Otakon has been, for the last 10 years, the largest anime convention in the United States this side of California. This year was to be no exception with an expected turnout of over 12,000 attendees (Otakon has had a meteoric increase in attendance every year, with the 2001 convention finally topping the 10,000 mark). For the first time this year, they had secured the entire Baltimore Convention Center for three days of anime otaku goodness. 28 acres of wall-to-wall anime should be enough for most people.

Day One
Having arrived in Baltimore the day before, our Otakon crew woke up at the butt crack of dawn to ensure parking and a good spot in line. Despite having arrived at the Baltimore Convention Center early, we were still greeted by a line around the enormous building at least a few thousand strong. With a two-hour wait ahead of us, this would be a good time to introduce our party: Anime Academy Staff included Mugs, Kjeldoran, Gatts, Corpse and myself. Kjeldoran had driven down with his equally-frigid Canadian friend, and they came to cosplay as Lupin and Jigen, respectively. In my honest opinion, and apparently the opinions of many others, they pulled off the dynamic duo to a "T". Gatts flew in accompanied by a friend of his who runs a local anime club.

With our team in place, albeit bleary-eyed from what would be the first of many nights of minimal sleep, and a long wait ahead of us for Otakon to open their doors at 9:00 am, we thought the worst was behind us. Unfortunately, Mother Nature must have a not-so-dry sense of humor because she decided to rain on our parade... literally. Drenched, but nevertheless undeterred for what awaited us in the dry confines of the BCC, not a soul fled for higher ground, even those unfortunate few who decided to apply face paint for the festivities.

This was someone's idea of a cruel joke. The Otakon Staff opened the doors half an hour early only to subject our wet posteriors to the frigid, air-conditioned building. How pneumonia-rific of them. Everything from here on out would be smooth sailing, however, as the line for those who pre-registered would be the last line the Anime Academy Staff would have to stand in for the duration of the convention. The press passes we were issued did wonders to eliminate any unnecessary idle waiting in line for the multitude of events. If Otakon 2002 has taught me anything, it's that there is too much to do and not enough time to do it.

The opening ceremonies proved to be somewhat of a disappointment. Yes, we had front row seats in the press pit, and Ishida Yoko sang ParaPara renditions of the Neon Genesis Evangelion opening Cruel Angel's Thesis and the Ah! My Goddess opening Iidasenai Tashikametai, but three of the Japanese Guests of Honor were unaccounted for and the process seemed organized impromptu. Still, Otakon Chair Susan Monroe gave a nice, brief history on her involvement and the convention's evolution over the past decade. Oh, and "Doctor" Bruce Faulconer, the man behind the dubbed Dragonball Z music, was also on hand to sign autographs (I made myself conveniently absent for his panel...).

After spending some time perusing the dealer booths for expansive, and expensive, anime merchandise and stopping by the video game room to chuckle politely at the hundred or so kids stampeding for a spot in the Super Smash Brothers tournament, it was time for what was undoubtedly the day's main event: Mystery Anime Theater 3000. Spoofing the absolute worst in the world of anime has become a tradition at Otakon, and this year proved to be no exception. Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo had the crowd in stitches as they tore Attack of the Super Monsters a new one. Even better was the Aquaman/NERV eye catch and the MIIB trailer set to Big O clips. Hilarious!

The final two hours before our crew attempted sleep were filled with some fantastic and very professional anime music videos. The finalists were divided by genre, and each one showed why they earned their spot as the best among hundreds of submissions. We had finally succumb to fatigue... only to wake up a few hours later.

Day Two
If you can only attend one day of Otakon, make it Saturday.

After catching the first half of the catgirls panel (to our dismay there was less fan service and more tips on which glue adheres to skin the best) and hitting the dealers room again, Corpse, Kjeldoran and myself eagerly rushed to see Wings of Honneamise on a screen the size of a two-car garage in beautiful 35mm. To say that I was disappointed when my ears witnessed the horror of the opening dialogue spoken in English is an understatement. One of the greatest masterpieces of anime... on a huge screen... in 35mm... and they show it dubbed? Apparently, I can't have my cake and eat it, too. So be it. We promptly made our way to the exit.

My spirits were lifted when we elbowed our way to the Studio Madhouse panel and Guest of Honor Nightow Yasuhiro, creator of Trigun. After flashing our badges and being seated close enough to feel Nightow-san's spittle when he says "love and peace!", we were privy to some exciting anime news, including the upcoming Matrix anime, Gungrave anime and a Ninja Scroll movie sequel and television series! We also learned of the Madhouse staff's peculiar attraction to World Wrestling Entertainment and how Captain Jean-Luc Picard had an influence on Nightow's character designs. Mugs could hardly contain his excitement upon hearing from Sato Tatsuo that new Di Gi Charat anime have been slated for at least the next two years.

We then spent the next few hours hopping between The Best of J-Pop, Nightow Yasuhiro's autograph session and the Pioneer panel, featuring diva Ishida Yoko. After grabbing a bite to eat, we made our way to the press pit for the night's main event: the Masquerade.

If you want to see thousands upon thousands of raving anime otaku in one room, all you have to do is experience the cosplay Masquerade. From the chants of "chair!" and "Pocky!" to people holding up very random, often humorous signs to the camera panning the room, an electricity flowed through the hyped-up crowd like a tidal wave. The highlights of the event, and there were many, included a giant Mecha King Ghidorah crooning to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody (with the left and right heads providing backup and chorus), a skit based on Happa-tai's Yatta! and a rather convincing argument for the Mario "Bruthas" being black and not Italian. Hilarity ensued and prevailed throughout the two-hour event, and more than a few times I found myself wiping away laughter-induced tears.

The awards ceremony was disappointing. Video equipment seemed to fail at the most inopportune times, and the restless crowd called for Steve's (our favorite audio/video scapegoat) head. Susan Monroe tried her best to keep things on track, but it appeared that all was lost; to placate the crowd, the winners of the anime music video contest were shown on the big screens to much applause.

Mugs, Kjeldoran, Corpse and myself caught Takahata Isao's Gauche the Cellist on the big screen. This was a fun way to kill an hour before Ishida Yoko's concert.

Press passes to the rescue once again as we bypassed the line for the Ishida Yoko concert and were ushered up front (I think I'm bronzing mine when I get home...). She opened up with three of her anime songs: White Destiny from Pretear, Sugar Baby Love from A Little Snow Fairy Sugar and Towa no Hana from Ai Yori Aoshi. She encored with a technofied Fly Me to the Moon from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

And that's it for Otakon 2002. I had an absolute blast, and this experience was invaluable to my journey down otakudom. I shall conclude with one observation:

Despite the fact that there are literally dozens upon dozens of events, panels, films and classes, it's the fans that make the convention. Without the cosplayers, industry leaders and throngs of crazed otaku, this would have been just another gathering of the masses. Otakon is truly a convention of otaku generation. I would not have had nearly as much fun had I not experienced this alongside my Anime Academy friends. Maybe we'll see you there next year.