Reprinted from my column at theOtaku.com

So now that you have some

idea how to spend your weekend (in between the sugar rushes and who could kick who’s ass in Naruto),

I’d like to point out some common courtesies and important reminders. Don’t get too caught up in

going into debt in the Dealer’s Room to remember these crucial things.

Con

Etiquette
Any time you are dealing with other human beings, there are some basic rules to

remember.

Be Polite
Everyone has the right to be there, and being polite really will get

you further in life. With long lines and crowded events, making friends can be very useful. They can

hold seats or watch your spot while you run to the bathroom.

Don’t Glomp
Glomping is

running up and tackle-hugging someone. And while you might do it to your friends, there are simply too

many people around at a convention. Even if they are your friend, you might startle them and push them

into the person behind them.

And never glomp a cosplayer. They put a lot of time and

energy into their costumes and many props are delicate. If you need to give Sesshoumaru a hug, ask and

be gentle.

src="http://www.otakusurvivalguide.com/theotaku/stink.jpg">
Artist –

href="http://ichorink.com/">Stefanie
For the sake of all those around you, please

shower regularly. Please. Or we will be forced to get the Febreeze.

Personal Hygiene
Cons can get overwhelming, but don’t forget to take a shower. With so many people

crowded in a small place, the smell begins to set in. So remember, wear deodorant, take a shower, brush

your hair, and just do the things you would normally do for school.

Listen to Staff
The

convention staff are there to help. They have also probably not gotten a whole night of uninterrupted

sleep in the last two weeks. Don’t get snappy with them when the line is too long or they need to ask

you to follow the rules. Most cons still require them to pay to enter the event, and they do not get

enough out of the con to make up for all the hours of work they put in. They do this because they love

anime and they want to make the convention experience better for everyone.

Don’t Complain

About it, Volunteer.
Going home to bitch on your LJ isn’t productive for the con. Try volunteering

and offer your services next year. That’s the only way to bring about change. I’ll talk more next

month about what exactly you can do to help out. But no matter your age, there are things you can

do.

Important Reminders
EAT and DRINK WATER. Silly, I know. But so

many people forget these two little things. Most cons try to keep jugs of water around, and at the very

least there are drinking fountains. Save a little room in your bag for a water bottle.

Don’t just eat in the con-suite (a room at some cons where the con provides food to the

underfed masses), unless they provide a good range of nourishment. You need to remember your fruits and

veggies now more than ever. A good diet will help you make it through the weekend without a Sunday

sugar crash.

Wear sunscreen as well: you never know how much you are going to be outdoors.

I’ve had to stand outside for hours to register, or travel between buildings at a con that has

outgrown one hotel.

When you leave your hotel room, make sure you have everything you

need. Keep in mind though that you might have to leave a backpack at the bag check when you enter the

Dealer’s Room. So have your money in a separate wallet or small bag that you can take inside of

crowded rooms with you. If you are wearing a costume, make sure to build in pockets or carry a small

bag.

Thanks for staying with me through the first month. Next month, Cosplay!

Remember, the full print guides are available at http://www.otakusurvivalguide.com and feature lots

more information and humorous illustrations.

Reprinted from my column on theOtaku.com

Where would we be without the

people that populate the convention? The guests, the cosplayers, and the AMV makers.

Guests
Varying from American voice actors to Japanese manga-ka, guests can

be the big draw of a convention. Some people might underestimate the influences and information that

American guests can bring to a convention, but they tend to know the industry and are great people to

listen to if you want to get into voice acting, translating, or any other aspect. Most are friendly and

won’t mind you saying hi when you see them walking down the hall.

Remember though, guests

are not always “on duty,” and they need their rest time as much as you do. Always be polite to them;

they are giving up their weekends to be here talking to you. Typically, they are reimbursed for travel

expenses and given a hotel room, but they certainly don’t make money off of conventions. So treat them

with the respect they deserve.

Cosplay
Dressing up, and it’s not even

Halloween yet! This is why many people go to cons, to the extent that there are even cosplay centered

cons these days.

Anyone can dress up, and you do not have to enter any cosplay contests.

As far as contests go, cons will vary, but there is typically one onstage contest (often on Saturday

evening), and then a hall contest or some kind of roving contest that is less formal and takes place

over the entire weekend.

If you want to go to the cosplay contest to watch, keep an eye on

the line or ask a staff member how it is being run. Some cons will give out tickets ahead of time,

while others simply have you line up. The skits are the main draw of the contest, but if you’d rather

just see the costumes, most of the time the cosplayers will show off their costumes in the hall

outside.

Always ask before you hug your favorite character or if you want them to pose for

a picture. Technically, you are not allowed to take someone’s picture without their permission,

especially if you plan to print it or post it somewhere. While most people don’t follow this rule

strictly at a con, be careful if you plan to use this photo for anything other than a “Look, I went to

a Con!!!” web page.

src="http://www.otakusurvivalguide.com/theotaku/dontglomp.jpg">

href="http://www.blk-kitti.net/">Zeda
Never glomp cosplayers without permission!

They put a lot of time and energy into their costumes, and a surprise glomp could ruin their work.

as more and more people have access to the software needed to create an Anime Music Video. AMVs are

created with video editing software, such as Adobe Premier, combining anime clips and music. Creating

these can seem intimidating, but they are sanity-sucking fun. For more information on creating one,

check out animemusicvideos.org.

In order to enter this contest, you typically need to send

in the video by a deadline. Check the convention website for more information on guidelines such as

format and length. Many cons now can accept the video on a CD, but that is not always the case.

All right, this ends the overview of what goes on at a convention and who you are sharing your

space with. So next week, let’s talk just a little bit about how to best share that space and to keep

from being one of those jerks that everyone gossips about later on the con’s message board.

size="-3">Reprinted from my column on theOtaku.com

This week, let’s talk about

the meat of convention events: the panels, viewing rooms, Dealer’s Room, and Artists’

Alley.

Panels
The meat of the convention, “panels” is a term that covers

most every scheduled event. The larger events will be mentioned later, so let’s just focus on the

average panel.

Typically, panels are educational in some way. This might be talking about

the popularity of Fullmetal Alchemist in Japan and how Christian influences shaped the show, or it

might just be telling you what’s going on with Naruto around the world, from franchise options to the

current storyline. Culture is also often covered at these panels, varying from playing Go to putting on

an authentic tea ceremony. The variety of panels depends entirely on who is in the area to lead one. If

you feel brave enough, most cons allow people to sign up to lead panels in the months before the

convention.

Industry panels are another typical type, talking about what the different

anime and manga companies in America are releasing in the coming years. Some groups, Funigirls is one,

give out prizes and hold contests at their panels. This can be a great place to see trailers for

upcoming anime. At the big conventions, like Anime Expo and Otakon, these panels might also include

first time announcements about big new releases. One downside is that sometimes the panels are

extremely boring, consisting of a guy, a DVD player, and a list of facts.

Creative panels

are the last, most common type of panel, though they do also fall under educational. Here you can learn

to draw in a new style or work on sewing a UFO catcher. Many cons provide the materials for free,

though some may charge a few dollars extra for these panels, to cover the high expense of materials.

These are a great way to have something to show off after the convention.

Viewing

Room
Anime conventions started as a place to see new anime and watch subtitled tapes that

had been painstakingly translated by fans. While there will be new releases and premiers occasionally,

now it is more of a chance to watch what is currently released. Companies are getting stricter about

fan subs, and many fans find that the viewing room is not as big of a draw as it used to be. AMV

contests and fan videos, though, continue to be popular and draw in the crowds.

size="-3">Artist – Cinnie
Keep your eye out

for that life altering item from Japan. Then be prepared to explain the price tag to your

parents/spouse/friends!

fulfill all your anime dreams and go into severe debt after the weekend. Make sure to have cash on

hand, since only about half of the dealers are usually able to take credit cards, and the ATM may very

well run out of money by the end of the weekend, especially if I need to use it. Trust me, going on a

quest for the nearest ATM in an unfamiliar city is a bad way to kill a few hours.

Dealers

tend to carry a large variety of anime t-shirts, action figures, pillows, dolls, and everything else

you can imagine. While some of the stuff is available in America, many times you can find odd little

things you will never see again.

In order to use your first time in the most effective way,

try to have some idea of what you are looking for. If you just want to browse, late in the afternoon on

Friday or on Sunday are going to be your best times. Early on Friday will be the rush, and there are

typically too many people at each store to really get to browse. I always have a list in my mind of

what specifically I am looking for.

Prices will vary, and unless you really want

something, it might be best to keep shopping around. I have bought many a toy only to see it two stores

down for ten dollars less. It is a trade-off though, because if you really want it, then you might want

to get it before someone else does. Take a look around the store and see how many of the item they

have. If it’s the only one, then it might be better to risk overpaying in order to get the item of

your dreams.

Manga is another great thing to buy at conventions, because most stores that

specialize in manga will have convention specials. There is also a much larger selection of DVDs, but

since dealers don’t get them at the same kinds of discounts as Wal-Mart and Best Buy, the prices can

be somewhat high. A lot of dealers will make deals with people who are buying multiple titles.

Artists’ Alley
Here is where artists show off their wares. Everything in

the Artists’ Alley is going to be hand produced, though the original artwork may be being sold as

prints or in a book. It’s a great place to find new artists and get costume pictures of your favorite

characters. Want to see Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth making out? Someone there will draw it for

you.
Cosplay props and jewelry are also often sold here, along with statues, dresses, pillows,

stuffed dolls, and whatever else some creative person has figured out how to bring a new anime spin to.

Dating Games, Anime Improv, Quiz Shows, Karaoke, and More
There are many different

names for the things above. Some may require you to have signed up ahead of time, while others are on a

first come, first serve basis. If there is a prize involved, it’s more likely that there will be prior

sign up.

These events are what give a convention a new edge, and once it’s successful at

one con, others will pick up on it. Recently there have been AMV Iron Editor contests, Anime

Triathalons, and ramen eating contests. There will always be new, fun events coming out, so read

through your program to see what the convention offers.

Next week, we’ll talk about those

who are attending the con with you: the guests, the AMV creators, and cosplayers.

Reprinted from my column on theOtaku.com

Welcome to the Otaku Survival

Guides, a series of guides that ventures into different aspects of the otaku lifestyle. Now, with the

help of theOtaku, the main articles of these guides are brought to you as a series of weekly columns,

with a different topic each month.

This month, to start us out on the right foot,

we’ll talk about how to get the most out of your first or fifteenth anime

convention.

It’s like your first day of high school. Sure, you’ve got the program and

the schedule of events, but where the hell are you actually going? And why is Vash making out with a

distinctly female Miroku?

Welcome to an anime convention.

You’ve picked out

the con, pre-registered, gotten a hotel room, sworn to your parents that they would not be hearing from

the local authorities, and now you are finally standing on the threshold of a new part of your

life.

Sooner or later, you’ll have to come out of the corner and interact. Hopefully

you’ve brought some friends, maybe they even know what they are doing. So where do you go from

here?

Let’s take a look at why you came to the convention. Is it your love of

anime? Did you come along to socialize with your friends? Looking to put yourself in debt buying things

you can’t usually find on this side of the ocean? Planning to educate yourself with panels? Or

did you just have to meet that certain voice actor?

You never know

what or who you are going to find at a convention.
Art by

href="http://www.blk-kitti.net/">Zeda

All right, so think about those above questions. Does one of them strike you as your

reason for existence at this mecca of anime?

Conventions are hectic and overwhelming, even

for a veteran. So take a few minutes (or maybe a lunch break) and think about what you really want to

accomplish this weekend. The Dealers Room can have long lines, as can the cosplay and AMV contests, not

to mention if you want to get the autograph of a popular voice actor. Thus, we must create a strategy

as if we were at Disneyland, trying to figure out how to ride on every ride in one day. If something is

important for you to do this weekend, mark it. Personally, I like to bring different colored

highlighters to mark up my program.

Maybe it would be helpful to go over what some of these

common events are, so that you know exactly what you are doing or

missing.

Registration
First things first, you need a badge to be able to

get into all the events at the con. There are usually two lines, one for people who pre-registered and

one for those registering at the con. The advantage of pre-registration is that the line should be

faster and the price should have been slightly cheaper. Some conventions have started mailing out

badges in advance, so if that happened for you, make sure you bring it. This is your passport to gain

entry to everything you want to do this weekend. Have your ID ready, so you can prove who you are and

your age. Even if your badge says you are an adult or over eighteen, you will still most likely need to

show it again at adult events. This is to prevent minors from getting badges from friends.

So ends the first column, leaving you ready to start your first day at the convention. Next

week we’ll look at what events you can participate in at the con.

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