In 1999, a group of anime fans came together and started
Anime USA, a three-day convention celebrating Japanese animation, art, culture,
history, and fashion. In 2004, Anime USA formed a non-profit educational
organization to host the convention. Anime USA’s mission is to promote, as well
as educate the public about Japanese arts and popular culture. Anime USA is a
nonprofit managed solely by a staff of volunteers. Anime USA is a convention of
Otaku, run by Otaku, for Otaku.
The term Otaku originates from Japan. The term is used to
describe people with obsessive interests, usually surrounding the anime and
manga fandom. This term has both a negative and positive association with it.
In Japan it holds a more negative connotation because of the stereotypes and
media reporting on “The Otaku Murder” in 1989. The stereotypes that usually go
along with an Otaku are: social outcast, unattractive, apathetic, and spend
most of their time tending to their fandom. Similar to the American gamer
stereotype we hold. Over the years the term has grown in popularity and
positivity. This can be especially shown in the United States. Many American
anime and manga fans now identify themselves as Otaku.
Anime USA is one of the smaller conventions I’ve attended,
but that does not mean it is small on the cosplay. Nearly every attendee who
did not have a professional camera in hand was in costume. There was a wide
variety of cosplay from the American “Where’s Waldo” and “How to train your
dragon” to the Japanese “Attack on Titan” and “Kill la Kill”. The percentage of
cosplayers to normal otaku attendees was so large that the professional
photographers spent all their time in the outdoor garden photographing the
cosplayers.
With the rise of Tumblr, an artistic sharing website, has
come a rise in cross-plays. Cross-play is a term used to describe the merging
of two characters or two universes together into one costume. An example of
this is seen in the wisely popular Sailor Princesses. Artist have taken the
Disney Princesses and the Sailor Scouts from Sailor Moon to create Sailor Scout
outfits for the princesses based off of their original design.
A small convention also does not mean small on
entertainment. One thing Anime USA had that I have never seen at a convention
before was the Maid café. A Maid café is a subcategory of cosplay themed
restaurants found in Japan. Waitresses dress up as cute maids, based off of the
French maid style, and act as servants, treating the customers as masters and
mistresses in a private home. Upon entering many Maid café’s the maids will
greet the customer with “Welcome home, Master”.
Originally the Maid cafés were
designed to appeal to the stereotypical male Otaku. The maid image has been
popularized and fetishized in many anime and manga. Most maids are “moe”
characters, meaning they are young, submissive, innocent looking female
characters. To further their “moe-ness” or cutesy-ness the maid will typically
decorate a customer’s order with syrup or ketchup at the table.
This was a very successful convention. Anime USA was very
successful with providing an educational experience about popular Japanese
culture while bringing a community together. As an attendee you really felt the
love from the community for their fellow cosplayers and their fandom. The
convention left me with overwhelming excitement to attend the next Anime USA.
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