Last June 09, I attended the Day 2 of Anime and Cosplay Expo 2019. It was my first anime convention in five years (yep, that long).
Before I continue writing about this post, let me just share a brief history of me attending conventions...
2003 was the year I first experienced feeling so hype, excited, and nervous attending an anime event. I've forgotten the title of the gathering but it was held in SM Megamall. Fast forward to 2010 after I've finished college, and I'm not yet too serious in building my career; I attended my second convention which was Otaku Reload Expo. It was followed by Cosplay Mania X, and numerous anime events til 2014.
Cosplay Mania '14 was the last event I had planned to attend. It was when I felt I've "graduated." Me and my co-blogger here decided to have a simple cosplay. We chose Ash and Misty from Pokemon, but with a twist: we had decided to do a gender-bend cosplay of the two characters.
Below is a picture of me (Misty) and Dudi (Ash), with our friend Jin Dee. (I apologize for not having an orange wig.)
And now jump to the present...
So after being absent for 5 years, attending ACX was my attempt to rekindle my passion for anime conventions. While I was in line at the ticket booth, I looked around and saw the usual people: congoers and cosplayers, most of them at their teens. So what did I feel? I felt old (lol). But, besides that, after entering the function hall, I wandered around and saw a bunch of items I've never encountered on past events. And that somehow put a smile on my face (especially 'cause of the huge amount of Pokemon merchandise). Then I saw the crowd in front of the stage, enjoying which I think was the new contest called The Scene Zone. It is where a group of people try to guess the name of the series that one of them was trying to mime. I must say, that ignited some spark of interest in me.
Speaking of photos... I felt a bit nervous asking a cosplayer to have their picture taken. It took me about an hour to have the courage to ask for one. Before, I used to just poke or wave to them and politely ask for a quick photoshoot.
And on a sad note, I didn't see a single person who I know of. I used to see a bunch of friends every time I attend conventions. But now, not a single one was present, it was just me. Maybe some of them don't have time anymore 'cause of work or family. It's also possible that because ACX isn't as big as Cosplay Mania, that's why they didn't bother to attend. But, whatever the reason was, it's a fact that people's level of interest on certain things really do change.
So will I attend anime conventions again? The answer is: Yes! I mean, I don't need to be obsessed with it like I used to. But to be surrounded by people with the same interests... is simply a delight.
Before I continue writing about this post, let me just share a brief history of me attending conventions...
2003 was the year I first experienced feeling so hype, excited, and nervous attending an anime event. I've forgotten the title of the gathering but it was held in SM Megamall. Fast forward to 2010 after I've finished college, and I'm not yet too serious in building my career; I attended my second convention which was Otaku Reload Expo. It was followed by Cosplay Mania X, and numerous anime events til 2014.
Cosplay Mania '14 was the last event I had planned to attend. It was when I felt I've "graduated." Me and my co-blogger here decided to have a simple cosplay. We chose Ash and Misty from Pokemon, but with a twist: we had decided to do a gender-bend cosplay of the two characters.
Below is a picture of me (Misty) and Dudi (Ash), with our friend Jin Dee. (I apologize for not having an orange wig.)
Here we were with two other Pokemon cosplayers:
And now jump to the present...
So after being absent for 5 years, attending ACX was my attempt to rekindle my passion for anime conventions. While I was in line at the ticket booth, I looked around and saw the usual people: congoers and cosplayers, most of them at their teens. So what did I feel? I felt old (lol). But, besides that, after entering the function hall, I wandered around and saw a bunch of items I've never encountered on past events. And that somehow put a smile on my face (especially 'cause of the huge amount of Pokemon merchandise). Then I saw the crowd in front of the stage, enjoying which I think was the new contest called The Scene Zone. It is where a group of people try to guess the name of the series that one of them was trying to mime. I must say, that ignited some spark of interest in me.
(Here are some pics I captured from the event...)
Speaking of photos... I felt a bit nervous asking a cosplayer to have their picture taken. It took me about an hour to have the courage to ask for one. Before, I used to just poke or wave to them and politely ask for a quick photoshoot.
And on a sad note, I didn't see a single person who I know of. I used to see a bunch of friends every time I attend conventions. But now, not a single one was present, it was just me. Maybe some of them don't have time anymore 'cause of work or family. It's also possible that because ACX isn't as big as Cosplay Mania, that's why they didn't bother to attend. But, whatever the reason was, it's a fact that people's level of interest on certain things really do change.
So will I attend anime conventions again? The answer is: Yes! I mean, I don't need to be obsessed with it like I used to. But to be surrounded by people with the same interests... is simply a delight.