Adventures in Conventions: Anime Matsuri 2016 - Day 1

February 26, 2016

So last year, I mentioned somewhere in one of my blog entries that I was gifted access to Houston's biggest Anime convention, Anime Matsuri. I did say a friend gave that pass to me, right? Well, let me tell you that it was my own boyfriend that gave me that pass…and we weren't even together yet. Roy actually had to leave town that Sunday, which was the last day of the convention, and he wanted me to "go on and have fun". So I did.

That's how I got my first hand at an actual anime convention.

Of course, I would also count San Diego Comic Con, but…I never went INSIDE, so it was Anime Matsuri that gave me that first hand of what conventions are actually like. I only got to be there for a few hours, which was plenty of time. However, one day was not enough.

Usually, Anime Matsuri is during the first weekend of April. This year, as they are celebrating their 10th anniversary, it was moved up to February (probably due to the annoying construction around the George R. Brown Convention Center that's really fucking up the traffic these days). This time, instead of just going for one day, I'm gonna be hanging out for all three days.

For the 2nd year in a row as a convention goer, I forwent the cosplaying and decided to just be me. :P Roy also forwent his cosplaying as well (although I told him he'd make a good Deadpool). We also decided to skip the hotel and just beat the traffic from the Galveston countryside to Downtown, just to save some money.

Friday, our day started off at around 8 am. I was the first to get up (Roy is slower than I am), so I took the time to get ready, be pretty, and get things ready while Roy takes literally 5 minutes to get dressed and be out the door. I decided to take my car instead of his, seeing that I had a full tank of gas already. We stopped by at Denny's for breakfast, and after a half hour we were finally on the road. We had to go pick up a friend, Lauren, before we got to the convention. Told her that it would be exactly an hour until we got to her place.

What to expect from me? Quite honestly, SPLATOON MERCHANDISE. Yes, I am still obsessed with Splatoon these days, and since this is a Japanese convention, I am hoping for some Splatoon merchandise, as well as some good art to hang on the walls of my place. I kinda sorta desperately need more art on my walls even though I have absolutely no room for more.

After parking at a garage, and taking the Light Rail down to the Convention Center, not only there was traffic but there was also a ton of cosplayers around Discovery Green (a small park across from the Convention Center). We even made it on time as well. Doors would be open at noon, and it was 15 minutes till. There was already a long line, so it actually took us about another half hour for us to get in. Yep, there was a LOT of attendees.

The first area we entered was the Dealers/Vendors Hall. A TON of anime merchandise was everywhere. I was amazed, and even though I still got money leftover from my tax refund…I literally had to hold back or else I'd go absolute batshit crazy and end up being broke in less than a second. I was hoping I would hold back until at least Saturday, but once I entered a Pokemon plush booth, I immediately saw this:



My jaw dropped. My heart was beating faster. I could not believe what I saw. After several years of looking for an ACTUAL PLUSHIE of my FAVORITE POKEMON OF ALL TIME was there, right in front of me. I hesitantly asked the dealer the price of the precious plushie keychain. But you know what? I didn't care if it was $12 or $120. Just shut the fuck up and take my damn money.

And then there was also…



Nope. Take my wallet if you can. Max out my credit card if you want too. I do not CARE.

The above two plushies were probably the best purchases I've done so far. Then I came across a booth selling Japanese merch. What caught my eye was Splatoon pillows for $30. I was very tempted to buy one, but I wanted to wait if there was a better price on them, as well as more Splatoon merch (hoping for an inkling girl plushie). So I decided to wait on that.

I began to notice that Roy wanted to wander off at another direction, while Lauren and I wanted to go see a panel. I didn't want to be a controlling girlfriend who won't let her man do what he wants. I mean, as long as he isn't lying, it's all good. So, I allowed him to wander off, whether by himself or with friends. So for about a couple of hours, Lauren and I went panel-hopping, attending the Opening Ceremonies, tried out a waffle burger from a food truck, and bought traditional Japanese clothing (hers was a Kimono, and mine was a Haori). Roy finally reappeared after walking around with a friend, and we both met up at the Maid Café. We both decided to check out the Marvel vs. DC Cosplay Contest (spoiler alert, there was more DC than Marvel, which kinda sucked because I was hoping for the 9473097432093 Deadpool cosplayers to join the contest). It was a good way for us to enjoy the Japanese snacks I had bought at the Maid Café concession stand.

After the contest, Lauren had to go meet up with someone, while Roy and I reentered the Dealers Room one more time. I…ended up going crazy again. I did end up buying the Splatoon pillow. Then I also ended up buying my very first Japanese statue. I was hoping for a Hatsune Miku statue, but I ended up going for Super Sonico. We also took pictures of a lot of cosplayers that were around the Dealers Room.

The last thing we did was to visit a Voice Actors Seminar. We both didn't want to pursue a career in voice acting, but it would be interesting to know how it was done. Because we didn't want to hit traffic, we had to leave the convention at around 7:30 in the evening.

It was a lot of fun for a first day! And it was actually my first FULL day, and not a 1/2 day like last year. So yes, I had a lot more fun. And it's not stopping there as I got Saturday and Sunday to look forward to! Hoping my bank account is alive after this weekend.