Conventions – The Casual Otaku

Growing Up Without Growing Out of Anime: 30 Years of Fandom

When I log into Crunchyroll to watch the latest anime while pointedly ignoring the 30 or so series that I will eventually catch up on, I’m reminded of just how easy it is to watch anime these days.

The anime landscape was very different when I first started watching 30 years ago.

Streaming wasn’t a thing, and if you missed the latest episode of Sailor Moon on Toonami and didn’t have it recorded, you just missed it. By “recorded,” I mean on a VHS tape, not downloaded for later viewing.

Let me back up for a moment, this isn’t going to be a “back in my day” post where I tell you everything was better when I was younger. I’m also not going to argue that older anime is automatically better than newer anime as that’s entirely subjective.

From Wandering the Exhibit Hall to Finding My Community: Twenty Years of Anime Conventions

Twenty years ago, I walked into Anime Expo with no plan, no convention experience, and apparently no understanding that there was anything to do besides wander around the Exhibit Hall.

It was not exactly an auspicious beginning.

In a recent post, I mentioned skipping Anime Expo after a lengthy streak of consecutive attendance, in favor of a couple of bucket-list experiences. While that streak came with a lot of great memories, it is only one chapter of my convention story.

I’ve been attending conventions for more than 20 years now, and at this point I’ve honestly lost track of how many I’ve been to. Somewhere in the 50 to 60 range seems about right. In that time I’ve experienced everything from small local conventions to massive events like San Diego Comic-Con.

Anime Expo and Anime Los Angeles make up the bulk of those memories, but there have been outliers such as Sakura-Con 2015, my first out-of-state convention, with Dragon Con in just over a month set to become my second.

More Than Just Picking Costumes

Long before I start packing for a convention, I’ve usually spent weeks refining my cosplay lineup. If you’ve ever wondered how my Dragon Con cosplay lineup can change so many times before a single costume makes it into a suitcase, you’re not alone.

I wrote in an earlier post that this year marks 15 years since I started cosplaying regularly and shared some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way. One thing I never really expanded on, though, was my planning process. More specifically, how I decide what my next cosplay will be and how I put together a lineup for each convention.

One of the biggest surprises after 15 years of cosplaying is that I spend far more time deciding what not to wear than what actually makes the final cut. Choosing a cosplay isn’t just about accuracy anymore, it’s about making sure the costume enhances the convention experience instead of becoming the convention itself. If I’m being honest, the planning process can get a little obsessive and occasionally borders on overthinking.

Trading Traditions for New Adventures

For me, the Fourth of July has usually meant one thing: Anime Expo. With the exception of the pandemic years, I’ve attended every year since 2007. Some years were fantastic, some made me question why I kept coming back, yet somehow I always found myself buying another badge the following year.

It was tradition, after all, but this year is different.

Instead of braving the crowds at the Los Angeles Convention Center, I’m sitting at home attempting, and mostly failing, to make a dent in my never-ending anime backlog.

Fanime 2026: A Much-Needed Escape

There’s something about a convention providing a much-needed break from real life, and for me, this year’s Fanime was exactly that. Yeah, this recap is about a month late, but let’s just say life has been a little challenging lately…the details aren’t important.

After taking last year off, I returned to Fanime with a full schedule…who am I kidding? Much like most conventions these days, my plan was to wing it and see what looked fun. My main goal was to spend time with friends I don’t get to see often and maybe enjoy a few adult beverages (narrator: many adult beverages were consumed).