Hopefully some of you remember when, last year, I wrote about SakuraCon, the anime convention at the Washington State Convention Center, and posted a picture of myself in costume (I was not exactly fond of that particular photo and had not expected it to be printed so prominently, oh well...). If not, perhaps some of you can recall seeing many an odd sight when wandering around downtown Seattle last March. Purple wigs, fuzzy tails, impossible hairstyles, large swords, lots of leather belts - ringing any bells?

Well, it's that time of year again, and I figured that, rather than leave the public vulnerable and unaware, it was my duty to prepare everyone for the coming weekend long anime invasion.

What is an anime convention? It is a gathering of thousands of geeks, nerds and all other forms of anime and videogame freakazoids. These anime-obsessed people are called Otaku. Anime is the term used to refer to Japanese-style animation (popular in America are Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Akira, Naruto and Cowboy Bebop). However, anime is not exclusively Japanese. Characteristic of anime are outlandish and often mythical plots, detailed backgrounds, stylized characters, stiff movements (in comparison to the loose and floppy Looney Tunes look) and realistic 'camera' movements and angles. It is very much an art form and is therefore difficult to describe without pictures. It is particular to no set genres or plots. No matter what type of film or story you like, you are likely to find it in anime.

Anime conventions are massive centers for any anime, manga (the comic book version of an anime) and Asian rock and pop music merchandise. One entire hall in the Washington State Convention Center is devoted to the displaying and selling of said items. Also, there are several game playrooms, concerts, costume contests, fanfiction (fan-authored stories about anime characters) contests and various workshops such as anime illustration and wig styling. They are akin to the more familiar Star Trek Conventions excepting that anime does truly possess a much broader scope of interest.

What is cosplay? All of those 'people' who choose, of their own freewill, to adorn themselves in items that are barely recognizable as clothes, gel their hair into anything from manageable shags to garish and intimidating two-foot high blue spikes and tote around often large and intimidating fantasy-type weapons are cosplayers.

I am a proud cosplayer. It's like playing a more complex, creative and inventive form of 'dress-up.' Half the fun is trying to convert drawings of outfits that were never meant to follow the rules of physics into real life items. Becoming thoroughly involved in this admittedly ridiculous world has forced me to significantly improve my skills as a seamstress and as a general craftswoman. It can be an intense cash drain, but is very, very fun. And I'm improving my resourcefulness, learning to create something (hopefully) spectacular out of nothing (i.e. a Pringles can, embroidery rings, or a paper cup). I realized that my craft-ness had reached an all time high when I did a little happy dance over buying my first hot glue gun - those things are amazing! Martha Stewart would be so proud.

When is SakuraCon? This year SakuraCon is April 6-8. If you are curious and want to know more about it then just look it up on Google. Also, for those interested in any form of costuming or fashion and design, I suggest that you check out Cosplay.com. It is the place for all thins cosplay, the essential myspace for cosplayers.

What is the theme of today's lesson? Blatant promotion of a personal interest isn't always a bad thing. So everyone should head to downtown Seattle at least once between April 6th and April 8th to take in the crazy sights. Even if you aren't interested in anime or videogames or Japanese rock bands, you can wander around the first floor without paying a dime. Exploring the new and unusual, and occasionally bizarre, is often worth the effort. Bring a camera. You're going to need it. :)

Kyra-lin Hom may be reached at k_lhom@yahoo.com