While things might be getting more under control with the
Omicron variant of Covid-19, the fact of the matter is I’m still passing on
Katsucon (I would say for the second year in a row but nothing happened last
year so I guess this is the first time ever).
That said, I’m not here to woe about it, I’m here to talk about how
awesome of a cosplay hotspot Katsucon has always been and will likely continue
to be in 2022. The Gaylord Hotel and Convention
Center in National Harbor has become synonymous with Katsucon, containing both
superb interior and exterior locations for photoshoots both Private and
Public. If you’ve never been, I highly
recommend finding a video tour or something (I might post my own from a
previous year over the weekend, who knows).
And if you plan on going to Katsu, my advice…go in blind and discover
the wonders of the place first hand.
Hmm, think I’ve gotten off topic.
Anyway, the place is perfect for any and every kind of photoshoot. So today on Top 5 Wednesday, I’m counting
down the Top 5 Katsucon Cosplay Photoshoots I’ve Attended. Couple of rules: gonna try and not double up
on particular years, gonna aim for one Photoshoot pick between 2015 and 2020
(that might be tough since some years had better Photoshoot memories than
others). Second, I make it a mission to
attend a Sailor Moon and Fate/Stay Night Photoshoot at every con I go to. So as tough as task as it is, I’m gonna pick
only one from either of those series for this list. Think that’s it, on with the show.
#5-Cells at Work Photoshoot (Katsucon 2019) I feel like A. I need to finish watching this show at
some point and B. I need to add it to my review queue when I do. Cells at Work is the ultimate biology lesson
in a highly entertaining fashion and the cosplay community has embraced it
beautifully. Red and White Bloodcells,
the Platelets, they all got a lot of love and I’m not shocked the Lolita’s
brought out the Macrophages to play since they dress like cute Maids in the
show. Also, while it had a large
turnout, it was still early in the morning so this photoshoot by the Fountain
was pretty chill and a good way to kick off a Saturday before the con got
really crowded and crazy.
#4-Overwatch Photoshoot (Katsucon 2017)
While Overwatch is currently in the middle of the
scandals and shake ups going on with Blizzard and Activision right now, back in
2017 it was pretty much in its prime. It
was one of the most popular FPS games on the market and the fan base had grown
exponentially thanks to a colorful and memorable cast with stories we all
wanted to see more of. The Katsu fan
base came out in droves for this one and while its definitely not on the
massive scale later years would see, this one has some of my fondest memories
from the earliest Overwatch Character Costumes still being the defacto looks to
that huge armor build of Reinhardt that stole the show.
#3-Biracial Angel Private Photoshoot (Katsucon 2020)
This doesn’t happen often but if you run into a friend
who happens to be a cosplayer, it just might.
I met Dan aka Biracial Angel at Baltimore City Comic Con in 2018 along
with his future wife Mary and best friend, Taylor, and we’d been cool ever
since. When I ran into the trio at
Katsu, I didn’t expect to follow Dan and Taylor to an outdoor photoshoot
scheduled for Dan. I wish I remembered
who exactly this character is but there were two unique take aways from being
here for this photoshoot. The first was watching Dan pose in such a heavy and
bulky cosplay and still coming away with some great shots, dude isn’t an
amateur. The second…was the memory of
how FREAKING COLD IT WAS!!!!! Poor
Taylor and I were freezing to death keeping an eye on Dan’s stuff and helping
where we could. If I were to do anything
differently about this fun experience…id’ve done it on Saturday when it was
MUCH WARMER!!!
Here’s a link to Dan’s Instagram if you wanna check out
his other Cosplay endeavors, they deserve some love:
https://www.instagram.com/biracialangel92/
Also including the IG links for his fellow Cosplayers MomofPitbulls
(Mary) and Canary Cry Cosplay (Taylor) cause theyre just as bad ass in their
craft too:
Momofpitbullscosplay:
https://www.instagram.com/momofpitbullscosplay/
Canary Cry Cosplay:
https://www.instagram.com/canarycrycosplay/
#2-Fate/Stay Night Photoshoot (Katsucon 2018)This mid/late afternoon photoshoot had the benefits of
both time and setting. I’ve loved Fate/Stay
Night ever since I found out about the existence of Rin Tohsaka and saw Fate/Zero
and Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works for the first time. Getting to go to any Fate shoot is gonna blow
a newcomers mind because they have no idea just how expansive it is, to the
point of pure insanity. Still , tons of Servants
and reps from the various shows, games and other media were present. But again, setting and time. The Gazebo is everyones favorite Photoshoot
hotspot at Katsucon, hardly is there ever a time when the place is vacant from
beginning to end. On top of that, the
sun was steadily going down and all the inner lights were coming on in response
around the photoshoot…yeah it was kind of a magical thing to witness.
#1-Sailor Moon Photoshoot (Katsucon 2015)This was a tough decision. I’ve been to so many Sailor Moon photoshoots
that all the good memories feel like one continuous good dream. Always around the Gazebo, usually a night and
hosted by Rizuki, a great Sailor Moon Officianado, theyre the places to be
every Friday night of a con, a good way to kick off the evening. However, before those magical nights, there
was the first Sailor Moon Photoshoot I attended at my first Katsucon in
2015. Not only was the location, right
next to one of the main ballrooms on the Gazebo level, strikingly similar to
the Moon Kingdom, but the photoshoot got an added boost of hyper positive adrenaline
from GillianFoxglove, going back then by GC-Chan Cosplay. Her energy was infectious and got everybody
so excited to be there. Plus we had
Senshi and Villains from all across the franchise, including an amazing Sailor
Galaxia lording over a group of Sailor Uranus and Neptune cosplayers. The magic of Sailor Moon was alive and well here
and still is today.
You can check out Gillian Foxglove’s page here, honestly
one of the most upbeat and cheerful individuals you’ll ever meet in your life:
https://www.instagram.com/gillianfoxglove/
I’ll also add Rizuki’s IG here too. Check out her page for words of wisdom and
Sailor Moon factoids galore:
https://www.instagram.com/rizuki/
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