So before I tell you about our day at AnimeNYC, I have to tell you about the day we did not go to AnimeNYC. You see, even though Firesketches and I only go on Saturday, it is a full 3 day con. And apparently, Friday was a complete disaster. They were requiring proof of Covid vaccination, which was good, but between people who did and did not have proof beforehand, and people who had their badges versus people who did not have their badges versus people trying to buy their badges, attendees had to wait in line for over four hours, outside, in wind and 46 degree weather. Many people gave up, including my friend LunarChandalure. On the plus side, AnimeNYC recognized and addressed the problem before the day was even over, apologizing and promising to have more staffers and re-engineer the way intake was handled the next two days. LunarChandalure decided to head to the con at 9:30 on Saturday morning, and text me to see how it was (I, too, usually like getting to cons early, but with two of us getting ready, I knew 9:30 was a tad ambitious.)

Firesketches and I got up at a reasonable time and proceeded to get dressed. Firesketches was going as Captain Puffy of the Dream SMP, which is a Minecraft Youtube gaming group, and now you know approximately as much as I do. (Firesketches tried to explain it to me numerous times, but I have apparently reached that advanced age where certain new things are absolutely incomprehensible to me. At least I know what a Youtube is?) I had spent the month before the con buying various pirate pieces for her, knowing that anything she didn't like could be added to my own not-insignificant pirate wardrobe. (I am not a pirate. My father thinks he is. I guess it runs in the family.) The ram's horns I had bought her blended into her natural hair perfectly, and between the two of us we got her makeup looking exactly the way she wanted. I had decided to re-wear Lily McGuire, since there had been THREE Terry Bogards the last time we had went. We were ready to leave by about 9:30, and headed for the train.

We got off the 4 at Grand Central and started walking to the 7 train, only to find the staircase down to the 7's platform roped off with caution tape. That's not so unusual in New York City, someone might have spilled something, or a handrail might break, whatever. We walked past that one to the next staircase. Also roped off. And I could see that the next one was roped off as well. Obviously, the 7 was not running. The moral of the story is, trust Google over humans.

And the problem wasn't so much that we were lost--I knew where we were. And there were multiple ways for us to get from 42nd Street and Park to 34th Street and 11th--so many that I needed time to think. As I was standing there, assuring Firesketches that we were not lost, I saw two other people in vibrant costumes circling the roped-off staircases hesitantly. "Are you going to the con?" I asked them. "Yes," one answered, "and we printed out the directions but now we don't know how to get to the 7 train and we don't know what to do!" I made a quick decision. "Follow me!"

I figured the best route would be to get back on the 4/5/6, backtrack to the L, take that to the end of the line, transfer to the A/C/E, and get off at 34th Street and walk from there, which is what I used to do when I'd go to the Javits Center back before the 7 line was extended. So we traveled the train, talking with our new friends who had come in to NYC for the first time on their own. And as we got above ground and started walking to the convention center, I spotted another set of brightly dressed people waiting at an intersection, and looking helplessly around. "Are you going to the con?" I asked them. "Yes, but we don't know where it is from here." "Follow me!" And thus what was supposed to have been a quick trip into Midtown with just my unofficially adopted daughter and myself turned into a small tour group of cosplayers. I had fun pointing out Port Authority and B&H cameras as points of interest along the way.

When we got to the convention center, we said goodbye to our new acquaintances, as we quickly discovered there were multiple points of entry, and multiple lines. Firesketches and were originally just trying to find the end of the first line we saw, but by the time we had passed that (and it wasn't even easy to tell where the end of the line was; people were just kind of milling about the further away you got from the doors) I figured we might as well try the middle entrance, and sure enough, there was a MUCH shorter line there. Firesketches and I had our badges, but we needed to provide proof of vaccination. The con really had learned its lesson; there were multiple staffers outside telling you which line you needed to aim for, so in short order we found the right line and started queueing up. And it was SO much faster. I don't have a record of our times, but I think it was maybe a 20 minute wait? All told? We spent more time backtracking because of the stupid subway than that!

Once we were inside, we took a moment to take stock and get our bearings. I noticed a very tall man taking photos of cosplayers, and as he turned towards me, I realized it was my friend DJ Ranma S! I hadn't seen him since before the pandemic! I introduced him to Firesketches and he took some pictures of us, and we got a chance to catch up. I told Firesketches that Ranma was the very first cosplayer I ever met in person...literally 20 years earlier, at BAAF 2001. I showed her the picture of Ranma and I from that con later that night when we got home. She remarked mildly that we had changed some. Child you were not even born 20 years ago. Time does go by.

We decided to wait where we were for Doc, as he had texted that he was on his way in. This was the first year Firesketches and I were attending the con without her mom accompanying us (my babymama had come to NYC with her, but had wisely decided to spend Saturday luxuriating in a chance to do nothing and read and relax and wait for us to come home, rather than tramp all over creation to watch us squee over things and take pictures), and while Firesketches is older and wiser than she was at her first convention, I still wanted another Certified Adult to help me make sure things went smoothly. Plus, Firesketches knew Doc by now, and I am always looking for an excuse to spend time with him. (As a bonus feature, he had a Crabby pin on the back of his jacket, to make him easy to find in a crowd if we got separated. As if being a 6 foot tall Asian male was not unique enough. Well, in this crowd, maybe not as much.)

LunarChandalure texted that she was about 20 minutes away, so we decided to grab a quick snack from one of the kiosks and wait for her. We had fun catching up with Doc, and taking pictures of cosplayers who passed, until we heard the jingling of chainmail that meant LunarChandalure had arrived! She had decided to wear her LARP armor instead of one of her anime costumes, just in case the line had been as horrific as it had been the day before, she had a backup medieval combat event she could attend instead. (Incidentally, Backup Medieval Combat should be my next band name in Rockband.) She looked freaking awesome and I was happy that Firesketches got to meet her. (And that she got to meet Firesketches, because LunarChandalure and I work together, and I talk about Firesketches a *lot*. It's always nice to have a face to go with the name.)

With our party complete, it was finally time to hit the con floor. And honestly, it wasn't too bad! There were more attendees this year than any of the previous years, but the con had expanded to take over the entire Javits Center (which was necessary, but I have to admit a small part of me missed seeing the random dogs that attended the pet convention that had shared with AnimeNYC back in 2018) so it didn't really feel crowded. The booths were still mainly individual artists selling their homemade merch, though there were a few big name booths, most notably Crunchyroll. I ended up getting a NANA fanzine, and Firesketches once again dedicated most of her con budget to supporting small artists. I'm so freaking proud of "my" kid.

And there were no shortage of cosplayers, either! I, unfortunately, never saw a Terry Bogard. Grumble. But there were Sailor Moon cosplayers and Utena cosplayers, both of which make my day. And other people recognized Firesketches' costume, which made both of our days. I don't think anyone recognized who I was supposed to be, but that's okay. Fatal Fury is A) pretty obscure and B) 29 years old (ouch). I'd be more surprised if someone *did* recognize me.

After doing the entire con floor, I decided the youngins (I'm lumping my coworker in with my child; despite being my peer, LunarChandalure is closer in age to my child than she is to me, which also nearly turned my bones into dust once we figured that out) had gone long enough without having a hydration break, and Doc and I felt like having a little nosh as well. So we plotted out a little space for ourselves on the floor, because there was a large free area in the very back of the con, and Firesketches and I held down the fort while Doc got all of us food and LunarChandalure got all of us water. And it was nice to give our feet a chance to rest, and to let all of these friends from so many different walks of my life get to know each other better.

Honestly after we ate there wasn't much left to do but a few more aisles of booths, and we were ready to head out. Doc took a few individual photos of us, and got this really dynamic action shot of Firesketches that unfortunately occured because she tripped and fell as she was trying to follow Doc's suggestions. I can't laugh; her mother and I are both equally coordinated. And she was entirely unhurt (thank God.) And not for nothing but it did make a really cool photo. No harm, no foul.

So, wrap up thoughts: Firesketches and I had a great time at AnimeNYC. We did not run into the diasterous problems that plagued Friday. Most people were really good about wearing their masks while inside the Javits Center. And while I can't speak to the things other people attend cons for, like guests and panels and exclusive merchandise, I personally enjoyed every second I spent there. If Firesketches wants to go to AnimeNYC 2022, we definitely will. And even if she doesn't? I have a good enough time to warrant getting dressed up on a Saturday and traveling into Midtown.

Just your classic RPG party

Juri from Revolutionary Girl Utena

Her wig is AMAZING

Rei from Sailor Moon

Shiori and Juri from Revolutionary Girl Utena

Super Sailor Chibimoon from Sera Myu

I knew Firesketches had gotten taller than me...

....but I didn't think she was *that* much taller.

Doc's still tallest though.

They were very excited to see Firesketches' costume.

Me, Firesketches, LunarChandalure, and Doc

Multiple generations here