Orobouros.net Convention Reports and Photos

Otakon 2024

Otakon has found such a great home in Washington, DC, that it's getting hard to write anything about it that is particularly new or hasn't been said at least once on this website. As a bit of historical perspective, has now spend about a third of its existence each at small hotel, at the Baltimore Convention Center, and now in its current home, the Washington Convention Center. The early years were much different that what you see today. Otakon was one of the first anime conventions in the US and both the size and programming reflected this. It was a more laissez faire time and each year was different from the last. Much of this was the relatively fast growth as anime and manga interest surged from a tiny niche to modest popularity. But Otakon always managed to grow in good ways, and soon ended up in Baltimore. The Baltimore years for Otakon saw some of the most exciting events but it also faced some of its biggest issues. Some of Japan's biggest musicians, directors, and artists came to the West to share their passion (and promote their intellectual property to a huge potential consumer base). But it also faced a number of issues due to difficulties holding such a now-huge event in an aging convention center and bad press for Baltimore thanks to mishandling of many news-making events. The good news is that in spite of a big change in venue and an intervening health panic, Otakon has managed to make the best of it every year and is really settling into its new (and probably long-term) home.

Washington, DC's, metro system makes the convention very accessible especially to those looking to commute in instead of staying. The city also offers quite a few additional attractions to partake in for those looking to either spend a few extra days in the city or escape from the convention for a bit. As is common with most larger conventions these days, securing a hotel room can be an ordeal. In the past most reservations were made strictly first-come, first-served, with no clear indication of when the room blocks would even open. Otakon now uses a third-party hotel provider which has an online queue system and the opening day and time announced in advance. This still means needing to set aside that specific time (typically in the middle of the week during regular business hours (e.g. when everybody is probably working) but less chaotic and stressful. I've taken time off work on occasion to make sure I had good internet access to "sit" in line. For those who don't get rooms immediately, the third-party offers a wait-list, though I can't say I've heard of many cases of successfully getting a room this way. For better or worse, the hotels' regular rooms (at a higher rate) tend to also sell out for the days of the convention. A solid third option is to book a hotel farther away than is convenient, which does tend to be significantly cheaper than even the convention rate block. This is a good option for those who may not need or want to return to their hotel during the day. A fringe benefit of this arrangement is that leaving on Sunday avoids the inevitable traffic problems as tens of thousands of people are trying to pack up, check out, and leave at the same time.

The facility itself is well suited to such a large event with many different multi-functional spaces that can be used creatively. Plenty of other shows are held there, including AwesomeCon, and look nothing like Otakon. Otakon, meanwhile, has changed things around a bit each year building on experiences and lessons learned from the previous year. Sadly, certain security measures and the typical summer heat and humidity can only be mitigated so much. So, always plan ahead and be prepared for lines and delays. While my convention focus has been fairly exclusively on local east coast, in the past some of the large-for-the-time conventions had huge issues with line management. Otakon now seems to be doing a pretty good job, even if some events still end up a bit chaotic. There's just a general problem in balancing the resources needed to manage lines with the number of people showing up for the large number of queued events. Lottery systems sound fair but get a number of reasonable complaints -- something I hear that artists alley is dealing with currently. But there's still quite a bit of other great stuff to report about Otakon.

One nice newer feature is the Thursday afternoon outdoor matsuri just outside the south (main) entrance to the convention center. This is very much a fan-driven event with a lot of meet-ups and small performances. Those who don't mind the heat will be nicely entertained if they arrive early and have time to kill before things kick off on Friday. Unfortunately, much of the area used for the matsuri is unshaded and very warm. The unfortunate cliche of needing to remind anime convention attendees to shower does need to be mentioned here.

There's plenty of dining options around and inside the convention. Obviously the most popular (typically the most inexpensive) will have lines and waits, and end up packed way past anybody's comfort. But the area has tons of other options for anybody willing to travel just a bit farther than the immediate vicinity of the convention center and/or pay a bit of a premium. As an added bonus, the DC Chinatown area is within comfortable walking distance in the evening (without the daytime heat) and has plenty of places open well past midnight. The food options on the upper and lower levels, plus the fast-food places within the halls, are also reasonable considering the extreme convenience. For those really ready to take a plunge, DC has numerous Michelin rated restaurants and other high-end dining options, great for those in town early or late, or interested in making time after a shorter day-trip to the convention.

Otakon has also supported something lacking from Baltimore after the move, at least for a cosplay photographer like myself. Baltimore had quite a few amazing places nearby and indoors that worked well for photo shoots. The Washington Convention Center isn't nearly as accommodating, and the good outside areas in DC tend to be difficult to work in, with all the normal tourists, locals, and other traffic issues. Which isn't to say they don't exist, but be ready to make a few sacrifices to use them. But more to the point, Otakon expanded its studio photography area by quite a bit and it keeps going strong year after year. It's easy to find, there's tons of options, and anybody can easily get a photo there. And in the end, cosplayers and photographers always make good use of what's available.

Otakon often has big events and this year one of the main attractions was screening the film Sand Land, an adaptation of the manga by Akira Toriyama, best known as the creator of Dragon Ball. (The film's worldwide premiere was at San Diego ComiCon in 2023.) Numerous other films are screened in the gigantic main video room. Likewise, Otakon has tapped into the opportunity for concerts for a long time now, and 2024 did not disappoint. FLOW celebrated it's 20th anniversary with the FLOW 20th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL LIVE 2023 ~Anime Shibari Festival~ starting at the Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall in Japan and included Otakon 2024 as one of the stops on the tour. With the explosive growth of interest in east Asian pop culture since the 90s a lot of Otakon's musical guests have been primarily musicians with anime theme crossovers. FLOW is a band focused on anime theme songs, and the concert really hit its mark both as a musical event and an anime convention event, too.

Otakon has something for everybody into anime and its related fandoms. A much smaller and toned down event, but one I thought was particularly nice, was the Otakon museum. Artifacts like programming books and t-shirts from years past were on display. Much care had been placed into it to show off how much of the fandom spirit went into each year, how the convention evolved and grew (in more ways than just attendance) over time, and honored many of the key people who made it all possible. Otakon has been around long enough that the age of the typical attendee is now less than the age of the convention itself. Another great, if small, event was the idol showcase. Something of a mix between the masquerade, open mic karaoke, and a talent show, idol group had a chance to get up and show their stuff. What really made this an event is that essentially the whole weekend was booked up with acts and groups, each bringing something new, fun, and different to the stage. It's a perfect place to go to get energized and excited.

Otakon has been a fixture in my life for more than half of it. While the different eras have had both their perks and problems, I'm excited to see where it all goes. Each year I'm looking forward to it. Even so, this upcoming Otakon in 2025 may be my last for a while. Though my intended move to Japan would still leave me available to be back in DC in the summer, my own era of Otakon may be coming to a close. But it's something I'll be keeping an eye on no matter what, and if I'm lucky enough to attend conventions in Japan, it'll be Otakon I'm comparing them to.

Otakon will return to the Washington DC convention center August 8th through 10th, 2025.