Wednesday, February 17, 2016

T5W#27-Top 5 Katsucon 2016 Moments


I did have another topic in mind for my return this week.  However, now that I think about it, there was no way I could slip off to Katsucon without talking about it when I came back.  So here we go, for any and all interested, my Top 5 Most Memorable moments from my return to the con that set a high bar for others to come. 

 

#5-The Magic of the Gazeebo


If I ever had a moment of woe, and believe it or not I did have a couple of those, id somehow finds my way back to the Gazeebo of the Gaylord Hotel.  And somehow, just sitting here, watching the crowds, observing the cosplay, taking in the atmosphere, it restored me and reminded me of why I enjoy these cons.  There’s a magic to places like the gazeebo, common areas where photoshoots take place and parties meet up.  It can just be talking.  But you never know when a dance off or epic sing along will suddenly pop up to get the evening going.  I almost cried a couple of times here at this hallmark of cosplay photography.  It reminded me of why Anime Conventions are home for me.

 

#4-The Return


I remembered upon seeing the National Harbor Ferris Wheel and Convention Center, how that one song from the Lord of the Rings popped to my head to describe the experience. For the return, it was the trailer mix for the final trailer of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  The soft, lingering sounds of piano keys being tapped, building to something truly big.  By the time we parked and entered the Convention Center and I spied the Gazeebo once again, I could finally say what I had wanted to say for a long time, “Chewie…we’re home.”  The Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center, again, may not be as large as the Baltimore Convention Center where Otakon is held.  But it has a wondrous feel, found in its floor to ceiling ratio and the lighting.  Man when the sky goes dark and the lights turn on, this place sings a new tune.  It’s the perfect location for an Anime Convention and it was really good to be back here again.

 

#3-Video Game Room 2.0

 

The Video Game Room was a win once again this year, but not for the reasons I was expecting.  With the wait line policy set in place with Just Dance, the fun kind of got taken out of it, though I did get in a dance or two.  No, the win came from me broadening my horizons a bit.  I found myself beating Time Crisis 2 with an L cosplayer…ive only beaten that game once before in my life.  And then I found my way to a game called Flash Beat.  Think of it as Air Hockey with sound beats, keep the beats from entering your goals.  I got my ass kicked 4 separate times, so why did I enjoy it?  Cause of the people I met there, three players who never chided me for my weakness and welcomed my company.  Plus it was fun watching them rock the game, they were all exceptional players.  It was different and that’s exactly how each con experience should be.

 

#2-Golden Boy

At long last, I watched Golden Boy.  The adventures of Kintaro, a “student of life” and a serious pervert with a good heart, lived up to its much deserved hype and it’s 18+ warning label.  I only got to see one episode due to only half the series being shown and not all of it.  But that one episode plus the MST3K group that had been adding their own commentary definitely made me want to seek out more of this show.  I have since watched the rest of the series via youtube and have fallen in love with it, especially the first episode.  “MONEY CANT REPLACE THAT KIND OF KNOWLEDGE!!! THOSE NOTES WERE PRICELESS!!!!”  Yeah look forward to a review on this one very soon.

 

#1-Dejavudea

My favorite moment of Katsucon 2016 was actually one person, one very inspiring and amazing person.  Dejavudea is a popular youtube cosplayer and convention attendee who also leads the convention touring dance group, Dantsu to Pantsu.  She also hosts the Kigurumi Parties at several conventions she attends.  Here she takes a few minutes with groups of individuals to get to know them, find out how their con is going and see how she can make it better.  Well remember those moments of woe I was telling you about a couple entries ago, one of the hit right around the time of the Kigu Party.  After taking a lap, I returned because I had no other place to be.  That’s when she sat down next to me, recognizing me (it still wows me that she remembers that stuttering guy who got to take a selfie with her and MangoSirene a year prior).  I told about me missing a few friends, especially after the hardships of last year.  I was given a hand on the shoulder, a nice hug and then tugged into a group of individuals, one of whom I ended up having a fun conversation with.  Dejavudea is a real Anime heroine whose goal is to make the world a better place for convention attendees everywhere.  She’s sweet beyond belief and one of the top 10 human being I know on this planet.  I hope our paths cross again one day.  She saved my convention experience big time and that counts as my top moment of Katsucon 2016.

Be sure to check out Dejavudea’s Youtube page for Convention reports, cosplay tutorials and other fun vids.
https://www.youtube.com/user/dejavudea


And YES I know there was a fire, I know I was shoved out into the cold along with thousands of others and no it was not fun…but I still had fun overall and I hope others did as well.  Any fav moments?  Feel free to leave a comment.

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