Day 1: Katsucon uses Confusion!
ENTRY-4:45 PM 2/18/11: If chaos had a clumsy and rather confused younger brother, he would be named Katsucon. As a long time Otaku, and present sufferer of a dislike of crowds, my only previous anime convention experience has been limited to Baltimore’s own Otakon. But on this glorious day of February 18th, 2011 A.D, myself P-Chan along with the Ninja Legion’s Spider, Cecil Blade, Alora, Cross, and Pincer all find ourselves at the Gaylord Hotel preparing for madness. First and foremost, I would like to say it took us nearly an hour, about six different convention workers, and three miles of trekking before we were actually able to find the press and panel ops. It was kinda sad really. Not a single con helper could point us in the right direction. Oh, they could send us up and down the floors, to one end of the convention center to another, and just general say, “Sorry, but the princess is in another castle.” But telling us where we needed to be was a completely new concept to them. Its not even 5 o’clock yet and I’ve already managed to spend almost a hundred dollars. That can be considered a win and, at the same time, a resounding fail. You decide.
ENTRY-9:04 PM 2/18/11: Katsucon’s opening ceremony was a lot like a Kindergarten class’s first play. It was poorly scripted, all the actors missed their cues or forgot their lines, and you still clap despite the fact that the entire production was a debacle. The defining moment of the entire ceremony was the stunning rendition of the Metal Gear Solid theme performed by Trifecta, a talented band complete with live violin, taiko drums, and a DJ. If not for a breathtaking opening number I would have lost interest in the whole spectacle. Amidst the hosts poor attempts at humor, technical hiccups, and a short unfunny film, he finally gave up the special guests in attendance. Well not really. He just kinda did an elementary attendance call having people he mentioned stand. It was a sad preview to what I can only see as being a bit of a disappointment of a con. Prove me wrong Katsu. Please.
ENTRY-1:43 AM 2/19/11: Well I did a little pre-gaming with Halo: Reach seeing as how I will be signing up for the tournament tomorrow. Several beers and a dozen games later I found myself back in my groove of tea bagging, proposing indecent acts on opponent’s mothers, and overall dominance. For the record, I’m gonna feel like a complete ass if we lose in the first round. I have come to realize that Katsucon is the most disorganized place on the planet. While at The Ninja Legion’s game show panel, they couldn’t get the lights to stay on. Turns out that the space they had was split by a divider and they shared lights. The problem was, they were watching a movie next door. Fail fat security kid dressed as a Ghostbuster. Epic fail.
If you take the collective creativity brought into the process of an entity like Katsucon work, you will come to the same realization that I have. The very foundations of a creative world are being laid here with anime and Japanese culture merely being the catalyst for the revolution. The sheer amount of raw talent, unflinching love for the material, and the sometimes frenzied fervor, are something to be admired. Not just in popular culture but in society as a whole. The Otaku’s here have found something that the so called “Artistic Masters”, the directors, writers, and even actors can’t claim: Unadulterated love. For these masses, this material is their Shakespeare. They are the creative future and their visions will soon bring your realm of understanding into a brave, albeit strangely new, forefront of art. Are you ready? I know I am.