Katsucon 2017 AKA Kat-Sick-Con

Another Katsucon has come and gone.  I attended Katsucon for the 14th year in a row.  The weather was more like spring than winter, what my mother likes to call "pneumonia weather."  She wasn't too far off this time.  My husband, our friend Edward Thomas, and I all ended up with nasty colds AKA "con plague."  Today--Wednesday (2/22/2017)--is the first day I've felt well enough to work on this blog post.  It wasn't my best con.  I bought some accessories for my kimono, but didn't buy any DVDs this year.  I missed the Funimation panel and the Feedback panel, the 2 panels I usually make it a point to attend every year.    I also missed the chance to see Monica Rial, one of my favorite voice actresses!  On the up side, my cousin Janessa attended Katsucon for the very first time.  I'm pretty sure she had fun; I'll have to call and check on her soon.  Another thing that I always look forward to is seeing Steve Bennett, whom I've dealt with at previous cons and who is now considered a friend.  I am a little peeved at the whole weather situation; it forced me to change my cosplay plans at the last minute!  My original cosplay lineup was supposed to be my Totoro kigurumi, my Rainbow Brite cosplay, and my hamster kigurumi.  However, Mother Nature said it was going to be too hot for all of that, so I ended up wearing my ThunderCats skirt with the matching jacket and a red turtleneck on Friday, my Toad (Super Mario Bros.) cosplay on Saturday, and I wasn't feeling great on Sunday, so I just threw on a t-shirt and jeans.  I was originally supposed to wear my Mega Man T-shirt with my blue chiffon skirt, but I was just starting to feel ill, so I wasn't trying to dress up!  Another thing that I normally do that I didn't this year is take a lot of pictures.  I don't know if the costumes weren't remarkable or I just didn't care.  After 14 years of con-going, I may just be burnt out!  On the up side, I did get to see my friends Phyllicia Hart and Bertina Lomotey.  Unfortunately, I was kind of disoriented when I ran into Bertina and had no idea who she was, so I somehow found myself in the hands of Katsucon's medical staff.  They diagnosed me with low blood sugar, gave me some orange juice, and sent me on my way.  Bravo!  (And I mean that with the utmost sincerity).  I'm hoping next year's Katsucon (February 16-18, 2108) will be better!   In the meantime, I have the Sakura Matsuri to look forward to come springtime.  Also, a new con will be coming to Washington, DC this summer.  BlerdCon will be happening June 30-July 2!  (http://blerdcon.com/)  “Blerd” is an acronym for Black nerd; this has become a phrase embraced by minority nerds of all backgrounds, no matter what their skin color. The word blerd has evolved to become a symbol of unity for all nerds; BlerDCon is a team of lifetime geeks that has rallied around this concept to create a con for all.   Oh! And before BlerdCon, there will be Awesome Con.  (http://awesome-con.com/) Though why they put that one during Father's Day weekend is beyond me!  I've got a busy season ahead of me!  Not a free weekend in sight for the foreseeable future!  Ah!  The life of an Otaku!

Katsucon 2016 was KatsuCOLD!

Another President's Day weekend has come and gone, and I spent it as I have every year since 2003...by attending Katsucon with my Hubby! As usual, there was some drama, but I'll get to that later.  Friday, Hubby Christopher Wanamaker and I drove down to the Gaylord with our friend, Marvin Aristide.  I wore my Totoro kigurumi and was fully decked out with the matching slipper feet, earrings, purse, and backpack!
 Having finally figured out how to use my IPhone properly, I was able to view the schedule and  attend almost every event or panel I wanted to. I made it a point to attend the Funimation industry panel.  I am really looking forward to getting the 2 "Black Butler" movies that were mentioned.  "Black Butler: Book of Circus" will be released on April 19 this year, and "Black Butler: Book of Murder" is set to come out on May 17, 2016.  I can't wait!  "Black Butler" is one hell of a series about "one Hell of a butler!" (I reviewed it in a previous blog post.)
As for my cosplay outfits, I wore the following: my "Totoro" kigurumi on Friday, my "Rainbow Brite" costume on Saturday, and my hamster kigurumi on Sunday. Needless to say, I had appropriate and cute accessories for each outfit! 
Of course, I managed to snag some great souvenirs!  I bought some accessories for my kimono, as well as a few DVDs I wanted.  I had to replace my copy of "Kiki's Delivery Service," because the one I already had got scratched (Don't ask me how!  I have no idea how it happened)!  I also found the "xxxHolic" movie (which was sold as a CLAMP double feature--along with the "Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles" movie), "Haganai Next" (I got the first season at a DC Anime Club Swap Meet), "Lupin The Third: Bye Bye Lady Liberty," and some hentai titles (Don't judge me!).
As I mentioned before, there was some drama.  A fire forced everyone to evacuate the Gaylord on Saturday (2/13/16). I was wearing my Rainbow Brite outfit, and was FREEZING outside!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I felt really sorry for the guy (I don't know who he was) who, unfortunately for him, was in the hotel's indoor swimming pool when the fire alarm went off.  Apparently, the fire was caused by an electrical issue in the kitchen. (Though, there were rumors flying round that someone pulled the alarm as a joke!  If that had been true, I suspect that a bunch of cosplayers would be in jail for murdering the alarm puller!)  Sunday was Valentine's Day and the last day of Katsucon. I wore my hamster kigurumi, which, in hindsight, I wished I had worn on Saturday when we were evacuated.  I'd have probably been a little warmer!  Nothing much to report about Sunday.  I did my table shift as part of my duties for the DC Anime Club, which was founded and is presided over by my husband.  Sunday was also the day I bought (or had Hubby buy) some of the DVDs I wanted, as previously mentioned in this post.  All things considered, I had a great time at Katsucon and can't wait to attend MAGFest over the coming weekend!

Me dressed as "Rainbow Brite," holding my trusty Sprite & sidekick, "Twink!"

Katsucon: 2 Decades of AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I spent yet another President's Day weekend with my Hubby Christopher Wanamaker and hundreds of fellow Otaku at Katsucon. It's the only con I've been to every year since I became interested in anime and Asian culture in general. Hubby and I roomed with another couple (Hi, Renee! Hi, Matt!) I'm kinda ticked because I left some of my essential cosplay accessories at home. I was supposed to be Rei Ayanami (Neon Genesis Evangelion) & Toad (Super Mario Bros. video games), but ended up wearing my Domo hoodie and my hamster Kigurumi. On top of that, I lost a few things over the weekend: a tote bag with the book I was supposed to be reading, as well as my Nintendo DS Lite and a few video games, not to mention my journal. On the up side, I saw Steve Bennett--a great artist and a good friend to both me and Chris--for the first time in quite a few years. (Hi, Steve!) I also bought a few DVDs for myself--"Wolf Children", "Fairy Tail: Phoenix Rising" (movie), and, yes, some hentai (hanging my head in shame)! I watched "Wolf Children" with Hubby when I got back Sunday evening. It was AWESOME! Hana is a 19-year-old student who falls in a "fairy-tale like" love with a "wolf man". Over the course of the 13-year story Hana gives birth to two children—older sister Yuki, and younger brother Ame, or "Snow and Rain". At first the family quietly lives in city trying to hide their wolf heritage, but when the "wolf man" suddenly dies Hana makes the decision to move to a rural town, far from their previous city life. I must be burnt out on the anime con scene. I barely attended the panels at Katsucon, and I hardly took any photos. Or maybe, I've just attended the same cons over and over again. I guess it's time for a change! Which is why I'm looking forward to attending Awesome Con for the very first time this year. That will be happening April 18-20 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Details relating to that con can be found here: http://awesomecondc.com/