Queuing and everything. This is some unconscious mind Freudian stuff. I miss going to conventions so much I have a vivid dream of me going to a con.
The last convention I went to was the Black Comic Book Convention back in January.
I had no idea that it would be the only convention I would attend this year.
I have purchased tickets to two conventions next year, but I am doubtful that they will happen.
I miss the feeling of being around people that enjoy the same things as I do. I miss bonding with random strangers because we have the same interests, taking photos of cosplayers, paying for overpriced food and drinks, and spending massive amounts of money in artists alley.
Kcon NY 2019 was held in the Jacob Javits Center from Saturday, July 6th, 2019 to Sunday, July 7th, 2019, with the two-day concert being held a few blocks east at the historic Madison Square Garden.
This convention grew almost double in size from 2018 to 2019; even with the new venue, it still felt like there wasn’t enough room. Being surrounded by K-pop fans for 48 hours is one of the best feelings in the world. Being a fan can be lonely at times. We talk to each other online and watch videos on YouTube, but can only gather in person a few times a year. KCON NY holds a special place in my heart, and I am glad that the convention could fill the Javits Center due to the sustainable amount of growth in one year.
Day one: Saturday, July 6th, 2020
I attended the convention with my father, a fellow Kpop fan, and we got to the Javits center and waited for the convention to start I made my first purchase of the day.
I bought a slogan from Wonyoung’s fansite Upper East Side @uppereastside04
The majority of the day was spent watching everyone dance and have fun celebrating our love for Kpop. Some groups visited some booths, but I am very short, and I could not see anything. But I saw my man Hongjoong’s red hair, and that was enough for me.
Bulgogi Rice Bowl
Lunch was good. I love Korilla in the Javits center; the prices are high, that is to be expected, but the food is very fresh and good for you since its not the classic deep fired con food. Going to an actual location in NYC is on my to-do list.
Day Two Sunday, July 7th, 2020
we love free samples
my ateez bias, me and a bunch of merch i didn’t need to buy
This was the better of the two days. After watching random dances for a couple of hours, I noticed that the Kcon staff set up barricades for a KCON NY 2019 star square segment. Similar to how I met Fromis_9 at KCON NY 2018. I got barricade for the second time in my life and waited for the mystery guests to appear.
The guests were VERIVERY! I saw them perform later on in the day, and I am very impressed by them. Please check out their music. I will link their YouTube channel here.
Lunch for the day was a poke bowl that was expensive, but very good. I also got a side of boba tea, which was ok. A little too sweet for me.
At one point in the day, I was left alone for about 20 minutes and ended up buying the last two versions I needed to complete the Map of The Soul: Persona set and a Tata hand mirror.
This is why I shouldn’t be left alone with a credit card.
The rest of the day was spent watching my favorite dance cover groups I LOVE DANCE and East2West perform.
And then the con was over.
I always have a good time with Kpop fans. We know how to party and have a good time, and I think that is due to us being very isolated for a better part of the year, and we can let loose and go crazy for 48 hours straight.
I have been into K-pop for five years, and I still get emotional when I see other K-pop fans. When I first got into K-pop five years ago, I thought that I would never find someone who had the same interests as me, let alone attend a K-Pop centric convention for two days.
I wish I went to the concerts, but I watched the live stream when I left the convention. The main reason why I didn’t go was due to the price. It was costly for me, and I already spent a lot of money on BTS tickets and merch and TWICE tickets a month before the convention. If KCON NY 2021 happens, I will try my absolute best to attend one or both nights of the concert.
I was invited to attend Flame Con 2019 as media, and this was my favorite convention of the year.
I heard about Flame Con back in 2018 while I was attending Liberty City Anime Con. The timing was not right,and I did not attend. During Flame Con 2019 I had fun attending panels, interviewing artists in the artist alley, and being surrounded by queer people in a queer-positive space.
“Flame Con is the world’s largest queer comic con. Featuring a two-day comics, arts and entertainment expo, showcasing creators and special guests from all corners of the LGBTQ fandom. It features thoughtful discussions, exclusive performances, screenings, cosplay and more!” – Flamecon.com
Flame Con is so important to me because it was one of the first times I actually felt free. I was able to be myself without the fear of judgment. I was able to display my gay pride in a safe space. It was truly freeing. The highlight of my day was buying a lesbian disaster pin because let’s be honest, I am a lesbian disaster.
“From costume choices to photographers to the way we interact with social media and attract audiences, what does it mean for us as queer cosplayers in a hobby/profession that is so often straight men consuming images of sexualized women? Listen to a panel of seasoned LGBTQ+ cosplayers discuss how the straight male gaze influences their relationship to cosplay.” – Flamecon2019.sched.com
I learned a lot of new information about the cosplay community. As a film major, I have studied the male gaze in cinema, so I was very intrigued to see how the male gaze can affect cosplayers.
The speakers and moderator talked about ways to make the cosplay community more inclusive and safer as well as sharing their personal stories.
The final panel I attended was The Gay Animation Renaissance.
“Recent years have seen a wave of new LGBT+ content in western animation. Show-runners face many hidden roadblocks behind the scenes, but find creative (and often imperfect ) solutions to break new ground. The incremental contributions by Avatar, Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Voltron, She-ra, and others will be discussed.” – Flamecon2019.sched.com
I sat in one of the seats reserved for media, and it went to my head. I felt so important and special you couldn’t tell me anything. But seriously this panel was my favorite because it opened my eyes to queerbaiting, lack of representation, and misrepresentation of queer people in animation. I wish I took more video of this panel because it was so good, but I included a small clip in my vlog.
Let me tell you this was an EXPERIENCE. I am a very anxious and introverted person, so getting myself to attend this convention alone was A TIME. Once I was there, I felt at home, but interviewing people was anxiety-inducing. I interviewed people at a previous job, but I had a partner, I never did it alone.
Every person I talked to was so lovely, and I slowly started to come out of my shell and become more comfortable and confident in approaching people and talking to them.
Overall, Flame Con 2019 was a great con. I highly recommend attending this convention to all of my fellow queer people, but I think that there is something for everyone at this convention.
So I decided to go to New York Comic Con for three days………
Let’s just say that it was the most interesting three days of my life.
In the past, I have only gone to Comic-Con for 2 days due to personal restraints (school). Since I was in my last semester in college and had a VERY chill schedule (that I miss dearly) I decided to go to NYCC 2019 for three days straight because I didn’t know what the future had in store for me so I jumped at this chance.
I’m glad I did because NYCC 2020 is looking very iffy.
I had more fun this year because anime came back to the main convention. Last year Anime artists and panels were held at a separate location.
Day One: Thursday
I BARELY remember Thursday because I ate something bad, got sick, and had to leave early. I couldn’t fully enjoy the day. BUT I want to say that the staff at the Javitis Center/ NYCC were super nice and helpful. They made sure I made it to first aid and they helped me and made sure I was feeling okay before I went back out into the convention center.
From what I can remember I just spent the day browsing artist alley and the exhibition hall.
Guests included the English voice actors Justin Briner (Deku), Ricco Fajardo (Mirio), Kellen Goff (Overhaul), Justin Cook (Kirishima), and Colleen Clinkenbeard (ADR Director/Yaoyorozu). They also screened portions of the first few episodes of season four.
Can we have a moment of silence for the massive amount of money I spent within 48 hours at Anime NYC 2019?
Anime NYC 2019 was held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City from November 15, 2019 to November 17, 2019. This was the first time the convention utilized the entire 3rd floor of the Javits Center.
I have attended this convention every year since it began in 2017, and I can confidently say that it just keeps getting better and this was the best year to date.
The plethora of panels, cosplayers, exhibitors and the massive artist alley made it one the best anime conventions I have ever attended.
I had originally planned on attending all three days of the convention and then SuperM announced their tour date at MSG the Tuesday after Anime NYC, so I made the responsible adult decision of only attending Friday and Saturday.
Day One: Friday
Taiyaki
Kbbq Chicken Bowl
Food Gallery 32 has the best food
The first day of the convention didn’t start until 1 pm so my friend and I made our way to Koreatown to get some food at Food Gallery 32.
This was my first time eating at this food court and the food was sooo good. I had the chicken BBq bowl from Kobeque and a Red Bean Taiyaki from Mama. I recommend coming to this food court to eat because there is a lot of variety and the prices are very reasonable for the amount of food they give you.
Once we arrived at the convention we spent 90% of the day in artist alley.
I’m serious.
Anime NYC 2019 had the best artist alley EVER. Almost every single fandom was represented, and my multifandom heart exploded.
Day Two: Saturday
The only photo I took as photos and video were not allowed while the panel was in progress.
I spent the first part of Saturday waiting in line for the Magia Record panel. The guests for this panel were Aoi Yuki (Voice of Madoka Kaname) and Mitsutoshi Kubota (President of SHAFT, Animation Producer).
The majority of the panel was dedicated to screening the first two episodes of Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story for the first time in the US. Magia Record is an anime adaptation of the mobile game based on the magical girl franchise Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
Madoka Magica is my favorite anime and favorite show of all time, so I knew that I HAD to get into this panel. I arrived at about 10:30 am and the panel didn’t start until 12pm.
If you are interested in watching Magia Record I highly recommend watching Madoka Magica first as there are many things the new anime that are not explained because it assumes you already understand the Puella Magi universe.
Overall Anime NYC 2019 was one of the best conventions of 2019. This convention is growing in popularity quickly, but I have faith that it won’t forget about its humble beginnings.
The Schomburg Center’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival was held on January 17 -18, 2020. This convention featured many black artists and exhibitors. This was also my first time attending the convention.
Admission was free, but you did have to sign up in advance through Eventbrite.
As I was leaving the convention I noticed an entrance into a museum-like room. I was unaware if entry to the museum was included with the convention. I was politely informed that it was free and apart of the Schomburg Center. I am so glad my curiosity got the best of me because I was able to view the many artifacts that were on display in The Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery.
Harriet Tubman
Bible From 1751
Artifacts on Display in the Lapidus Center
“The Center’s mission is to generate and disseminate scholarly knowledge on the slave trade, slavery, and anti-slavery pertaining to the Atlantic World”. – Nypl.org
This exhibit featured many different artifacts that provides even more information on the transatlantic slave trade. I highly recommend visiting The Lapidus Center within the Schomburg Center.
Andrea Ateliers 