Katsu in the Cradle

Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr was once quoted for writting the iconic (albeit satirical) words "plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose" or in English "The more things change, the more they stay the same." As the years have worn on I feel this statement has only proven to be somewhat more and more true. While things have certainly changed for me over the last ten years, it's amazing how so many things have fundamentally remained the same at heart. This isn't really a problem mind you, just more of a small observation.

Fun Fact: The "Katsu" in Katsucon could potentially mean "Pork."

Days Gone By

Nine years ago (that's all the way back in 2005 kiddos!) I made the decision to attend a (fairly local) anime convention by the name of Katsucon. As far as first impressions go it wasn't a very good one. The event was divided between two hotels (with one of the hotels under heavy construction in the dead-cold of a February winter wind storm!) and no one in the staff seemed to know what was going on at any given moment in time. Sparring you all of the drawn-out details, it was certainly a rough ride for everyone who attended that weekend. Somehow though my friends and I managed to get through it all and still have fun in spite of ourselves. We found some of the silliest little moments to be some of the most entertaining things since everything else the convention offered was a fundamental disaster.

As an example, there was an entrance to an underground mall that connected to one of the convention hotels. This entrance had a somewhat steep uphill slant to it, and it just so happened that a lone office chair had been left out at the bottom of this entrance. Without hesitation my group claimed this chair and we immediately ran it up to the top of the hill so that we could (you guessed it!) ride it down to the bottom. Danny "Razor Fox" Valentini went first, and while his ride was funny, it was also way too simple. He merely sat on the chair only going half-way down the hill; with no sense of flare or style to it. Once the chair came into my possession though, I made it a point to give people something to remember. I placed my belly on the flat of the chair, stuck my arms and legs out and went down the hill Superman style! It was by this point that our chair shenanigans had attracted a somewhat large crowd. Before you could say Clark Kent, people were screaming and cheering for me as I went down this hill as if I were flying. People stuck their hands out for me to smack (which of course I did! Who wouldn't?) and an incredible experience was had by all! That was just one of those kind of moments from my very first Katsucon.

The following year's Katsucon marked my first ever live art competition. I had the distinct honor of competing in Iron Artist against the likes of none other than the man, the myth, the legend himself: Fred Perry! While our battle was close and certainly fierce, Fred ultimately won out in the end. To this very day that Saturday at Katsucon has remained one of my most fond memories. I got to compete with an artist I admire and hear him say that I've got what it takes to make it as a pro! 2007's Katsucon also stood as the first time that I got to play the role of a commentator and judge for Iron Artist. I played myself up as a Jesse "The Body" Ventura type character, eliciting quite a great deal of laughs from the audience with my witty banter, and my ultimate hand-turkey challenge at the end of the competition. 

I could continue going on and on about Katsucons of the past, but I wont. To say the least Katsucon has changed substantially over time, but it has almost always given some kind of a first experience for me. It was where I met some of my friends for the first time, and where I first got my foot into the art world by having my very first (and very profitable!) artist alley table! It was where I did my first set of interviews for my blog over a year ago. In spite of all the flaws that it's had (seemingly every year without fail) I can't bring myself to walk away from Katsucon for this very reason. There have been far too many awesome memories made to simply say good-bye to it all.

Cosplay Corner

Yang, Blake, and Ruby from RWBY.

While I have continued to maintain my attendance at Katsucon, I've admittedly been showing up for only the Saturday of the con for the past four years. In the end the flaws of the con (such as poor management, disorganized events, and incompetent staff) have turned me off to going for the full weekend. If future conventions show improvement though, I've said numerous times that I would gladly return the con to its former position in my yearly convention schedule. Til then, I will continue to go for a day, if only to hang out with friends, buy some cool swag, and maybe make a quick buck by doing commissions. Regardless, I've still had fun, and this year was no exception.

The one-day-only status didn't stop me from checking out some truly great cosplay. Sadly I don't have the greatest of cameras equipped to my phone (as my phone is an ancient fossil by modern standards) so a fair portion of my photos didn't turn out as well as I would've hoped. I've had to be selective in the pictures that I would put up with this post simply because I'm sure no one wants to see fuzzy cosplay images with lackluster lighting. Thankfully I did still manage to snag some pretty good shots.

Behold the new Odd Couple.

One group that I was thoroughly impressed by was the RWBY cosplayers. These people made it a point to keep themselves in character the entire time I interacted with them. I could clearly tell that they had a distinct passion for the show and tons of respect for bringing the source material to life. The only real negative that I could see to their costumes was the lack of Ruby Rose's iconic gigantic scythe weapon. Other than that bit of detail this group was spot on, and they set a standard as some of the best RWBY cosplay I've seen so far.

Perhaps one of the most unique cosplays of the con was a couple dressed as Freddy Kruger and Mai Shiranui. It was certainly an odd pairing, but the duo pulled it off incredibly well. Both of them went the extra mile to change their hair, apply makeup, and even put on a fun little routine for those who were curious. I had my personal interpretation of their skit that they really seemed to like when I shared it with them. I told them that I would like to think that it wasn't Freddy who had come in to Mai's nightmare, but Mai who had come in to Freddy's dream.

I'd actually go so far as to say that this may have been one of the best years (in regards to cosplay) that I've seen for Katsucon in a long while. Surprisingly enough the staff kept matters involving cosplay organized to designated areas so that photo ops never impeded the flow of traffic on the event floors. I came across a vast amount of exceptional costumes, all of which were portrayed by very accommodating and approachable people. Normally I'm used to seeing this kind of topnotch handling of cosplay for the bigger east-coast venues like Otakon or New York Comic Con. This year I felt Katsucon finally got its act together and made cosplay one of the star attractions. I can only hope that this trend will continue, as this will serve to only bring in more elaborate and amazing cosplayers for future cons.

She could certainly be my starter Poke'mon.

Amaterasu is a ray of sunshine.

Rock out with Ryoko!

Bow down to Queen Chrysalis.

Get iron in your diet with Metal Bending.

Panty & Stocking dish out some divine punishment.

Tira wants to play.

Quiet readies her shot.

Super Sonico jams on her headset.

Now you're cosplaying wtih portals!

None thug it harder than the Waldo gang.

Hey, a cosplay devil.

Princess Nefertari invites a dance?

I don't know who she's cosplaying, but she looks great.

Will you show Lum a good time?

Cinder is super hot.

Twenty Years Running

You didn't read the double X at the top of this post wrong; Katsucon turned twenty this year. While this didn't really affect me too much, this was quite substantial to Razorfox. A little known fact about him: Razorfox has had perfect attendance with Katsucon since all the way back in 1995 with Katsucon 1! Not only that, but this also heralded his ONE HUNDREDTH convention appearance overall! Of course, us being the rambunctious nerds that we were decided that we could not let this major milestone for Razorfox go un-celebrated.

Jason and I (almost as if on reflex) both whipped out our Nintendo 3DS and went toe to toe in some fiercely competitive Mario Kart 7 racing. For those who don't know, games of Mario Kart are a regular tradition between Jason and I, and it tends to get very heated, and very funny. Razorfox rooted on from the sidelines, instigating more and more animosity between Jason and myself. While Jason did eventually win out against me in the end, his victories were not easily earned! Mark my words, I'll get you next time Riftwalker!

Fun times with Riftwalker (left) and Razorfox (right)

 From there we would later treat ourselves to some nice (and expensive) Chinese cuisine, and a fun night of drinking at the Gaylord Hotel's bar. During the dinner we shared our thoughts and philosophies on such things as fandom, legacy, and what it meant to truly pursue a life in the arts. It was a glorious conversation, and it was moments like this that I wish I had a good camera so that I could record it. I got to share this wondrous experience with such great friends as: Jen (Erikonil) and Rene (Idiosylph) Starling (creators of the fantasy webcomic Tales From New Winter) Robert V. Aldritch (author of the Crossworld novel series) Jason "Riftwalker" Cumberledge, Newton "Newtman" Ewell, and the man of the hour Razorfox himself. If anything else, this conversation alone made my coming to Katsucon worth it.

Once we made our way to the bar all bets were essentially off. We decided that we would honor Razorfox's unlocked achievement by drinking copious amounts of alcohol. We were joined by the likes of Ronzo "Shonuff44" Murphy, Leo "Bitmonkey" Saunders, Jason "Crybringer" Robinson, and Cindy "Cowrie1974." While we did sadly miss out on some anime geek bingo, we did manage to have a good reminiscing of anime conventions long since past. Recounting such things as our first convention sing-a-long or how we even first met was a nice trip down memory lane to say the least. We held a toast to time well spent, and to a prosperous future for us all. We also yet again found ourselves rolling in the utmost of amusement by some of the silliest things. Jason wearing a stylish raver wig was a highlight!

Maybe he's born with it?

Another Notch on the Belt

Thus another Katsucon passed by. While it wasn't my greatest convention experience of all-time , it was certainly one that was well worth being present for. Great conversations were had all around, and I even nabbed some really cool swag from the Dealer's row. I got an insane deal on the beautiful Jaina Solo statue from Kotobukiya, as well as an ungodly adorable solar powered Super Sonico bobble-head.

Overall I'm not going to complain about how Katsucon itself was handled. It seems like the staff is finally finding their mojo as it were and have been putting in the effort to get Katsucon up to the next level as an anime convention. If they can keep this progress going I could see myself coming back to Katsucon for the full weekend. Til then though, I'm satisfied that I just had a great day with my friends.