This past weekend I made the short trip up to Seattle to attend Sakura-Con which is one of the largest annual anime conventions in North America. I’ve never been into anime (with the exception of Trigun) but my significant other is, and this was a birthday present to him. So we happily packed our bags and headed North for a weekend of anime antics.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Initially, I thought we’d just be watching anime all day, or attending discussion panels led by the creators of the various shows, but it included a lot more than just those things. They also had: cosplay chess, autograph signings, costume contests, a few dances and a rave, gaming, karaoke, exhibition hall, charity auction, fashion shows and Japanese culture workshops. There were literally things going on all day long, and it was unlike any convention I had gone to before.
The thing I loved the most were the costumes people came dressed in. I was amazed by the inventiveness and dedication to staying in character that some people had. There were obviously people who slapped together a quick Mario and Luigi costume, but there were others who spent hours putting together what they wore, or carefully applying their makeup. I overheard one girl say she spent three months and over $700 in fabric making her costume which was a large full-body wildebeest jumpsuit complete with mascot head. Seriously impressive, especially to someone like me who has a hard enough time hemming my pants.
Sips of Jen and Tonic 