Being glomped as Yuna

By Kyra-lin Hom

I'm sure that at least some people found themselves wandering around downtown Seattle the weekend of March 25th without any knowledge of the massive pilgrimage of anime fans to the Seattle Convention Center occurring then. These unprepared persons were likely shocked by sights of wild haired, oddly clothed, and effectively armed anime fans getting a quick pick-me-up at a caf/ or buying superglue from a convenient store for last minute repairs to their costume.

If it can be recalled - I believe the Seattle Times briefly mentioned the convention prior to its occurrence - the weekend of March 23rd through the 26th was when the Sakura-Con 2006 Pacific Northwest Anime Convention descended upon Seattle. It is a massive cross-cultural annual event where fans of anime, video games, and J-rock (Japanese rock music) all gather in one location for the Pacific Northwest zenith celebration of all-things-anime fandom.

My friends and I had been preparing to attend this event for months, pulling together our costumes with the help of each other, sewing machines, sporadic spurts of genius, and the always-handy Value Village. The practice of dressing-up as famous characters from Japanese media (be they real or not) is called cosplay. Sometimes, though, the term can be expanded to simply mean wearing a costume. It is terrifying how easily hundreds of dollars can be spent on the creation of these often extremely elaborate costumes. However, it is entirely worth it.

The better the costume, the more likely it is that the person wearing that costume will be "glomped" (when one person physically attacks another with an enthusiastic and loving hug) by masses of overzealous fans. This being my first anime convention and first attempt at cosplaying, I was taken aback by the popularity I received because of my "Yuna" from Final Fantasy X-2 costume. It could literally take up to an hour to walk from point A to point B. As soon as one person would approach asking for a picture and I would strike one of my character's signature poses, easily five more cameras would appear and I would suddenly be staring at a wall of flashing light. (see photo, Page 2)

It was an amazing feeling to be at the center of those mobs. I was, for a short while, the main focus of a transient and miniature universe of admiration and praise with the convention's population rhythmically breathing all around me; drawing people together on the inhale and allowing them to slowly fade their separate ways on the exhale. The environment is open, and, for the duration of the time spent within the convention center's walls, everyone is equal in their usually isolating geekdom. It is a homogenous crowd of the socially heterogeneous.

It is alluring and delightful to be surrounded by others who share similar passions. It is at these conventions that pent up energies can be released and built back up to be sustained again until the next convention. Every human likes to be acknowledged for an accomplishment when they deserve the recognition. The constant fan attention received by the truly great and even the merely good cosplayers is just deserts. It is easy to become carried away by other people's perceptions of you and pump yourself up on their words and esteem, or to become caught up in someone else's impressive glow. Returning to the realities of the normal world upon the conclusion of the convention is an odd step.

My friends and I were riding the "con-high" for the most of the week following the convention like football fans after the Super Bowl or young children after all the Christmas presents have been opened. All of us geeks need our worlds too. No one really ever wants the event to end. There is something inherently sad in the taking down of a sign or the packing away of materials. However, if the convention was constant, then it would become the norm and its glamour would quickly fade to dull fuzz at the edges of vision.

Don't be afraid to indulge a little here and there - be it with anime conventions or that live show you've been meaning to see - to keep the magic alive in an often dry and repetitive world.

Goodbye Sakura-Con, I'll see you next year!

Kyra-lin Hom is a high school student from West Seattle who can be reached at kl_hom@yahoo.com