On April 25, 2009, some of my friends and I went to an Anime convention. Anime is a style of animation originating in Japan that is often characterized by action filled plots that are colorful, vibrant and set in the future. The convention took place at the Rochester Institute of Technology where there is a large following of anime by college students. It was an amazing experience that I do not want forget any time soon! The convention was an opportunity for people who really love Japanese animation to come together for a day of fun. Two of my favorite things from the convention was talking to the voice actors of some of my favorite characters at the panel discussions and seeing the originality of other peoples costumes.

While we were at the convention, we saw a total of four voice actors throughout the day. During the morning sessions my friends and I got to see three of them- Collen Clickberd, Todd Haderkorn, and John Swagey. The panels were set up so that there was audience participation. I liked how these panels were small enough that most audience questions could be answered. I was even more excited when I got my question answered! In the afternoon we saw my sisters favorite voice actor, Vic Mignogna. Although this panel had the largest group of fans attend and not everyone was able to get their questions answered, it was probably the most fun role plays characters! I had been looking forward to seeing him as soon as I heard he was coming to the convention. Although I didn’t get to ask him a question, the people who did, asked some pretty good ones! Vic had good answers too. I believe he is a good role model for teenagers. Meeting Vic was a wonderful experience that I will remember for a long time. I hope I will get to meet more popular voice actors in the future. .

One other thing I will remember for a long time are all of the original consumes that people wore to the convention. Most everyone dressed up and seemed to be having a great time interacting with one another. One of the reasons I liked all of the costumes was because most of them were very creative. I admire the time people took to make their own costumes and dress up for the convention. People really put a lot of time, energy and thought into dressing up. My Grandma and my sister designed and made my costume for me. I had several compliments on it. People actually knew which charcter I was and from which series! For the next convention I hope to make my own costume. I really liked the costumes and hope they are just as good next year.
As a result of going to this convention I learned a lot about the type of people who attend these conventions. For the most part they are nonjudgmental and a lot of fun. My mom and dad also had a good time and were impressed with all of t he positive interaction they observed. My mom said she would take my sister and I to another anime convention. We might actually get to go to a huge one in New York city next fall. I am hopeful I will attend future conventions but I will never forget my first on at Roschester Institute of Technology!!!