Otakon Leaves Baltimore On A High Note

For almost 20 years, Otakon has brought the “Otaku Generation” to Baltimore. This year was its final year at the Baltimore Convention Center and it definitely went out in style. In 2017 Otakon will be moving to Washington, D.C., and after speaking with an array of con goers from far and wide, as well as experiencing the con for myself, I’m pretty sure attendance will keep growing after the move.

According to Alyce Wilson, who handles press for the convention management organization Otakorp, “Otakon’s unofficial at-door number in 2016 was 29,000 memberships, which is up slightly from last year’s number of 26,877.”

Otakon touches the hearts of many, including myself. It was my first ever anime convention and from cosplayers to guests to panels, it never disappoints.

Cosplay Rating 5/5
The cosplay turnout this year (as most years) was epic! Cosplayers pull out no stops for Otakon and many attendees put not just one or two cosplays together for the weekend but as many as five cosplays. I made constant double takes at con goers as I saw many of the same people in a different cosplay just hours before.

Panel Rating 3.5/5 
The panels this year weren’t out of the norm. You had your standard voice acting panels and autograph signings. The K-Pop dance-off always keeps things a bit interesting too.

Vendor Rating 4/5 
It’s always good to see familiar faces, especially when you’re buying some of your favorite merch. The Dealer’s Room and Artist Alley never fail at Otakon. The art is stunning and the deals are great. And for yet another year Sailor Moon had a scavenger hunt while shopping which amped up the fun!

Celebrity Rating 4/5 
This year there didn’t seem to be many new guests at Otakon. After attending for four years I’ve seen a trend in the types: usually a couple Japanese artists, American and/or Japanese producers and voice actors. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though, as I’ve also noticed that many of the celeb panels get filled quickly. Yaya Han has been a longtime guest and it’s always a pleasure to gain some knowledge on how to “GoogleFu” for your cosplay!

Otakon always gets me choked up! As the largest anime convention on the East Coast I’ve made so many friends at it and gained inspiration for myself. Things won’t be the same with it no longer being in Baltimore but I have no doubt that they’ll keep getting better. See you next year in D.C.!