It’s been over a year since my last convention experience at Anime North. Since then I got a job, moved out, and am feeling pretty different from the me a year ago who was slogging through his summer courses. I’ve worked quite a few weeks of overtime covering for the vacations of various co-workers and thought it was about time that I should get on this not-go-to-work action. But this time, the days off won’t be spent playing video games and jerking off — nay, it’s time to step up the game. I’ve had the idea for a few months: it involves plane tickets, a hotel room, a weirdo I know from the internet, and around thirty thousand other weirdoes that I don’t know — that’s right, it’s time for Otakon with Hamstercorp.
I gotta admit: as the end of July drew closer, I had a feeling that this event was going to be my last con. I didn’t dread the trip, as I looked forward to meeting Hamstercorp again, but I saw the con as potential closure of sorts. As I mentioned in the Anime North post, I was getting the feeling that I was getting too old for conventions, that the appeal of these events are drifting further away from myself. I saw Otakon as a last huzzah — going out with a bang at the second largest anime convention in North America, seeing it out and thus leaving no regrets. However, things didn’t quite turn out that way. What do I mean by that? Keep reading!