'nother world that I wouldn't have been exposed to otherwise. I've gotten to see bands, industry people, and other like minded folk that I wouldn't have the chance to meet in ordinary circumstances. It's kind of like a family reunion that I actually enjoy attending and this year will mark my 10th Otakon and it can only get better. ^_^

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I moved to the DC Metro area in the spring of 2000 to marry the girl I was dating at the time. Well, without going into a ton of details, things didn't go as planned and we were on the outs by late summer. I was looking for a reason to get out of the house and get my mind off things when I read an ad for Otakon. So, I drove up early Saturday morning and I was pretty quickly hooked.

Prior to Otakon, the only anime I knew was Sailormoon and things like Akira and Demon City. That year I was introduce to Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star and Gundam Wing which was the start of a new habit. Eight years later and I'm now married to a great lady who now is an anime fan herself. It took a while but she enjoys quite a few shows.

After years of going to Otakon, this will be our first year in the Artists Alley. So, it kind of feels like I've come full circle.

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Cool! A lot of great stories thus far, keep sharing!

It's interesting to see a lot of newer and experienced confolk alike (I guess I'm somewhere in between, closer to newer I suppose) posting here. Otakon has become a total yearly commitment for me and my friends. I look forward to it all year. xD

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I had just started getting into anime and cosplay and was looking for another reason to wear a costume other than Halloween. I found the VG Expo in Philadelphia but I didn't have all that great of a time. It was really small and there weren't a lot of cosplayers. (I should have gone to Katsukon instead which was in the same building.) Anyway I started googling anime conventions and came across Otakon. It was the only one that was relatively close to me so I decided to go. Little did I know it would be so damn huge! Rick, Mikhala and I were overwhelmed at the size and amount of things there was to do. I love seeing so many people in costume, I loved the dealers room and of course all of the pannels. We didn't know where to go first. We are SO looking forward to Otakon 08! I think we'll have a better handle on what to do this time.

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Well, last year was my first. ^_^ My bf had gone to a con or two before we got [back] together, and he told me about it and said it was fun. Then, the more of a regular I became to A-M-V.org, the more I heard about the cons that people went to, saw the pictures they posted, every having met everyone else at a con at some point. It just sounded like a lot of fun. Well, my bf had just been stationed in MD, so when I mentioned wanting to get to a con one day, he said there was one in Baltimore, about 10-20 min away, and that he'd take me if I wanted. So we went last year. We had a lot of fun! And of course are going this year. And if we're in the area, we'll be going again next year. *;)*

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My first Otakon was 2003, the same summer I started dating my fiance.His dad had decided to make a family trip out of it because all the kids are into that stuff. His dad was very nice to extend the invitation to me as well. (Even though we had been dating just a short time, we've been pretty good friends for years beforehand and I knew the family pretty well.) Sooo much fun! The family went again in 2004 and invited me along for the ride. But after that, it stopped and I haven't gone back since. My family isn't really into anime and traveling alone with my bf at the time was an issue between the money and not knowing anybody to room with.

This year we're finally going back, just us and friends this time. I can't wait. :)

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I first heard of the Otakon in 2001 but my first experience wasn't until the 10th Otakon, and I've been coming back ever since. As they kept doing more and more to improve the experience and attract more quality guests and musical acts, I couldn't wait to go each year. Even through sickness I was able to enjoy myself (e.g. last year when I threw up outside the first of the two Lolita panels). To cut to the chase, there's always something NEW for me to see and do over the weekend. This year, who knows.

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I kind of heard about Otakon ages ago but I wasn't that into anime, so in 2004, in between a scout summer camp and flying out to LA, I hit Otakon on Sunday. And I was hooked. I kicked myself for not going to it sooner (since I'm a Baltimore native), and I later kicked myself a couple years later for not seeing L'arc. I went back in 2005, had a nice time, but like MC I spent a lot of time just wandering. In 2006, I started covering Otakon as press for my show, and that's been such a thrill. I sort of see where the staffers are coming from on that. Being able to use an event like this to make sacrifices of yourself in the name of fandom is so rewarding. They do it by doing what they do. I do it by running around like a maniac with a microphone and notepad.

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Well let's see....

I was already a member on some of the few anime electronic BBS that was around at the time (back in the late 80s on). I already made friends both online and off (some of them eventually started to work in the industry, itself). It was because of them, I became aware of conventions.

So, my first con that I've attended was I-CON 12 (or 13, I forget) at Stony Brook, NY way back in early spring of 1994. It was a Sci-Fi and Fantasy con that also had anime in the program (that's where I discovered "Tenchi Muyo" for the first time). That's when I really started to meet some of the people that I knew online from the BBSs and on Compuserve (which I'm still on to this day). People like Jeff Thomson, Steve Pearl (both of them died not too long, ago RIP), and a few more who eventually started their own companies, or worked for them, years later.

Anyway, while I was there, I find a flyer advertising this new all anime convention called Otakon (I probably still have it put away somewhere). When I got home, I placed the flyer right next to my Amiga computer (my main PC at the time, which also just recently died). There it stayed for the next few weeks.

As time gone by, my online friends and I were talking more and more about this con as the date drew near. Then a few of them said they will attend it, which eventually grew more and more. I was even asked to join them.

I was still thinking about it.

When that Friday came, I realized that I did had enough money to attend, so I told everyone at home to get their stuff ready. We're going to the con!!

Once I was at the con, I met some of the vendors who I still deal with today, the industry people who I've always chat with on the BBS, and the Otakon staff, themselves. I was so impressed on just how much fun and dedication these guys were having at the con. I was even introduced to even more anime (like "Video Girl Ai" for example), and these life-sized cut-outs of Lum and Riding Bean right by the registration table! I also bought a lot of anime OST CDs, too.

It was sure fun!

That was way back in 1994, and I haven't missed one, yet! Why? Because I'm still having fun!

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I remember blowing a $1000 in the dealer's room and one of the guests (Kunihiko Ikuhara) bumming a cigarette off me while I was having a smoke outside (this was when I smoked a long time ago when I was stressed out).
Edited by Duelistbluerose
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98 I started dating this one girl, and her and her friends all watched anime, and I was into it but never went to a con, the asked if I wanted to come along, well I got drawn in and have been going ever since to cons.

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I wanted to go the year they had Midorikawa Hikaru, but my mom was all "WTF NO DICE!" So my best friend and I went to Shoujocon since it was closer/cheaper and it was my first anime con and we saw the crazy funny fan parody called "This is Otakudom" for the first time and I said, "Dude. We have to go to Otakon."

So 2003 came and it was my first con and it was EPIC AND AWESOME!

And then came 2004 which was also cool since my friend from Austrailia came with her friend from Ohio and it was real fun. Though I missed L'arc. And I regret this immensely still.

And five years later I haven't missed an Otakon since my first.

Otakon is big and loud and crazy and I love it to pieces. :)

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I'd been a fan of anime since the early 90s.. I forget what year my friend Sashi introduced me to it -- probably 1991 or 1992. I'd never heard of conventions, though, until 1998 when my friend Dave invited me to go with him to Otakon in '98. I couldn't go that year but it looked like awesome fun so I vowed to go in '99.

Well, '99 rolled around and I went. It WAS awesome fun!! I couldn't go in 2000 because I'd just started a new job and couldn't get the time off.. but I've been to every Otakon since then. I'll probably continue to go as long as I can.. or as long as Otakon exists. :)

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This will be my second Otakon, sixth convention total. ^_^

I went to the 10th anniversary in 2003 as part of an assignment/Anime Dream get-together. Ended up flying Southwest (I miss 100-dollar round trips. :)), and arriving a day early. I fell in love with the atmosphere. Otakon has something about it that's different from Anime Boston or AX, despite being completely crowded with people. :) It was one of those weird "Everybody knows your name" moments that really stuck with me. Having someone notice my badge and outright TELL me that they loved what we were doing. Something like that really sits warms the heart. :) T.M. Revolution rocked, and the other events were a ton of fun. I've always wanted to go back, but it wasn't til this year that I was able to afford the return trip. I'm hoping that I'll be able to attend once more before Otakon 20. X3

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I heard of Otakon 2003 on the day before through the Baltimore Sun's Live Section. I had just gotten into anime through a friend and had learned of a show called Devil hunter Yohko from the 80's. I kept watching anime and waited until the year of L'arc En Ciel to come to Otakon.

I became a gofer out of poverty. It was how I afforded to go to my First Otakon. Otakon 2004 is one of those experiences I never forgot. I still regret not going to L'arc En Ciel because I have the tape and they rocked. One of my favorite things to do as an attendee or gofer is watch anime in the video rooms. Very few cons have the old school stuff like Otakon does. I hope they show the original Cutey Honey from the 1970's again this year.

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Hmmm.. I heard about Otakon when my friend was talking about it last year. He said something about his girlfriend going and meeting up with us there, so I figured I'd go and give it a try since I'd never been to a convention before. I spent $200 on a plane ticket and was all ready to go until I found out at the last minute that I'd be in New Jersey the week before. So after being screwed out of $200 because my plane ticket was non-refundable, I bought another plane ticket JUST for the trip home and my friend was nice enough to drive out to Jersey and pick me up for the last two days of Otakon. After going to the rave and seeing all the stuff Otakon had to offer, I've been hooked ever since and I'm really sad I won't be attending this year. :)

Edited by Otaku Ru
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Back in '01 when I was just starting to truly get into anime, sometime in June I went bowling with my friend Frank. While there he was telling me that him & some of his friends were going to this anime convention called Otakon. I was interested so when I got home I checked out the Otakon website, researched a bit & thought it could be a lot of fun. So I went to work the next day & told my workbuddy Kaybo about it, she agreed with me & we started organizing the trip, her brother joined us then a week before the con Frank ends up joining us b/c his group fell apart. Talk about irony.

So the 4 of us went to Otakon that year & had a blast. However I was the only one to come back every year since. Kaybo & her brother last went in '02 & Frank in '04, however he's coming back this year. :( I've gone to Otakon with a slightly if not altogether different group every year, keeps it interesting...

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Well actually I am still a little new to attending anime cons as well as to the cons up north. But I heard so many wonderful things about Otakon and decided I wanted to attend finally after 2 years!

Now I am originally am from Texas so I never really had the ability to attend conventions up north cept for Texas ones like Project Akon so when the chance came to move to New York I JUMPED to the chance to attend the cons i dreamed of! :-) So heck yah I'm looking forward to attending Otakon!!

Any advice for a native Texan to know about Otakon or Baltimore?

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Well actually I am still a little new to attending anime cons as well as to the cons up north. But I heard so many wonderful things about Otakon and decided I wanted to attend finally after 2 years!

Now I am originally am from Texas so I never really had the ability to attend conventions up north cept for Texas ones like Project Akon so when the chance came to move to New York I JUMPED to the chance to attend the cons i dreamed of! :-) So heck yah I'm looking forward to attending Otakon!!

Any advice for a native Texan to know about Otakon or Baltimore?

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I learned about Otakon from my boyfriend back in 2000, but didn't attend until 2001. I was told I absolutely HAD to go and no no was not an answer, so I was dragged pretty reluctantly because at that time I was still being spoon fed anime by him and his friends. I really didn't know much outside of what they were slowly teaching me. Been hooked ever since.

Edited by ChibiNeko
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Back in Feb of 2003, I discovered you could buy animation cels on eBay. A couple of months later I was having an email conversation with a dealer from Ohio. They mentioned that they were going to be in the Dealer's room of an Anime convention called Otakon and it was located nearly in my backyard. Wow! I saw the Otakon website and signed up for the full weekend. That first year my son only came on Saturday.

The next year I signed up as a Gofer and started the slide to becoming more involved with anime conventions.

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Hmmmm let's see. I believe I actually have my Ex-Wife to thank for discovering Otakon. Yes it was 1997 when we met and I had actually introduced her to Anime. We had been to Sci-Fi conventions so the concept wasn't new to us but neither of us had ever been to an Anime convention. We snooped around the web and were getting upset because we couldn't find anything close until we found the Otakon website. A 3 hour (A 3 hour tour... a 3 hour tour...) drive to Baltimore sounded great to us. So we hopped in my little Geo Metro and off we went! We went every year following up to 2000 when we moved to Buffalo and had absolutley no money for conventions. Long story short, I'm not with her anymore and I have a good job that's allowing me to come back to the convention I have been missing for 7 years. Viva la Otakon! I've been wading in the shallow end of anime and am ready to dive into the deep end again.

5th

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I first heard of Otakon through Gilles Poitras' book Anime Essentials but never considered attending and shortly forgot about it's existence. In the summer of 2000, I happened to be downtown and passed by the BCC and saw somebody dressed as Vegeta standing outside and wondered what was going on. I looked through the windows seeing other people in costume then something clicked, "an event where people dressed up as anime characters for the fun of it?!" these are my kind of people! It wasn't until 2002 that I attended my first Otakon, I'll never forget that line that looped through the Charles Street Lobby but I never had so much fun just standing in line people watching it helped make those 1-1/2 pass by. I saw my first AMV there, I photographed my first cosplayer, and I bought my first Gundam kit in the Dealer's Room. The very next year I got my cousin to come with me then the next year I successfully converted him to an anime fan.

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I heard about Otakon way back in 2000, I'd always been into anime and I was really excited when I found out that there were conventions. I used to go onto websites and read the con reports, look at the cosplayer photos...but I never had a chance to go.

In 2004 I found out that L'Arc~en~Ciel was performing at Otakon. They were my first j-rock band...and I knew I had to make it to the con to see them. I did get my chance, and ever since then...I've been hooked. I used to get made fun of (way back when I was in highschool) because I liked anime. Attending Otakon and seeing people that had the same interests that I had...well it made me feel like I was home. Every year since then I've tried to make it back 'home'. ^_^

...Now I'm dragging two newbie con goers and I'm hoping that this starts a tradition for them.

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I guess my present answer would be moot, since now it is an hour drive, but for my first few Otakons, it was coming from upstate New York. I started cons as staff for Shoujocon, (There is a story there, but I won't bore you all.) and I decided I wanted something bigger. Well, I couldn't get much bigger than Otakon, so it would give me a great small con/large con contrast. (No, I am not willing to fly out to some... other con...) Of course, like the fish in the pond, I was hooked. This will be my... 5th (?) year going now, and I don't see myself stopping any time soon! I also keep saying that I'm going to volunteer to be a gofer, but there's just so much to do!

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In 2005 and 2006, i was only 11 and twelve years old. Around this time is when I started watching and discovering anime. I heard from my mom who happens to work directly across the street from the pratt street entrance that every year she saw "these really weird people with awkward costumes and big hair" walking around the city and convention center. I immediately knew it was about anime. I live right outside of city limits and close enough to 83 to get a quick ride down town. In 2006, I tried asking my mom to take me for the first time but I was stuck in ocean city and was unable to go. I don't even think I would of had a good time because I was NOT prepared. But in 2007, I was prepared and my plans were set up. My friends i realized go, and I had others that let me stay with them for a hotel. I also learned about cosplay, and was able to go as Raito Yagami and a Kingdom Hearts Spin-off character. Before, During after and now close to my second one, I know I will be doing this forever. For me, it's something that lets me get away from my normal scheduled life at home and be around people that share something in common with me and also want to have as much fun as I do. It's just something thats fun. I love going to otakon. :]

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I had known about Otakon for years, but 2006 was my first year. Since I live about 8 or 9 hours away, I never felt the need to road trip to a convention. But, wherever MUCC is, I will be. I will forever love Otakon for bringing amazing musical guests each year. :lol:

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Actually....I must give praise to Hideo Kojima and Metal Gear Solid. When Otacon came into play and I did research on the character I came across Otakon and decided "Hey! I like anime! I should go! Hey it's also on my 16'th birthday! w00t!". So yeah....2003 was a good year...

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In May 2001 a friend asked if I wanted to go to Otakon. So in (I believe it was July that year) I went. And haven't stopped. Baltimore is only a 2.5 hr drive from here. The experience was so fun I got more of my friends to go with me and it became a group annual event tradition.

Edited by Mailbox
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back in 2002, one of my boys called me on a sunday, and said, "yo, i just went to otakon yesterday *that's when they had the one day passes goin on* n it was vicious!!!". I asked him, "yo, what's otakon?" n he explained it to me, and i asked, "YOOOOO, why didn't u tell me about that???!!!". so i wuz like, ok...next year, we r going! so a group of us went...after that weekend, never turned back...i enjoyed myself time and time again. i can't wait til next friday ^_^.

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This year will be my first time attending Otakon! ^_^

I first heard about Otakon from my friends, but I never really gave much thought to it until a year later when I saw some Otakon flyers at Anime Boston. Ever since then, I've been meaning to come but plans kept on getting in the way: taking summer college courses, traveling to Japan and China, etc. I'm glad that I can finally make it this year! :(

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my younger sister just came back from thailand and she brought back a few japanese CD's, L'arc~en~ciel's new (at the time) SMILE CD and a few others at the tender age of 13 and 14. We decided to give it a try, we liked what we heard and we were just babbling on about it. then one night, one of my friends came over for a party that my parents were throwing.

he talked about otakon, how it was downtown and it was a big convention thingy. it sparked our interest, so that night we got online and looked it up.

behold, L'arc was playing at otakon that day.

we begged our parents to go.

and the rest was magic :]

this is year number four, right before college woo! and my first time to officially cosplay, i'm as excited as ever :]

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This is my first Otakon and second Anime Convention. My first one was Ohayocon back in 2004 and kinda sucked for me (no friends went, had to save all my money for trip to Japan later that year, got sick twice). This one is more of a gift for my girlfriend and I. Shes moving away for college later August, so we wanted to finally go on a trip together. Her parents were always over-protective of her, so we had to wait til this year in-order to even travel, so we decided to go to Otakon due to we both are complete Otakus. We are hoping that we will enjoy it and if money permits, we will hope to make it a regular trip between the two of us.

Added bonuses are JAM Project and a mini-reunion with some of my friends I met on my Japan Trip (haven't seen them since 04)

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my first otakon was 1998 when it was in crystal city i went cause of a penpal and cause i wanted to go to a con after reading about them in animerica magazine. back then i had no idea there was OTHER conventions xD I went back the following year cause they mailed me out a pre-reg slip to mail back in and the following because the local comic book store had the pre-reg slips to mail in. ah ..life before the internet was big :)

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Late fall 2001, Penn State, someone mentioned Otakon at a PSAO officer's meeting and that got my curiosity going. Then I saw "This is Otakudom" and my fate was sealed so I first came in 2002 and had a blast watching MAT3k and dancing like a maniac at otakurave :mad: .

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