It’s hard to believe that another Otakon has come and gone already, but now that it has, it’s time to get the scoop on the good, the bad, and the awesome from Otakon 2009.
Location
This year’s Otakon took place once again near Baltimore, Maryland’s Inner Harbor at the Baltimore Convention Center. The location is gorgeous, especially near the water, but that picturesque beauty comes with a price - heat and humidity.
It seemed the weather was especially bad this year. The humidity was so high and the sun so unrelenting that the moment you stepped outside, you were going to be soaked with sweak. And it seemed like no matter how much water I drank, I almost immediately sweated it all right back out.
Cosplay
But that wasn’t enough to stop the cosplayers, luckily. There were tons of them, many in costumes that made me squeal with joy. (Check back soon for a run down of some of my favorite costumes from this year’s Otakon).
I love a nice, cozy, small convention, but the major advantage of a huge one like Otakon is the variety and quality of the cosplays. There were lots of wings, lots of stunning embroidering, lots of jaw-dropping props, and lots of costumes that I never, ever expected to see.
Take, for example, the Crimson Chin from The Fairly Odd Parents. That’s right. The Crimson freakin” Chin. The best part? When I asked Mr. Chin for a picture, he responded with, “The Crimson Chin is always willing to aid justice!”
Panels and Events
Another advantage of large cnventions is that there are a ton of panels. Unfortunately, I only made it to one of the ones I wanted to see because of the massive crowds. There were close to (perhaps more than) 30,000 people at Otakon this year, and I defintiely felt it. Two of the panel sI really wanted to see had lines for them well over an hour in advance of their starts.
However, I did make it to one panel: Steampunk.
It was an extremely thorough run down of how to make costumes and props for steampunk. The presenters were knowledgable, funny and down to earth. There are some cosplayers who don’t like to reveal their methods - not these guys. They told us everything, from their dumpster-diving expeditions, to their past mishaps, to the brand of oil they use to polish props.
The Masquerade
Unfortunately, I was so dehydrated and tired that I missed out on the masquerade, but all reports are that it was amazing. I usually don’t go for masquerades because they’re filled with the types of skits I’ve seen a million times over. But Otakon’s was aparently one in a million and featured a ton of hilarious skits (’m still kicking myself for missing it).
The Good and Bad: in brief
The Good: Lots of amazing cosplay, above-average masquerade, fantastic panels
The Bad: Extreme heat, huge crowds
Overall Impression: Otakon was fantastic this year and I have every intention to go back next year. If you’re anywhere on the east coast, and perhaps even if you’re not, this is definitely a convention worth getting out to at least once in your con career.
Check back soon for more articles about Otakon, including my cosplay favorites and Otakon vs. Anime Expo!
July 23rd, 2009 at 8:16 pm
I really, really hope I can make it up there next year. My life needs to start cooperating financially >_<.
July 28th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Cool. My site is going to review our Otakon experance sometime soon. If you want to listen then you can go here:
http://3japanophileproductions.blogspot.com/