Otakon! This year’s Otakon is much bigger than the ones before, but then that’s always the case.  This year there were a lot of new anime, a lot of interesting panels, and of course, cosplayers.  Lots and lots of cosplayers…

This con started out well, a breakfast bagel eaten while watching the very first episodes of “Lupin the Third”, a funny “caper” anime from the 70′s, cheezy pop music and all.  After that, wandering the halls, taking occasional photos of the scene:

Crowds…

More crowds…

So… many… fans!!!

The best thing about the cosplay community and the folks who participate is the creativity that cosplayer display. Some cosplayers try to get as accurate as they can in portraying their characters:

Green Arrow(s)!

From ‘FLCL’: Haruhara, Kanti, and Mamimi

Others like to take characters and re-imagine them as someone else, often by taking a cue from other aspects of fandom, like these girls,

Cute Avengers, Assemble!

who took the characters of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor, and imagined them as girls in “lolita” costumes. If you don’t understand what that means, Wikipedia explains all!

Of course, when it gets late at night, things get silly!

Gumby, Pokey, and… Korra???

So, day 1 of Otakon was fun, somewhat disappointing due to not being able to attend some panels (they had very strict limits on room attendance) but much good anime was viewed, fantastic artwork was seen in the Art Show, and in the Artist Alley. Day 2: Assault on the Dealer’s Room! The first casualty: my poor credit card!