After the year of hell that was 2017, it amazes me that I
even made it to Katsucon 2018. It was a
long, very difficult road filled with obstacles galore. But I survived and made it and you know
what? It was the best Katsucon ive been
to yet. Seriously, looking back on those
four days last weekend and trying to come up with 5 moments that perfectly
defined it was very tough. I almost feel
like this should be a Top 10 this week instead of a Top 5…so you know what, screw
it. Because this weekend was so great,
im bringing you a doubled sized T5W today.
Get ready for my Top 10 Katsucon 2018 Moments.
#10-The Power of
Love Sing Along
It was the most random moment ever, seriously things
could not have been more conviently placed for this to go down. On my way to the Artist Alley to find a
friend, I overheard a trio of girls talking about “The Power of Love”, a song
from the old Sailor Moon English Dub (It’s used in the climax and credits of
Sailor Moon R: The Movie-The Promise of a Rose). And it just so happened I had that song on my
ipod on a playlist. When I showed them
the song, they flipped out and asked me to play it for them. It made their night as they got to sing the
first verse and chorus of the song while it played on my ipod. It was a good momentary distraction and it
put me in a better mood than I was already in that night. Randomness like this is the reason
conventions still leave me in awe. Even
momentary bonds like these can make the weekend all the better.
#9-Video Game Room
Wins Again
The Video Game Room admittedly felt a little lacking this
year. Many of the arcade shooters and
table games were absent, replaced with more console gaming and machines that
looked like they were taken right from a Japanese Arcade. It was different but I shouldn’t act like it
was a bad thing. For all that there
wasn’t, I still found fun in unexpected ways.
In fact, my travels through the Game Room this year were the most
diverse yet. I got to play Call of Duty:
Advance Warfare, Mortal Kombat X, Super Smash Bros Brawl and Mario Kart on the
Gamecube with different friends. Best
yet, they FINALLY got a new version of Just Dance up in the back. I got a lot of good dance footage with my
camera as well as a couple of good dance sessions in myself. Just because a couple of key elements were
missing didn’t mean the Video Game Room had lost any of its magic.
#8-Sailor Moon
Photoshoot
The Sailor Moon Photoshoot at Katsucon 2015 has always
been my gold standard when it comes to looking at Sailor Moon Photoshoots in
general. There was such an energy to it,
that and the magic of being in the Gaylord Hotel for the first time. I don’t know if I can pinpoint what made it
so magical: the lighting around the Gazeebo after the sun set, the little kids
stealing the show with their awesome cosplays, Rizuki rocking her awesome Punk
Sailor Star Defender Cosplay and leading the pack with two other hosts. It was just such a great time and the first
time in a while I felt a Sailor Moon photoshoot measured up to 2015.
#7-Getting the
Band Back Together
Last year, I went to Katsucon with two very good friends
of mine from Otakon, Maria and Johnnie.
This year I’d be rooming with their friends Lauren and Laurence. Of the many friendships ive gained going to
Otakon all these years, these four are very special to me. Through them id found the basis of a true
convention family, one that has expanded a lot in the last 5 years since I met
them. Plus this was the first time in I
think 2 years that I had seen these four all in the same spot together. It made me cry a couple of times knowing a
groups of Weeaboos had come to accepted a schmuck like me as one of their own. Hence why, when it comes to Anime
Conventions, I always default to the wisdom of Vin Diesel, “I don’t have
friends, I’ve got family.”
#6-The 18+ Panels
Take note now: you can go to every 18+ Panel on the
planet at any convention but know this…you might say “now ive seen everything”
but trust me…you aint seen nothing yet.
I ended up at three late night 18+ panels this year, all with their own
bit of extreme otaku naughtiness to bring to the table. While the action and drama categories of the
NSFW AMV Contest were kind of dull, the Hentai and Comedy sections, those more
than made up for it and the crowd agreed.
So much lewdness, so much hilarity and audience reactions…there’s a
reason I love 18+ panels, especially the Hentai ones, you never know how
everyones going to react to what they see.
But then there was the panel entitled Bizarre Hentai Theater 20XX…oh
God. Sure it started 45mins late but
what I saw that night pushed the limits of anything I had seen before this
panel, and ive seen a lot. “I have…seen
things you people wouldn’t believe,” Rutger Hauer once said in Blade
Runner. But no matter how much you see,
you should never say “now ive seen everything” cause you haven’t and there were
several moments, especially in the Top 3 clips shown that made me scream “WHAT
THE F***” and man…some things I just cant unsee after I see them (thankfully my
stomach was intact).
#5-Naginata
While wandering the fountains just after the sun had set
on Thursday, I met a pair of girls practicing a weapons martial art style
called Naginata. It’s a spear like style
that long ago was meant for just women but has grown to accept both sexes. The way these two spared with each other was
like nothing id ever seen before and I was in total awe. It’s very Kendo like except with staff like
weapons. I got to chat with them and
even get some fight footage of their sparring.
They had a couple of events on Friday and I intended to check them out
(especially after my failed attempt to get more photos of a second spar outside
and I felt guilty having asked them if they could demonstrate again…so yeah
that became a priority). The Friday Demo
was just as impressive with the same girls plus more of their classmates showing
off their amazing moves while their Sensei gave us all a quick history of Naginata. I wish I could have joined in one of the
workshops because I was, and still am, truly interested in this fighting
style. Perhaps not taking a chance to do
so might end up being one of my biggest regrets of my entire con going history
#4-The Cosplayers
One thing ive always loved about Katsucon, it’s pretty
much the heart of the cosplay scene on the East Coast. This means popular cosplayers on social media
have a good chance of showing up. Ive
met some of the best and brightest through this con and I did get to see some
of them again, like Fawnina formerly Mango Sirene (who bless her still
remembers me and is still nice enough to chat with me a little bit and I got to
meet her lovely girlfriend too, such a nice couple). This year though I think topped this
category. Not only did I get to me a
girl who is a legend in my book, Katie Cosplays (aka one of the first cosplay
heroines I ever knew about) but I also got to meet Rizuki, a cosplayer I saw at
Otakon 2016 but hadn’t formerly met until this year. We kept running into each other continuously
over the weekend and never once did we ever seem annoyed or tired of each
others brief company. I also got to see
other cosplay greats like GC Chan, Byndo Gehk Fushicos, Megan Starbuxx, Ms. Rae
Cosplay and Allan Ryde. Meeting these
girls and guys can leave me a little bit starstuck cause theyre just as amazing
and important to the community as any voice actor or director.
#3-Thursday Night
Dance
Seeing as how nothing official was going to get started
until Friday, some con goers took up a small section of the Gazeebo area and
kicked off a nice little dance party that went into the wee hours of the
morning. Anyone could join in. Anyone could show off their moves. Even yours truly got into it in his own way
(see video evidence below). It was a
very different feel from the rave or the other drunken schenanigans some of the
crowd would get up to later in the weekend.
This unexpected event felt like a safe, all ages kind of event that
everyone could enjoy. And they say us
Weeaboo Otaku don’t know how to party.
#2-Talking with
Steve Blum (and also meeting Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)
For those of you who don’t know, both of these voice
actors are LEGENDS!!! Steve is the
immortal voice of Spike Speigel from Cowboy Bebop and Tom from Toonami, while
Mary also voiced Julia on Cowboy Bebop (who is Spike’s love interest and, as
fate would have it, Mary is also now Steve’s fiancée awwww), but she’s best
known for being the voice of Major Motoko Kusinagi on Ghost in the Shell: Stand
Alone Complex. A chance to see these two
together and hear them speak? And man
are they ever so nice and humble.
Neither actor brags about their good fortune in the industry and never
hesitated to talk about their struggles as well. It inspired me to do something crazy…with
minutes to spare I got to ask Steve Blum a question (I wanted to ask Mary one
too but time was short). I asked him
about his final Toonami speech and if the Spike inspired final line “bang” was
either written for him or added by Steve himself. The answer was the former and he spoke highly
of the Toonami writers and staff who have helped him since he stepped into the
role of Tom years ago. HOLY FRAK. I was shaking and dumbstruck. I even called my sister to tell her what I’d
just done. I spoke with a legend…and he
is the chilliest, coolest dude ever.
#1-The Last Day
In a lot of ways, the last day of katsucon was going to
define where this year compared to others.
Would it be as good as 2017, as meh as 2016 or as legendary as
2015? Things ended up coming together in
such an amazing way on Sunday that I cant even really describe how I felt. I got to see all of my friends, favorite
cosplayers, spend time at my favorite convention hotspots, see Your Name and
ball my eyes out like a baby. I was
tired a lot during the weekend but on Sunday I felt awake and energized. Each goodbye to a friend never felt gloomy,
in fact I felt more and more hyped, like it wasn’t really goodbye. Could it have been denial? Maybe.
I like to think it was all about taking it all in and enjoying every
last second until it was time for me to go.
Even if they were just for a few short moments, seeing my team, Rizuki,
Fawnina and other friends once more made me feel like I could take on the
world. It was one of the best days ive
ever had at a convention and gave me firm resolution…I will be back for
Katsucon 2019…and might even try a bit harder to get back to Otakon this year
too.
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