/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

Yeehaw

>Anime Wonder Festival 2022; May 21, 2022; Mitsuwa Marketplace - Plano, TX
>Collect-A-Con Dallas 2022; May 28-29, 2022; Forth Worth Convention Center; Fort Worth, TX
>A-Kon 2022; June 3-5, 2022; Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas / Toyota Music Factory; Irving, TX
>KimoKawaii 2022 June 4-5, 2022 The Lone Star Convention & Expo Center; Conroe, TX
>Anime Lubbock 2022 June 10-12, 2022 MCM Eleganté Hotel & Suites; Lubbock, TX
>YumiCon 2022 June 17-18, 2022 Norris Conference Centers; San Antonio, TX
>Fan Expo Dallas 2022 June 17-19, 2022 Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas; Dallas, TX
>Kaotik Freedom Celebration 2022 June 25-26, 2022 Lake Jackson Civic Center; Lake Jackson, TX
>Kyōkai Con 2022 June 25-26, 2022 Harlingen Convention Center; Harlingen, TX
>Ba-Con 2022 July 2, 2022 City Of Alvin Senior Center; Alvin, TX
>Okashicon 2022 July 8-10, 2022 Courtyard by Marriott Austin Pflugerville and Pflugerville Conference Center; Pflugerville, TX
>Comicpalooza 2022 July 15-17, 2022 George R. Brown Convention Center; Houston, TX
>Dream Con 2022 July 15-17, 2022 Esports Stadium Arlington; Arlington, TX
>Anime Matsuri 2022 July 29-31, 2022 George R. Brown Convention Center; Houston, TX
>Midessanime 2022 July 29-31, 2022 Bush Convention Center; Midland, TX
>AnimeFest 2022 July 29 - August 1, 2022 Sheraton Dallas Hotel; Dallas, TX
>Magical Girl Day 2022 August 6-7, 2022 Sheraton Houston Brookhollow Hotel; Houston, TX
>Anime Houston 2022 August 12-14, 2022 Hyatt Regency Houston Intercontinental Airport; Houston, TX
>Colossalcon Texas 2022 August 19-21, 2022 Kalahari Resorts Texas; Round Rock, TX

>>10761295
>Delta H Con 2022 August 19-21, 2022 Houston Marriott Westchase; Houston, TX
>San Japan 2022 September 2-4, 2022 Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center; San Antonio, TX
>Anime Escape Festival 2022 September 3-4, 2022 Lone Star Park; Grand Prairie, TX
>BanzaiKon 2022 September 30 - October 2, 2022 South Padre Island Convention Centre / Holiday Inn Resort South Padre Island-Beach Front; South Padre Island, TX
>Lib-Con 2022 October 8, 2022 Abilene Public Library; Abilene, TX
>Dallas Fan Festival 2022 October 14-16, 2022 Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas; Irving, TX
>Anime Texas 2022 October 28-30, 2022 The Woodlands Resort; The Woodlands, TX
>Anime Dallas 2022 November 25-27, 2022 Hyatt Regency DFW International Airport; Dallas, TX
>Anime Frontier 2022 December 2-4, 2022 Fort Worth Convention Center; Fort Worth, TX

>>10761295
>>10761296
YumiCon, ColossalCon and SanJapan for me. Also possibly Oni-Con (which is not listed) and Ikkicon early next year

>>10761296
Fuck Anime Frontier. They tricked myself and so many other artists and vendors into thinking they secured all of these attendees and it was a ghost town. Hardly any attendees, no panels, no guests, just a half empty exhibit hall.

A-Kon, Anime Fest and Anime Frontier for me for sure (DFW fag)

Debating between Colossalcon or SanJapan but I'm leaning towards Colossal since SJs covid policy is insane and a Waterpark resort sounds appealing. Even if the con sucks I'm sure I'll make fun.

Curious about Anime Texas but not sure I'll make it out.

Im hoping that none of the staff faggots enforce masks. I plan to go there and get drunk and dont need some shitheads ruining the little fun I get all year.

>>10761355
Avoid SanJapan for now. The staff there are addicted to the power of telling people what to do and nothing can shake that except full protest

>>10761567
You plan to go...where?

>>10761617
Oops I forgot. Akon.

Is Matsuri the only non-mask fag con this year in ALL of Texas?

Sad desu

>>10761624
Colossal con hasn't posted any covid policy and didn't have one last year apparently.

>>10761626
I can confirm they did not. Some events have "officially" demanded masks while doing nothing. ColossalCon does not even go that far.

Yo anyone know offhand if Austin is a Sams Club town or a Costco Town? Need to know for when I do the obligatory thursday stock up.

>>10761569
>The staff there are addicted to the power of telling people what to do and nothing can shake that except full protest
So nothing has changed with san japan.

Who is running yumicon? Hopefully not the same group of jerks.

>>10761902
>Who is running yumicon? Hopefully not the same group of jerks.
Irrelevant. People are only now starting to grasp how pathetic these owners are. It does not matter which one you pick. It does not matter how deep red your state is. They will stay the same.
>During the event we will be taking COVID safety measures as necessary, including mandatory wearing of masks covering the nose and mouth

>>10761909
They can suck my dick. Im not putting a damn thing on again.

>>10761911
Even the bluest cities don't care anymore. The airports don't care anymore (some haven't for months). I can even waltz into a doctor's office without one anymore. But the second I get into a convention center, it become a problem (only if it's anime, and only if i'm in costume because the actual venues aren't bother either.) This dam is not gonna hold forever. Fingers crossed the next step is venue owners telling them to bend the knee or fuck off. Quite frankly, I'd prefer the latter

>>10761295
MGD isn't happening this year because they apparently had no money to fund it and wanted 100 people to pledge to go. They also thought posting about pledging a few times on Instagram in the current algorithm was enough to reach an audience kek

>>10761751
They have both. If you want the good stuff go to HEB

>>10761978
This. HEB is the only grocery store worth visiting in Texas. Fuck Whole Foods Fuck Trader Joe's fuck Kroger fuck everything but HEB senpai

>>10762012
I miss HEB
Please come to DFW HEB senpai

>>10762023
And El Paso pls

>>10762023
They're getting locations in Plano and Frisco by early next year.

>>10762023
>HEB grocery
>literally barred from the HEB tri-city area
it's some perverse joke

>>10762090
>>10762083

The reason it was hard to open one is because Kroger had a huge hold in Dallas right? That's what I heard. Kroger is a joke.

>>10762023
Central Market is HEB in DFW, isn't it?

>>10762100
Central Market is like HEB's better version of Whole Foods. Nice but more expensive for many basics.

>>10762100
It's owned by HEB but it's not the same.

who else is going to A-kon? I feel like people are saying it's gonna be terrible just cuz 30 wasn't that great, but I don't know much about con organizing. thoughts?

>>10762183
I'm going, but it won't be like previous years
new venue (and that always leads to hiccups)
covid measures still in place (but thankfully only masks)
They're making a new push to refresh themselves in the public eye. So it'll do good or do bad, no telling until it happens

>>10762183
Post-covid con's are a reset for con's. Ikkicon was the only con that I know of that had live conventions in 2020 and 2021. For all the others they have been able to avoid having live con's for 2 years. So if they are smart they would have taken the time to look back at previous years, seen what didn't work and fix it.

With being post-covid it also means that con's might not go as well as they normally do. This is probably going to be a rebuilding year as well. If it is still bad in 2023 then you know that the con isn't worth it.

>>10761978
>>10762012
>>10762023

I’ll just do HEB again. There’s one literally down the street from the Kalahari. I think I’m bringing Guts, Vagabond (Elden Ring) and vocaloid stuff with me this time around, there’s a tall grass field in the back of the venue behind the barn that I think would be perfect for an Altus Plateau photo shoot. Anyways, I’m hoping to run into the Asuka cosplayer with the dump truck ass again, she was cute.

>>10762287
>So if they are smart
There's the problem

>>10762287
>Ikkicon was the only con that I know of that had live conventions in 2020 and 2021
It was the last week of 2019, and even if we ignore that, it's cheating in a way since WuFlu was still "that weird thing over in China". Anime Dallas on the other hand did one in December 2020, which I went to

>>10762313
Ikkicon still had an event last year

In a way, Ikkicon was both the least-riskiest and most-riskiest con I went to last year in terms of catching the coof. Their May 2021 con was held at a time of low transmission rates and cases in the area, while their most recent con was held in the midst of the Omicron wave, which I might add had multiple cases at the con that were later confirmed. Thankfully, I did not end up catching it at either con.

Holy shit.
San Japan emailed me back finally, a month after my initial questions.

So they said they'll be changing their wording to make sure people understand 3rd party administered OR supervised tests count. So the drive through walgreens ones will work.
Also Guests and Staff have to follow the same rules, so that means if any of them test positive within 2 days, they can't attend the event. (points of consistency, but that also means there could be staffing issues, or last minute guest cancellations)

They also said they don't have a broad sweeping basis for how to handle people who pay for a badge, but then get a positive test right before the weekend, as it has to be on a case-by-case basis.

I'm assuming it's because if you travel down and then test positive when you arrive, you are more likely to get a refund since you're already losing a lot of money for travel, but I'm guessing if you test positive the week of the event they'll just try to roll the ticket over to next year. Pure speculation though.

Oh, and they said they only listed the vaccines their attendees mostly used, not the full list. Which is of course a lie, because virtually no one in the US has astra zeneca. So unless they have a large mexican attendance (which I guess they might) it's probably just that whoever was writing it literally didn't know about the other vaccines. But they said they'll add any new vaccines to be approved as soon as it happens, but I'm guessing they'll only add ones readily available in the US. So if you're waiting for Novavax, you might still make it.

AnimeFest is trending today because there's some completely different AnimeFest happening in Malaysia somewhere. I was losing my mind for a bit because I thought the AnimeFest in Texas moved all the way to May or something.

So apparently mitsuwa and kinakuniya are doing a little event next weekend in Plano
https://animewonderfest.com/

>>10762321
Unfortunately I have a bad habit of not proofreading my messages and realized that sounded dumb right after sending, if for no other reason than that Ikkicon had two events in 2021 and I attended both. The intention was to say "none in 2020".

>>10762466
The SJ admins sound insufferable. They're basically crashing their own convention with these rules.

>>10762583
I have it on good authority that there's a significant amount of resentful staff at various texas cons that basically think conventions should be pushing social agendas first and foremost, and the people who run cons are scared of firing them.

>>10762524
would go if it wasnt same weekend as acen

>>10762466
>So they said they'll be changing their wording to make sure people understand 3rd party administered OR supervised tests count
Yeah, someone working for free at a con isn't going to care what it says.

>>10762764
That's what you think. People are pathetic and will grasp on to any kind of authority they get. Just don't go to these shithole cons that still think covid is even dangerous.

>>10762770
>People are pathetic and will grasp on to any kind of authority they get
That is the people who are running the con. The people who are volunteering are doing it to get a free ticket and possibly a free hotel room for the weekend.

>set up a reservation at the Sheraton for Afest
>get that group rate
>Thursday night is completely sold out, no problems for the other days
Heck's going on here?

>>10762845
Call the hotel. See what theyre doing.

>>10762845
>Nearly $800 for three nights

Fucking hotel prices man

Made the decision to ditch San Japan in favor of Colossalcon. Hope I don't regret it.

>>10762896
All they told me was that I couldn't extend my reservation on account of the rooms all being booked oit and that there's no waitlist. Somehow I feel like I'm not the only one who's called to ask about this.

>>10762938
Thats weird. I just booked and got three nights. Provided, I have to pay the regular rate instead. Im thinking of dropping thursday and just coming friday and saturday.

>>10762938
Odds are some other event is happening thursday so there's a hold on those rooms until a certain date.

>>10762778
>The people who are volunteering are doing it to get a free ticket and possibly a free hotel room for the weekend.
This is absolutely not the rule
tons of people get into cons because they want to work up and have a real position of influence.

>>10762764
They probably ALWAYS meant the walgreens tests would work. They were just ignorant and didn't know those aren't called 3rd party administered tests.
Cause no place in the country I've ever seen has said "you have to get a test at a hospital, no, walgreens testing you doesn't count"
For any event.
In the past 2 years.

>>10762907
Welcome to the free market that Texas keeps saying is great.

>>10763413
>$1200 for 3 nights in St Louis

You were saying?

>>10763413
>Welcome to the free market that Texas keeps saying is great.
No state has a free market, what are you talking about?
The US doesn't have a free market.
For fucks' sake, if you've literally stayed at any hotel you'd note there was a hotel tax, if not a full blow resort fee.
That's the opposite of a free market.
The hotel industry is probably one of the least free markets, next to health care and real estate.

>>10763423
>The real free market has never been truly tried
The Horseshoe is real.

>>10763455
Free markets are tried all the time
Every new industry is inherently a free market
And then the gov figures out they need to regulate it.
Look at crypto.

>>10763462
Are you really going to try to blame the bubble bursting on the plan to regulate? Come on.

>>10763465
No, I'm just saying crypto started as a free market, but slowly it's become less free because of various government intervention & regulation
not making any statement on if that's good, or bad, or what impact it has.

Just that "free market" is a principle, but in any society that has a government, no market is allowed to be free for very long because that's kinda of why government exists.

Regulating commerce is usually the FIRST thing a government does.

>>10763478
But the crypto bubble burst before you had regulation. Looks more like the free market just doesn't work and you're trying to scapegoat regulation.

>>10763423
>>10763462
>>10763478
Based Thomas Sowell mind

>>10763413
>>10763455
>>10763465
>>10763490
cringe brainlet

>>10763490
>But the crypto bubble burst before you had regulation. Looks more like the free market just doesn't work and you're trying to scapegoat regulation.
what are you talking about?
What does a bubble bursting have to do with anything?
and what do you mean scapegoating regulation? I did no such thing.
Do... Do you not know free market is literally an unregulated market? LIke, that's literally it's definition.
It's not a value statement. It's what the phrase means

>>10762097
I always see grocery stores through the lens of an employee. I worked at Kroger, HEB, and Wal-Mart throughout my college years. Kroger was a trash fire excuse for a company that fired me for not smiling enough.

>>10762100
It's basically bougie HEB

>>10762202
>Thankfully only masks
>Thankfully
Half the reason I got the vaccine is so I wouldn't have to wear a damn mask anymore. I'd rather there be no mask mandate but you have to show a vaccine card or a negative COVID test. Wearing a mask is going to be a pain with my cosplay. Between the wig, my fake glasses, and fake prosthetics, my ears will be aching by the end of the weekend.
The only reason they're doing masks instead is because it's easier for them to enforce.

>>10763558
>bougie
while it's derived from Bourgeoise it's spelled Boujee.
Because no one cares about proper spelling anymore.

>>10763561
But does anyone do that policy?
I see mask policies PLUS vax rules, but not shows with JUST vax and tests
especially here in Texas, considering only half the congoing populace is vaxxed.

>>10763564
Not that I've seen, but that's not gonna stop me from wishing that was the case. Like I said, half the reason I got vaccinated is because I was tired of having to wear a mask everywhere.
I got the virus before the vaccine was widely available and when I tell you it was the most pussy-ass illness I've ever experienced...in the last year alone I've had multiple colds worse than COVID. I wouldn't even remember I had it if the word "COVID" wasn't attached to it, that's how mild it was.

>>10763563
>No one cares about proper spelling anymore
>Corrects my spelling on a 4chan board of all things
kek

>>10763561
You're part of the problem for getting this fauxccine just to "get back to normal" instead of realizing the faggots pushing this shit will never give an inch. You got the shot and still got cucked, congratulations.

>>10763568
Eh, don't really care. Not like it cost me anything.

>>10763566
The biggest problem with having vax requirements is that at this point, hardly anyone's getting boosters, so you have to decide if you want to just say "vax at all, or no vax" or if you need to be "up to date"
up to date will kill your attendance. doing a once vax is enough policy means if anyone gets sick, the con will take the blame cause people don't realize if you got the MRNA vaccines you have a 1-2 month window when if you don't get the booster you're actually more likely to get covid than if you hadn't gotten vaxxed at all.

It's a cluster, and convention policies are really just about keeping the most number of people from complaining on social media.

>>10763537
Unregulated markets lead to monopolies, easy as. Don't tell me you actually bought into the lie that you need governments for that.

>>10763573
>Unregulated markets lead to monopolies, easy as. Don't tell me you actually bought into the lie that you need governments for that.
What does that have to do with anything?

I feel like I'm talking to a wall

here, I'll break it down.

>>10763413
>implies hotel industry is a free market, and Texas in particular
>>10763423
>I point out no state has a free market, and the hotel industry certainly doesn't come close
>>10763455
>strawman argument
>>10763462
>I point out that I'm not implying that a free market can't exist, or never exists, just that it doesn't exist within a governed country
>>10763465
>randomly talks about economic bubbles out of the blue
>>10763478
>reiterate that I was just saying what a free market is vs what it is not and how all the markets we participate in on the regular aren't free
>>10763490
>again randomly talks about industry bubbles bursting
>>10763537
>I call out that he keeps going on random subjects, trying to make some sort of commentary about economic bubbles and I don't know what point he's trying to make or how it relates to Texas hotels not being a free market
>>10763573
>now randomly brings up monopolies and the degree or lack thereof that the government is involved

Seriously
what the ever loving fuck does this have to do with the Texas Hotel market? Hell, I'll even say you could be justified if you were talking about any other market that relates to conventions or cosplay.

But as it is, it sounds like you're trying to argue about the virtues or sins of a free market principles.

Which is fucking weird because I certainly wasn't defending the free market.

>>10763578
>Fallacy fallacy and ignoring the chain to pretend points were made out of the blue.
I see you're one of those fellows who argue in bad faith.

>>10763566
>In the last year alone, I've had multiple colds worse than covid
>took the vax
Anon, I....

>>10763413
Considering how many people are moving to Texas from CA and NY, I have to say that it is great.

>>10763561
Do like me. Im not wearing a mask at all. If they get uppity about trying to take my badge away, I just wont buy one at all. Lobby con it is.

>>10763573
Natural monopolies are better than government monopolies (any utility company).

>>10763856
How are you going to "lobbycon" when you can't get into the convention center without a badge?

>>10764067
You aren't forbid to go into the convention center. Just the panel and dealer room.

>>10764069
Without a badge, correct
without a mask? No

>>10764069
Where does it say you can get into the con center without a badge?

>>10764108
>>10764069
Irving convention center allows you to go inside. Youre just not allowed into the con spaces without following their rules. Thats why a lot more people at least in my circle are lobby conning.

>>10764109
Hate to burst your bubble but I am not sure that's how it works.

When akon was in ft. Worth you had to have a badge to enter, same for Anime Frontier. It's been years since I've been to fan days in Irving but I'm pretty sure they were the same. Just be prepared to not get in.

>>10764128
>When akon was in ft. Worth you had to have a badge to enter

No you didnt. The entire convention hall was open except for the dealer room and panels that you needed badge for. The same thing is going to happen here.

>>10764109
Badge and mask are different rules

>>10763561
Lol
Lmao

>no mention of Ecchi Expo
Who's going?

>>10765054
>monkeypox currently spreading via fetish festivals
stay safe anons

Seems like most of my friends who I went to Colossal South with last year are passing this year, but it's so close for me that I'm thinking of daytripping and just meeting people there. Were people mostly friendly & open to talking to randos?

>>10765562
>Were people mostly friendly & open to talking to randos?
As someone who's done over 20 cons or adjacent events in the last year, yes. Not even that, they were the most open crowd I've ever seen by a huge margin, and the most generous too

>>10764135
Nope my guy. I warned you.

>>10765712
Akon is the first convention at that center that did this. No other cons held at the irving convention center required badges. At least the outside will still be accessible.

>>10765715
I'm almost certain that's false but it is also irrelevant.

>>10765718
>I'm almost certain that's false
Kamehacon and hero academia con didn't require badges.

>>10765719
aren't those only like... 10% the size of akon?
When you're tiny, letting people get a taste without paying makes sense.

>>10765719
Yep, that's it. That's the full list of every event that has ever happened in the Irving convention center.

So is there a schedule for Akon or?

>>10765899
They always post it a week before so no, there is not one yet.

>>10765899
Akon right now has a lot of stuff hanging in the air. The fact things to do were announced just this month almost feels like they were quickly getting things together. Not really having a lot of confidence right now in the event.

>>10765899
>>10765973
>be an oldfag
>remember when you couldn't pick up your paper schedule until 8pm Friday of the con

I can't be the only person who is happy to get my schedule on my phone a week in advance of an event can I? Where do people get the expectation that a con will have a schedule available a month+ out?

>>10766010
2 weeks or even 3 weeks

>>10766010
Seriously. You kids and your fancy planning ahead of time.

Any buzz for Afest? I miss PAX South

>>10766090
Im going. I hope it's not as dead as the one in December.

>>10766096
making afest a week before christmas was the stupidest idea ever

>>10766152
>making afest a week before christmas was the stupidest idea ever
It was and they shot themselves in the foot because of their hotel contract.

They could have had the convention in the summer but they opted to have a virtual one. The problem was they have a contract with the hotel and if they didn't have a convention at the hotel then they would have violated the terms of their contract. So they threw together a convention right before the year ended.

>>10766262
Wouldn't be the first time a con shot itself in the foot because they were scared of covid

>>10766268
I'm still befuddled that akon is doing masks despite it being very hot in the smallest venue they chose. No one is going to wear a mask in those conditions.

>>10766279
I warned months ago that A-kon would be a giant shit show in a tiny venue to only get blasted. At least someone else gets it. Enjoy A-kon when you can't even get in or move around ya dumb fucks. I will be laughing my ass off with a giant told ya so.

>>10766339
That venue is very small. And if Akon is going to have at least half the attendance that others have, it's going to be a crowded mess. I have a feeling I'm going to be hanging out outside most of the time because I wont be able to move at all.

>>10766344
It's going to have 30k people showing up as a lot of my friends are going.

>>10766347
You do not have 30k friends you are posting on 4chan

>>10766363
No ya fucking retard 30k overall are going to show up. Enjoy your sauna funkcon. I'll be laughing when I see that retards trusted A-kon to think that they'd plan it out when they were doomed from the beginning.

>>10766407
We get it, you hate A-Kon and want it to fail. We understand. Your job is done, I have provided you a ((YOU)).You are free now.

>>10766414
I don't have A-Kon per se. What I hate is A-Kon doing a stealth move to a new location in 2022 that is far too small to hold 30k people. They are forcing people to walk in dead ass Texas heat a half-mile away for the Toyota Music Hall.

It's about to get a lot worse with some last-minute changes that they were holding out to announce.

>>10766414
I don't hate A-Kon per se. What I hate is A-Kon doing a stealth move to a new location in 2022 that is far too small to hold 30k people. They are forcing people to walk in dead ass Texas heat a half-mile away for the Toyota Music Hall.

It's about to get a lot worse with some last-minute changes that they were holding out to announce.

>>10766472
This is all assuming A-Kon will be back to 30k attendance after two years of a pandemic, one year at the fucking fairgrounds, and two years in Fort Worth, all of which have been deciding factors for a lot of people to deem A-Kon not worth returning to. I'm not a good judge of this stuff but I don't see them breaking even 20k at all for the entire weekend, maybe even 15k, just based off the general outcry of people who don't trust them to pull off a good con, people who gave up on it years ago, those who are pissed at the mask mandate, etcetera.

>>10766472
>>stealth move
>>2 years and a pandemic

Look guy, every con is going to be different and effected in some way post covid. If you want a con to be the way it was before 2020 then you can't go to anything for about 2-3 years for all of them to figure their shit out and get over mask policies.

Afest just announced masks and temp checks required. Another con biting the dust.

>>10766556
Yeah they think they are doing temp checks but I expect that to be called off after day 1.

If they can't handle an autograph session and have to call in the literal police to handle the line how do they think they are going to temp check every attendee every day efficiently?

>>10766558
Considering how anal the volunteer staff was in December they're going to enforce it unfortunately. These guys have no life.

>>10766560
They can want to do it all they want, they have to actually have the manpower to do it.

If the temp check lines have any significant wait time they're idiots I'd they don't drop it.

>>10766556
Wow they are actually moving backwards, they didn't have a temp check in December. Thanks for saving me some money.

For those who have never been to Afest a temp check is pointless. The only places that you can control a temp check is going in the dealers room and any panel room, everything else is open. The con is also in a hotel with other people so guess what, you don't have a controlled environment, it isn't like a convention center where you can control who comes in.

By the way the artists alley is open to anyone, you don't need a badge. So if you are in the area and want to check out some of the artists you can do that for free and without a temp check.

Akon is this Friday, who is going?

Where’s the schedule

>>10767979
Fan Guru app

>>10768069
lol what the absolute fuck. It's 3-5 June but -

>>10768265
Is this your first con? Most big cons have some events on Day 0 AKA the day before if officially starts.

>>10761231
Fuck you. Stay off my lawn

>>10768380
No, just blinded by my own incompetence. Guess what idiot didn't book Thur->Friday hotel
>>10768393
OUR lawn.

>>10768452
Its not always worth it to get a thursday night room. If youre skeptical of the con, paying extra to stay an extra night isnt worth it.

>>10768460
True, I was there for Fair Park. If the con doesn't explode and set itself on fire I'll be surprised. I mean I'm this close to bringing everything i need for smores. My only irritation is that cosplay chess is Friday evening. Isn't it usually better on Saturday for better costumes?

>>10768471
Different venue that is half outside. Im wondering how crowded everything is going to be.

I just moved to Dallas. A-KON feels like too big of a convention for me to go it alone. Could I get a quick rundown about the other cons that happen in this part of Texas?

>>10768495
Here is a majority of the cons in texas
>>10761295
>>10761296

>>10768499
Thanks, but I'm looking for more a general idea of what the vibe of the cons specifically in Dallas are.

>>10768503
I only do anime cons, but here are my observations after attending for...way too long

A-Kon: largest in DFW, arguably in the state. They have a lot of programming so if you go alone you can probably find something to do. Going to see the most people/cosplay.

Anime Fest: much smaller but still a decent size. Last year it was very dead but I'm hoping that was a covid fluke. Despite their size they bring over Japanese talent. VAs, Manga artist, directors. I don't expect that this year because of covid buy I hope it starts back up.

Anime Frontier: huge dealers hall but not much else. Definitely the least programming of the 3. Last year was their first so here's hoping they learn. In the winter so good for heavy or layered costumes.

Anime Dallas: never been but sounds like a joke.

ANT: probably died after covid

NishiFest: one day event. Haven't been yet, looks fun enough but overpriced

anyone going to akon alone and want to hangout? none of my friends like anime anymore and i already bought a badge

>>10768503
>>10768511
This faggot anon is leaving out Anime Matsuri. THAT is the biggest convention. San Japan use to be, too, until they destroyed it with covid safety protocols. In fact, Afest and it looks like Akon are about to self detonate too with their mask restrictions. But at least they havent done like SJ who force you to wear masks and show proof of vaccine.

Is there any kind of schedule out for A-Kon yet, or is it going to be like every year where they release the official schedule halfway through day 1? I was hoping I could plan out what panels to go to for once.

>>10766476
>two years in Fort Worth, all of which have been deciding factors for a lot of people to deem A-Kon not worth returning to
People really hated the FWCC era? I only went to one of the FWCC A-Kons and thought it was great after how cramped the Anatole got.

>>10768655
It's on the Fan Guru app, grandma. They really should advertise it more, though.

>>10768667
I figured it was going to be something like that. Though I wish they were still on Guidebook which I already had installed for a different con, otherwise it's one more app on my shitty phone that's always out of storage.

>>10767971
going with my bf since i got a free weekend pass

>>10768640
Bro anon asked for DFW cons
Get John's dick out of your ass.

>>10768689
I mean not having a mask mandate is pretty appealing.

>>10767971
I am here. Gonna do MHA villain costumes, both of em. Actual villains, not 'evil deku' or some stuff. I mean, I already have them made and are just upgrading them Also both aren't endless layers of clothes so its a plus.
>>10768635
Going with at least one other dude. Could hang out but I'm pretty suspect of most 4chan people in general. Pic possibly related.

>>10768692
having cops that would do something during a shooting is much nicer.

>>10768723
they clearly were = tasing, handcuffing, and preventing parents from trying to tell them what to do

>>10768689
At least when John is caught yet again raping lolis he knows that the cops will let him finish.

>>10768723
Ok?

>>10768743
Im pretty sure you dont care about kids getting raped

>>10768770
not him but bold to assume the lolis are kids OR women

>>10768635
I wouldn't mind but I'm also thinking about getting the split Dreamhack-A-Kon badge and I haven't really been into anime for a long time either. I just want to go to the gaming room and play Tekken.
My brother says I should get out more to find a girlfriend but I think it's pointless until I lose weight and every time I go out with someone I end up over eating.

>>10768795
>I'm also thinking about getting the split Dreamhack-A-Kon badge
I didn't know this was an option. But it also looks like they're at two different venues far apart from each other, will you just go to one one day and the other the next day?

>>10768869
Hmmm, I dunno. I still have no one to go with and A-Kon sounds big, I would be intimidated, especially since I'm just a chubby 26 year old guy. I'd have nothing to do except play Tekken in the gaming room.

>>10768726
>leftoids: we need to ban all guns. only police should have them
>also leftoids: omg why would the cops refuse to rescue us from this shooter?!
>don't they know we're defenseless?
>what do you mean the supreme court said they have no legal duty to save us?
>how could this be happening?

dumb shit like this is THE biggest reason why the 2A and universal armament is needed. everybody, yes everybody should learn to be carrying and how to use a gun properly. you're not a true texan if you're a hoplophobe. if parents are willing to rush in unarmed to get their kids as a threat is killing them while the only one's with body armor and full auto assault rifles just sat around, waited, and act tough, there is zero reason whatsoever to let police have monopoly on any weapons when they have no will to use them and nopes the fuck out when the going actually gets tough. period. if cops WON'T act in such a situation, then its up to the other people to do the job.

>also, are there any basedcons that would let someone bring an actual arisaka from their collection with a bandolier, even if just to larp as sugimoto from golden kamuy? or an airsoft version?

>>10769025
yeah there are cons where people larp like that - the gunshows. Oh wait, they dont allow you to BRING guns to those? Guess they aren't based

>>10769059

>>10769059
>the gunshows. Oh wait, they dont allow you to BRING guns to those?

Have you ever been to a gun show because you can bring a gun to one. And yes I mean your personnel one that you carry on you or one that you want to sell to a dealer.

>>10769025
Anon you forgot that the left both wants us to rely on the police to protect us with guns while also defunding them
So...how does that work ?

I don't like guns. When Biden "won" the election I bought one. I don't trust these idiots to protect me and my family I'll learn to do it myself.

Con this weekend, starting today/tomorrow. Dick/gun measuring may be in the spirit of pride week but is there any particular panel you're looking forwards to this A-Kon? I'm noticing a shitton of D&D content.

>>10769025
>let someone bring an actual arisaka from their collection with a bandolier
The security for that is cost prohibitive for a fandom convention
gun conventions make a fuckton more money, so they can afford security and thus allow people more freedom to bring in dangerous weapons.
Gun shows are often far, far fewer people.

Set up a photoshoot outside and you'll probably be fine as long as you have legal rights to carry

>>10768776
this

>>10769202
well, I *was* wanting to hit up photography panels but looks like the person doing most got Covid so they're cancelled

Wait do I even need a badge to get into the gaming room?

>>10769310
yes

>>10769202
The schedule is loading extremely slowly for me right now, so I can't even see what they have

>>10769323
same here
they REALLY need to at least upload a pdf file with notice cancellations will be in the app

How do I talk to people at cons to make friends when I'm by myself.

Is it a good idea to pregame with a couple shots to get buzzed before going in I want to be able to talk to people and can't do it sober

>>10769392
>How do I talk to people at cons to make friends when I'm by myself

1. Don't be creepy or trying to talk to someone with the intent of getting laid. If you are a guy who is straight talking to a girl, just think of yourself talking to a guy. You know you are not going to try to sleep with a guy so you are not going to try to impress him, keep that mind set when talking to a girl.

2. Keep your ears open, listen to other people around you. You are at a con, so the people there will have similar interests. You can be by someone who is at the same artists table and they bring something up about a character. If there is something about that character that is interesting then you can bring that up.

Example:
>I know Melissa is best girl I really like Amanda, why wasn't she best girl?
>It has to do with Melissa being a representation of the creator's wife.
>What do you mean?
>Well Melissa represents a few different things in the series...
Then continue on with your explanation

3. Don't linger. You talk to someone for a minute and they say "Cool, that was interesting" and they walk off, let them go. Don't follow them and try to talk about something else.

4. Practice with people who you buy things from. If you are buying artwork from an artist take a minute to talk to them about why they picked the pose they drew a character in, or the outfit; you can also ask them about future pieces they are planning on doing or other conventions they will be at.

5. Don't host a room party just so you can talk to people. Don't tell people you have your own room and you have a lot of booze because people will just show up, get drunk, possibly ruin something in the room and you are stuck with dealing with the aftermath. You are not going to be talking or hanging out with people in that scenario.

6. Clean yourself. Take a shower, brush your teeth, and chew some gum. No one wants to talk to someone who smells terrible and has a horrible breathe.

7. Relax

>>10766010
I prefer the newsprint schedules. Still have a bunch of them from years past, for nostalgia's sake. Also you don't have to worry about charging a newspaper. Also you can more easily see the entire day's worth of scheduling at once instead of having to scroll scroll scroll swipe to see what you're doing for the day.

I literally just printed out the PDF schedule for this year.

>>10769486
So step 1 is friendzone yourself immediately. Got it.

>>10769496
Lol this is why you'll be 4ever alone scrote

>>10769496
I mean I can't really flirt with girls anyways as it wouldn't work so I doubt I could hook up with anyone. I just need friends.

>>10769498
Hah I bet i could bed you in 5 minutes with my slick pickup lines femcel

>>10769504
NTAYRT, BUT

>>10769496
Pretty much, I mean >>10769392 did ask
> to make friends when I'm by myself.

Akon day 1 is over, so how was it?

Yall be safe out there, it's coming down and flooding hard af. Don't try driving if it can be helped

I'm down to meet/hang with any seagulls tomorrow if nothing much else is going on

Anyone go to the foam party last night?

How was the 1st day? Debating whether or not to go tomorrow.

>>10769657
I heard they aren't enforcing shit for their mask policy

>>10769642
No I don't go to parties.

Did Angelic Pretty USA bring dresses for models to wear?
I'm curious because I thought models had to have a full coord already. But all the pictures I see are crappy dresses released this year.
Sorry in advance for being dumb.

>>10769739
Brands always bring their own main pieces. I know BTSSB brings whole coords for the models, so maybe AP does too.

>>10769752
That's kind of why I was confused. People were making fun of model applications when they opened because AP US required a full coord, including shoes. But it looks like they provided at least the main piece, because otherwise I'd expect people to be flanting all their old AP stuff.

>>10769668
They aren’t at all. Which, I’d rather get Covid again and get time off work than deal with that shit. There was a vendor at the artist alley with a sign that said ‘if you aren’t wearing a mask, we won’t sell to you. If you get a mask, you can try again.’ And I almost died laughing. Good luck making money.

>>10769601
Absolutely crippled by the issues with Fan Guru. I'm dependent on panels to have fun at these things because I fucked up my first attempt at a cosplay this year, and basically was able to only get two panels in, the second after finding the PDF schedule people started passing around. But we still have today's rave to look forward to.

>>10769668
The vidya room is the only place I ran into that enforces masks

>>10769344
People started passing around a PDF lmao

>>10769392
Speed friending panel

>>10769398
Yes

>>10769668
I haven't seen it enforced. I'd say 40% at least are just ignoring it.

I don't really care. I'm wearing one because I don't want to be a dick but I don't care if people aren't in them.

>>10769800
>People started passing around a PDF lmao
If you happen to have it would you mind uploading it to catbox or something and post it?

What's the temperature like inside the convention center?

>>10769827
Don't want to be a dick to whom, the owners who are imposing their retardation on their paying guests? It's been 2 years, mask don't work. This is common knowledge at this point.

Anyone down for a tea time tomorrow at the con, I got some new teas in britbong land and wanna try then out

>>10769800
The vidya room checks for masks but I was not once hounded for not having a badge on me... good priorities.
Gaming room kinda sucks anyways since all the tournaments are at Dreamhack this year.

Can anyone pass me the .pdf?

Where is the rave I might be interested.

>>10770042
Let us know if you actually manage to make it in. I somehow managed to make it to 0 of the panels I planned to go to today because you apparently had to stand in line for 30+ minutes before they began if you wanted to make it in.

>>10770047
I have no idea if I'm even going I've been at Dreamhack all day and I'm tired. But I feel like I need to be somewhere where girls are.

We got a room party going for those interested

>>10770055
Where is that at?

We at thr texican courtyard next to the fireplace taking 5, gonna start back up here st some point for thr party

>>10770079
I just got home from Dreamhack, it'll take me like 20 minutes. Who you got with you, I'm not in cosplay or anything so I don't want to stand out like a sore thumb.

Room 108 now

>>10770090
At the westin?

Nah thr texican , we all out now drinking and such

Okay I just got in. I'm in a pink shirt if you're still at the courtyard

Olay yeah I'm here now and I think the rave is in the Chapel area? I don't know what I'm looking for to find your party.

Thanks for the party whoever hosted it, I wish I could have made better use of it but thanks anyways.

lol they didnt even enforce the masks they were raving about on facebook. but Im not complaining no masks was a damn good thing especially with that heat

What other cons are worth going to besides A-Kon? Especially if I'm mostly just looking to party?

>>10770265
DFW area has a, i think, monthly rave that is cosplay friendly you know. If thats all you want, hit that up

>>10770289
"A?" It's just called A? I mean I like raves well enough but I also like room party shit where we can actually talk and grab ass.

>>10770265
>>10770265
Come to Matsuri

I haven't been to A Kon since covid and i skipped out on the one at Fair Park because I figured Texas summer heat + outdoors = pain. I've only been when it was at the anatole and in fort worth, both venues i loved, especially the anatole. So what the fuck was up with it being in Irving this year? This place was clearly way too small for the amount of people. Especially the dealers hall, that shit used to be huge but it seems like a fraction of the size of previous years so the aisles were tiny. So many things that I expected to see from previous years were absent. It seems like it has just gone down hill. What other cons should I go to if I don't want to be squeezed in a together in a huge crowd of people the whole time I'm inside?

>>10770293
Will you let me grab your ass if I do?

>>10770289
What's the name of the group?

>>10770291
i've been at akon all weekend, I am tired af so i didnt want to spoon feed you,

It's called Club Kaiju, in Dallas, Check it. Next theme is summer of succubus

A-KON PROS:
-It was nice to see a ton of weebs again
-area had a good selection of alcohol and food
-out door space was nice even if it was a bit cramped right near the entranceway because of food trucks and security
-STAIRWELL that allows you to bypass indoor lines of you want, up to 3rd floor/panel rooms.
-PANELS, holy shit it felt like a gallon of water after Frontier just dripfed you.

CONS:
-Holy fuck FanGuru sucks ass
-Like seriously i took screenshots of the events rather than use the fucking app. The map crashed and even phone restarts wouldn't unfuck the app. Had to reinstall.
- Who in the fuck planned the cosplay chess and cosplay dating? 3:30pm Friday for chess and 10:00 AM Sunday for dating? That ensures there'll be a manageable # of weebs but you are definitely not getting great stuff at those times.
-Dealer hall was kinda cramped, the traffic jams in the dealers room were almost worse than DFW traffic.
-PANELS holy fuck did they underplan the # of peeps that wanted in on some of those panels.

>>10770309
I agree, shit was too small but I gotta say if A-kon was using it as a test to see if they can move back to somewhere larger, I can't complain too much.

Shit I am just glad they didn't give up after Akon #30, shit was like Season 2 of Madoka

>>10770341
Is there any way they could do it at the FWCC again? I went there in 2018 to see Garnidelia and Bradio and was surprised how nice the venue was and I definitely missed the spaciousness of it compared to Irving. I think I heard the con got banned from there or something though?

>>10770351
i want to hope so, but I dont know why. Re-reading what I can, i assume it was because the owner sold/was bought out and so they lost the rights to the FWCC or fucked up or something? I loved it at FWCC, they used the space pretty well save for the main balroom in 2018 which was some steampunk circus and another night was an indoor party - when someone set up one in the watergardens central section which was WAY more interesting. Frontier had like 4 panel rooms only at the second floor, which made the first floor feel dead as fuck.

I also heard weebs fucked up the convention center/water gardens and while that is hearsay, I can imagine it.

>>10770373
Insiders told us told that they're returning to Irving next year. They got fucked hard by FWCC but they will never go public with what happened. FW wanted them back, but they wouldn't forgive the dumb mistakes they committed to doing. Frank said that's not my problem anymore when A-kon was sold to him so they went elsewhere.

They had hoped to move to a better location but A-Kon has a bad rep in the city. It's why Anatole told them to get the fuck out. Venues do talk to each other. Until A-Kon caps they can't go back to the Sheraton.

I'm definitely not returning to A-Kon next year. It was a miserable experience. When they can get unfucked by dumb management decisions to allow them to move back to downtown then I'll return again. Otherwise, fuck A-Kon. I hope they fold or get sold to someone else who knows how to manage anime cons.

Enjoy your $110 badges next year.

>>10770383
What made it miserable? I listed a ton of cons already but I'm curious what other people have for preferences. I forgot a good CON for the list earlier - NO FUCKING BREAKFAST ANYWHERE. Like fuck all the other places like Afest and SanJapan have buffets/breakfast places in walking distance. irving got shit.

If what you're saying is true, with AnimeDallas nothing more than a meme, AnimeFest having fucked itself, and Nishi being like a single day con, that means Anime Frontier is going to take over for DFW cons if it just doesnt repeatedly shit itself

>>10770313
Actually yeah

>>10770265
>>10770309
San Japan and AnimeFest are pretty good, those two and A-Kon are the ones I've had in my rotation for several years now, especially pre-covid. As far as party cons go, A-Kon used to be *the* party con, but with them dropping the ball so much I'm now not so sure.

>>10770340
>PANELS, holy shit it felt like a gallon of water after Frontier just dripfed you
How fucked was Anime Frontier with panels? I was considering going there because it's at a venue that I liked during A-Kon 2018, but panels end up being what I do the most at conventions so now I'm not so sure if I want to go.

>Who in the fuck planned the cosplay chess and cosplay dating?
I'm actually somewhat happy that cosplay chess was on Friday because it was one of the few panels I was actually able to get into before the stampede of people arrived on Saturday and instantly filled all the panels before I could get through all the lines to get to them.

>>10770351
>>10770373
The old staff before Frank took over fucked up the funding after the 2018 A-Kon and by the time the con got its shit together the venue was already taken by a different convention, which I'm guessing got some kind of exclusivity contract with the FWCC. What's weird is that things were actually fixed for the hypothetical A-Kon 2021 that was supposed to take place at the KBH Center together with Dreamhack, but somehow between then and now not only did we lose that venue while Dreamhack still had it, but as one of my buddies pointed out we also somehow lost every major industry sponsor such as CR (which always had a presence at A-Kon), so there's definitely something going on behind the scenes.

>>10770383
lmao A-kon calling out weebs vandalizing bathrooms, they said 'again' so I wonder

>>10770388
>AnimeFest having fucked itself
What happened? Are they still licking their financial wounds after FLOW?

>>10770392
it was super dry, they only had 4 panel rooms and it was only industry sponsored. No fan content. Check it. This was for three whole fucking days.

https://animefrontier.com/panels2021/

Also holy shit I didn't realize that they lost CR. It's weird how they actually even had a convention now. Was there even any sponsors? Except for I guess Wild Bill. I can't remember any.

>>10770394
They had a digital convention last year THEN still had a convention in person rushed at the last second in 2021 to keep their contract with the hotel. I can't imagine that went over well.

>>10770383
Would you say that this was better or worse than a typical Anime Matsuri? I've avoided going to AM for years because people kept telling me it was shit, but I feel like now there's a new king shit in town.

>>10770392
I mean it seemed like A-Kon had some shit going on, but I didn't really stick around that much and I am brand new to Texas and not even a cosplayer so I didn't want to be a hanger on too much to people around.
I'm getting too old to want to be the guy who's in a group of 4 hot chicks all wearing bikinis at the con.
What's your opinion on Fan Expo?

Matsuri better damn well be worth it if I'm going to rush this cosplay for it.

>>10770398
>What's your opinion on Fan Expo?
I don't know, I've never been there

>>10770389
Hot.

>>10770388
-No arcade machines.
-A joke with consoles compared to the past.
-Tiny ass panel rooms.
-Fucked up lines everywhere to go up and down.
-Shoved, bumped then people would STOP in front of you all the goddamn time.
-Want autographs if you didn't want to pay? Good luck.
-Event venue staff yelled at everyone when trying to get around.
-Dealer room selection was 1/3rd the size of previous years.
-ASS Rave in a tiny church.

I've been going to A-kon for nearly 20 years. This was probably my last. I would forgive them as past shit years at Sheraton and Anatole were fun to go party. Not anymore.

Fuck A-Kon.

>>10770397
I haven't gone back to AM in 5 years. They're right it's complete shit but you need to experience the shit con firsthand to understand why many call it a shit con.

>>10770388
>I forgot a good CON for the list earlier - NO FUCKING BREAKFAST ANYWHERE
My strat was to get biscuits at the booth in the dealer room that sold them every day. They were out of melon pan, but otherwise it worked out.

>>10770406
Smart. I went to a breakfast place by car 3 min away. They took almost a fucking hour.

>>10770402
I'm not a fan of either of the consoles because i dont care about them at cons, generally. You've got it all right except for the people like fuck, of course the people are fucking worse than usual, they likely havent been outside in years and have unlearned all the normal cues

TBF on the Dealer room, i imagine there are less dealers that have survived the pandemic than before, but yeah it was far smaller than 30. Then again, the ONE thing Fair Park had was space.

lol i didnt go to the rave, that fucking bad huh

>>10770373
I was thinking about this as well. Like, if the rumor is true that the fair park people ended up selling a-kon AGAIN, wouldn't two generations of new owners make it so that they could renegotiate the fwcc contract? we know its not just like 'no anime cons ever again' considering frontier is there. it feels like a-kon was actually a pretty decent size compared to what most thought would be a disappointing turnout. They should've made a decent profit, right? assuming they didn't mishandle funds in a horrible way.

Oh no, A-kon. Don't do this to yourself.

>>10761195
Whats the best renfair in the state?

I was born and raised in texas but moved away at 18 and just now moving back at 30. There seems so many more options than when I was a lame teen.

>>10761569
Having been too San Antonio conventions they're a lot of talk but once there they never can nor bother to enforce a damn thing.

>>10770441
They did last year. I watched them hound multiple people for not wearing a mask correctly and they even escorted some people out and took their badges.

>>10770443
con staff always seem like the worst people god ever created

>>10770445
I can never forget watching the con staff shout at a bunch of old steampunk people in their scooters to wear their masks. They didn't give af and yet seeing the con staff yell at them was nothing short of a comedical skit.

>>10770437
OK so clearly they gotta brainstorm ways to fix this shit so some of the problems are resolved.

Maybe they should have the rave outside somewhere? Not in a fucking tiny ass church?

I'm drawing a blank about rooms. How the fuck would you manage to grow if you already were bursting to capacity?

>>10762946
Tons maybe but all the try hard are too busy kissing asses. Your average volunteer doesn't give .01 bud is. I know as someone that volunteered, 1st day some kid made edibles and half of everyone was stoned.

Christ just don't give a fuck about the con and act like a cool kid and you can bully these nerds into letting you in for free.

Is Anime Matsuri worth going to despite the shadiness of the organization itself? I'm sure most con goers don't care about that.

>>10770462
Yes. Ignore all the faggots who keep saying

>but the guy who runs it is a pedophile!

Just a bunch of sjw trying trying to virtue signal. it's an honestly big con. One of the best dealers rooms youll ever see, plenty of space, and lots of panel space. It's also every photoshoot's dream with both interior and exterior photoshoot areas. The only thing you'll have to deal with is that you're more mingled with normies when you go outside the center since Houston is such a tourist hotspot downtown.

>>10770462
No. Its a shitshow. They sound like they have great events and guests and like they are worth the money

Then everything starts, I am nor exaggerating, 2-4 hours late. It's so poorly run I legitimately don't know how they keep coning people into buying badges.

I attended regularly for years, none og this is based on the vic stuff or the John accusations. It is legit just the worst run con I've ever attended.

>>10770439
TRF for sure. Sherwood is good too but much smaller. Scarby is shit though

>>10770462
And there are people that shill for the con like they are personally the people in charge of it, like >>10770464.

If I remember they are dick deep in 20+ lawsuits.

>>10770488
Throughout facebook and now here I see fags like yourself that unironically continue to try to push the narrative that Matsuri is the worse con ever cause you cannot help to bandwagon on something you have no idea bout nor cared for until you were told to care for. Someone last year lied on social media that there weren't many people at Matsuri. Having been there personally, I posted a pic of the large attendance and it shut them up immediately. You're just a bitter person that want the world to be this perfect place and are projecting your insecurities on a convention that can care less if you go or not. Meanwhile the rest of us who aren't hung up on being fucking pathetic puritans are going to go and have fun like we usually do. Honestly Im glad fags like you stay away. That way we can enjoy the con without you fun-sucking fools.

>>10761295
>>10761296
Are any of the smaller cons fun/noteworthy?

>>10770489
I don't go because I don't want to drive that far, im NTAYRT earlier, but man, you are eager to shill for that con.

At what point did I say it was shit? I said you shill for it. You are. And they have lawsuits. They do. Keep lashing out tho, it totally validates your points

>>10761314
Covid fucked them pretty hard. They originally had a pretty good guest lineup and decent time right at the beginning of con season + ANYC had a ton of hype as being one of the best cons in 2019. Covid happened and none of their stuff went through, but they offered a 2nd badge to anyone who didn't refund so I'm guessing a lot of people (myself included) figured we'd just wait it out then ended up skipping while they sold you dealers on their inflated badge numbers.

>>10770503
>shill

yawn. Sorry that I can separate people from an event and go and enjoy it. You live a sad existence.

>>10770489
They do lie. John wants to claim that attendance was the highest in 2021 but then sources get the numbers. AM has to report them to the city as part of their contract. They've been dropping in attendance since 2017. The boycotts might have been part of it but people truly are fed up with 2-4 hour late starts on main events.

How about you shill elsewhere. The facts show it's piss poor run with people fed up.

>>10770629
You're so obsessed with attendance being low. Meanwhile the line for badge pickup alone went down several long halls in the Houston convention center. Think the Forth Wort length but two times as long. Akon's lines did not even match this. Please go doomsday somewhere else.

>>10770628
usually people that do that aren't giant assholes to everyone else, more honey with flies, etc and can admit short comings compared to actively challenge and insult anyone who has a negative opinion of thing

TLDR: >>He does it for free

>>10770634
I've been going for cons for a long time. Maybe too long. I am willing to admit if a con absolutely sucks. Bad venue, terrible attendance, mismanaged events, whether the staff is annoying or not, if there's a reasonable space or hotel for night life gatherings, all these elements decide if I see a con as bad. Matsuri does not disappoint in any of these qualities and so I will continue to go to it.

>>10770638
>>bad venue
>> mismanaged events,
>>whether the staff is annoying or not
>> if there's a reasonable space or hotel for night life gatherings

I have no idea how you have been going to anime Matsuri for years and think they don't have poorly managed events.

Did you forget year 1 with the 5+ hour reg line and transformers on loop?

How about the year they scheduled it at a tiny ass hotel the same weekend as the rodeo? The dance being held outside because the venu literally had nowhere to hold it

How about the multiple years the fashion show started 3+ hours late.

The year the cosplay contest started 2 hours late because they held a video game tournament before it without telling anyone.

The year in the woodlands they booked a hugely popular Japanese music act and had a line to get in way over the capacity the room could hold?

Maybe the year that hentai fest, a paid event, started 2 hours late and was cut to 30 minutes.

And annoying staff? John and Denice running around the con taking photos with guests our walking shirtless in the fashion show instead of doing their damn jobs and running the event take the cake for band and annoying.

You are absolutely a shill and there is no way you are a veteran Matsuri attendee and think that that con is run well in any capacity. It is an absolute shit show.

>>10770685
yawn keep projecting loser. Im still going to matsuri.

>>10770622
>Back when all you had to do to make friends was walk up and be like "hi want a pocky"
What did he mean by this? As much of a disaster that A-Kon was this year, I still managed to beat my personal record of number of women talked to at a con despite having a genuine fear of making them feel uncomfortable from my sperginess.

>I even miss the sweaty stinky people who didn't wanna go shower
There was no shortage of people like this, especially in the dealer room.

>>10770692
>What did he mean by this? As much of a disaster that A-Kon was this year, I still managed to beat my personal record of number of women talked to at a con despite having a genuine fear of making them feel uncomfortable from my sperginess
Where do you get the confidence? I see a hot girl at in a bikini and start internally sweating.

>>10770630
Akon was horrible though. I don't want to wait in huge ass lines for stuff and not be able to attend panels or walk thru the dealer hall. Cons should make their venue appropriately sized for the attendance, I'll never attend a Akon again after how bad it was. WTF did we even pay for, waiting in line for everything

>>10770713
I mean, maybe less people will attend next year and so they'll have an appropriate attendance size? Fuck if I know. I went to at least 5 panels, but yeah, the cosplay contest was actually FULL for this year, and the line was still trying to grow. That should be a clear identifier, but without the sponsors maybe this is what A-kon needs to even exist? It could be stuck in some purgatory where it needs exactly that many weebs to make some cash and will decide to ironically coast like a lot of popular animes.

>>10770396
It wasn't that bad last year
There was still enough panels to do whatever you wanted, game room was kinda big but not by a lot
Not a lot of vendors but they had some good prices and artist alley was still big
Plus Downtown Dallas looks gorgeous during the Christmas season so enough places for cosplayers to take pics

For $100 Akon was terrible, what the fuck where they thinking?
The panel rooms were small and there wasn't enough interesting ones to go to
The app they used is trash, completely unacceptable when Animefest, a significantly smaller con, has their own app
Artist alley and vendors is so small it's insane
Game room is small
And the biggest insult is how they partnered with Dreamhack, without telling people that the Dreamhack venue is 30 minutes away with the tollway

>>10770694
>Where do you get the confidence?
Picrelated.

>I see a hot girl at in a bikini and start internally sweating.
Should be noted that I didn't talk to any girls in bikinis.

>>10770768
>>For $100 Akon was terrible, what the fuck where they thinking?
Depends on when you bought tickets, but I see this price everywhere except smaller cons now.
>>The panel rooms were small and there wasn't enough interesting ones to go to
I don't know, I thought there was a decent variety. Not that I made it into many panels, because some of the panel rooms had 40 chairs, and others had 200~.

>>The app they used is trash, completely unacceptable when Animefest, a significantly smaller con, has their own app
You are REALLY underselling how shit FanGuru is.

>>Artist alley and vendors is so small it's insane
That was the largest room of the entire ICC though, where would the vendors/AA be moved to? I mean realistically I want them to be in the FWCC or elsewhere, but they are 100% going back to ICC.

>>Game room is small
No idea.

>>And the biggest insult is how they partnered with Dreamhack, without telling people that the Dreamhack venue is 30 minutes away with the tollway
Lmao yeah it is with traffic. That was bullshit.

>>10770768
They were originally supposed to share KBH with Dreamhack as of last year, but then Something Happened and now Dreamhack had it all to themselves.

>>10770778
Really the area isn't bad, it's just it doesn't work for A-kon. Would have KBH been a nicer area?

>>10770781
To my knowledge, it would have at least been a bigger area.

Ive yet to get any details on why they left the Kay Bailey at the last minute.

>>10770771
Not that anon but I'll do my damnedest next time. There were several cosplayers I wanted to ask to take pictures but I was too nervous to ask and worried I'd be bothering them or that it would be weird to ask (fucking stupid thing to think in hindsight).
I've never been good at talking to strangers but I could at least do that much before, I think 3 years without going to a con set me back a few steps. Very disappointed in myself, I will redeem myself at afest.

>>10770689
Projecting what? These are my experiences attending anime Matsuri for about a decade. They suck at running an event. If you enjoy wasting your time waiting hours for events to start have fun I guess?

>>10770796
>These are my experiences attending anime Matsuri for about a decade
So if AM is bad why have you been going for a decade? I mean I will give a con a couple of tries before I write it off. I might try it one year and wait a couple of years to see if they have gotten better but if they are still bad 2 years later then I'm not going to bother with it.

>>10770788
Good luck to us both!

>>10770798
I mean that's a valid question and I wish a had a smart answer but I don't. I was young and dumb and just wanted to be where my friends were. They also do manage to book good guests so I gave them a pass because when else would I get the chance to see X. After many years of them being so bad I finally gave up.

>>10770781
It's not as nice but it's not as sketchy as the Fair Park area either and even if it was shared with DH there probably still would've been more space. I also probably would've gotten the double pass if he events weren't so spread apart, ridiculous to even offer it when it's so inconvenient.

>>10770782
Took a look in Gmaps and yeah, looks like a perfect area for a con. I guess maybe Dreamhack and A-kon had a convention use dispute? How much space was unused by Dreamhack?

>>10770630
A 28% reduction in attendance from 2017 to 2021. Numbers show that their rep has caught up to them as people aren't putting up with their shit while Comicpalooza has seen a steep increase.

When the city gives up on them maybe they'll finally die off.

>>10770847
Do you think if AM ever dies one of the other ones will replace it? If so, which would you recommend possibly relocating to Houston? Or do you think a new one would be better?

im thinking about going to yumicon next week. its my first con though so i have a few questions
1. is it mandatory that im in cosplay, and if so how much effort is expected of me to put into the cosplay
2. how often do people get laid at cons, and is it mandatory that im in cosplay for that as well
3. do people mingle with strangers at these things or do they just keep to their own groups
4. are there events / activities beyond whats listed on the schedule
5. is there any way i can check attendance stats / tickets sold / whatever because going to a dead con sounds super lame
6. really any sort of wisdom frequent con-goers would have for someone like me would be appreciated
these might be dumb questions but im pretty autistic, thanks frens

>>10770852
Oh wow. I figured this is one that nobody in the thread would bother with. It's a tentative "maybe" for me now, even though I am planning to be in the area that weekend if nothing else. Anyway.

1. Nobody's expected to dress up. It certainly helps and sets the moods but there's usually at least half who are dressed normally. You can go as simple or elaborate as you want. Not sure what options you'd have given such short notice.
2. All the time, but again. It's usually the bigger, or at least party-central ones. Being in costume is definitely ideal.
3. If it's anime specific, all the time. If general media, nobody really cares to do it. This is arguably where dressing up helps the most of all. Smaller events are always better for more chatting up randos too.
4. Sometimes, yes. It's usually a rave happening outside or off site. Plus, room parties of course.
5. A few of them release numbers, a lot of them don't. Not something I know too much about admittedly.
6. Plenty. The number 1 above all the others? Don't go in with a plan. If you try, it'll end up failing immediately every time.

>>10770852
1. You never need to cosplay, just follow the normal rules of engagement. Don't be an asshole, don't be creepy, refrain from talking about crazy shit like your personal headcanon OC to people.
2. seriously guys what the fuck stop asking about getting laid
3. Both. Here's how to find out which they are - talk to them briefly. If they don't respond or do but short, and go straight back to their group, then move on.
4. Generally no - check facebook though. No CON sponsered activities/events at least. Usually the con tries to signal boost everything they want to share.
5. Previous year record counts, possibly. I never tried that.
6.Here's your wisdom gull, have a plan - i don't mean entirely start to finish, but scope out what you want and when that would leave you time for food/drink, bathroom breaks, and FOR GODS SAKE SHOWER. Try to read the room - if someone looks like they aren't interested in talking/you hanging out, don't hang around and pressure them to do so. Ask for pictures, don't just take them of the cosplayer randomly. Especially if they are chilling with friends or resting. It's not because we care, well some do, but it's obnoxious as fuck to be mouth deep into a burger and see someone taking a picture of you. Finally - expect disappointment. Shit will go wrong, esp if you cosplay. Something will always fail/break/give. Duct tape/pins/repair kits are necessary depending on the costume.

>>10770858
>>10770859
The duality of man

>>10770858
>>10770859
>>10770860
yeah this is pretty contradictory advice but i think i have a better idea of what to expect now, thanks guys

I'm considering making the drive up from Austin to Dallas for Fan Expo Dallas next weekend mostly because the guest list seems pretty good, but haven't been to a non anime con since about 2014 & haven't been to anything that big alone. Any big differences between comic and anime cons?

>>10770457
considering how expensive everything is, volunteering is a really good deal. getting your meals and lodging paid for for three-four days is awesome. it almost feels like charity for how little they ask of you in certain departments.

>>10770929
Expect more normies and families.

>>10770858
>The number 1 above all the others? Don't go in with a plan.
This is a good way to end up wasting all three days in the dealer room.

"During a battle, plans are worthless, but before a battle plans are worth everything"

>>10770942
Yeah the reason everyone is like WHERE IS THE SCHEDULE is because they want to know when it is best for them to fuck off and get food/rest/travel/meetups/etc.

Now they're right like don't plan entirely everything down to the hour, but having a general idea of things you want to hit, see, and take part in is important I feel. Mostly.

>>10761295
Lmao I used this as my guide and didn't even realize dreamhack was this weekend like a retard
My own fault I know, but this was a well put together post so I thought it included anything and completely forgot DH was down here. It looks like they'll be sticking around here for the foreseeable future though and I just bought a house in Dallas (this weekend was moving weekend for me) so I can't complain that much, I just saw a wfaa article that made me double take

Hope the gulls that got to go had a nice time!

>>10770340
Thanks for the info anon, never heard of them but this sounds pretty cool

>>10770982
You're welcome, they didn't advertise at A-kon for some reason and apparently the next one is 11 Jun and then after, 9 July in Deep Ellum. Never been there but it has survived at least a year or so.

To get some literal anime con for TX discussion going again, next few major cons that I go to/can vouch for and prices currently are :

AnimeFest : Currently Early Bird - 60 for weekend. Odd though is that this shit is still only on Early bird 4 when I remember it was like early bird 7-9 2019. Jul 29-Aug 1.

San Japan : Currently 81.75 for weekend. With 9 fee and tax, looking like $100 total. Sept 2 to Sep 4.

Anime Frontier: Dec 2-4, $50 for weekend pass currently for earlybird. I shittalked Frontier's lack of panels but the price isn't completely insane.

>>10771198
>AnimeFest
>Temperature checks will be required
>Masks will be required
>we will not be requiring proof of vaccination for entry
Maybe but not sure why they are doing any of this. They didn't even have temp checks last year.

>San Japan
>A Covid-19 vaccination, completed at least two weeks prior to the convention
>OR a third party CDC approved negative COVID test no older than 48 hours prior to the convention
>WILL BE REQUIRED FOR ENTRY INTO SAN JAPAN 2022
Well that is a nope from me

>Anime Frontier
No covid policy up but last year you had to have a negative covid test or proof of vaccination. If they keep that again this year then that is another nope from me.

Plenty of con's in Texas this year that are not even having a mask mandate.

>>10771212
Hopefully it's like A-kon where they just say masks are required on paper but literally the only time I was asked to put one on was in the game room. Half of my group didn't even have one so we just fucked off and did something else.

>>10771193
>>10770982
Either of you gonna be there? I'm not really into clubbing/partying but I'm kinda curious, just don't wanna go alone.

>>10771193
Alright, sounds good. I hope there's con degenerates there, at A-Kon I was at a room party and people were dry humping on the beds.

>>10768511
What's the general social atmosphere at TX cons like? I've spent most of my adult life going to California cons but they're fucking awful nowadays, antisocial and cliquey as fuck and riddled with drug use, and it's looking like I'm going to be moving to FW later this year so I'm curious if the cons out there are better. I've always had a good time when I've spent time in TX, people there seem to be a lot cooler and way closer to my wavelength, but idk if that extends to weeb cons.

>>10771216
Nah gotta spend 100-200 dollars on new craft shit or a few tanks of gas. ez decision

Anyone have a pic of the cursed minions cosplayer from Sunday?

>>10771198
Unless the badge price is astronomical the price of a badge is just a tiny bit of the cost to go to a con so it's hardly worth comparing.

>>10771234
TX cons are fine, if anything being in the DFW area means you will have access to a lot of cons, big and small. Overall people are pretty chill and are there to have a good time.

>>10771216
Yeah screw it I'll be there too, going to be my first time as well but I live in Dallas and I've never been there. I'm a dude and I'll be wearing a Gengar/Haunter/Gastly shirt, technically my first time in a club too but the special interest is pretty cool.

>>10771234
>riddled with drug use
That sounds awful, sounds like you're describing a music festival instead of an anime con. From my experience, the amount of drugs at Texas cons is negligible unless you go to the raves.

Literally no one seems to be talking about Fan Expo so I assume it's not worth the trip.

>>10772941
Lack of discussion on here is almost never a good indicator of whether or not an event is worth it...but in this case, I was told that all Fan Expo's are soulless trash and you shouldn't bother.

>>10772941
Fan Expo is always big and croweded. It's worth going. Always good turnout.

>>10771909
This was pretty fun, nice meeting you dude

>>10773131
>>10772997
I know I asked for this but I'm getting mixed messages here.

How is Fan Expo for con parties?

>>10773540
Dont go to Fan Expo for parties. It's not that kind of con.

Now that the dust from A-Kon has settled, what's there to look forward to at AnimeFest? I still want my proper DFW anime con fix.

Opinions on AnimeFest?

>>10770847
You do realize they have to pay taxes on every badge sold. Sales tax, city tax, federal Etc. If you don't think the IRS would fuck them into the dirt you are woefully misinformed.

And trust me...the IRS CAN and WILL audit their ass. If you say you made X, but only officially report Y... you're gonna get F'd in the A.

If you publicly say you sold X number, and the uncle Sam does not see taxes that equate to that exact amount... they are gonna send you a fat fucking bill lol. Uncle Sam don't fuck around.