This week I was in Paris covering the Blizzard World Wide Invitational (pictures coming soon). While there, I did what any visitor to Paris does … I attended a Japan Expo!
I wasn’t lucky enough to make Anime Expo this weekend but Traycee did attend and I’m sure we’ll see some coverage from that event soon. That being said, while I was in viva la France I happened to attend the Japan Expo which is AX on steroids.
Not knowing what to expect, I donned my favorite blue dress (yea… that one) and boarded a taxi to the event. Tommy and Jack were the keynote speakers on the day we attended. Seeing I have heard the Video Games Live talk 10000 trillion times I decided this was my chance to check out the show!
Entering the hall felt like entering Comic Con to me. There was a giant Pokemon glaring down on my left and to my right was an area set up for this MMO called Dofus.
I was a little overwhelmed by it all as almost everything was in French and I couldn’t understand a thing anyone around me was saying. As I was walking around searching for cosplayers to photograph I turned a corner and was glomped by two squeeing french girls. They started talking to me - animated - in French. When I shook my head and tried to ask them to speak in English they looked at me like I was the incarnation of Sephiroth himself and walked away hurriedly.
Thinking that it was, perhaps, a case of mistaken identity I headed outside to see the horde of people utilizing the smoking area. Here I found the true Sephiroth as well as many other characters being quite OUT of character and smoking in costume. I couldn’t help but weep a bit for the hard work that was now stained with the oder of tabaco. how anyone can smoke in costume, I will never know,
Upon entering the opposite side of the hall, I noticed many girls walking around with colored dreadlocks. New hairstyle in France? Not quite. A few rows down I found a booth that was sewing these colorful locks into girls hair. It was an interesting style and something I have not seen the American Otakon adopt as of yet.
Heading toward the cosplay area I was glomped again by a young man. He asked me a question in French. When I responded that I was American he quickly changed languages and spoke in perfect english.
“What brings you HERE!?” he asked.
“My boyfriend is the keynote speaker”
“He is a geek?”
“No, keynote”
“Oh, so why are you in here then and not in there watching him?”
“Oh, I’ve heard his talk way too many times”
“So, you’re breaking up with him soon then!?!”
I let out a very “Julia Roberts” like laugh and shook my head. He proceeded to follow me around for a bit until I had to meet Tommy and Jack back in the other hall. Good to know that the creepy types also frequent other cons too! 
All in all, it was an interesting show. Much of what I saw was the same as what you would imagine here in America. Some was unique and some, downright STRANGE!
Click through the pictures below for a visual look at Japan Expo 2008
July 8th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Whoa, seems kinda scary…but I LOVE Tommy’s Mickey shirt!
July 8th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Very cool! I love that panda, haha! So cute!
July 8th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Has anyone told you with the Blue Dress, you probably would do a pretty good VF5 Sarah Bryant cosplay?
July 8th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
No… no one has but wow! If I add my heels and a belt/ gloves that would be pretty cool ha ha.
July 8th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Are the sewn in colored hair you were talking about 3rd picture in the 2nd row?
If so, I have seen them quite a bit around here. They are popular in the raver/suicidegirl/goth types. Except usually it’s more dreadish than just 2 (like in the picture posted). I’m trying to figure out if it was the same thing, but I can’t find a picture of a girl I know that does it all the time…
July 8th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Yes.. that is them.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:39 am
I must kill those Lara Croft cosplayers now, the are too good…JUST KIDDING!
July 9th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Those Lara Croft Cosplayers are really good
They are virtually almost as good as well
Virtual Girl herself
Not even Angelina Jolie’s verson of Lara Croft compares to
Virtual Girl’s cosplay of Lara!
I should have known the best cosplayers come from Minnesota!
July 9th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Yeah it’s good to know we’re not the only weirdo otaku out there.
July 10th, 2008 at 8:57 am
I think I would explode with happiness if I ever got to go to this!!!