Anime Conventions Has.....

[Dog Pokemon Master]

Anime Conventions Has anybody been to any?? If you had it would be cool if you'd post your experiences. I would really like to go to the one they have like a 100 miles from here but I want to know if it would be worth my money and I have some questions that I would like to ask....

WHats the deal with registering ahead. I know its cheaper and you get a 3-day pass but what are the perks??

If you do register ahead do you have to stay at the hotel??

And whats the deal on the costumes? Do you have to go dressed up??

If you went dressed up, who/what were you and where did you get your costume??

I think thats all the questions I wanted to ask...... Anyway I hope you respond I really want to here your answers you can respond even if you haven't been to one. I won't flame you...

Edit: There I fixed it. I hope its better looking and eaiser to read

[KaptainSarcasm]

::Cough:: After deciphering that mass of typos, I finally understand what you're asking.

Yeah, I went to Otakon 2003 this summer, and it was GREAT fun. I was doing a bit of work for Anime Insider magazine, so I got in for free, so that's always a plus. I was there all three days with my buddy Justin, and he cosplayed as Spike and I cosplayed as Haruka Tenoh from Sailor Moon. Man, I think I must have spent over $300 at Otakon, I bought so much anime. I also sang an Outlaw Star song kareoke in front of a billion people, sat in on all the company panels, met the coolest people in the world at the Oekaki panel, and got really pissed at Justin for being an idiot and making me miss TM Revolution.

All in all an EXCELLENT experience, well worth the money.

You don't have to cosplay, it's just fun. ^_^ People like to take picture of people who cosplay, so if you do it and do it well, your picture will be all over the 'net in no time. Most people who cosplay make thier own costumes and spend a lot of time doing it. You're not obligated to do anything, including staying at hotels. If you have a relative or something, that's even better. It's less money.

[Dog Pokemon Master]

come on it wasn't THAT bad. I only had a couple of run on sentences and my "I"'s weren't capitalized and I only mispelled like 2 or 3 words. All and all it wasn't that bad but i guess i could have had made it easier to read..... I haven't had that much experience in posting yet..... Anyways Thank you for posting. Thank you a lot.

[Mewtwo-D2]

Currently I've been to six anime Cons, with plans for four more this year. My conventions in order have been AnimeUSA 2001, Otakon 2002, Nekocon 2002, Katsucon 2003, Anime Mid-Atlantic 2003, and Otakon 2003. I've cosplayed to every one. I've also pre-regged for all but two.

The plus of pre-regging is not only that you can save some money, but also you can get in faster. Pre-reg lines are normally pretty quick, unlike walk-in's. I'd only walk-in at a very small convention, otherwise you could be in for a very long wait.

You do not have to stay in the hotel if you pre-reg. It's worth looking into though, since you're more likely to be able to get a room there if you look early. This is especially helpful for conventions held in big cities inhabited by "urban campers".

As KaptainSarcasm mentioned, cosplay is just plain fun. So far I've done four original characters: Shabuni the Princess of Burnt-out Lightbulbs, Gundam extra #40128, Random X, and Isode of the Blade. Anime and manga characters I've cosplayed as are Cesia (Dragon Knights manga, the dress from the cover of volume 4), Tomoe Yukishiro/Himura (Rurouni Kenshin OAV Trust and Betrayal), and Dilandau Albatou (Vision of Escaflowne, casual outfit). Right now I'm working on Desert Bandit Yamcha (Dragonball). See the Official Cosplay topic for more information and pictures.

I or one of my friends made my costumes. Certain things you just have to make, like Cesia's bolero jacket or Tomoe's plain white kimono. Other things you have to buy, like wigs and shoes. You can assemble pieces from everywhere, but unless it's a modern-day real world anime, you're not likely to find the right pieces for good prices.

Hope that helped.

[Lightning]

Mmm. Anime conventions. Yum.

Well, to start answering your questions, this is what I've seen from the 3 anime conventions I've been to in my short lifetime (Anime North and CN Anime twice).

Whats the deal with registering ahead. I know its cheaper and you get a 3-day pass but what are the perks??
The only thing is that it's cheaper, really. You get the 3-day (or whatever) pass anyway if you register on-site. I like registering on-site since the lines are a lot faster. o_O My last name starts with "C", and I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but a lot of Chinese last names start with "C" and a lot of Chinese people go to Anime Conventions. x_x The pre-registered lineups are sometimes divided into last names like A-F, G-M, N-Z or something like that. So the lineup for A-F would be extremely long. Not worth the $10 extra bucks imo. ^_^;;

If you do register ahead do you have to stay at the hotel??
Nope. That's optional.

And whats the deal on the costumes? Do you have to go dressed up??
I haven't gone in costume (cosplayed) yet. I plan to get something together for AN2004. I just went in plain clothes. Don't worry about it. x_X

If you went dressed up, who/what were you and where did you get your costume??
Most people make their costumes and I guess I'd advise you do the same. That way you have total control over the costume. Then again, I'm the wrong one to ask. XD;

Bai,
Lightning

[DEATHEYE]

I've been to A-Kon once a few years ago, and IT WAS SWEET! I didn't cosplay though and I didn't need to stay in a hotel either. I would pre-register if I were because it's cheaper and you won't have to wait in line as long. Also, make sure that you have plenty of extra cash with you because they'll have plenty of tapes, DVDs, and other merchandise on sale.

[Red Angel]

I went to a really minor one recently (Anime Evolution 2003) in the Greater Vancouver area. It was kinda fun, but a little on the underwhelming side.