Baltimore Convention Center, beset by aliensSo peculiar is the three day event known as Otakon, that I fully suspect had aliens landed in Baltimore, no one would have been the wiser. For the weekend of the 29th, Baltimore was transformed into Final Fantasy; into downtown Harajyuku; into a sci-fi version of the Old West ala Trigun. For the unsuspecting residents of this conservative working class haven, it was as if Mardi Gras had taken a wrong turn this year. But for those who call Japan their second home (despite many of them having never been there), it was a paradise where all their secret PG-13 fantasies were waiting to be fulfilled.
It all seemed so surreal. I have always questioned the "Out there, we are nerds. In here, we are gods" mentality of conventions, but I had to admire the sheer abandon with which people participated. Frankly, it takes a lot of guts to walk around the ghetto dressed as a Pokemon. Even if I didn't fit in, I found the sense of community among the fans infectious. If someone had an Otakon badge, chances were they'd be willing to talk- and many times I found that they were hard to stop once they got going.
What most surprised me about the event wasn't the costumes or the craziness but the undeniable presence of Japanese rock (and to a lesser extent pop). I knew I'd see Dir en grey cosplay. I knew I'd see Japanese karaoke sessions that were actually appreciated by those in attendance. What I didn't know was how odd it would feel to see Tofu Record's items being bought by eager Americans. I certainly didn't realize that the Visual-kei panel would fill a large conference room to capacity, or that Gackt's unofficial US fan club 'Muse' would have a booth. I'll also be the first to admit that I never thought L'Arc~en~Ciel would be able to pull in over twelve thousand concertgoers.
When I arrived in Baltimore for pre-registration, the sun was starting its slow descent across the western sky. The glint of soft orange light on the bladed weapons of would-be convention goers was breath taking. People were lined up around the corner of the building and down the street, waiting for the priviledge to be allowed to wait in more lines inside the Baltimore Convention Center itself. Of course, we members of the press didn't have to wait in any pedestrian lines. We were to be escorted directly up the hallowed steps to receive our badges. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out as described, and we were made to wait awkwardly for our escort at the bottom of the stairs, in full view of the entering conventiongoers.
You know me, I can't wait for things like a good boy.
I immediately began my impression of a tree- going so far as to declare "I am a tree" and holding my arms stiffly at my sides, much to the delight of no one in particular. After several moments, my gaze turned upward, and I stared in wonder at the high ceilings in the convention center. I was beginning to feel like a toy in one of those UFO catchers, waiting for the claw to descend upon me and take me to sweet horrible freedom. When you've stood in the same spot for awhile life settles into a predictable rhythm. Person comes in, stares at me, (insert joke about air conditioning), repeat. The one thought that kept me alive "Centigrade-J is legitimate at last!".
It wasn't until after I'd finally snagged the badge and had walked around a bit that I spotted my first jrockers. Not quite cosplaying, but not quite dressed normally, they were obviously big Psycho le Cemu fans. When I gave them an impromptu interview they gave me this quote "We're really hot, and really tired". Fair enough. They also shared this tidbit with me; "Even the members of Psycho Le Cemu pronounce the name differently." Hmmm? Let's look into that, shall we?
My first day covering Otakon got off to an auspicious start- just as I was about to leave my hotel, I locked my car keys in the trunk. After several panicky calls to my father on a cell phone which was rapidly losing battery power, a man arrived and demonstrated to me just how easy it is to break into a car. Against all odds, I arrived at the press room in a timely fashion. As a member of the press, it was my priviledge (or perhaps my penance) to have the press room as my base of operations for the duration of the convention. This room featured, among other things:
- a chair
- a water cooler
- a table littered with junk.
Jealous? I bet you are.
The first order of the day was an appointment with B-chan, an Atlanta-based DJ whose Japanese music-themed show had earned her both preteen and salaryman stalkers. When B-chan arrived, she explained her plan to hit the dealer's room early and hard. I decided to tag along, and take some photos which are now presented here for your viewing pleasure. The line was long and arduous, but I must say that seeing that much manga, anime and Jpop fandom crammed into a space the size of a space shuttle hangar was transcendental. I'll go over the various shops that you'd care about.
READY STEADY GO
While waiting for various times and appointments, I had the oppurtunity to meet some of the people from other sites. You know that feeling you get when you go to take a sip of your Coke but for whatever reason you think you're about to drink Orange Juice? It's much the same for meeting, in the flesh, people you've known in limited capacity over the internet.
Once such opportunity came when I met the crew of Bye Bye Reality, who hereafter shall be referred to as 'The Three Amigas' (for whatever reason, before meeting them I had assumed they were all guys). The thing I remember most from my encounter with the Three Amigas was the skimpy Devil costume worn by the tallest one, and the way her wings stuck out when she tried to wear her jacket over them. They were very cordial and invited me to watch Dir en grey videos with them. Can you believe I'd never seen the video for 'Garden'?
I also managed to speak with some Dir en grey cosplayers in an attempt to find out what kind of people were showing up for Otakon and it's well-known headliners. Although they were experienced with cosplay, this was their first time creating the costumes themselves. I asked why they chose the 'Yokan' look and they replied that it was because they were attracted to the white color. They were, however, quite clear that it was the combination of sight and complex sound that made the band so interesting to them. When I demanded to know if Saku sucked, they were mostly unanimous in defending Dir en grey's recent direction. Other artists that interested them included Gackt, Nightmare, Miyavi, Plastic Tree, The Pillows, Psycho Le Cemu and of course, L'Arc~en~Ciel.
