By Kaung Set and Stephanie Monica
Nerd Reactor was at Anime Weekend Atlanta to take in the sights, buy way too many things in the dealer hall, and get an idea of what AWA means to its attendees. To us, it’s the post-hangover con, if Dragon Con was one big hangover. If you have any costumes you want to get more wear out of, this is your last chance to do it in the Atlanta area before next spring. The weather was perfect this year. Not a cloud in sight to spoil the weekend with rain like it did in 2015. A lot of the cosplayers and photographers took advantage of this fact by setting up photoshoots all weekend long. The large courtyard in front of the Renaissance Waverly Hotel lends itself as a great backdrop from morning to late into the night. We spoke to a few attendees to get their take on AWA, and here’s what they had to say.
Andy (pictured above) has been going to cons for several years, but it was her first time at AWA. We asked her what her expectations were as a first time attendee:
“I’ve been to other anime, specific cons before, so I knew what to expect. There’s a lot of bright anime merch, and viewings, and costumes. And I’m still seeing stuff from other fandoms as well, like video games and cartoons. But it’s definitely anime-focused, which is what I expected.”
Next was John (above), who has been coming to AWA for a few years now. We asked him how AWA has changed his con life:
“Four years ago was my first convention, which was AWA. And it introduced me to the cosplay world. I go there, and it’s like, ‘Whoa dude, a whole new world, which is really cool.’ And next time I went to a convention, it wasn’t the same. I wanted to be in costume. I wanted to know what it was like to feel like a character. And when Bloodborne came out, I was like, this is the game that’s going to make me want to dress up like a character. And now the game is out, and here I am as The Hunter. It’s only the second costume I’ve made.”
Finally, we spoke to Colby, who returned to AWA after going for the first time last year. We asked what AWA meant to her:
“I really, really love anime, and it’s a great place to come together, and take pictures, and be around the people who love the same stuff. It’s not quite as crowded as Dragon Con, so I can breathe and move around, which is nice. There’s cool people to see, like voice actor Vic Mignogna. There’s stuff in the dealer’s room that’s amazing. Just a great experience.”
After attending NYCC shortly after AWA, we gained a new appreciation for anime cons. It’s nice to have a chill pace to enjoy the weekend, and actually have some breathing room to show off your cosplay. The focus is more on you and your friends instead of exclusive merchandise or big named celebrities. Drawing over 28,000 people this year, AWA is still growing. We just hope it never gets too big to lose sight of the focus on the fans who come here to enjoy one another’s company.
from Nerd Reactor
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