Ohayocon Review 2016 #2

Cosplay Reviews - Ohayocon 2016 by Lexyrox

Size - 15,000 - 17,000

Panels - 3/5, So since this year a lot of the convention hall was under construction and so off limits, some of the panel rooms were not accessible, however for the ones that they had, I believe they did not optimize their space or time. There were a lot of holes in the schedule and not a lot of 'have to go to' pannels. For the 'have to go to' panels there were, they filled up quickly and there were long lines (over 2 hours) 

Dealers Room - 4/5, there was a variety of different vendors and most were average con prices, but some good deals. There were a lot of people in the dealer room at most times, however, i believe this is because there were not a lot of good pannels, and overall stuff to do. ohayocon splits up its vendor hall and artist alley into 2 separate floors and there is not a good way to get to one from the other.

Staff - Con staff: 2.5/5, Outside Staff: -1 The staff was overworked and stressed as usual. Tempers flared and I heard rummers about some of them acting like real assholes. There was this one situation that I witnessed about the cops who were there to help with the convention staff yell at an unsuspected con-goer for going the 'wrong' way in a narrow hall. They were very unprofessional and acted like the general scum of the world. Made me really mad. it wasn't his fault. 

Venue - 2/5 under construction so cramped 

Guest Ex. - N/A

Photoshoot - 3/5 not as big as last year 

Autographs - N/A

Locations - 3/5 there was a cafeteria, however, it was very busy, there weren't a lot of cheap eateries around the con. 

Con Quirks - they called the masquerade a cosplay expo and like 5 people signed up. 

Professionalism - 3.5/5

By Lexyrox

Ohayocon Review 2016 #1

Cosplay Reviews - Ohayocon 2016 by The Amazing Marco Cosplay

Size - 15,000- 17,000

Panels - 2/5 The lines for panels were unnecessarily strict. The 30 minute before the panel rule was only selectively enforced. There weren't many anime-themed panels, and for an anime themed convention, it's kind of critical. I only went to three panels because of the line system, and lack of interest in the panels themselves. The panels I went to all well run, and well organized.

Dealers room - 4/5 The size of the dealer's room was well aligned with the con's size, but it could use more variety. Everyone seemed to be selling the same thing. All in all, it was very good, but I was broke so I didn't get to participate as much as I wanted.

Staff - 3/5 The staff seemed all too eager to jump down people's throats though it seemed the Hyatt as opposed to the Ohayocon staff. 

Venue- 3.5/5 The construction was a problem, creating congestions that were ridiculous. Also, if the con had used the actual convention center, it could have mitigated the damage of the construction. 

Guest Experience- N/A I didn't get around to finding the guests, there were too many people and not enough care on my part.

Photoshoots- 5/5 I only went to one, the Supernatural one, run by The Hunters Initiative. The photoshoot was super organized, everyone got what they wanted in a decent time. But the photoshoots themselves weren't publicly posted, seeming like a "black market" deal. 

Autographs- N/A

Location- 3/5 The location includes a food court, which was expensive and timely, but accessible. The location would have worked better with a smaller convention. 

Con Quirks- SO MANY BROKEN ESCALATORS!!! The biggest issue were that the escalators were to and from the busiest locations of the con, and as they were being fixed, it limited the movement from one place to another. The Main Events took a while to start, starting late, including the rave, which took a whopping hour to get ready. The names of the events were odd too, preventing a lot of people from know what the specific events are. 

Professionalism- 4/5 The staff running the Cosplay Expo was great! I was to compete in the Expo, but my cosplay was destroyed. The staff didn't want to give away my slot just in case I fixed it, but I couldn't and they were kind enough to give me VIP access to the Expo despite not competing. The MCs of the Expo were great as well.

By The Amazing Marco Cosplay

Review Video

Hints and Tips #1

Cosplayboy Hints and Tips on being in a Cosplay Costest

• Hint number 1: Some judges are very good at getting up close and personal with the contestants, so be prepared for some touching!
• Hint number 2: Make sure to get to your pre-judging slot about 15 min early! If the judges are going super fast, or here's an opening, we might be able to squeeze you in before your designated time. 
• Hint number 3: You have 3 minutes to talk about how you made your costume, and that time flies! Practice what you're going to say before hand, it really makes that difference. It also good to start at the top and work your way down, to make sure you don't miss an important part of your costume.
• And finally Hint number 4: Have three poses for the stage, really really practiced. Nothing makes a costume look more professionally done than getting into a pose quickly and efficiently, trust me on that.
• You meet a lot of cool people waiting for your spot in the Masquerade, and all of them know exactly how you feel because they're in the same boat! 
• And always remember that winning is great, but all contestants make the contest happen, so if you don't win this year, don't give up! You can always win next year!
• By: Emil, a good friend of mine.

CosplayBoy - Interviews #1

Interviews From All Kinds of People - Cosplay Club

Laurel - Cosplay Club Member 

Q: What got you into cosplay?

A: My good friend, Jay, and  I just happened upon it.

Q: How do you feel about cosplaying?

A: It is an enjoyable experience. Like any project that you want to look great, it is going to take work. In the end, I get to be a different person and that is really fun.

Q: What is your favorite cosplay you have?

A: Black Canary

Q: Do you feel that cosplay has helped you in your life?

A: Yes, it helped me with theatrics.

Q: What does cosplay mean to you?

A: It means fun times and happy memories.

Q: What do you think about the shaming that happens in cosplay culture? Slut and body shaming. 

A: It is upsetting and unfortunate.

Q: What is your next project? 

A: Juvia Lockser

Emil - Cosplay Club President

Q: What got you into cosplay?

A: I had friends that were into it and wanted to go to a convention with them. 

Q: How do you feel about cosplaying?

A: Cosplaying is so much work and effort. It takes time, money, and research. I hate it. But at the same time, seeing all the work come together is the best feeling. I love it.

Q: What is your favorite cosplay you have?

A: Hinata Shouyo from Haikyuu.

Q: Do you feel that cosplay has helped you in your life?

A: Yes, it's made me more confident in myself and what I love. 

Q: What does cosplay mean to you?

A: It's a way to express myself in a way that I couldn't do before, so it means a lot to me.

Q: What do you think about the shaming that happens in cosplay culture? Slut and body shaming. 

A: It's stupid. We're all giant nerds, why shame?

Q: What is your next project? 

A: Mikaela Hyakuya from Owari no Seraph.

Laura - Cosplay Club Officer

Q: What got you into cosplay?

A:Black Butler

Q: How do you feel about cosplaying?

A: Cosplay has a special place in my heart. It makes me really happy because I can find a new way to bond with the characters I love.



Q: What is your favorite cosplay you have?

A: Levi Ackerman from Attack on Titan

Q: Do you feel that cosplay has helped you in your life?

A: I have been able to make some new friends through cosplay and given me goals to do.

Q: What does cosplay mean to you?

A: Cosplay is something that allows me to bring out parts of me that I can't be expressed in other ways.

Q: What do you think about the shaming that happens in cosplay culture? Slut and body shaming. 

A: It's a terrible thing and it needs to stop. Cosplayers are a family.

Q: What is your next project? 

A: I am making Lucina from Fire Emblem Awakening

CosplayBoy - Post #1

Starting Out

I love to cosplay. I learned about anime and manga in 7th grade. My friend handed me Fruits Basket. Cosplay came up into my life in high school. Now I am the Vice President of a cosplay club at IUPUI. I have made some cosplay and bought some to. This is going to be a blog on cosplay and cosplay culture.

Paws-chan as Cinderella

I bought my first cosplay. Which is fine to do, you don't have to make it to have fun with cosplay. It was Hinata from Naruto. I still have it today. The next one was Haruhi from Ouran High School Host Club. Problem was that I bought it from a China company and they don't have "American" sizes. I am not a small person. So be careful on ordering things from overseas. When that fell through, I went to my basement and found a lavender suit jacket. It was my mother's. She never wore it. So I got a patch and sewed it on. Black dress pants and white dress shirt plus a black tie did the job. Though once I was at the convention, I wasn't called Haruhi like I wanted. I was called Kyoya because of my new glasses that I had gotten that year. I went with it. (Plus I love Kyoya.)  

The one in the picture above is bought off of Ebay. If you can't tell it is a Cinderella dress and I am showing off some food items that you should eat. The club went to the Children's Museum and got a lot of attention from all of the children that were there. It is really fun to act in character as well. Though it is not an easy thing to pull off all of the time. You have to work at it and take breaks. 

Paws-chan as Natsu

This photo to the above is me in a cosplay I made. One of the first ones I ever did. I love this one as Natsu is close to my heart. Very fiery this one is. Though now I am planning to remake this cosplay since I now know how to make it better. It is okay for you to start out as not the best. You can get better as you go. Most professional cosplayers started some where. 

Have a paws-tastic day!
~Paws-chan