17 replies to this topic

[Noctourne Wonderland]

So I might go to a con that very soon, so I need to make a decision. Unfortuantely, I know nothing about such things, and it's all rather overwhelming. Can anyone share the basic events and behaviour at anime conventions, please? It's something that I think is important, but I can't find.

[Sierra]

Overwhelming indeed. First things first: Try and go with friends. Safety in numbers and all that. It's easier to be overwhelmed with people you trust. Second, go to the opening ceremonies! They tend to outline things for ya.

While I try and think up a more in depth guide, read this for some ideas and tips.

[Noctourne Wonderland]

Overwhelming indeed. First things first: Try and go with friends. Safety in numbers and all that. It's easier to be overwhelmed with people you trust. Second, go to the opening ceremonies! They tend to outline things for ya.

While I try and think up a more in depth guide, read this for some ideas and tips.

Thank you, but...Justice League?

[Sierra]

WHAT HOW DID YOU KNOW I WAS WATCHING THAT!?

Srsly, did I quote it by accident or something? I never really watched it before so I just started watching the first few eps. And I mean JUST NOW.

*creeped out*


Um, on topic tip- that guide says this, BUT WATER BOTTLES ARE YOUR FRIENDS.

[Noctourne Wonderland]

WHAT HOW DID YOU KNOW I WAS WATCHING THAT!?

Srsly, did I quote it by accident or something? I never really watched it before so I just started watching the first few eps. And I mean JUST NOW.

*creeped out*


Um, on topic tip- that guide says this, BUT WATER BOTTLES ARE YOUR FRIENDS.

You linked to the video, not the guide. I'm not creeping on you...yet...

[Sierra]

Whoops, fixed, I swore I copied the other tab... fixed. *closes some of the billion tabs in embarrassment*

[Chime]

Oh, what comes to mind is actually a particular episode of lucky star. this one I think:



To do with cons. from 3:22.

I am new to it all too though so no personal advice.

[Noctourne Wonderland]

Sierra, thanks for the guide. I'm going with a friend, and another friend of mine is going. Wheeee it's a party. xD

As a hopeless cosplay geek I must ask- is it rude to just go in costume? The popular stereotype says no, but I don't want to be the only person standing around in a sparkly purple jester suit. xD

[Nemoide]

Going with at least one friend is a very good idea.
My personal advice would be to not act like too flagrant a dumbass. (ie shouting "THE CAKE IS A LIE," "PEDOBEAR RAPING LOLIS LOL," "*insert 4chan non-joke here*" for absolutely no reason) This happens QUITE A BIT and some folks think it's funny. I think it's lameo behavior BUT WHATEVS.

Anyway, you go to a con, register, and they'll give you a tag you have to wear. Then you can check the schedule and do whatever you want; they tend to be pretty free-form.
You can go to panels, which I think are fun; basically you sit around and listen to someone talk and you can ask questions.
The dealer's room is a big draw for obsessive materialists like me; you can buy ALL KINDS of super-awesome anime stuff you can't easily find elsewhere. Which is why I would advise against buying DVDs and instead getting figures and other imported merch.
Artists' Alley is worth going through, especially at larger cons. Folks sell some cool stuff, and you get to talk to the artist which is cool. (Art can range from webcomics to novels to sculpy-clay... ALL SORTS OF THINGS!)
Screening rooms are all over the place, but unless there's something special showing I wouldn't recommend spending much time there. There was once a time when cons would sometimes show 35mm prints or things which have yet to be released... this has become much less common. But hey, if you want to, DO IT!
Similarly, there's usually a game room/area. You can play games! I rarely spend time doing this, but you can play some fun stuffs. And I've seen hardcore DDR players who are HORRIFYINGLY awesome (consistent AAAs); just watching them is interesting.
Cosplay and/or Lolita Fashion events are common - I would suggest you don't sign up to participate if this is your first con BUT it's worth being a member of the audience and seeing what other folks do!
A lot of cons have "raves" (or just dances...). I've never gone to one; since I'm my 20s, I feel like its not my place to grab glowsticks and dance with high school kids.

Other than that... hang out with folks! I really only go to Connecticon because I went to college in Connecticut and I like being able to meet up with folks I went to school with. But you can just walk up to random folks and talk to them, make some new friends! Sit around and geek out about anime while glutting yourself with pocky & ramune! One of the reasons it's a good idea to go with a friend is because, worst case scenario, you can sit around and complain with them.

COSPLAY TIP: If you are cosplaying, make sure you are in line with the con's fake weapon policy. For your first con, I would advise against cosplaying--the experience is overwhelming enough without having to worry about a costume. But some folks do it anyway, so if you want to, GO FOR IT. It is in no way "bad form" to cosplay for a con, even if you've never done it before. Expect a lot of folks to be dressed up.
ETIQUETTE: Don't touch someone's costume without asking their permission. I would advise that you don't randomly hug EVERYONE -- there are generally folks wearing "free hugs" or "will hug for pocky" or "will yaoi for yuri" feel free to take those folks up on their offers but not all people appreciate random hugs. Some folks like their personal space!

Oh, some cons are legitimately lame, especially the teeny-tiny ones. And some folks don't like the overwhelmingly giant ones... so don't let your experience totally jade you to going to conventions!

Basically, just DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! If you're awkward and shy... well most folks at cons are, so at least you're not alone? And if you're unsure about anything, just ask! You're probably not the only one who is experiencing their first con.

[Noctourne Wonderland]

Thank Nemoide, that's great.

The one I might go to is the largest one in the area, and really the only one that isn't wildly far away. I can get incredibly shy, so I don't espect and cake is a lye-ing. I'm not going to do the masquerade for sure (I don't want my dreams crushed quite yet!), but I do want to get in the mood.

As for being a manga/anime/video game fan, I feel pretty lame. I've read all of two mangas, seen three animes, and played a gazillion games. I'm worried that I'll be too "out of the loop" if you will. I'm definately into it, but listing out my credentials makes me sound like I'd be that stupid person in the corner whho has no idea what's going on. At the same time, it would be a great experience to get interested in new things.

[Nemoide]

Don't worry about being too out of the loop, although you will probably miss jokes from things like "Cosplay Dating Game." The anime fanbase is pretty diverse and even though I've seen mountains of the stuff, I rarely know what the "big thing" is. There will probably be some folks who will say things like "you mean you don't recognize the character from the twelfth episode of Yu Yu Hakusho's Dark Tournament saga??? YOU'RE NOT A REAL NERD" but you can pretty much ignore them. They usually don't honestly mean to be jerks or anything and its unrealistic to expect people to know everything.

[Noctourne Wonderland]

Don't worry about being too out of the loop, although you will probably miss jokes from things like "Cosplay Dating Game." The anime fanbase is pretty diverse and even though I've seen mountains of the stuff, I rarely know what the "big thing" is. There will probably be some folks who will say things like "you mean you don't recognize the character from the twelfth episode of Yu Yu Hakusho's Dark Tournament saga??? YOU'RE NOT A REAL NERD" but you can pretty much ignore them. They usually don't honestly mean to be jerks or anything and its unrealistic to expect people to know everything.

Thank you again. From what I understand, cons can be pretty diverse and free-form, so just go with the flow to have fun?

I dread the pictures I've seen of middle aged men dressed as Sailor Moon. Is that terribly common?

[Zero-Shift]

Do you know what last year's attendance for this particular con was?

[Nemoide]

I dread the pictures I've seen of middle aged men dressed as Sailor Moon. Is that terribly common?

Not really. But there are generally a couple guys in kilts? The odds are you'll see some cross-dressing, but things like ManFaye and male Sailor Moon are special cases...

[Noctourne Wonderland]

Do you know what last year's attendance for this particular con was?

About fifteen and a half thousand people. The number makes me cringe in fear. xD

[daru]

one thing that i have learned from the con that i went to last year is that you better be ready to pose for lots and lots of pictures and things

[StarsOfCASSiOPEiA]

I know how you feel- my first con was two years ago, with an attendance record of over 25,000 people. I didn't know what I was doing either, so I hope I can help you!

My major tip, if you want to do ANYTHING besides shop around:

As soon as you get a schedule, mark panels that you might be interested in going to. Make sure you leave food time, at least an hour! Anything and everything, even if there's only a remote interest.

Revise it then, and figure out when things like photoshoots you wanted to be at conflict. Decide who wants to go where, and get that sorted out (if you're with friends, it's probably easier to stick together, since it's your first con and all.)

As soon as it's finalized, mark the rooms on your map, and preferably put the time! Give yourself a good 5-10 minutes for picture stops and difficulties, so you can still get there. Sometimes you have to be early to get a seat (or even get into!) popular panels! You might want to be even earlier if you think it'll fill up.

I personally block out Dealer's Room/Artist Alley times too, it's helped my group a ton. Ever since I started blocking the schedule we were able to be on-time to twice as many panels and STILL make shoots! ^^

Have fun for me, okay?

[NNR07]

Depends what you're doing and where you're going. Good idea, of course, is to bring friends and even food/drink.

Like what was said above, don't scream out memes at all, and be prepared to get into a lot of pictures. Once had a friend who even got to pose with pedobear; don't have the picture of him and her anymore though.