AnimeUSA Review- Growing Pains for the Little Convention
With all the recent large conventions that occur during the late summer months, the fall is a welcomed breath of fresh air. It is during this charming time of year that the small conventions can really take the spotlight, allowing for a much more social aspect as compared to something like Otakon and New York Anime Fest.
AnimeUSA, which is held in Crystal City, VA, was held at the infamous Hyatt Regency Crystal City, which has played host to many other various anime conventions in the past. This hotel is an ideal location for an anime convention, due to its multi-tier convention floors. With the usage of easy accessible escalators to the various floors, it was the perfect way to get an easy lay of the land and figure out where everything was located very quickly right upon entrance to the area.
The panels and workshops were very large and extensive, offering great pieces of advice on everything from voice acting to cosplaying tips. I actually had the pleasure of being a panelist for this con, speaking about Crossplaying. Not only was staff very helpful in getting my badges and my room set up, but they gave me a larger room which was proven needed since we hit max capacity. Every single person who attended was enthused to be there and we flat out had a great time. And from what I heard from others, every panel seemed to go off in the same fashion.
As always, masquerades are the center focus of any convention for a cosplayer or just a fan. For the first time since Otakon this past year, I actually got to participate in the actual masquerade. The tech staff was absolutely amazing, offering some great ideas for lighting and special effects if needed. They were willing to go the extra mile to make sure that everything went off without a flaw, and it did.
As for the skits themselves, I can safely tell our fine readers that there was NO Haruhi, Carmel Dancin’, or Lucky Star. Ladies and gentlemen- the perfect masquerade in my personal opinion. A lot of the skits were amusing and fun to watch (though our audio was really crappy backstage. (My lone complaint on the masquerade set-up) The winner of Best in Show was cute and funny, bringing a new light onto the classic Tenchi series. Some other under appreciated series finally got some time in the spotlight, such as Trauma Center, Harvest Moon, and Super Mario Bros. And my group and I were out to mess with the Final Fantasy franchise and succeed very much so. It was a very clean and well-run masquerade: and it even started on time and ended on time!
But, like every convention, there are the downers. The major one being one of the musical guests left their fans waiting for almost four hours in a stuffy line outside main events because of the band members threw a drama queen fit. This left a lot of people very upset and not even interested in seeing the band for the weekend because they turned out to be a huge disappointment.
Another downside was the cramped feeling on a lot of the con floors. While some areas were spacious and not congested, there were points where you couldn’t even move without hitting someone else. This sadly brought out some of the creeper anime fans, as I myself was subject to a guy trying to get an upskirt shot while I was on the phone. Unfortunately for him, he ended up with a broken nose after the heel of my boot found his face. But that’s a story for another time.
The last complaint that others (including myself) had was the elevators. There were six elevators in the hotel and by the end of the day on Friday; one was already out of service. They were slow, stopping nearly on every floor, making wait times for them annoying and a hassle. I have never seen so many people take to the stairs during a con before. Some were even willing to climb up sixteen flights because it was a shorter walk than waiting for the elevators.
Overall, AUSA offered a lot of fun activities for the con goers to enjoy themselves in a comfortable atmosphere. The only issue seems to be that the con is suffering growing pains. With the convention returning to the same hotel next year, I question how well they will fair when it comes to manage their numbers. Well, whatever happens, I hope this con remains just as awesome as it has been. Good people and good times: just what a convention should be.
Footnote: For any anime fans who are located in the New Jersey/New York/PA area, don’t forget to check out MangaNEXT on Halloween weekend in Somerset, NJ! I’ll even be there giving a lecture on cons and cosplay etiquette (18+ only though! Sorry to our younger readers) So come and check it out. I’ll be writing a review, but you should experience it for yourself!
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