In a lot of ways, an anime fan is like a Transformer. I'm not talking about a cosplayer dressing up as an Autobot, but that some fans can disguise themselves within the public eye. You could have ran into ten otaku fanboys on your way to get coffee, and not even know it. I'm new to conventions, but after going to the Anime Expo for the first time this year, I'm beginning to believe conventions are the main source for us to express our passion. After years of never fully exposing my anime fanboyism, going to the Anime Expo was like stepping into a whole new world.

You know a journey is going to be unique and long when it begins in the parking lot. After paying for twelve dollar parking, and finding a parking place with ease, my first impression was that this was the “safe” ground. Where we might see a couple of people in costumes, but for the most part, while you're in the parking structure you are safe from having to show your anime pride. That impression was demolished only seconds later... Groups of otaku fans paraded the parking structure almost as if it was the show floor. Others, who were still getting their costume ready in the car, were not ashamed to do whatever was necessary to be ready for the main attraction. I was parked next to a truck of half-naked girls, who unabashedly suited into their skimpy costumes. It was as if I parked in the dressing room of the Macy's parade. It was only the beginning...

The moment you finally step into the registration hall, you finally understand how large of an event this is. It didn't matter how big the room was, the floor was packed with anime fans all anxiously awaiting to be let into the main floor. While navigating through this otaku mess, it was easy to bump into a Naruto, or an Ichigo. If you got lucky you'd run into a Felicity.

You never fully understand how awesome cosplay is until you are at a convention. In the comfort of your home, with a laptop in front of you, cosplay just seems like it's for people who do not understand that Halloween only comes once a year. You may find a few on the internet that wins you over, but you'll never truly become a fan of the trend until you are actually there, and interacting with these cosplayers. Even the simplest costumes had a sense of delicate passion that went into their crafting. My personal favorite was a Ganondorf costume that was so perfect and detailed he could have easily had came from a Legend of Zelda film shoot. A simple one that got my attention was one cosplayer who made a dell computer head. Had he gone a little further he could have been the robot from Fooley Cooley, which would have been too awesome for words. It's easy to forget if cosplayers experience any sort of shame, with some of these outfits being more revealing than a tiny two-piece bathing suit. The Felicity costume caught my eye, in more than one way. I have seen strippers who have worn more clothes, but I'm not complaining. Only a person acting out in the name of their passion would be able to put away their shyness in order to display their body in such an earnest way.

I would agree that the cosplay is one of the main attractions at the convention, and a great reason to attend, but it isn't the only event, especially for veteran anime fans. There is a reason why all these fans wait in the giant registration hall for the main floor to open. Going inside the main floor is like going into an anime flea market. Companies plague the floor with their booths, a majority of them selling the rarest of rare manga and anime collections. Figurines are displayed behind glass cases, and gazed upon by fans as if they were the holy grail. Kids stare at the dangerous anime weapon replicas that many stores carried as if they were staring at a Playboy magazine. For a fan with no money, this floor is one giant tease, and the longer you are there the more frustrated you get. However, to the veteran anime convention fan, who knows better than to go to the event with no money, this is a dream come true. Anime stores in the outside world can be very hard to find. It's not rare for states to only have one or two anime stores. Many fans have had to settle to going to places like Best Buy for their anime needs, which may not be necessarily a bad thing, but Best Buy doesn't have all the anime you need. The main floor of the Anime Expo is the mecca that all the fans wait for the entire year, and with companies waiting to release their newest products until the convention, it's a haven for surprises.

I'll be honest, E3 has spoiled me. I always wondered what you do at conventions that does not offer demos like E3, and I found my answer: Nothing, especially if you do not have cash. At least with E3 there was always a great reason to stay on the main floor. However, I did find myself losing a lot of time in the artist alley, which I think is the best part of the main floor.

The artist alley is where amateur, veteran, and professional artist sell their artwork to the attendees of the convention. It is where you will find the most unique portions of the convention, and where you will find broke anime fans crying. Finding good anime artwork online isn't hard, but finding it in a condition and quality where it is good enough to hang in your household can be quite the task. A lot of the work was original, and in a good enough state to hang proudly in your office or bedroom, pridefully displaying the passion of the artist who created it. My favorite was a piece of artwork that included some of the most elite female anti-heroes of the genre, all posing in a way that would suggest their personality. If you ever wanted to make your anime friends jealous, this was where you needed to go.

What would a convention be without panels? For those who grow tired of maxing out their credit cards on the show floor, the panels is where you can take a load off, and anticipate some exciting news. Unfortunately, the panels were one of the biggest weaknesses of the event. On a technical level, I didn't go to one panel that was on time. Funnily enough, the more professional and known the company was, the bigger the chance was that there would be technical difficulties. I'm looking at you Bandai...

Maybe it's just me, since I'll admit I'm not as big of an otaku as some of the more hardcore fans, but there wasn't any panel that got me very excited. Most of them revealed information that I already knew, or could easily have found online before the event. While it's cool to see voice actors, and music artist, I'd rather hear about future plans from the producers of these shows, rather than hearing about it's current condition. I want to know the plans for Bleach. Are they going to do a year long filler arc, like Naruto did, before going to the time skip? I want to hear from Kishi. How close are we to Naruto's ending? These are the anime news pieces the convention deserves to have, but were nowhere to be found.

No matter how long I have been an anime fan, I've never gotten the prospect of getting together to watch anime. It makes sense, but I do that regularly with my friends. Why would meeting up in an oversized group be worth the extra time? Regardless, the screenings of the convention was one of the main events, and a lot of them showcased new shows and films coming out. Even I have to admit, it's pretty cool to watch a brand new show, then hear from the producers and voice actors afterwords.

It's surprising that my favorite part of the day was the end. It wasn't because I was so tired that I wanted to go home, it was actually the opposite. The end of the day is where all the cosplayers mingled, and happily posed for pictures. It's funny to me, at the beginning of the day, I always hesitated to take a picture of a cosplayer. Many of them were so busy trying to enjoy the convention themselves I commonly got the impression they were annoyed by people unexpectedly taking their picture. Not to mention no matter how cool a woman's costume is, if it's skimpy, and you want a picture, it makes you look like a pervert. However, at the end of the day, people proudly posed for other fans, no matter how revealing their costume was. It reminded me of going to a pokemon convention, when the series was at it's peak, and trading pokemon cards. You race around the floor, trying to get as many pictures of costumes as you humanly can, and when you get home you proudly show your friends, as if you went to a strange world and took pictures of their alien lifeform.

I get the feeling that this is many cosplayers favorite time in the convention too, since it probably makes them feel like celebrities. The girl dressed like Sailor Moon got so much attention you would believe that she was going to play her in a live action film. However, the real star was the red Power Ranger with the giant sword, and even more giant fake bulge in his pants. Wherever he went a crowd followed. Whether it was imitating Daft Punk's “Around the World” dancing outside, or having a sexy dance off with a girl pirate just in front of the merchandise store. This was one power ranger who was ready for morphing time.

Is the Anime Expo worth going to? While it isn't essential for the common anime fan to attend, I feel there is enough here to at least experience it for one day. If you're a fan of anime, but wouldn't consider yourself an otaku, it's worth finding out which day has the most interesting panels, and going that day, for only that day. If you're a hardcore otaku fan, with a cosplay costume hanging in the closet, I would still recommend not going for more than one day. After the second day, I can only imagine your costume not being as big of a deal as it originally was, unless you're practically wearing nothing. The only way to know if you'll feel like going for more than one day is to at least try to go for one day, and I can promise you that even a fan who is just getting into anime will have a good time at the convention if they give it a chance.