Anime Convention Reviews: Colossalcon 2013

Colossalcon was a blast start to finish! This con is located in Sandusky, Ohio and it is huge! It has a variety of things to do since Colossalcon is held in the Kalahari Resort, which is a fantastic waterpark.  If you’re looking for a con  where theres always something going on and plenty of cosplayers to enjoy it with this is the place. I was Marceline Thursday, Saya/Miku Friday, swimsuit Miku and Martyoshka Miku Saturday, and Sunday I was Panty. This was my favorite Con hands down! It was so exciting! So many people it’s as big as Youmacon! And, best part, you can easily get in the waterpark, but don’t be surprised about the stares you get! Ahah! People really showcased some amazing talents of their cosplays and poses as well! Cosplayers on the bridges, and everywhere else.

​The rave was super exciting Thursday; I barely was there because I had a photoshoot but from the looks of it people were getting their groove on! Friday was so much fun for the raves! It was awesome and everyone dancing! So many people to the point where security let certain people on stage to dance with the DJ and I was one of them! DJ Shimamura was amazing, I loved his style of music and dancing and it was very nice meeting him as well! All the DJs had their own style and flair going on! So everyone had a variety of different music choices going on. Also, a volunteer butler providing everyone with water during the rave and the Steam Power Giraffe concert.

​ A big pro on a floating bounce house ship! Colossal was very unique and had its own flair as a con! Everywhere you go people were in action doing something! Cosplayers were having dance parties in hallways! The panels were organized as well, I happened to stop by the ask your favorite character panel and it was quite the experience joining everyone and squealing over Edward, or Tamaki.

​A con would be maybe more backup and aggression; the security was very strict on baggage check for raves, but lacked fast reaction to the invaders jumping on stage to sexually harass other dancers. A man clearly intoxicated grabbing me and later I being questioned if I asked him to be on stage regardless of audience members who clearly saw on the big television screens of me pushing him away from me. One of the guys got kicked out but the other one didn’t, another example is the security guy getting tazed by his own taser by a civilian who attacked him. I can’t really say too much on that because the guy who attacked the guard seemed to have skills in combat. This Con was strict on badge checking no matter how big of a group entered which I can give a plus for. This con is one out of two of the cons I encountered while attending Colossalcon.

​Another con would be disorganization of photoshoots. I went to two photoshoots this time around and everything was sort of everywhere with the Vocaloid shoots, no one knew who was taking pictures and cosplayers were scattered looking for others for the photoshoots. Next time I think it should be more planned out and organized so people won’t have a hard time in the future on what to do and where to go.

​The registration lines were quick and easy and organized for Friday. Saturday the lines seemed a little bit long but it continues to grow so it is not surprising. I had no issues with the registration line and didn’t hear others complaining so I give it a plus.

​No matter who you came with or why you were there, there was always a cosplayer to take you in! I got left twice by my group and random cosplayers would be friend me and have me join in on their activities. Sadly, I missed getting the autographs I wanted, but plenty of others did which is great! I love how big the dealer’s room was, it very spacious and full of options! The flea market was my personal favorite and I ended up coming home with too much anime in my possession and I am extremely happy to admit that! I hope they have that every year!  Even though I only touched the tip of the iceberg of my experience with Colossal, I got the majority of my point across. This was my favorite convention and I had a blast going, and hope that you enjoy yourself and have a blast at Colossalcon as well. So here’s to many, many more to come in the next coming years! Here is my rating..

Convention Staff and Security: 8/10

Cosplay Variety Range:  7/10

Convention Activity Level: 10/10

Convention Panels Level: 8/10

Registration Line: 8/10

Attendance Growth: 9/10

Convention Uniqueness: 8/10

Convention Layout: 9/10

Convention friendly level: 9/10

Convention Space Utilization: 10/10

Other Issues and problems worthy of point deduction: -2

Total Points: 84/100 Points

Overall Rating: 84%

Convention Grade: B

Review Written by: Krissy Victory

Youmacon 2012 Reveiw

       I don't know if any one agrees but I felt that this year was even more unorganized and unprepared than previous years. When arriving on Thursday around 4:30 or 5:00 pm I expected to see a long line, but what I witnessed wasn't even close to what I had ever imagined. It was a line of both those who paid in advance and those just arriving to get a badge. Some of the people in line commented that they had already been waiting for a few hours. Due to the massive amount of time spent waiting for one to claim their badge, I feel that the registration process deserves a rating of 2/10. However, during the excessive wait patrons were still permitted to visit the game room and to check out the projected floor plan. This added Free Play experience was a nice touch, and it was clear that everyone enjoyed it, 8/10. After waiting for a while, I gave up on getting a badge. I was told that a new line would start back up at 8 am, so I decided to wake up extra early the next day to explore what I could. That was the end my plans for Thursday, I spent the rest of the day playing games and meeting friends. 

       I awoke the next morning excited and ready to explore the con. When I arrived at registration again, I was surprised to find that it was just as long as it had been yesterday! Not only was the line excessive, the staff changed the start time several times. The time went from 10 am to 11:30 then to noon. However, they passed out the forms for registration and were nice enough to hold places in line for patrons to get cash if needed. The staff did this to make all transactions faster which was to everyone's benefit. This courtesy on behalf of the staff up's the rating to 3.5/10. It remains low because I was still in line for 5 hours. After I finally received my badge I was told that programs still were not available. I felt that this was totally unacceptable, there was plenty of time to print them out at least two days before the actual convention; This would have cut down the chaos. 
       There was a new policy this year, patrons were being issued wrist bands that were needed to return to their room. This was done to promote safety and care for their guests and elevators. It quickly became a pain trying to get a wrist band, or at the very least, to get to my room. This rule change caused an uproar among the public causing the staff became annoyed and many of the them became a bit rude; there were even a few that didn't really want to help, they seemed to be doing it just to get a free ticket. Eventually I did find people to help me get around the building so it wasn't a big deal. While waiting for a wrist a band I attended opening ceremony. 
       Due to the massive line waiting the time was pushed back to 1:30, then delayed again to 2 pm. The MC for the opening ceremony was awesome and super funny. However, he was set-up for failure. He announced guest's names that had not arrived yet. Some guests were late and were skipped over then then as soon as they arrived he would back track to them so that we could hear their spiel and have an idea when and where their panels would be held. Due to the scheduling chaos, many of the guests had no idea when or where they were supposed to be. I feel that the opening ceremonies deserved a 7/10, because even though it was horribly unprepared and unorganized they still pulled out all the stops to keep everyone laughing and almost made you forget we were just in line for several hours. 
       On a better note my Friday evening photo shoot, The Avatar shoot, was well organized and exceptionally executed; It was great fun, it was quick, and managed almost like a professional shoot. The young lady running it would call out characters and people jumped and snapped into a pose. She would give a count down so the next group would be ready and cameras would have time to reset and be ready. Very well done 8/10.
       Friday night was the best night ever! I returned to my room, changed into some dancing clothes, and chased down some other friends so we could be ready for the rave. When I met up with them I was able to meet Jon St. John near my friend's room. He was very funny and was living like a king. We headed down and everything was in place; people were in line water jugs full and placed throughout both the hallways and near the dance floor. I can't remember the dj's name, but he was so amazing. The bass was perfect, the light show was phenomenal, and there was so much room to dance. I stayed until the rave ended with energy to spare. It was well done and everyone had a great time 8/10.
       Afterwards, I returned to the game room. The game room was amazing! There were a great variety of games which included table top, computer, console, and arcade games. I jumped on the DDR machine, then over to play some Halo; they were both great. There were even games there that I hadn't seen in years, such as: Street Fighter II, The original Dragonball Z game, The first Dead or Alive. I saw the tournament but did not feel that I was up to the challenge and didn't sign up for them. However, I did hear from a friend who did sign up that all the tournaments went well and were very organized. One thing you don't mess up is a gamer's tournament there would be blood on the walls. Overall the gaming area was top notch, chiefly due to the increased variety of games and increase of space provided to play them, 9/10.
    I started my Saturday off a little late but still before noon. Being up so late the day before prevented me from fully exploring the events. I quickly got dressed and headed to the dealers' room. I had already visited on Friday but I didn't buy anything at the time. The amount of space both provided and used was exceptional. There were so many vendors to choose from and it put your bartering skills to good use. 
       Mid afternoon I attended the Naruto shoot. It started off a bit shaky, but we got it together after some screaming and yelling. The shoot turned out just as well as the Avatar one, in fact it was a little better because there were some real comedians there. Afterwards, I went to see the Cosplay Nation's panel. I missed the beginning but from what i saw I really enjoyed learning about their projects and seeing the documentary getting put together. I loved it so much that I offered to help them whenever they're in town or if I see them at other cons. Another panel that I went to was hosted by Katelyn Kivel. She is a great speaker and I really liked her panel because it gave a interesting view on yuri hentai. I also went to the Sailor Moon panel, another  hentai panel, and to several rooms showing Anime related movies. Many of the panels that I wanted to see were held during my photo shoots and as such I missed them. I tried to at least see part of the ones that I could, this gave me a good idea of what to look out for next year. Overall the panels, at least those that I saw,  were all great and I feel they deserve a 9/10.
       Sadly, Saturday night's rave couldn't even hold a candle to Friday night's. I didn't stay for more than an hour. I did not like the dj's choice of beats or the clips were shown on the screen. Not very satisfying, 5/10. 
       Sunday was another chaotic day, because everyone was trying to leave at once. It became an ordeal to use the elevators with such heavy traffic so it was time to chat with last minute cosplayers, guests of the con, and nap by the elevators while waiting to exit the building.
       For the few things I saw and heard I rated them together because I didn't fully experience it but I did get a good general idea. The musical guests were pretty on point. It was a little different than what I usually listen to but its always good to try new things. I liked how the city opened up for the con goers. The people mover was always full and everyone seemed to enjoy their ride, including non-con goers. It was an interesting experience for Detroiters. I liked that Cobo Hall opened up to provide more room for panels. 
       On a final note, Youma is always a ton of fun. There is always great people to meet, new things to see and hear, and I'm always sad when it ends. I sit and wait for the following year to come. This year was great as usual and I feel it deserves an over-all rating of a 7 out of 10.
Thanks for reading my review and don't forget to check out Cosplay Nation I'm hoping they'll be a guest again next year. I'm Garra in one of their youtube videos!



http://ome1217.tumblr.com/

http://www.facebook.com/Cosplay.Nation 

http://www.youtube.com/CosplayerNationTV

This Review was presented by Kris Penix. Follow her on tumblr or watch for her at the next convention.

Cosplayer Nation at KATSUCON 2013!!

COSPLAYER NATION is pleased to announce our scheduled events for KATSUCON 2013!
We hope to see you there!!

Friday, February 15 - 2:30pm - VIP Passholder/Guest Meet & Greet9:00pm - Cosplayer Nation Live Show-----------------Saturday, February 16 - 9:30pm - Cosplayer Nation After Dark (18+ so bring ID)Sunday, February 17 - 3:00pm - One on One with the Makers of Cosplayer Nation: The Documentary (Screening here)

Don't forget to find us on Facebook!  Click here for our facebook page

Highlights of MAGFEST XI - (2013)

MAGFest, annually held at the Gaylord Hotel in National Harbor (near Baltimore) MD, is a con we always look forward to, as it combines video games, music, and nerd culture all under one roof. MAGFEST XI boasted the largest attendance ever - here is a very quick recap of some of our favorite parts of 2013's event.

Gaming More Fun Than Ever

This year, MAGFest had total of FOUR separate areas.  One room for console games, one for tabletop, one for the dealer's room and LAN area, and of course, the massive Arcade.  Tabletop games were a big success this year, with a noteable difference in active players than in prior years.
This year's retro Arcade room was particularly impressive, featuring more dance games, racing games, and even a VR system, all of which had not been present in previous years.  The only downside was the number of broken machines - which seemed to be a little worse comparatively to years past. The pinball section was slightly bigger, but we'd love to see that expanded even further in future years!

Lilith Astaroth Too Sexy for MAGFest

This year included a bit of scandal....  Security at MAGFest was stricter this year, and they weren't too happy with model/singer Lilith Astaroth's costume - a custom-made homage to the classic NES system. On Saturday, she was approached by security and told that her unique costume was too risque' for the con and was asked to change out of it.  "I was kind of shocked when it happened... I wore it to last year's event and it was received positively," she said, adding that the costume, a bikini set imprinted with NES controller features on it, has not been a problem at other conventions.  "I just wanted to show my love for my favorite system of all time; the one I grew up with. I figured, what better event to share this costume at? I didn't think it would be offensive..!"

Apparently Ms. Astaroth, who sings for Boston metal band Sorrowseed and attends cons all around the US, was literally, "too sexy" for MAGFest.

The Protomen Win

Out of the 38 total concerts and visual performances at MAGFEST XI, (the most ever for this con), The Protomen were by far the biggest crowdpleaser.  During the course of the weekend, the performance room had anywhere from few to moderate numbers of people in the audience, but for The Protomen only, the room was filled to capacity and given the most enthusiastic response from fans.  At no point was the room anywhere close to being as packed as it was for The Protomen's set.  The crowd was hungry to see this inspiring band from Nashville, and it was easily the most captivating performance this year.  The Protomen rocked MAGFest hard - at several points a Colossus Roar from fans echoing through their performance in unison. This amazing group may very well be the most loved at MAGFest.

What will MAGFEST XII hold?  We can only anxiously await what the new year will bring.  Without a doubt, it will continue to be a magical place where nerds can run freely and find the total acceptance that the real world just doesn't offer.

We look forward to returning to MAGFest in 2014, and hope to see you there.

Rhode Island Comic Con



2012

Rhode Island Comic Con Report


what can I say about this convention that can't be said about any other convention I've been to; oh, I know, how I use what they say on the website for it. It's the biggest show in the smallest state. It most certainly lives up to that description. There were plenty of comic book characters being cosplayed at the event. I myself brought my Hulk outfit to the convention and wore it in all its glory. Huge assortment of popular guests like Reb Brown, John de Lancie, David Yost, Walter Emanuel Jones, and Jason David Frank, the last three being original characters in the hit show Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. To local sensations Chuckles the clown and Uncle Fright. We arrived with no problem finding the place partially due to our GPS and the location of the convention center, it being right off the highway. The staff, highly respectful and easy to converse with. The turnout, more than anyone could even ask for. We found all sorts of characters that let us take their photographs and promoted the YouTube channel as much as we could, either by word of mouth or by business card. The attendees were all happy and really glad to have their picture taken; some have even heard of us before and never had the chance to appear before. Ran into little to no trouble acquiring interviews. Had a few problems walking around the first day due to only a few escalators being used that day, but they later corrected that mistake on the second. The video game room was pushed into a small room in the corner of the most populated area and the only real panel room location. Made it a bit hard for people to get in and out of the area. I hope they fix that for next year. The after parties were a fantastic idea. Quick easy access to both Dave and Busters, located in the mall, and to Saints and Sinners right around the corner from the convention center. The only real major problem, hosting other events at the same time. They had Beer fest and Book event planned while RICC was going on. Comic books and books mix well, but Beer fest might be pushing things. All in all, it was great time and a lot of great memories to be had. I will definitely love to go again next year.

The Report done by Ozzy Guy check us out on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/CosplayerNationTv

Cosplayer Nation: The Documentary

Cosplayer Nation has some BIG news coming very soon.  We are hard at work in the final stages of editing the documentary - it will very soon be released into the world and we will provide you the details.  Those of you attending KATSUCON will have the chance to see the doc AND come to the Cosplayer Nation panel. We are very excited that soon everyone will be able to enjoy all of the hard work and dedication that has gone into traveling some of the best cons out there and speaking with some pretty amazing cosplayers!

Stay tuned and don't forget to connect with us here on Facebook!!

Cosplayer Nation's Official Facebook page

Kawaii Kon March 16-18th, 2012 (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Kawaii Kon 2012 / Written by Daniel Briscoe

When choosing a convention to travel to, there are a number of factors to consider. Arguably, the largest one is the travel/lodging cost. Hotels over a weekend (especially holiday weekends such as when Anime Boston is held) can be very expensive, even when sharing it with friends. And then there is the cost of traveling – if the convention is in your home town, you may not have to worry about either lodging or travel, but if it happens to be half way across the country, flight is the only real sensible option, and plane tickets have been steadily on the rise. Still, there are a number of conventions that are worth the travel expenses for various reasons – Kawaii Kon is one of those conventions. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, Kawai Kon just completed its 8 th year and serves as much more than just an anime convention for a weekend. Because it is located in Hawaii, which is already a tourist heavy state, the convention lends itself as the center piece for a great long-term vacation for those looking to get away from it all and Cosplay while you’re at it!

A bit of history – Kawaii Kon is not only the first anime convention held in Hawaii,

but it also continues to be the only convention of its kind in the state. The support

on a local level far exceeds the staff’s initial predictions and the attendance has

been steadily increasing, breaking 6,000+ this year. Along with your standard fare of

a dealer’s room, artist alley, AMV and anime screenings, there is also a number of

Cosplay competitions that run throughout the weekend as well as dances, concerts,

karaoke (a personal favorite of this writer) and video game rooms. They also are

never short on guests both domestic and

abroad, as Hawaii is conveniently much

closer to Japan than the continental US.

On top of this of all, this, if you’ve never

been to Hawaii, there is one thing I can tell

you – the scenery is absolutely gorgeous.

With a convention spanning three floors and a nice, open air environment

the feelings of claustrophobia or having to dodge and weave out of narrow

hallways are rather light in comparison to a number of other conventions. Also – there’s palm trees. Inside the building. Right there. For you to touch. Jealous? I would be too. To finish off the scenery, in the distance almost every time there is a window (which there are plenty of) you can see the mountains, which serve as a nice way to pass the time riding up the escalators between floors.

So now that you’ve been told about the convention and all the parts around – how was the actual show? Very excellent from our viewpoint.

To begin with, the show had a very friendly atmosphere. There were a lot of early teenagers and several families who had children both large and small with them, many of

them in costume. Gave the whole thing a welcoming feeling

that everyone was welcome – rather you were 4 or 400. The

opening ceremonies were also quite fascinating – a first for us

here at Cosplayer Nation. They were entertained by a

Hawaiian Magician – yes, as in someone who does magic

tricks. And they were quite impressive. We can go ahead and

cross that one off our “Top 10 List of Things That Haven’t

Happened To Us Yet at an Anime Convention”. We also had

our own panel on the first day! We talked about the

documentary, the status of it, and some of the ups and downs

of taking on such a large and ambitious project. While the room wasn’t totally packed (10 people, me thinks it was?) it was still nice to interact with fans of our work, and we look forward to meeting more people as we take the project into its final stages.

As with most cons, Saturday is when the Big Guns of Cosplay roll out. And at

Kawaii Kon they covered the whole spectrum. Marvel characters such as

Deadpool and the Red Skull were side by side with Darth Vadar (Samurai

Vadar no less) and Storm Troopers, who looked across the hallway at two

Hatsune Miku characters…that were done as Gundams. Also a first for us, but

an impressive first none the less. There were numerous panels and signing by

the various guests in attendance this day as well, and in the evening there was

a Cosplay Showcase, which for those of you familiar with other cons could

consider it the Masquerade of Kawaii Kon. There we saw two absolutely

amazing Cosplays – one of Spike from Cowboy Bebop, and one from Star

Ocean by someone who had flown out from Japan! The event started off with

a track from the Escaflowne soundtrack, which was appropriate given the

masquerade’s more formal feel. A very classy evening, one could say.

Sunday is often the best and worst day of a show. You’ve made it through

your weekend and had a blast, but as a famous dead dude once said, “Parting

is such sweet sorrow”. Cosplayer Nation said goodbye to many of their

friends, both old and ones made that weekend, while we worked on the great footage and interviews we were able to conduct over the weekend. In the evening on Sunday, once tear down had come to a halt, we were able to socialize with a number of the staff for the show as well as some of the guests who attended. One of the perks of staying through till Monday, is a bit more one-on-one time with staff from a show, and that gives a much better insight into how some of these things are run – as a veteran events organizer myself, I can tell you that each place is unique with its own challenges, so never pass up a chance to thank the people who put on the conventions you love and attend year after year. Cosplayer Nation had a fantastic time at this con (and took a day or two extra of R&R before returning to that pestering “real life” that seems

to bog down so many people) and we hope that you all enjoy it too, for those who attended.

As usual, please check our facebook for photos & coverage at:
 www.facebook.com/cosplay.nation

And our youtube for updates on the documentary as it progresses at:

www.youtube.com/CosplayerNationTV

See you next time!