A convention for ‘anime’-niacs

JOEY HARMON/South Charleston

Fans dressed as their favorite characters at the recent Tsubasacon anime convention in Huntington.

By Joey Harmon
South Charleston High School

Anime is very popular. Tons of people love it. And one way they celebrate their love is by attending anime conventions.

Locally, Tsubasacon was held at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington in mid-October. It was filled with all kinds of goodies like pocky (a Japanese snack food), toys and, of course, anime.

One of the biggest rooms at the convention was the video game room. The biggest draw there was “Naruto: Clash of the Ninja 4.” Four, you ask? That’s right. Though “Clash of Ninja 2” is the newest game available in the States, the folks running the convention imported number four from Japan.

Other games included “Guitar Hero,” “Soul Caliber 3,” “Guilty Gear” and many more. There were also tournaments for games like “Super Smash Brothers Melee.”

The convention also hosted random battles, where people re-enacted various anime battles.

Another popular room was the dealers room, which was filled with anime merchandise. This room had almost anything you could think of - from truckloads of DVD and toys to cosplay (costume play) items. Unfortunately, these things weren’t cheap.

Speaking of cosplay, it’s one of the best things about anime conventions. What’s better then seeing people dressed up as their favorite characters?

Cosplayers should keep their body type in mind when choosing a costume, though. It’s annoying to see a large Edward Elric (“Full Metal Alchemist”) or an old Rukia (“Bleach”). No offense to the people who attempt these efforts, but that’s just not who those characters are.

After looking at all the cool stuff, convention-goers could satisfy their appetites. One thing Tsubasacon provided for the right price was pocky. Pocky is dough that’s been rolled very thinly and dipped in an assortment of flavors, including green tea, chocolate and strawberry.

“There is not a lot of anime stuff here in good old West Virginia, so it’s pretty cool that they had it,” said anime fan Nick Mason, who added that the vendor’s room was his favorite part of Tsubasacon.

Conventions like Tsubasacon are good because they expose anime fans to new anime things. There should definitely be more anime conventions. If you are a fan, consider heading to next year’s Tsubasacon. In the meantime, check out its site at www.tsubasacon.org.