Otakon 2014--The Story of the Wardrobe, The Writer, & The Wallet

Another Otakon has come and gone.  Sadly, I won't be around for Otakon 2015.  Hubby Christopher Wanamaker and I are planning to venture to a con on the West Coast next year, just for a change and a standard of comparison.  Hopefully, we'll be around for Otakon 2016.... But, back to Otakon 2014!   I was planning to cosplay as Toad ("Super Mario Bros.") all 3 days--August 8, 9, & 10, because Hubby was doing a different version of Mario for his cosplay outfits: Fireball Mario, Cape Mario, & Classic Mario.  Unfortunately, a wardrobe malfunction  rendered my Toad costume unsuitable for public wear after Friday.   Mercifully, I had--as I always do-- packed a pair of jeans a and few t-shirts in case of emergency.  On the upside, I did replace my copy of the DVD "The Last Unicorn." (Note to self: Stop loaning your stuff out to people who are likely to ruin or lose it!).  I even got it signed by Peter Beagle, who wrote the book that inspired the animated film adaptation.  I was lucky enough to have my picture taken with him.  That was the highlight of my weekend, though I did purchase some DVDs to add to my collection--"Garden Of Words," "Dragon Pink" (a hentai), and the aforementioned "The Last Unicorn."  I also walked away with a free disc of  "The Ping-Pong Club."  Aside from the DVDs that I got for myself, I was also thinking of my friends who were unable to attend Otakon.  I bought my friend Curtis the complete DVD set of "Deadman Wonderland."  I wish I had had enough money to catch myself up on the "Fairy Tail" anime, but 5 DVDs threatened to put a strain on my finances!  Oh, well!  There are plenty of cons where I will have an opportunity to catch up, right?  I do plan to attend Anime USA from October 3-5 of this year, and Katsucon during President's Day weekend in 2015.    I normally attend a few panels at every con, but I had a problem with the schedule. Unfortunately, someone on the Otakon staff thought it would be a brilliant idea to make the schedule available only via a SmartPhone app!  In other words, because I was too brainless to properly use my IPhone, I missed out on most of the panels.  Oh, well!  I still had a relatively good time, and I am looking forward to attending Anime USA this autumn. It is being held from October 3-5, 2014 at the Washington Marriott--Wardman Park, though I will probably not have a hotel room for that con. I'll probably just commute from my apartment.  For further details regarding the upcoming Anime USA, visit www.animeusa.org

Anime USA 2012

I am physically drained, but I am determined to finish this post tonight! I got home from this year's Anime USA a few hours ago. This was the first anime con where I wasn't working on the staff, for the press, or manning a table with Hubby Christopher Wanamaker and the DC Anime Club. I can look at this con solely from the point of view of an attendee. On the whole, the con itself wasn't horrible. Hurricane Sandy prevented some of the guests from attending, which meant that some of the panels had to be rescheduled or cancelled. Friday was pretty good. Chris and I dressed as Mario and Toad from the "Super Mario Bros." video games. We even participatd in a photo shoot! I wanted to check out the first 3 episodes of "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," which was being shown in one of the video rooms, but I decided to skip the viewing and check it out via Netflix instead. I spent the rest of Friday evening in the hotel room watching television with Hubby. Saturday was a lot of fun. Chris and I dressed as Rainbow Brite and Krys from the "Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer" movie. Quite a few people asked to snap pictures of us, and we even had some professional photographs taken. Of course, one of the highlights of any con is seeing familiar faces. For me, one of those faces is Kevin Bolk! (Hi, Kevin!) I didn't see the guy who likes to cosplay as Ponyo's father at this con, but I did see several other people I knew: Penny Weir AKA "Moon Mama", her daugthers Rusty and Melissa, and several members of the DC Anime Club, which my Hubby founded and is President of. The last day of the con wasn't bad. Several people made it a point to attend the Feedback Panel. Chris and I cosplayed as Wonder Woman and Wolverine from the DC & Marvel comic book universes. The one thing I missed this year was attending the Masquerade!!!!! I think Chris and I were too tired to attend. However, this is a staple at almost every anime con we've been to, so we'll probably catch it at Katsucon 19, which is scheduled to take place in February 2013 over the President's Day weekend. (Side note: the deadline for Katsucon registration is the end of December!) In the meantime, I have a couple of anime DVDs to keep me occupied: "Panda! Go Panda!" and "Sea Prince and the Fire Child!" I know what I'll be doing this Saturday! (Aside from catching up on sleep, that is!) LOL!!!!!

Animania!!!!!!!!!!!

I spent the better part of this afternoon at the FYE in Ballston Mall (4238 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22203), where an anime frenzy, or "Animania" broke out!!!!!!!!!!!! Sponsored by the DC Anime Club (http://www.dcanimeclub.org/) and Transworld Entertainment, the event featured a trivia contest, cosplayers, and dancers. My husband Chris, President of the DC Anime Club, dressed as Mario from the Nintendo video games franchise, and I cosplayed as Toad!!!! (SN: Man, it was cold in that costume! LOL!).  A few of our friends showed up as well.  Still, the overall turnout was somewhat of a disappointment.  The store didn't have the one anime I could think of that I wanted to buy, so I will wait until President's Day weekend when I can attend Katsucon (http://www.katsucon.org/) and hope that I can find what I'm looking for in the Dealer's Room!!!!!!!!!  On the upside, I did find a new friend in one of the store's employees, so the event wasn't a complete failure!!!!  I may try to check it out again if there is one in the spring!!!!  Hopefully, it'll be warmer by then!!!!!!!!!!!