 You don't
see this sort of sight often on this site, and neither does the author.
Used to being in the audience for panel discussions, the author spent some
time on Sunday on the other side, answering questions and making comments.
The author's camera was turned off for once during these events, but there
was plenty said in each event about the state of anime fandom and the nature
of conventions. |
 One of the
panels was hosted by an ad hoc group of fans and convention organizers
called the Anime Community Awareness Project, started by fan Michael J.
Cassizzi, Jr. The man who accidentally started the ball rolling on this
project was costumer Rob Lantz (pictured). After the raunchy cosplay at
Katsucon, Lantz wrote a long essay for a costumers' mailing list,
saying that the humor shown at that show wouldn't help the cause of anime
fandom. That led to a lot of discussion about what was acceptable, caused
Cassizzi to form the ACAP mailing
list, and led to the Sunday panel at Otakon. The panelists agreed that
there was a line of proper behavior, but there wasn't any agreement on
where that line should be. Much of the panel discussion covered the growth
of anime fandom, and how interest in one series leads to enjoyment of a
wide range of shows. |
 Costumer Widya
Santoso formed another panel on the reasons why people create anime costumes
and wear them. The answer was simple: it's fun, feeds the egos and self-esteem
of the costumers, and convention fans love to see the wild creations of
their favorite characters come to life. More serious was the talk of costumers
who may show too much skin - especially when they're under aged - and what
to do when a costumer feels they're being harassed by over insistent fans.
The panelists said that skimpy costumes depend on the costumer's body sense
and confidence, and added they could not recall anyone at a recent convention
who was tossed out because they weren't wearing enough. Younger costumers
in the equivalent of bathing suits should have a parent around in the halls,
they recommended. There was also talk of the rare cases of female fans
harassing male costumers. It was agreed that any costumers having trouble
with fanboy types should not hesitiate to go to a convention security person
for help. |
 Each discussion
featured enthusiastic comments from members of the audience. Those who
wanted to share their views were given plenty of chances to speak, and
nothing was held back. These panels were open forums where everyone on
hand was considered as important a part of the discussion as the people
on the podium. the panels might still be going on if the convention had
not ended: people enjoyed the open conversation that much. |
