I went to my first anime convention over the weekend in Beautiful rainy Columbus, Ohio. I managed to convince my friend Nicolas in Columbus to join me for some anime fun and so we braved the elements, Columbus battery of One way roads and hidden parking lots.

The good:

We managed to catch a talk by some of the 501st Legion regarding the manufacture of stormtrooper arms and equipments which was rather cool. They discussed how to create their props and armor from everyday goods such as pvc pipe, bando and cardboard.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Dub. We caught episode three and I was impressed with the quality of the Dub. The voices were excellent, and I enjoyed the added scenes on the DVD. I really need to re-watch this series before the next season arrives in the spring. Sadly we didn't see anymore due to getting sidetracked by the people selling anime paraphernalia.

We also saw some Burn up Excess which was entertaining and funny and some Xenosaga which seems interesting, but it seems you'd need to play the games to know what is going on.

I also got a decent amount of exercise wandering through the Convention Center/Hayatt which is always a good thing since I spend far too much time in front of a desk.

The Bad:

Finding anything was quite difficult since the Hyatt Hotel didn't have very good signage. We must have spent an hour wandering around trying to find the anime Video editing basics.

Prices: $30 entry fee, as well the overpriced coffee shop at the convention center. I had a good time but I don't really think it was worth $30. Luckily for me Nick covered the registration fee as a late Christmas present. (I gave him anime for Christmas so it the least he could do.) Also the coffee shop at the Convention center was far to overpriced. I wasted to get a mocha but was frietened away by the five dollar price tag for a medium mocha. wtf

The website. They didn't post the itinerary of events until two days before the con and then they never updated the interior pages such as main events. So should you miss the pdf on the index page and click on main events you would never no what was planned at the con.

The Odd:

All the strange cosplayers who would randomly sit just about everywhere in the halls. I guess it was one way to while away the day and be seen, but you'd think they'd have been a little more interest in the various happenings at the con. Is this because many people just came for the costuming and social activities (raving?). This would also explain the rather large proporation of non-men, which normally would be unexpected at a convention associated with nerdy activities.

Conclusion:

I had a good time, but if feel that I spent far too much time wondering around the Hyatt/convention center in search of con events. For the most part I was impressed with the costumes and it was defiantly a good experience.