For obvious reasons, my favourite part of the convention was the cosplay parade (I’m a cosplayer), but we’ll get to that later. In the meantime, look at these cosplays!

LOOK AT THE MATERIAL!

There are a few things I would like to mention that stood out to me throughout the entire convention. I also had the opportunity to talk to different people who attended the event and asked them their opinions! Unfortunately, I arrived fashionably late to the scene, so there were quite several things I missed out on. But of the few things I had the privilege to witness and experience, these are some of my thoughts on them.

Let’s kick it off with the overall aesthetics of the venue. It was creative and simple, yet flattering to look at and be in. The first thing you would notice upon your arrival was the huge Hange and Gojo cutouts outside. These were my favorite. They let you know where you were and what kind of people were around – Otakus of course! And once you stepped inside, you were greeted by smaller versions of the same cutouts! It was like being transported into an anime for a split second! The choice of characters used for the cutouts was highly appreciated; given the current status of said characters.

What stood out the most, though, was the presence of food vendors! Nourishment being readily available on-site was a win for Nerd|Otaku! There was a variety of food and drinks being sold by different vendors, such as fries, tacos, cakes, smoothies, cotton candy, and many more. I caught up with an attendee who had a chance to purchase food from one of the vendors. Here is what she had to say, “Before the event, I loved the idea! It made sense to have the convenience of food right there at the event without ordering from outside places. But when the event arrived, I could not even afford it! I think, if this is why they compromised on the venue, then it was not worth it. It’s a great concept, overall, but I can do without it!”

To my knowledge, Nerd|Otaku had no control over the pricing of food at the event, but this could be something that can be taken under advisement for future events. The food vendors being present at the events is a very good idea, but the affordability of the food is a key factor in making the experience more pleasurable. Otherwise, it negates the whole purpose of having food vendors on site.

One other area I appreciated was the gaming section. The person in charge of it that day and everything they were doing there was working; I could not get through the crowd of people waiting in line to play games. I had a chat with him and this is what he had to say, “There were a lot of games and screens attendees could pick from, and several multiplayer games which allowed a little competition with peers when brought to a station. We didn’t have a collection of old-gen consoles but they were replaced with emulators on PCs, which sufficed, but eliminated the nostalgia effect a PS2 or Xbox360 controller gave. But overall, I had a good time watching everyone play their hearts out.”

The interesting part is that this year, the gamers did not even have a cash prize waiting for them at the end of all of that hassle and bustle! They were simply playing for the love of the game, literally! And bragging rights, of course; I was in awe! That goes to show just how necessary and important these events are for passionate people of many interests.

The musical performances were another facet I saw a major overhaul. The artists that were present to entertain the crowd were nothing short of amazing! I missed some performances, but the ones I managed to catch were simply amazing! They showed up and showed out. One artist in particular impressed me with their performance because they brought backup dancers and gave a concert level performance. That was awesome!