The costumes were gorgeous -- obviously carefully planned, and some probably taking dozens of man hours to sew and piece together -- but one observation was the smell. It reminded me of that time when I worked at a Chili's by a giant movie theater, and whenever a new Star Wars or Harry Potter movie would be released, people would camp out (sometimes for days) in costume, outside the theater. While NDK goers probably weren't wearing these get-ups nonstop, the third day of a convention was definitely a ripe one. It also didn't help that it was a million degrees in the hotel.
But beyond such minor odor inconveniences, this last day still yielded plenty of smiling faces and cool crap to buy. The Dealer's Room -- a marketplace for candy, anime, housewares and Kimonos -- was packed with all sorts of cutesy things, like body-pillow cases with sexy girls on them. The NDK convention planned ahead for its masses too, as all props and large costume pieces had to be checked prior to entering the tiny room. Although there were hundreds of people in and out of the hotel's tight spaces, conventioneers were extremely polite if we happened to accidentally elbow each other. We didn't get to any of the amazing seminars (costume wig maintenance, a Manga production workshop, and Cosplay group therapy sessions ran throughout the weekend) but we did stumble upon some live Dance Dance Revolution competitions and rooms of gamers. It was weird to sit in a dark room and watch strangers play video games, but it was also the only place to cool off. (It should be noted that the convention provided plenty of water stations throughout the hotel.)Overall, my first trip to the NDK anime convention was pretty awesome -- I think next year I would like to go all out in Cosplay get-up, catch a few seminars on memes and anime, and sit in on the voice actor panels. And come with several hundred dollars in my pocket so I can purchase all the Pocky Sticks, sexy bedding and freaky Pokemon masks my heart desires.
