Wednesday, August 10, 2016

T5W#52-Top 5 Otakon 2015 Moments


A lot can happen change in a year.  But when 2015 got started, for a moment Otakon was far from my mind.  Within the span of 6 months, I had endured a slew of personal trials that ranged from job relocation to a devastating loss in the family to experiencing on of the scariest nights in Baltimore due to the infamous riots of late April.  For a moment, I wasn’t even sure if there was going to be an Otakon in 2015.  After so much to deal with though, I knew that I needed it more than ever.  And more than that, I needed it to be good.  Plus it had to top the game changer that was Katsucon 2015.  Following the downer that was 2014, man 2015 was a huge, HUGE rebound.  There was maybe one moment of worry but for the rest of it, my con was back and better than ever.  It was as if an old friend was there to greet me with a big, warm hug and reunite me with family that I needed very much.  I said that there were only two years that came close to rivaling 2011.  2013 was one, but 2015 I think holds and potential standing to one day be looked back on as THE best Otakon I’ve ever attended…here’s why.

 


#5-Laura Bailey
Well while the guest list wasn’t as grand as it has been in the past, the odd numbered years do tend to bring out the better guests, I think anyway.  This year I got to see a panel for Ms. Laura Bailey.  You wouldn’t know it at first glance, but she’s been the voice of many an Anime character.  There’s Kid Trunks from Dragon Ball Z, Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket, the trouble maker Shin Chan and, most importantly, the incredibly sexy Lust from Fullmetal Alchemist.  Like many voice actors and actresses whose panels I sat in, she’s incredibly funny and kind and full of great tales.  Oh and she’s married to Travis Willinghem, the voice of Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist (Roy married Lust whaaaaat?) and, as I learned later, Fred from Halo 5: Guardians.  It was an added treat that I got to see two friends of mine ask her questions during her panel (she gave one a very Happy Birthday greeting and tweeted to another later).  Laura Bailey’s an incredible sweetheart and her husband is one tall and lucky guy.

 

#4-Horror Panel

I finished off an amazing Saturday stopping into a Horror in Anime and Manga panel.  This was probably my second favorite panel of the night.  Most of the clips show from 3x3 eyes and Gyo were more freaky than scary but two did stand out.  The first was an Anime that started off very K-On, early Madoka kind of cute and it confused the hell out of everyone.  It wasn’t until the end that it was revealed that all the cuteness was in the main characters head and the world was actually a zombie ridden hell hole…W…T…F??? But to finish it off was a helluva finale.  The panel head said that this film was so intense he couldn’t imagine it being released stateside.  The film, Asura, opens with a woman giving birth to a baby before killing a wolf.  It’s a dark time for the Warring States period and the films showed the land racked by poverty and starvation.  Eventually the mother…with the scariest face I have ever seen in a long time, begins to hallucinate cooking her baby and eating it…yeah nightmare fuel if there was ever anything like that.

 

#3-Dejavudea
This one always seems to find her way onto my Top 5 lists and you know what, im perfectly A-OK with that.  Dejavudea is such an awesome person and I learned that right here at Otakon 2015.  While I was waiting for another moment to happen (the next moment on this list btw), I was wandering the Dealer’s Room when I spotted her wandering around one of the main studio booths.  At first I was just going to tap and say hi but she actually remembered me from Katsucon.  That was one of the most heartfelt comments I have ever gotten at a con, from a youtube celebrity no less. I would’ve hugged her but I settled for a photo and a smile and headed back to my friends with a feeling of supreme victory.  Obviously this wasn’t the last time Ive run into her and every time ive seen her since always puts a smile on my face.  Dejavudea really is my real life Anime heroine.

 

#2-Fan Photo with Laura Bailey and Travis Willinghem
Thanks to keeping our ears open and guessing the nature of the beast that is the Dealer’s Room, I was able to get into a very special line on the last day of the convention.  Two of my best friends were cosplaying Yusuke Urameshi and Keiko from Yu Yu Hakusho and they were determined to get a photo with Laura Bailey, who voices Keiko in the English Dub.  I did pony up some money to get my badge signed and for helping them out today and throughout the weekend, my friends put a little extra in so I could get in a group photo with them, Laura and Travis.  I was floored by Laura’s quirkiness, she even “Grabbed my boob” during the photo (her words not mine but I didn’t mind hehe).  And man is Travis taller when you’re standing right in front of him, helluva grip.  I can see why the ladies swoon and how he won over Lady Lust, though he is the voice of Roy Mustang for +10 bad ass points there.

 

#1-Thursday Tour
 
 
Like I said, I needed this year.  I was literally at my wits end and just needed a friend to turn to.  Thankfully when it comes to Otakon, by now I had no shortage of them and they were all givers of hugs and words I needed.  I ran into pretty much everyone I wanted to run into in quick succession on Thursday and spent an equal amount of time with each.  We caught up, we laughed, they comforted me when I explained the last few months to them.  They were…there.  There were a lot of great moments from the weekend that lay ahead.  But if im honest, seeing all of these people again is the best part of any con.  I don’t think I cried but I wish I had, only way to let these guys know how much their friendship meant to me, more than ever, at the time.
So yeah, 2015 was kind of an important year for me.  But as special as it was, there was always 2016 to look forward to.  I knew in the back of my mind that something bigger lay in the future.  2016 is going to be the last Otakon held in Baltimore, possibly ever.  So it’s time to celebrate like never before and make the last one worth it.  Let’s hope it goes as well as I hope it does.  Check back next week for my Top 5 favorite moments of Otakon 2016.  And just a reminder, T5W will go uninterrupted but no new reviews next week, as per con tradition, need a bit of a break after all that fun.

And to any friends dropping by Otakon 2016 starting tomorrow (?!)..let’s meet up, I’ve missed everyone a lot.
 

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