Ohayocon: Columbus here I come!

This lovely piece of art work is done naturally by our featured artist of the month, Ms Peng Peng on deviant art. If you haven't yet done so, please check her out! http://www.peng-peng.deviantar.com

As to why her art is here under this label of OHAYOCON, besides being awesome, it is influenced by the manga/anime style and since this is an anime convention I felt it was appropriate! Now onward and upward!
Every year in January, the convention season starts once again. Not just with comic conventions but with Anime as well. I will be the first to say that I was very hesitant with anime and manga as our relationship bloomed but after seeing Naruto for the first time, I was completely hooked. I began reading anything I could get my hands on and watching all the romantic love anime's that were available to me. Little did I know that there was a much scarier world of anime conventions waiting for me.

Our first year together at Ohayocon was not as overwhelming as my first comic convention, Chicago Wizard World 2007 before it's demise, still I wasn't prepared for the radical fans and all the cos play that presented itself. It is a fanboy paradise, full of young girls who adore yaoi and bishonen, WOW and pokemon, raves and much more that quite frankly can make those of you with weak stomachs skin crawl. The laws of the outside world no longer apply, anarchy and chaos reign. (Chaos Reigns, just for you Birdiebo) The smells alone could gag a horse. Bathing is a choice and not necessarily a requirement, kids are jacked up on Red Bull and candy, people ask you for hugs, (I wish I was making that up, I hate having my personal space invaded) and if you make any kind of positive comment on anything anyone is wearing, you may be accosted.

Now to some of you may ask, why? Why would anyone subject themselves to this? It sounds rather unpleasant and dare I say down right awful! Like any good car wreck, I can not look away. I love this form of Japanese entertainment and if I can go to a place where the manga, anime, figures and art work are at one place for a great price, then I will go there!
It's true that I consider myself a nerd but there is a limit to my nerdiness. I don't have tunnel vision when it comes to this type of thing, I enjoy all nerd art forms! Watching people go absolutely crazy for anime is fascinating to me.

Buying merchandise is only the tip of the ice berg when I say that these people get super crazy. There are collectors items at these conventions that can go well in to the 400.00 amount and these fans will literally beg the others at the convention for 40 bucks so they can have it among their collection. I passed by this booth about 3 different times and had the same chick ask me for money each pass before it finally registered that I had told her no 3 different times and wasn't going to be of help to her. Where else could you meet these types of people face to face?

In all honesty, I love going to Ohayocon. You can avoid the crazies easily and meet your favorite voice actors and creators of the anime's you love to watch. This is pretty exciting for me personally, it is like having your favorite movie star within reach. The voice actors are pretty laid back and by now realize what they are getting into when they come to these conventions. Fans go nuts, ask for pictures and autographs, some scream at the sight of their favorites but mainly, we go to the panels and listen to their experiences while dubbing anime's. I also love going to the dealer's room and finding a great price for manga and figurines. This type of media is very pricey at times and saving 20 bucks is quite the achievement. This year hopefully will meet all my current expectations of the years past and I will keep you posted on the current events once we are there!