AnimeNYC 2018

November 17

Mt. Lady

	Through the magic of networking connections, Doc scored two comp weekend passes to AnimeNYC, and asked me if I'd like to tag along. I'm always looking to go to more cons, especially if they're local, if for no other reason than I get to see friends I only seem to run into at cons, and rewear costumes that haven't gotten enough love.
My friend Gio and his squad of Sailor Pop Idols

As it turned out, both of those concepts got turned on their head. One of my friends from when I was a little girl upstate (in addition to being classmates, her mom was the middle school music teacher, my personal piano teacher, and leader of the Girl Scout Troop we were both in two out of the three years I lived up there...so yeah you could say we knew each other) has a kid who has decided I am "her person"--honestly we joke that I'm her other mom because she's quite a bit like me, but better. (I'll save you from a recitation about how awesome she is--but did I mention she draws? Really well, actually. And plays piano, and flute. And writes her own songs for the piano. And loves anime. Plays softball, too. And and and...)

Me, Firesketches, and Megatron with our badges

My Hero Academia Photoshoot


Look at that crowd of cosplayers! You could definitely tell My Hero Academia was the "It" cosplay of this con.	All of the Kacchans


All of the teachers	All of the professional heroes (there's a Crissy in there!)


Possibly the same thing?	I'm trying to remember if they had called a sub group in.


I think they just asked us to change pose.	More of the same.


Doc just wanted to make sure I had pictures of my costume	All of the Dekus! Of course there were a lot of them.


A Kacchan carrying a Deku! Too cute.!	A group of students.

So when my friend Megatron said she was looking for a weekend in November to bring Firesketches down for a visit, I mentioned that I was going to an anime con one of the weekends. I knew Firesketches was interested in cosplay, and when we thought about it, this seemed like a perfect first con to bring her to. It would be local (well, to a "home base" anyway, she wouldn't have to stay in a hotel), it would be small (AnimeNYC only used half of the Javits Center--the other half was being used by some sort of pet convention), and it would only be one day, so she wouldn't be overwhelmed or too exhausted. Plus, having Doc as a guide-slash-bodyguard would mean both "my" kid and I would be safe--you couldn't ask to be in better hands. Megatron agreed that this sounded perfect for Firesketches, so they drove down Friday night.

Firesketches makes a friend

We took our time Saturday morning getting ready--as I said this was Firesketches' first cosplay outing, and while she's worn makeup and costumes for stage before, I wanted to make sure she felt as amazing as she looked. I helped her put up her hair and showed her how to secure her wig, she watched me put on my makeup as I explained each step and then I helped her do her own. Because AnimeNYC is not as well known as New York Comic Con, I didn't feel like taking the subway in full costume, so we called for a cab to take us to the Javits Center.

"Ne, Aizawa, come out and play!"

I got about a block away when I realized I was missing one of my gloves, so the cabbie circled back--just in time to get a call from...the cab company? Saying that my cab had arrived and they were wondering where I was? Somehow, despite living on a very quiet block in Queens, someone else had called a cab at the same time in the same vicinity, and I had gotten in that one! Good thing I dropped that glove in the driveway! We went back, I got my glove, we got in the right cab, and we were on our way.

Doc demonstrates the hazards of my costume choice.

I texted Doc as we were traveling so he was able to meet us as soon as we walked in the door. He had my badge, but we had to wait on line to pick up Megatron's and Firesketches' badges--my baby's first con badge. I may have missed her first words and her first steps but at least I got to be there for this milestone. Within minutes of getting the badges, David Ng texted us, asking if we knew there was going to be a My Hero Academia photoshoot...uh, right now, apparently. Well. I truly had meant to ease Firesketches into the world of cosplaying at a convention, but an opportunity like that--maybe it's better to jump into the pool rather than go in inch by inch? I asked her if she wanted to give it a try, and reassured her that if there were too many people, or it was too loud, or for any reason whatsoever, that she wanted to bail, we would bail--no questions asked. But I think she liked the idea of seeing that many fans of the same show she liked in one place, so we headed over.

So proud of "my" kid.

As we were approaching the South Pavilion, I noticed a group of Sailor Senshi Pop Idols, and recognized Gio instantly--no one else could be that fabulous. I was so proud to introduce "my" kid to Gio and his friends, and especially happy that they were the first cosplayers Firesketches would meet--I had been telling her on the drive over that one of the best parts about going to a convention in New York City is that the attendees represent a broad spectrum of race and gender and body types and sexuality--so who better to demonstrate that then very sparkly male Sailor Senshi? I initially met Gio about thirteen years ago (come to think of it, only about six months before Firesketches was born, coincidentally enough), when he wasn't that much older than Firesketches is now, and I've watched him grow as a person and discover, accept, and embrace who he is. He's exactly the type of person I would pick as a role model for "my" kid.

Lunch break

I didn't want us to miss the shoot, though, so after taking some pictures together we said goodbye to Gio and continued to the windows of the South Pavilion, and were almost immediately enveloped in a (thankfully very calm and orderly) mob. There were SO! MANY! My Hero Academia cosplayers. I had no idea! Usually I can at least kind of tell what anime is currently popular just based on what my friends are posting about on Facebook, but somehow I missed this one. It was definitely the "It" cosplay of the con! What a great experience, especially for Firesketches first foray into the madness. Doc took my camera to try to get pictures (the ones you see above) and Firesketches and I waited in the wings for them to call our characters.

I know this character is from a show Firesketches really likes, but for the life of me I can't remember the which one.

The photoshoot was run very well, along the lines most seem to these days, where they call individual characters at a time, let photographers shoot one or two poses, then do sub groups, then full groups, things like that. It meant that Firesketches and I had to be separated when our characters were called (since I was cosplaying an adult and she was cosplaying a student, we wouldn't be in any subgroups together), and while I was a little nervous leaving her alone, a girl I *think* was dressed as Fuyumi Todoroki (I'm not sure, I haven't seen all of MHA yet) struck up a conversation with Firesketches, and soon they were in deep discussion about MHA lore that I could barely follow, so she was fine. It just goes to show how valuable conventions are to meeting people you have interests in common with. The internet is nice, but nothing beats that face-to-face connection.

Stocking from Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt and Firesketches

The photoshoot went on for a while, and by the time it finished it was well past lunchtime. Now I know normally I forget to break for food and bathroom when I'm at a convention, but I want to set a better example for "my" kid--who sometimes doesn't realize she's hungry and that's what may be causing the headache she's having at the moment, not that I should talk since I do the same thing--so we collected Doc and Megatron and we went down to the food court in the Javits Center, which was thankfully much less crowded than it usually is during NYCC. Spending Manhattan prices didn't seem as steep as usual, because it seems different when you're treating an out of town friend as a tourist, you just kind of accept it. And honestly we all felt better after getting off our feet and having a food break and a little bit of downtime. We even turned it into a game--Firesketches had gotten a salad, and before each bite we took turns coming up with a Pokemon of the same color as whatever was on her fork. It was fun.

Two of my favorite photographers and friends

Once we were done eating it was time to meet up with Dave, who had scheduled us for a photoshoot in the early afternoon. Even though Dave has come to the Adirondacks to visit me before, this was his first time meeting Megatron and Firesketches, in addition to being Firesketches' first "real" photoshoot. Not that the one we did in the morning is fake, but we weren't the focus, so it was different. Again, both Dave and I reassured Firesketches that if there was anything she particularly wanted to do, or anything she did *not* want to do, all she had to do was say the word. We were doing this for fun, and that was all that was expected of her.

Zero Two from Darling in the Franxx

As it turned out, I needn't have worried. The kid was a natural! Maybe it helped that I had told her to think of a few poses, so that when people stopped us on the con floor (as I figured they would) and asked us for a picture, she'd have a "go to" and not have to think about it. I'm sure that it helped that this wasn't exactly Dave's first rodeo, and he knows how to work with all types of people. And of course Firesketches was very familiar with her character, and, being an artist herself, could think of ways Uraraka would stand, would look, would emote. Or a combination of all three. Nevertheless, even I was blown away when I saw the finished product. Dave perfectly captured the beauty I see in Firesketches every single day. Maybe I'm biased but I'm certain. She glows. I want everyone to see it. (And, most of all, I want her to see it.)

Oshi and her daughter and her niece

(Me? I looked okay. Dave always makes me look better on film than I do in person. Thank you Dave.)

The best part was when Dave was taking photos of me solo--Firesketches started looking at me with a critical eye, noticing when my mask was askew, and my wig was slipping, and calling me over and fixing it for me. This is something that takes some cosplayers (I'm thinking of myself) YEARS to learn, and to feel comfortable doing for other people--again, Firesketches slipped into it as if she'd been doing it all her life. I was so proud of her. (And thankful to have my costume straightened!)

Firesketches playing TOKYO CHRONOS

Once we were done with the photoshoot, it was time to--finally!--show Firesketches around the convention floor itself--we had been at the convention for *hours* and had mainly taken photos! (Which, to be fair, is my usual con experience.) Again, the booths were laid out a little better spaced than they are at NYCC, so we were able to start at the first aisle and work our way up and down, trying to see everything.

Sumomo and Kotoko from Chobits! The name of my iPod and my laptop respectively.

I loved seeing the convention through Firesketches' eyes. In part it was due to everything being new and fresh to her--I've been going to conventions for seventeen years, longer than she's been alive, and some (most?) of my cosplay friends have been going even *longer*. I hate to say it, but a lot of us are jaded. Every other day on Facebook you read people complaining about how the scene has changed, how there are too many people trying to become "cosfamous" (but why does their ambition affect you?), how behemoth the conventions have grown (while it is nice to run into your friends, isn't it also nice to make new ones?), how shows are deliberately trying to maximize profits through merchandise (did y'all forget He-Man? Really? Simpsons even spoofed it with their "How To Buy Action-Figure Man" clip.) I like to think I've resisted the cynicism--I've always said cons are enjoyable mainly because of who you spend them with, not anything the convention does itself. But seeing what made Firesketches light up--after all, at thirteen, she's never seen this much anime *stuff* in one place before in her life. Searching for things on Amazon just doesn't compare. This was a virtual treasure trove laid out before her eyes. And it was amazing.

Hero and civilian forms of Uraraka

And she recognized so many more things than I did, too, so she was even more excited! And for a small con they actually had a lot of cool stuff to do. One of the booths that caught her eye was for Love Nikki, a dressup game for cell phones. (I know of it because a lot of my Facebook friends play it--it sounds like a cosplayer's dream. I've never played it because my cell phone sucks.) Firesketches had her allowance that she could spend wherever she wanted, and she played a chance game a few times trying to win one of the lolita outfits there. She didn't win the main prize, but the consolation prizes they gave out were *really* nice--sort of these 3D minature diorama things that were really gorgeous!

My Hero Academia students

The next thing that hooked Firesketches was a demo for TOKYO CHRONOS, a VR mystery novel game. And it was no little five minute demo either! She strapped on the headset and was lost to us for a good twenty minutes at least. I was really impressed--I would've liked to try it myself if it wasn't so long. On the plus side, with three adults keeping an eye on her, any two of us could wander a bit and poke around in the other booths and come back without worrying too much.

Twin Mt. Ladies!

Which was great, because while I was waiting for Firesketches, I ran into Oshi! Along with her (actual, biological) kid, and Oshi's niece. I don't know when I'd seen Oshi last, but I knew I hadn't seen her daughter since her daughter's birthday party earlier that year. She looked *gorgeous* in her kimono. It really gives me high hopes for the next generation. I was sorry that I coudn't introduce "my" kid to Oshi's kid, but I was glad I got to see them at all. (And who knows? Now that she's gotten a taste of it, Firesketches may want to come back next year. Or come to other cons. We shall see.)

Chun Li from Street Fighter

Of course there was another benefit to walking around the main floor--we met SO MANY My Hero Academia cosplayers. I mean of course we had seen how many there were at the morning photoshoot, and had talked to maybe one or two, but running into them one-on-one was extra special. It's so much fun to take pictures with someone who is cosplaying from the same series you're cosplaying from, and considering I only cosplay obscure-and-or-antiquated characters, it doesn't usually happen to me that often. This time it happened to us almost every other booth we passed. We met so many nice people, it was really amazing.

Me and Robin

It was time for a bathroom break, so we trekked up the escalators to the River Pavilion--once again, the difference in the attendance numbers was strongly felt, as there wasn't a long line for the restroom at all. Megatron and Doc both wanted a bit of a break by this point (and let me just say how heartwarming it was for me that those two got along so well--one of my childhood friends hanging out with one of my current close friends is just...mind boggling in the best way for me) and Firesketches noticed that the Artist Alley was behind it, in a part of the Javits Center I had never even been to before! I learn something new every year.

Mt. Lady, All Might, and Uraraka

We left Meg and Doc relaxing outside of the bathrooms and told them where we were headed, and then started going up and down the aisles. There was *so* much AMAZING art, Firesketches' eyes were practically popping out of her head. I could see she was learning things, too--seeing what other artists have done with mixed media and cool perspectives and alternate interpretations, this was like a shotgunned art class for her. Really cool. She ended up spending some of her allowance here, too.

Firesketches and one of her favorite series.

After we were done with the Artists Alley, we collected Meg and Doc and went back to the main floor to pick up where we left off. I told Firesketches I would buy her any souvenir she liked, and she ended up picking a really beautiful canvas featuring all of the Vocaloid personas--I'm telling you, this kid supports independent artists. So proud.
	Firesketches and her favorite senshi.

While we were walking around, Doc was texting with our friend Robin, who I had met at one of Doc's hosted board game parties. She's another long time con staffer, and when we met up with her and some of her and Doc's other friends they inevitably drifted into behind-the-scenes con staff shop talk. This is always fun for me to eavesdrop on--I've never been a staffer, but I'm fascinated--but I was doubly glad that Firesketches was there to hear it. So many people attend multiple conventions for numerous years that have *no* idea how much work goes into putting one of these things on. Just hearing about it doesn't give you the full story, of course, but it's a start. Con staffers are the real MVPs. Sure you get some bad apples, but without the good ones, who are quietly slaving away with very little recognition and no pay, we never would have gotten to this point in the community and fandom. They deserve our respect.

Mr. Lady, Dabi, and Uraraka

At one of the other booths it was my turn to get hooked by a "chance" game: there was vendor selling blind box pins that looked like Pokemon trainer badges but that featured the senshi. I got Sailor Mercury right away, which I gave to Firesketches because Ami is her favorite character, and then Doc got Sailor Mars, which he generously gave to me. I've been wearing pins on my bookbag lately and, while I have a lot of Sailor Mars pins (most of them special, all of them gifts), this one makes me think of Firesketches every time I see it. (Plus, it's got a *super* great back which means I'm probably not going to lose it--a lot of my pins end up falling off, the way I bang my bookbag around on the New York City subway system. But this one is really secure!)

Winning the Sailor Moon stamp rally

By this point in our wandering we had gotten to Viz's booth, and I was surprised to see that they were doing another stamp rally! They hadn't done one at Otakon this year and I had really missed it. I asked Firesketches if she'd be interested (while she likes Sailor Moon, it's very much more my fandom than hers) and she was up for the adventure! We didn't quite tear around the floor the way OPIB and I had at our first stamp rally (I think Doc and Megatron would have killed us) but we did have an awful lot of fun playing Spot the Senshi. I don't know if it was because the area covered was smaller, or because there were less people, or because Firesketches' eyes are that much better than mine, but it seemed like we found all four senshi in record time. We each got a beautiful prize ribbon depicting Chibiusa and Pegasus saying "Believe in your Beautiful Dream" which is such a great message whether you're 13 or 38.

One of Lady Terentia's favorite graphic novelists

We also found another friend of mine, Jon Costa, while we were doing the stamp rally. I knew him from the DC Cosplayers East group I belong to on Facebook, but we had made a point of making sure we would meet up on Saturday because Jon was also cosplaying from My Hero Academia! Again, I haven't gotten far enough in the series to know who he was cosplaying (Dabi, apparently) but of course Firesketches knew who he was. He also had a belated birthday present for me, two adorable chibi figures of Venus and Jupiter! With their addition I have quite the collection of Sailor Moon figurines going on the top of my dresser--maybe it's time to start looking into a collectibles case? (It does take longer to move all of my tchotkes every time I have to dust, than it takes to actually dust!)

Firesketches, Tristen Citrine, and I

Not far from the Viz booth was my friend Tristen Citrine! And once again I had the fun of introducing Firesketches to somebody I met (well, online) through cosplay *well* before she was born. But, more importantly, I also had a chance to show her how a love of a fandom *can* be translated into a career you absolutely love, if you're willing to work hard and pay your dues. Having a job that pays the bills is fine--it's what I do. But I have so many friends that turned their passions into their way of making their living that it's really inspiring. You can be an artist, a voice actor, a talent manager--there are so many positions out there that I had no idea existed when I was entering the workforce.

Rogue from X-Men

Dokudel was also looking for all of us, and while everyone I introduced Firesketches to was incredibly nice to her, when I told Dokudel it was Firesketches' first time cosplaying she really took an interest in her--told her all about her first con, and her first costume, and how she's grown since then. I'm fairly certain Dokudel was a teenager when I first met her, so she had a perspective on cosplaying while young that I was unfamiliar with, so it was really great to get her point of view. She even gave Firesketches her cosplay card and told her Firesketches could e-mail her any time she had any questions about the community or the craft or just wanted to chat. I know the community gets a lot of flack--sometimes deservedly so--but there are awesome people out there willing to be mentors, or at least share their tips and tricks, if you're willing to look for them.

Dokudel, Doc, and I

Towards the end of the dealer's room there was Kodansha's booth, which featured both a photo opportunity that Firesketches and I jumped on, but also what caught our eye initially, which was a giant billboard filled with sticky notes. It was a neat marketing idea for "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime", where people were drawing their emoji-like faces on the slime and sticking them to the wall. Naturally Firesketches and I had to draw as well. I did my little Mt. Lady face, which was...kind of not exactly the point, I guess, but Firesketches did a REALLY awesome expression (which bears an uncanny resemblence to Doc's "Angry Chu" face, though she had no way of knowing that!)

Kyoka and Uraraka

It was starting to get dark out, I think we had seen pretty much everything there was to see, and we were just about done in, so I suggested we go to a nearby diner and all grab a bite to eat together--group dinners being another one of my favorite convention experiences. Diner food might not be fancy, but there's usually something there for everyone, and honestly I really didn't want to walk into a nice Midtown restaurant dressed like a professional superhero. During NYCC they're more or less relaxed to it, but as far as most places knew it was just another Saturday. While we ate Doc regaled us with some of his favorite--and most cringe-worthy--conventions memories, which I could listen to for ages, and were a neat look into history for Megatron and Firesketches.

My drawing for "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime"'s booth.

Once we were done eating, we were good and exhausted. (Actually, we were probably exhausted before we ate, but were too hungry to realize it.) I didn't fancy trying to hail a cab while dressed in spandex from head to toe, so Doc called us an Uber. Unfortunately by this point the temperature had dropped *considerably* (there had been a freak snowstorm just two days before!) and I did that thing where I started shivering so violently I couldn't breathe. Doc had us girls huddle in a nearby store for warmth, and gallantly waited outside to make sure the Uber stopped where it was supposed to. Once again, I don't know what I would have done without him. After that, it was time to introduce Firesketches to the age old cosplay tradition of ripping your wig off the second you walk through the door while simultaneously kicking off your shoes. Like a snake shedding its skin, but in rapid time and with a lot more aches and pains.

Firesketch's drawing for "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime"'s booth.

I really can't stress enough how much I enjoyed this con. Oh, I enjoy pretty much every con I go to; I love tooling around Otakon with my OPIB girls (all of them, not just us core four.) I'm actually one of the few people who still enjoys the energy of New York Comic Con. But by and large what made AnimeNYC special for me was seeing it through Firesketches' eyes; she's so much younger than I was at my first con, but that feeling of amazement and downright wonder seems to be the same no matter how old you are. I am by no means tired of the convention scene, but it *can* be a little...routine, at times? Cosplaying with "my" kid reminded me of just how easy it is to take something you enjoy for granted, and how wonderful it is to find a new facet that makes you appreciate it even more.

This is what our post-con faces look like. Also, dig our matching senshi pins.

Sailor Moon Photos

(Please e-mail me at sunseenli@aol.com if you recognize yourself!)


Kooan and Luna	Sailor Neptune	Super Sailor Chibimoon and Super Sailor Moon

More Photos


Sailor Pop Idols!	Gio and me

Sailor Moon and Mt. Lady	Baby's first badge

Doc and me	Panty with her katana, Stripe.


Oshi's niece, Oshi's daughter, and Oshi	Me, Jon, and Firesketches


And another	For safety's sake


Bless Doc for taking so many photos	Rogue and Mt. Lady	Rogue is one of my three favorite people to cosplay


U.A. High School students	I think we were asleep less than an hour after this photo was taken.

More Photos (none by me)


Gio and me again.	MHA characters from Jon's phone	Look at how happy Firesketches is


The picture we took at the Kodansha Comics booth