Katsucon 2002 Summary

Katsucon 2002 – “Clash of the Cultures”

Katsucon has always been a strange beast to encounter.  I have always had some reason to be leery of this convention.  My experience is usually mixed in some way, often from some strange mix of circumstances.  Nonetheless, I can definitely say that Katsucon 2002 has continued the trend of a good 2002 season started by Ohayocon in January.

Katsucon 2002 was highlighted by a new venue, which survived but not without bumps and bruises.  Reports of hotel staff strictly enforcing dress rules, shutting down parties and eventually turning a little sour by Sunday lead one to suspect management really didn’t understand what they were getting into.  Five star hotels rarely mix with hard core fandom in a healthy way.  My personal experience with them on Friday was excellent, but I could see how their treatment of guests deteriorated over the weekend.  

From all reports, the highlight of the weekend was the Cosplay.  Touted by some as the best Cosplay on the East Coast for a LONG time, the night’s event was highlighted by multiple skits that worked to bring Cosplay to a new level.  Complex skits, carefully timed music, and over the top productions gave everyone a good time.  Despite a late start, the strict rules and regulations enforced by Cosplay staff seemed to work out well, and I look forward to seeing how other shows will look upon this successful experiment.

As usual, this convention’s strength lay in the socialization aspect.  The video rooms were populated with only commercial releases, which raised a few eyebrows.  The hall costumes were remarkable, with quite a bit of people wandering around in brightly colored cloth.  (Getting hit by wings does get old after a while tho..)  Small (or not so small) clusters of people were common, and the lack of room parties drove many people to remain in the public areas instead of hiding away.

On a strange personal note: I was called a convention personality by at least five people this weekend.  The surreal nature of it lay in the fact that two of them were total strangers to me.  I hope my reputation is good at least.  ... I admit I don’t know how I feel about it.. Maybe I’ll throw on a dark brown robe and become a hermit in the community for a while.  :)

The Katsucon flu seems to be rearing its ugly head, and there now seems to be a new Katsucon effect, which I’ll call the Katsu-jinx.  Three people I know had personal property disappear or get stolen, people had parts of their costumes or cameras eaten by escalators or elevators, and a Sunday dead dog party spill combined with clumsiness left me with a dislocated wrist.  Other constant glitches in people’s personal lives made for an interesting weekend, to say the least.

Coverage is decent this time around, but focused. I took pictures in the short intense chunks of time I could sneak during the weekend.  Participating in Cosplay really cuts short my available shooting time.  However, I did take the chance to keep my camera backstage, and took photos of some costumers as they left the Cosplay.  Behind the scenes work is always fun.

Alright, time for the show.  The report will be embedded on my webpage soon, and so will photos.  Shoutouts follow.

Enjoy the show, and see you at the next convention!
 
 

Katsucon 2002 Shoutouts 

The weekend was oddly quiet when it came to quotables.   I went the entire weekend thinking I’d never find an appropriate quote, when it was tossed in my ear at closing ceremonies, by someone just passing by my chair.

Picture it, Katsucon, 2002.  Here I am, in the back celebrating my hall costume award with a bottle of sparkling pear juice, when ALL the guests (who have been hiding in the back, mind you), get up to go to the stage like a pride of lions who smell fresh meat.  They’re mulling around in a herd when we heard from the depths of the crowd, Jessica Calvello voice speaking the definite quote of the weekend.

And thus I quote, Jessica Calvello right before walking to the stage, “Are my pants zipped?”

The moment was made all the more surreal when a guest or two went and glanced to check, and half the people around me burst out laughing.

ANYWAY, maybe you had to be there, but I’ll take em where I can get em.

Wow.  Every time I write a shoutout list they get longer and longer.  

Octavian – Dude, thank you SO MUCH for hanging out during the weekend, driving around so much and generally being one of the more dependable people on the con circuit.  Next time, we’ll try to avoid the three hour tour of Maryland tho. :)

Dommi – I’m happy we finally got you home, and the skit was alot of fun.  Searching inner baltimore for black thread was an adventure, but nothing beats ice headaches caused by really yummy chocolate italian ices.  :)

Khourey – You were the first person I ran into at the hotel while waiting for my Otakon shipment.  

Bonnie, Karl, Sue, Matt, and other Otakon table people – Thank you, all of you for managing the table so well.  I admit to being distracted beyond belief, after I got the t-shirts organized and stacked Friday, I was already brain dead.  I’m glad the long sleeved t-shirts sold well.  :)

Kaveman – You’re one of the other rock-steady people Kave – even if its hard to find you at night to give you a room key.  Hanging out for dinner Sunday night was extraordinarially fun, but we now know...  Men should just NOT eat the Sausage.  *evil grin*

Jen and Chris – Why do you two have to keep the wierdest con schedule on the con circuit?  By the time I’m going, you’re sleeping!  :(  Still its refreshing to see people awake and moving when I’m still a zombie, and I’m glad I got to have breakfast with you guys on Saturday.. mmmmmm, lox.  Now if only we could get the damned menu like we wanted, without having to perform a high school debate with the waiter...

Big Danny T – Poor guy, having to eat heart-attack on a plate Saturday Morning..  Yes yes, I know, call you Dan – I’ll try to remember, but hey, “sleep deprivation can lead to memory loss” yuaknow.  

Anna – Genki Girl #1 – it pained me to kill you when we were wearing the BR stuff. :)  Tho you look more resigned than anything else in the photo!  Anyhow, we gotta go play DDR at some point – come down to the city once in a while!

Melanie – Genki Girl #2 – you get alot of points for staying up late enough Saturday night/Sunday Morning to grab coffee at Starbucks. :)  mmmmm, pastry and coffee at 6am Sunday morning at a convention, on zero sleep.. Nothing better.  :)

Kat – Your freaky eyes won Saturday’s Hallway costume contest – EEP!  We barely get time to hang out these days.  Blargh!  I’ll have to grab some people and invade Raleigh again, aren’t I?  :)

Carolina – mmmm, Red Dragons rock.  Bring your guns, I’ll bring the ammo, we’ll divide the loot and ditch that Vicious when he’s not looking..  Now that sounds fair..  :)  The dress was beautiful, especially when you started randomly producing Rikkus from the back.  

Jason L. – Your Jet rocks – even if he got capped in the back like a cheap mob hit.  Oh wait, it WAS a cheap triad hit! :)  Thanks for organizing food Saturday night, that was a godsend!  

Amy – You know, I know that most guys like women swooning in their arms, but 20 times in the course of a weekend is too much!  :)  Anyhow, I’m glad we didn’t have too much disaster over the course of the skit.. Maybe next time we have a dramatic death, I can drape you over the side of the stage, so you can stare at the Judges and freak em out?  **evil grin**

Jon Harmon  - You make a really good Vicious you know, and I think you should keep doing it at cons.  You’re the right height and with the vampirish makeup its pretty damned scary.  I promise I’ll be nice with the caption on the photo of you getting makeup put on you.  :)

Johnny – You think you can try to pop a cap in the back of my head?  AI YA!  :)

Cody – I promise not to try and draw a sword in front of you again, or at least I’ll find out the proper way to do it from you first.  The choreography you worked out for the skit rocked man, good job!

Yaya – Amazing dress work girl, you managed to make yet another big splash!  I promise, the shots I took on Sunday were NOT eechi, at least, not if I remember correctly.  Its more like Tikki was looking under your dress trying to find the little gnomes that hold it up. :)  We’ll have to hang out at some con, eventually!  

Tikki – Exploding breast missles.  Now I’ve seen it all.  :)

Michi – you and the new boi look great together, but remember : when you’re under a jacket everything looks dirty. :)

Andy – Do you realize how much you could have ordered me around Friday night?  Thank you SO MUCH for providing liquids Friday night during skit practice.. Remember folks, he who brings the drinks at a con wins, hands down.

Duane – Look, its “I like the frosted side” Shin!  And you told me once you didn’t like being out on stage – you didn’t do bad at all, and you certainly hammed it up with the double-gun-SD-john-woo moment for the camera.  We gotta talk about source videos, I want some of yours for my music video panel selection. :)

Danny Hong – Dude Danny, its always fun to sit around and chat with you.  Dennys late night is a great post-con relaxer.  And thank you for going above and beyond on Monday as well.

Bob Baranek – Its getting to be a con habit to sit around and chat about Cosplay and such with you during the con.  I’ll have to give the hot-glue building technique a try at some point – and I’m looking forward to going head to head with you at some con in the future.   Let the challenges roll!  *grin*

Jeff Thompson – Sitting around till the whee hours of Monday morning talking about various con silliness was a nice way to spend the time, even when we got thrown out of the lounge.  We’ll have to make a habit of it when time allows, tho I don’t see that happening at places like Otakon.. >_<;;

Special mentions – Even though you three were not at the con, you helped set the tone of the con from the beginning.. Aja, thank you for hosting us Thursday night, it was a joy to see you and I’m glad you enjoyed the puppy!  Even if I had to eat two hamburgers to hide the evidence.. And THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for that tape!!!! *dances* :)   Zoe, I’m sorry you came down with a fever, and I hope you enjoy the monitor we helped strap into the car.  Chuck – THANK YOU for being so helpful Sunday night, we couldn’t have kept a control of the situtation without you. 

Christy, Nadine, Jenny, Elly – Great show, and believe me, you weren’t the only skit that got hit between the eyes with glitches!  Christy, I can’t explain why people were humping you all weekend, and I’ve never played Devil May Cry.  Still, damned sexy Dante, I’ll agree with everyone else.   Nadine, Jenny, the wing work was insane, and I can’t believe you two actually went and shipped stuff overnight – that’s just plain disturbing dedication.  :)  Bravo show girls!

BR Group – mmm.. violence and bodies piled in front of a hotel fireplace.. Priceless.

My fellow Bebop Skit People – Dommi, Kat, Jason L, Amy, Jon Harmon, Johnny, Carolina, and Cody – What can I say?  Adventure, mayhem, and a massive body count.  Despite the setbacks everyone put on a good show, and the audience enjoyed it, and that’s what we do it for!  Cheers on a bravo performance that DID get lauded by our peers.  I look forward to working with each and every one of you in the future.   :)

That’s all folks.  Go read something else.  :)