In unfamiliar territory like AnimeUSA the best way to gain your bearings (at least in regards to the people as opposed to the post-modern architecture that Kevin discussed) is to just talk to people. I sought the answer to a deceptively complicated question: “Why are you here?” Seeing as I asked a variety of people, the answers really illustrate the range of an event like this.

The first person I talked to was Briana Benn of ConnectiCon. She was hanging out with her friend Brian Wilson, the writer and artist of webcomic Hookie Dookie Panic, so my obvious first question was about their relationship. They met through the convention she co-founded ConnectiCon. ConnectiCon is “the largest multi-genre convention” in the New England region. With games, anime, webcomics, sci-fi, fantasy, and generally all things geek, the convention aims to bring together a whole culture of people with similar entertainment passions. Benn goes to a handful of conventions each year, promoting her own convention as well as partipating in a culture that she describes as “very open minded, very accepting, and very creative.” “They’re children, or children at heart,” says Benn about the fans that have dedicated their weekend to a single cause. She enjoys seeing the people that she’s gotten to know through the convention network - the people she only gets to see a few times a year. Though she does enjoy anime, she came to AnimeUSA to watch the special guests, take in all the creative talent of the attendees and exhibitors, and learn new things about the culture.

I made my way down to the lower level of the hotel, “Aritists’ Alley,” to futher explore the world of fan art. Artist Alley was a new concept to me. For those of you like me, who don’t know what it is, it’s basically an exhibition hall where amateur artists can sell a variety of artwork and crafts. People were selling drawings of anime and video game characters, comissioned works, buttons, chain mail… you get the idea. I sat down with a brother and sister team called Gbee Fabrics. What drew me to Gbee was the felt hats shaped like Mario Bros. mushrooms with different logos on them. Ginger, the proprieter of Gbee, started making her hats, scarves, and ornaments as an extension of her interests in sewing and quilting. She started because she wanted to see her passion for games brought to life but decided she would try her hand selling her wares at conventions. Her first convention, Katsucon, was a failure because the staff challenged the artistic merit of her work. They disagreed, charging her more because she was a “dealer” (a distinction made between those selling art and those selling commercial products). But AnimeUSA treated her correctly, so she and her brother Michael were selling their full range of products. Ginger is looking to perhaps expand her art into the fantasy-genre for her next convention.

I can’t quite give a precise percentage of cosplayers to non-cosplayers, but I would probably put it at about 40%. People were dressed up as characters from anime, manga, and video games. There were other people in what I would have thought were costumes, though I learned that just because someone is dressed character-like does not mean they’re cosplaying. Stay tuned to the article Kevin and I are collaborating on about Lolita fashion for more on that. But with so many people dressed in costume, you have to wonder how people decide. From what I’ve learned, people might choose characters they love, characters with interesting costumes, or characters whose costumes fit their material resources. Another consideration is originality. I had a chance to talk to a Patient Demon from Silent Hill 2. “I look for things that haven’t been done before,” said the demon. “There’s a big difference between what has been done and what nobody has thought of or no one has the balls to do.” As a Patient Demon, I can understand that it must take balls to give up the use of your arms the entire weekend.

These are only a few of the people I talked to over the weekend, but I wanted to illustrate the variety with just a few examples. AnimeUSA showed the cohesion of individuals who run in similar cultural circles. It explains how over 3,000 people can come together and pull off a fun weekend. There were definitely separate groups - those interested in cosplay and those who werent, people who attended the video game events and those who couldn’t care less, hardcore anime fans and the less well versed, the out-going exhibitionists and the reserved fans - but AnimeUSA seemed to cater to all types.