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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Posted by Kaitou Ace in News Articles August 04, 2011 at 10:10:56 PM

July 30th, 2010. 11:25 a.m. EST. The arid Baltimore air is heavy. Scattered around a large convention center are hundreds of individuals whitewashed in a mixture of plain and kaleidoscopic colors of varying intensity. There are screams of exultation mixed with laughter and the occasional clank of someone’s elaborate costume being dragged on the ground. Flashes of camera lights, poses, an embrace or two. These are fragments of events I have seen and perhaps participated in before. This is Otakon, once again.

Last year I wrote about my first time attending the convention. This time around I must admit I had a little more difficulty deciding on a theme. Eventually though, as I reflected upon my 2nd year attending Otakon several questions arose involving aspects of the convention I had only entertained fleetingly. Superficially it appeared that I was attending a 3-day long party with a group of my closest friends and indeed that’s exactly what it was. But, why was it so? And I certainly am not the only person to describe an Otakon experience as such. Furthermore, what is it that pulls over 20,000 people annually to this place almost magnetically? And despite the variations in age, race, background, perspective (and in a lot of cases, maturity) why does it appear that we all mutually understand one another without even knowing each other? Although I am fully aware that this phenomenon is not inherent at Otakon or any other fan-based gathering of people with like interests, I thought I’d discuss these sentiments that surfaced within me and perhaps provide myself with an answer or two. They may not provide coherent conclusions, but my hope is that they would perhaps shed light on my own unique perspective as a member of this seemingly hive-mind, Borg-like community; just another faceless member of a community of copies without originals, of causes without catalysts and sometimes, passion without perspective.

One of the first things I thought about was the issue of Otakon truly being an escape to another realm. I imagined what we must look like to one of Baltimore’s “ordinary” citizens, and certain words started coming to mind. Foreign. Alien. Weirdoes. Synonyms for sure, but what else would work? I believe it takes a certain kind of individual to see us at this convention and try to rationalize our culture after bearing witness. Sadly I saw none of the sort around; the stares the cosplayers got and some snide comments made under breath that I happened to overhear are proof of that. I think that Otakon attendees are a definition of the “other” and as a result, it’s natural to think that we share a new unified space and place of being under to roofs of the Convention Center; one where we are free to indulge in the culture that makes us tick and provides us with a sense of belonging. A world within a world, so to speak. I think we’re accepting of new members, and people with genuine curiosity about the subculture, but many of us are brazen and overtly passionate and at times can cause the curious to turn away. At day’s end though, we have created a place to escape from whatever toils life outside of Otakon has for us and that’s more than enough for many an otaku, myself included.

As the weekend rolled along I began to realize something. Many attendees I observed shared similar behavioral patters that were not only familiar to me but reminiscent of communal behavior exhibited on online message boards and chat rooms. Every now and then someone would blurt out a reference to something anime or game related, and nine time out of ten it would elicit a response from someone else within earshot. The more this occurred the more I began to realize just what was happening; no longer were memes designated for the virtual world, they start to materialize alongside their proponents, namely us. Was this a result of simple copycat behavior? Perhaps, but I began to look at it as Otakon itself being the catalyst for it. Many of the attendees exhibited very nonchalant attitudes while acting the way they were; being “cool” and trying to distinguish themselves from everyone else I suppose. But what I don’t think they realize is just how indistinguishable they are at times. We all know about Mudkips and Leeeeeroy Jenkins and wonder what Ganon’s up to. Yet in spite of this they carry on, and at the end of the day it’s all about them being who they are. I think it’s an exercise in futility to try and rationalize anything anymore when it comes to Otakon. We’re all simply going along with the status quo of being an anime fan, and share a mutual understanding with one another, even though quite often we all don’t see eye to eye.

Attendance at Otakon will continue to grow; there’s no question about that. What I’m curious about though is the future “shape” of Otakon; what will its attendees have that compels them to go and how dynamically will their interaction with one another change? I think that as an otaku, we shouldn’t be limited to the confines of that which defines us as such; we are capable of reaching a higher and dare I say, more mature level of understanding and connection with our passion. It may be unabashed naiveté on my part, but I prefer to see this collective as a group of emblazoned creators and characters rather than stand alone complexes of an established subculture.

Article by Marc.

Otakon 2010 Photo Gallery

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