Personally, I have not been to an Anime Convention in the perspective of someone going to engage with the anime community or fandom, or engage in any activities such as cosplay or panels. About a decade ago, I went to Anime St. Louis out of curiosity, and have gone to events in recent years that have cosplay participants, but I have never participated myself. Though, based on the lectures and articles of the sense of inclusion and belonging that is usually in conjunction with the topic of Anime Conventions, I believe the True Otaku documentary presents the structures, positives, and negatives of Anime Conventions rather well.
Firstly, the documentary’s point of how Anime Conventions are thought of as means to create new friendships and connections which may be useful in creating new hobbies, is a sensible point considering the number of possible activities and overall organization of Conventions. For instance, the ability to cosplay, or “Costume Play” as a character of interest in a person, could open topics of discussion of other individuals also dress as the character, or of the same franchise or genre of the character. As seen in the documentary, some individuals are passionate about their interests and overall status as a fandom, or Otaku member, and come to Anime Conventions at different times. This sense of passion can lead people to creating friendships and relations based on common faces, all while being set in a carefree environment where the individuals can be themselves.
Another area of Anime Conventions that expresses a positive is how it doesn’t necessarily prevent any individuals outside of the Otaku fandom from going, as some can go as a family, to support the anime-interests of their loved ones, as well as those who have a bit more knowledge on the Otaku fandom. It is also an intriguing factor how cosplayers aim to sometimes represent the likeness of their character both visually and in acting. The biggest factor to note in the individuals to go to Anime Conventions is how some cosplayers sometimes may lean toward some borderline risqué costumes.
As for the possible negatives of Anime Conventions, the primary negative that is probable is worrying how others may perceive you, or if a crucial part of a person’s costume is missing. For instance, a large area in Anime Conventions are the cosplay contests, and overcoming anxieties and stresses of your placement and how a person thinks people see them somewhat ruins the overall experience of showing your craft and undermines the positive purpose of contests such as cosplay.
From a personal standpoint, I think the differing styles clothing and of Anime culture are the most intriguing as they present Japanese culture in both the areas individuals have commonly grown accustomed to, as well as areas people may not know about. For instance, Samurai and Lolita types of accessories and clothing educate individuals on an area of Japanese culture others may not have known about. In fact, due to the internet, groups have been able to diversify based on interests such as Lolita clothing styles in order for the Anime/Otaku community to continually grow.
From the perspective of an aspiring artist, I can also respect the documentary’s notion to challenge oneself with cosplay types as well.
Therefore, I stand by the documentary’s stances on Anime Conventions, as well as the positives they may bring to a person in the future. Although I doubt I will participate in a convention in the future, I can see the possible positives of participating, in a social perspective, to be surrounded by those of similar interests, alike that of Genshiken.
