Ohayocon 2012 Con Report
So I’m back from Ohayocon and it was really good overall! Even saw a few friends that I haven’t seen in awhile, since my last Ohayocon which I think was in 2009. Wow, it’s been 3 years since I’ve last seen some people! It was good to be back though. I’m going to keep this brief since it wasn’t exceptionally eventful for me but I had fun socializing with friends. I wonder if it’s because I’m getting older and the fact that I haven’t kept up with any popular Anime or Manga lately that it wasn’t as riveting.
Friday - So I got there early around 2:30pm and it was kinda empty but there were people running around. It was weird, the pre-reg line at the time was longer than the at-the-door line, the staff member said it was a weird time of day for that to happen. Anyways, got my badge and ended up wandering around. Somehow I managed to find the Dealer’s room and got a little lost there trying to find the Artist Alley. Mind you, they changed the layout from 3 years ago but it is the same as it was last year to those who have been to Ohayocon more recently. Bought a few things from friends in the AA. I met up with friends and we followed each other around the Dealer’s Room, AA, and panels. It was good times. :D
Here are some pictures I took on Friday of the Dealer's room and the AA on the top balcony on the outer edges of the room.
Saturday - Much more eventful, there were mass amounts of people that day. I was also super busy that I wasn’t able to hit the AA more than once or twice that day. XD Ended up wandering the Dealer’s room and panels the most. I would have been completely bored without my friends. I came by myself since I didn’t come with anyone in particular. When I first arrived I ended up wandering the Dealer’s room but it was so crowded that I left and I was hungry so I went to eat a snack.
Was still trying to wake up so I went to sit down and sketch until my butt was numb from sitting on the floor. lol I decided to go to the Dealer’s room again because I wanted to look more seriously at things to buy. It was funny because I didn’t expect to run into some friends so quickly after I went into the Dealer’s room. It was difficult to try to dodge people, took forever sometimes to cross through. I didn’t buy anything at the Dealer’s room, ended up spending most of my money at the AA! Woot! lol The AA was actually pretty busy too. The day was long but fun, went to a few panels but hardly stayed the whole time for most of them. I think I only stayed for one panel the whole time. XD
Oh man, the lines for the Food Court were so long for lunch! I don’t remember it being that long 3 years ago. lol I’d recommend bringing your own food if you don’t like waiting in lines. Even around 5 or 6pm when I went to eat there were still lines. XD Shorter lines but still a line where I had to wait around 15 minutes for Subway. Not sure if there ever was a moment when there wasn’t a line. There were shorter lines than others but it also depended on where you went to eat.
Here are some pictures I took on Saturday of the Dealer's room and the AA. Not sure if you can tell it's busier than Friday. This was probably more during one of the down times where it was less crowded. lol
Shots of the AA
Went to a GaiaOnline Panel. XD
Here was an Avatar: The Last Airbender Panel
Some Balloon Artist made some awesome Balloon Sculptures. There was another but forgot to take a picture.
A Mari Iijima concert. :)
Sunday - Was sad that it was nearing the end already. Went to talk to some of my artist friends in the AA since I didn’t really get a chance on Saturday. Strolled both the AA and Dealer’s room for any deals but there weren’t that many so I held on to my money. Tried to limit my budget but was able to pre-reg for the next Ohayocon. Was looking around to pre-reg for Matsuricon on Sunday but never ran into the guys running the booth. I ended up just pre-regging online.
This day was more of a last chance to hang out and talk with for some friends. Some older friends I didn’t even see until Sunday afternoon since I didn’t know they were there. lol A lot of people left early on Sunday because of work and what not. Was a bit of a relief with more space and air circulating, although you could still get whiffs of some con funk and B.O. floating around in which I just hold my breath until it passes. All in all, it was good to see old friends and make new ones. Was sad to see everyone go but to see friends is one of the reasons for me to attend a con. Definitely going back next year and maybe next time I’ll get a table! Hopefully by then I’ll have more art and merchandise. :D
Sunday line for the Dealer's Room
Dealer's Room on Sunday
That was pretty much it from a less personal perspective! If you have any questions concerning Ohayocon or want to know more about my experience there. Feel free to comment or email me! :D