I first attended Otakon in 1999, when attendance was at just over 4,600 people. They had some composer named Yoko Kanno as their guest that weekend. The only anime I knew of was Dragonball Z, so I skipped the opportunity to meet her. Needless to say, if I had a time machine, fixing that mistake would be somewhere near the top of my list. Brief reminiscence aside, I have seen Otakon grow year after year, and this year was no exception.

Trying to summarize Otakon to anyone, even to a fellow manga and anime fan, is always a tall task. For three days, fans are hit with a bombardment of cosplayers, press announcements, live music, fan-run discussion panels, autograph opportunities, and a dealer’s room probably large enough to land a jet in. For anyone doubting the immense variety of activities available at any give hour, the events schedule was printed on a 17″x23″ fold-out poster. The con attracts a fascinating cross-section of anime fandom, from kids still waiting for their voices to crack to veterans who once bought anime on laser disc. But in the end, every single person there is bound by a common thread—the love of a part (or the whole) of Japanese culture.

Even with a stumbling economy, droves of fans still turned out for the convention. Unofficial numbers put the count just above 26,000, showing a slight growth in attendance despite the current money market. Registration lines stretched around the entire convention center on Thursday and Friday, which is an impressive sight to behold from a distance and a depressing one for those standing at the end of it.

While it was not an official part of the convention, many fans started Otakon weekend by making their way to the Sonar music club for a Thursday night performance by VAMPS. The two primary songwriters for the band, K.A.Z. (of Oblivion Dust) and HYDE (of L’arc~en~Ciel) are Japanese rock icons and the very mention of their names can cause a room full of fangirls to pass out.

Otakon offered a panel for fans and a private press conference with K.A.Z. and HYDE on Friday. Both men were soft-spoken and were wearing sunglasses. They touched upon aspects of their live performances as well as their debut album. When asked about the origin of the band name, they replied that while they originally intended it to be a reference to vampires, they like mysterious women, too (note: a vamp is a seductive woman). Talking about the collaborative process that occurs between the two of them, K.A.Z. stated that it is “like a chemical reaction.” They were also very happy about the enthusiasm that U.S. fans were showing during their appearances, noting that while the reaction level is always different from show to show, receiving such a warm welcome makes playing stateside very enjoyable.

During the panel, HYDE had enthusiastically referenced the Evangelion 2.0 movie release in Japan. A follow-up question was asked at the press conference, inquiring as to why he was so excited about it. While his first answer (a very humorous “I don’t know”) was a good one, he did elaborate further, saying that he never thought a movie could be so inspiring and that watching it stirred up feelings in the bottom of his heart.

Otakon’s Friday night concert featured MELL, perhaps best known for performing the opening theme to Black Lagoon, “Red Fraction.” MELL and her band hit the stage a little after 8 P.M. in the massive main events hall. She switched outfits several times during the set, going from a cage crinoline to a white vest to a red kimono.

Otakon has a tradition of having seated concerts (which, from a safety standpoint, I can understand) that, while keeping things orderly, have a sedative effect on the fans. There is something special about seeing a live performance and feeding off of the energy of the people around you. I hear that sometimes people even dance. The fans in the first several rows still got to their feet, threw their hands (and glowsticks) in the air, and really got down. That being said, the audience was far from dead, as the applause between songs was thundering and MELL was very, very appreciative. She exhibited an amazing range of emotions on the stage. She was often flushed, bowed her head, and genuinely thanked the crowd at many points during the concert. Yet moments later, when the music kicked in, she performed with sheer ferocity. It was cool to see how her stage presence could change so quickly.

She presented a lot of high-energy, heavy rock tinged with techno beats, but was not afraid to include a solid run of softer ballads mid-show. When she introduced “Red Fraction,” many of the seated fans finally came to life. During the encore, fans flooded the aisles to get closer to the stage, which was really wonderful to see. Also, since the band did one final costume change, it took about ten minutes before they returned to the stage. Still, the crowd kept up their cries for an encore.

The east coast premiere of the English dub of Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone was shown during the same time slot as the MELL concert. Sadly, since I still lack the ability to be in two places at once, I cannot personally report on the movie. Sources close to me indicate that it was awesome.

Check back soon for my follow-up pieces on Otakon 2009. I will be covering industry presence at the convention and two amazing Osamu Tezuka panels led by translator Frederik Schodt.

Fans can still see VAMPS on their USA live tour:

July 27th Las Vegas
July 29th San Diego
August 1st Los Angeles