Youmacon is a convention for all Japanese anime and comic lovers alike to get together and have a good time. Youmacon is held yearly at the Cobo center in downtown Detroit and also at the Renaissance Center. Every year loads of fans come to interact with each other and maybe even dress up as their favorite anime/comic character. This year, I personally went to this convention being an anime/comic fan myself and I must say Youmacon does not disappoint. From the cosplays[costumes] to the people, and even to the atmosphere, this convention was definitely a good memory.
When I first arrived, the first thing that I noticed were the people dressed up or in Youmacon terms, cosplaying. So many of them were amazing, it was like the fictional characters had come to life and people would ask each other for pictures left and right. The entry fee was cheaper compared to last year only costing $40 which was nice. After paying you are lead to the shopping area and let me tell you, that area is no joke. There is almost everything in there for any type of nerd from fan art to kpop.
You could find anything you wanted in that place, there were even small figurines and plushies. The best part was that a lot of the sellers were more like entrepreneurs as they didn’t work at all for the company the puts on Youmacon. Overall the shopping was a large positive for Youmacon’s profit and gave fans a way to go broke.
An additional aspect was the different panels that gave a social and friendly vibe. There were two types of panels that I experienced, the fan panels meant to just talk about a certain topic or anime, and panels that were specifically scheduled for voice actors. The first one I encountered was a voice actor panel which was very surreal for me. These voice actors are what you here when you watch one of your favorite shows so it is especially weird to see them in person. It was also really fun to hear about their experiences through their career and watch them voice a certain character from an anime where you can imagine that exact scene. However what I found was special about these panels is that these voice actors give you a chance to listen about the industry and how to get into voice acting for those who are interested. One fan even started crying as she asked a voice actor a question because she idolized him so much. The second was the fan panels which were not what I expected but not disappointing in any way. The one I went into talked about theories for a certain anime and comments about it and I got to experience people talk about things that I usually only thought about in my head.
Now this convention, just like everything else in the world, cannot be perfect. Some people might argue against this event for the same reason that they would protest against anime/comic’s in the first place, and that is the content. I obviously saw a lot of cosplays with little clothing at some areas and yes when it gets to be late, a more adult atmosphere comes about. Nevertheless that is with every fan-oriented event. Additionally, every person who I met was very nice to me and a lot of people who I met maybe 2 seconds earlier I was already hugging and talking to like we were friends for a while, which is my favorite part of Youmacon. No one will judge you based on your interests since they all have the same interest, and no matter who you are, everyone is friendly.
As a final point, Youmacon was made for fans of anime and comics in general. People come to make friends and have fun and every one I saw there had a friendly vibe. Panels and shopping only added onto the great atmosphere. Next year, Cobo will again hold Youmacon so for anyone interested can go here http://www.youmacon.com/
No responses yet