the History of Katsucon (a biased cosplayer’s saga)
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- Опубліковано 9 бер 2023
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/ heylizardleigh
Katsucon is a state of mind, and today I am here to transport you. Basically I returned to the convention I’ve been attending for the last thirteen years (eleven, minus panera time) and decided to not just do a normal ‘con blog’ but instead take you on a deep dive of my hottest take, most precious memories, and worst goofs about this legendary and complicated event. Katsucon is one of my favorite places on earth and also represents so much of what’s wrong about con culture. So we’re going to talk about all that, and we’re going to talk about the decade it took to get us there. I am profoundly sleep deprived as I type this because I have been pushing SO hard on this edit, so uh I truly hope you like it!!
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REFERENCES & SOURCES:
Noor: / nimblenoor
Cecily: / cecilycosplays
Mantis's Ear Shop!!: / thelittlemantismenagerie
Thumbnail Image by Yenra: yenraphotography.com/
Felix Wong Photography: / felixwongphotography
Ackson Lee: / @acksonl
Angela Clayton’s Sakizou Blog Series: angelacostumery.com/2013/02/2...
Sunset Dragon's Art: _sunsetdrag...
Sakizō's Art: sakizo.jp/
The Locked Tomb Books: us.macmillan.com/series/thelo...
2023 Cosplay Met Gala by GGMEHD: • 2023 Cosplay Met Gala ...
🎧 MUSIC 🎧
Music by Slip.stream - bear bear & friends "MOCHI" - slip.stream/tracks/f5411a78-2...
Music by Slip.stream - FIBRE "First Strike" - slip.stream/tracks/fcea765a-9...
Music by Slip.stream - A.L.I.S.O.N. "Sentinel" - slip.stream/tracks/4eb68e87-2...
Music by Slip.stream - suteki "moonphaze" - slip.stream/tracks/d00835ac-1...
Music by Slip.stream - Synthion "Perfume" - slip.stream/tracks/1db4cf16-f...
Music by Slip.stream - Sofasound "Phases Of My Life" - slip.stream/tracks/efc6d2e1-a...
Music by Slip.stream - A.L.I.S.O.N. "O.R.B." - slip.stream/tracks/a15249c8-a...
Music by Slip.stream - Dilip "Pulse" - slip.stream/tracks/1e38f047-7...
Music by Slip.stream - Laxcity "Last Time" - slip.stream/tracks/f29c082d-0...
Music by Slip.stream - Toyko "Ever Fall" - slip.stream/tracks/3eefec83-d... - Навчання та стиль
American cosplayers wearing multiple cosplays a day would always shock me as a teen, like, why? The energy that takes? Like I get the hotel is close, but the makeup, etc? And then I found out how much con tickets cost in most American cons and honestly? I get it.
First of all, I’m glad Katsu turned into a cosplay venue and was a place where cosplay thrived and diversified to the point of having a Cosplay Met Gala.
It’s telling that this wasn’t Katsu programming or innovation, but of fans attending the show weekend.
As for the con itself: I was a guest at Katsu in 2008, my 12yo daughter was my plus one. My table was next to a guy convicted of video game piracy doing his community service, with Katsu helping. The guy was so gross, people were avoiding my table, and I barely made any money.
The green room was a shitshow run by a nasty woman (who yelled at people) and her creepy husband, and their friends hung out in it.
Creepy guy made a joke about burying his badge in my daughter’s head because she walked in front of the TV.
I told him if he threatened her again, Id break a bottle over his head, and I meant it.
The convict later went to jail.
I have no idea why Katsu was involved in this guy’s public service (I’d been warned away from him a few years prior. He was strongly disliked, and I was told he made ccg sales to kids and ripped them off.)
But, HEY, seat that shithead next to a guest and her child.
So much disrespect.
Worst con ever, and I say that having ended another con in the hospital.
ugh that sucks!!! tbh the stories people have had about this con today after watching this video has made me almost think I was too easy on katsucon's management LOL. the attendees of katsucon are some of my favorite people in the world but boy howdy is the con management just unknowable layers of garbage....
@@HeyLizardLeigh Management has been bad at least since 1999. Management the second year I went was so fucking bad. WhoTF decides a federal parolee belongs at a con and next to a guest?
It was awful.
Huh, I don’t think I ever heard that story of yours. But I’m not surprised.
I think 2008’s Katsu that was the year I didn’t go because I mishandled a situation and was asked to leave con staff. Which was the year after I received an award at the post-con dinner for staff & guests. Go figure, eh?
Please identify the convicted man for veracity and public safety awareness. Was he connected to the longtime controversial Pandora's Cube store in Maryland or said business founder & proprietor named Biren Amin?
I'm only 5 minutes in and I have SO MANY feelings as someone who's been attending since 2013 and also considered doing a video about katsucon. I'm just like, loosing it I'm not the only one who recognized the connection between Ackson's videos and that Carmella cosplay Yaya did with why katsu was so famous suddenly. The marble too, you get it so much 😭💕
THIS MEANS SO MUCH TO MEEE, like I know it's a comparatively niche group compared to The Totality Of The Internet, but hearing from other people who've been attending katsu for YEARS that this vid is spot on has made my heart SO HAPPY 💜
@@HeyLizardLeigh Listen when you started going off about Homestuck I was screaming. Like it's kinda the ancestor to a lot of fandoms these days and imo a lot people started from the fancy Homestuck/CN designs from artists like Mookie and Rumminov and then applied it to the fandoms they graduated to like Undertale and Steven universe and so forth. And I also made the "awhhhh right" when you mentioned the Jessica Nigri eeveelution group, and it was so spot on.
GIRL SAME!!! :'D
I think Yaya and the show Heros of Cosplay was definitely a shift.
this was my first katsu con this year, and honestly this video illuminates so much to me about why i felt like katsu was so intensely different from the conventions im used to in the midwest. it didn't feel like a proper modern convention, it felt like a social or an excessively oversized cosplay gathering. really beautiful venue, incredible cosplays, but not too much to do otherwise unfortunately. absolutely loved this video, looking forward to more!!
all of this!!! I love hanging out and just people watching at cons, but it's so weird that that's... pretty much all there is to do at katsu.
"This is not going to be a 40 minute video... we'll see" 💜
I was so sure when I said that too......... so positive it'd be max 20-something minutes...
@@HeyLizardLeigh no worries, feelings take time ✨️ and this was a great video!
As someone who has been in the community since 2010 and has been watching Kastucon but not attend this video was something I was really looking forward too. Kastucon has been my dream con since the early 2010s and it’s going though that timeline was so oddly nostalgic. Watching these cosplay music videos used to be such a highlight for little baby cosplayer me. I still really want to attend, at least once so that little baby cosplayer can have her moment.
I feel a lot of cons have a similar problem with programs, I know my home con (Metrocon) has a similar issue with the program feeling like it hasn’t changed since like 2012. I feel like cons are like 60% what you personally make of them.
oh 100%, so much of 'the con experience' is really whatever you make of them. it's interesting how many cons struggle to figure out how to program for their attendee base! and man agreed, those CMVs back in the day were SO influential, the tiny moments I managed to slip into some of them felt SO huge!!
Going to Katsucon this year wearing a cute dress I made is what got me back into cosplay and now I'm working on something to wear to Otakon. This video was super interesting, as I'd never been to Katsu before and didn't know any of the lore or that it was known for cosplay, but I had a super great time there and am inspired to get back into the scene with newfound sewing and crafting knowledge. Thanks for making this!
This is so interesting from a uk cosplayers point of view. I always seen katsucon as just a really pretty con but seeing the history laid out like this so supremely interesting because the trends of cosplay is exactly the same timeline as over here in England. The vibe of the con is also very similar to a con over here called Kitacon only Kita has parties every night. Even the panels you were talking about and the rowdy congoers is the same. It’s absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much for putting in the effort (glad it wasn’t just a 20minute video) It’s so weird and comforting to watch knowing that you’ve gone through the same cosplay journey as many of my friends and myself. I’m all about the comfy cosplays that are more about something i love and a silly idea i had rather than the laborious extremely detailed “fashion” cosplays that i did 10 years ago. Great video 💖💖💖💖💖
that is SO interesting, I've loved learning about cons in different areas that have stuff in common with the way I look at katsu!! like you said, it's really cool knowing there are similar experiences even when the community is so global!
Super late to this video, but I had to say I was literally thinking of Kita the whole video so I'm glad it wasn't just me. I've pretty much given up on UK cons; we're giving Sunnycon a go this year but think we're transitioning into LARP for our costuming itches.
looking forward to the part of the video about the gazebo incident lmao, the moment i heard the rumor i thought “finally, a sequel to pissing in the ball pit at dashcon” and i’m not sure whether i hope it’s real or fake lmao
edit: this video is awesome !! i love learning about fandom history, and as someone who has only ever been a katsu onlooker, this was a really cool dive into a con i’ve never been to :)
I'm the Cardcaptor Sakura at 18:05 ! Wow never thought I'd find myself in someone else's video haha
Katsucon was my FIRST US con (I'm Canadian) and of course I went the year of the fire alarm. At least it made for a good story
This was really awesome!!! I've been watching Katsucon vlogs since 2015, and I've been dying to go! It's been so nice seeing a lot of the lore be a bit more contextualized! It's also so wild how the crowding at Katsu is due to just lack of activities and not attendance
ive always known katsucon as "the cosplay convention" and have only been twice despite being a frequent con-goer, because i felt so much like it wasnt worth going at all if i didn't make some magnificent, high skill level, cosplay from a relevant or popular fandom to wear. im glad to know that im not alone in this struggle... your content is helping me find joy in cosplaying again! maybe some day i'll attend it again. thank you lizard
I find it very interesting that one of the points you highlighted about what should be improved at Katsucon is nightime activities and you mentioned that point twice, that all present day cons offer programming at night, because that's something I have only heard of in the USA. I haven't been many places in western Europe but those I have been to in France, Germany and England close at 7p.m maximum and nothing is offered at night, it is not even expected by con goers. I've heard of night cons in Paris but they are specifically night events that don't span over the next day (one exception being Epitanime which had been cancelled for the past years and just started again). The main difference I've seen is that venues in the US are mainly in hotels while in some European countries the venues are public and therefore only open during the day
as someone who’s been cosplaying for years but has never been to a con of this scale, this made me feel like i was actually there! it’s such a trip down memory lane for the way cosplay has changed over the past decade, and tbh i personally love the longer videos 😂 they make perfect background noise for handsewing!
ahhh thank you for such a nice comment!! and honestly, I do love MAKING the long videos, it's just that they take.... so, so much time and effort to edit T^T I also prefer 30+ minutes videos when I'm working, but omg they take so much to put together haha
This was so interesting! I've never been to Katsucon before but have always been intrigued by it, so it was awesome getting to learn more about it and hear your own opinions about the con. 😊
I live for longer form videos, this was fantastic! This year will be my tenth attending SakuraCon here in the PNW and watching this really put me in a retrospective mood. Learning about other con’s lore is always a fun time, and hearing bits about your own cosplay experience was great, too : ) Especially the part about using your cosplay to help you process loss. As I’ve healed from my own things, I’ve found that my cosplay has sort of grown right alongside my mental health. Thanks for sharing!
thank you for leaving such a kind comment!! I've LOVED reading everyone's local-to-them cons that hold a similar place as katsu does to me, it's so interesting hearing those similarities!!
Yes!! fellow long term sak attendee! 💕 it's so fascinating looking back at the many ways cosplay communities - local-con-wise or worldwide - change with the times.
As someone who’s been cosplaying for ten years I loved this video. It reaffirmed all the reasons I love this hobby and all the reasons I still do ❤
I lost my dad in 2019 and he always was the one who helped me with my cosplays; I completely understand what you mean by working on a cosplay being part of the healing process. Awesome video too! I Been going to Katsucon since 2004.
Hi! I stumbled upon this video and just wanted to offer a slight insight: I am apart of a panel group who has pitched to Matsu and they basically told us they don't care about the quality of their programming. Definitely goes to show that they are very comfortable doing the bare minimum and letting people continue to self entertain.
your ability to speak fluently, round out a point and all while multitasking is absolutely impressive. as a fellow nonbinary lesbian in a similar scene (fursuit making) its been so refreshing listening to your content while I work. it feels like both my gender identity, career hobby and interests are all being in some way validated by someone who can share similar experiences. its,, fascinating feeling like someone knows exactly what you're going through as both a person and a content creator. Like a community within a community, thank you for that💙 please continue to be as authentic as this community lets you feel you can be, its truly hitting for people out there.
An awesome essay on Katsucon. You really captured a lot of memories for me. Thank you!
That kind of videos is absolutely amazing !! I love how you just tell a story and it's truly interesting !! So thank you for that !!
Great video! Thanks for all the work you put into this. 🖤🖤🖤
this is a great lil 'documentary' and travel video! i love fandom history and your editing and art direction and gen quality of this vid is incredible!
Thank you so much for making this, I am utterly fascinated by comic cons, anime cons, and fandom culture. This was great!!
I come from a weird background of cosplaying at a handful of cons in 2012, then MCM in 2015. I hadn't been to a convention since then for a multitude of reasons but mostly mental health. Plus I went partially for work. But seeing the multitude of ocs up for the cosplay contest warmed my heart. I had never seen so many people signing up for one as ocs. It really warmed my heart. And I am so happy to be back into the wonderful world of cosplay.
As somebody who's only been to one minor con in their life for a day, these videos are really enlightening about the culture with cons and cosplay 💜Keep up the great work!
This is so well made and interesting!! especially from my perspective of a little nerd overseas, I have always known about katsu but it was more of a legend? This was super insightful and fun to watch. Also reminds about the good parts about nerdy fan communities. Thanks for sharing!!
Watched this while working on cosplay for Sakuracon, I loved it! I've never been to Katsucon and the legends always made it sound so intimidating, this really helped ground my mind.
Man! I know we don’t talk about certain authors or characters, but our Steakhouse shoot was one of my favorites!! ❤
aww omg so true though!!! that was such a special shoot!
Thanks for bringing back all these memories ❤❤❤
Just discovered this channel and loving it already. My home con is anime central but I already feel like some of these points apply there too. We even had multiple years of the fire alarm going off and the entire hotel and con having to empty into the street in front of the Hyatt. Also the multiple reactions of non con attendees who just happened to be there the same weekend
This video is my favorite. It accurately depicts the times I enjoyed cosplaying the most, to why I eventually stopped when I got too caught up in doing things “for the con.” After not doing it for years, I’m realizing the idea of making a cosplay is super fun and healing when you take out limitations that don’t serve you. Love this retelling of your Katsu journey, which was also where I made some of my first cosplay friends like you!
This video was so great!!! I would honestly watch 2 hours of you recounting convention experiences and drama
ahh thank you so much!!! they're so much more work to edit but I really love making them! C:
Thank you for taking the time and dedication to share about this con! I have never been able to attend and it was really nice to hear someone talk about the pros and cons and really be honest about its flaws! Very enjoyable video to watch and relate to convention experiences of my own!
thank YOU for leaving such a thoughtful comment! :D it was really fun to do a deep dive into this convention!
Sheesh, your description the stepping stones of the beginner to intermediate of being a maker hits home HARD. Its so hard NOT to compare yourself.
This is such a fascinating video! Being part of con history while you recount it is so great, I'm glad the algorithm picked this up and recced it to me.
and i'm so glad youtube has been recommending it! :D thanks for watching!
Incredible videos as always!! So glad i found your channel
thanks for being here!! :D
absolutely loved this video and agree with sooo many things that you said! My first Katsu was in 2016 (missed the firealarm as i was eating at that time lmao) but I remember the Eeveelutions and just amount of like "industry tier" people that were there. At that time I was just getting into building my own cosplays (and not like closet cosplay lol) and after hearing and seeing all the videos about it years prior I was inspired to make a "street style" Sombra. First time there it deff felt like i was so out of my element and casual but also it was so different than other cons I've attended before - where it felt less of a warehouse with shops and more of a community. I was so inspired after to actually craft and be creative and soo thankful to the friends I've made and people I met that I wanted to come back again and again.
2020 Katsu was such a wild and vivid experience - and then going back to Katsu in 2023 I felt like there was a change in the vibe - people trying to chase the "Katsu Magic" and even borderline elitism? Like the ballroom area became impossible to pass through or take photos. I still attend to see my friends (as programming is like you said - is very terrible, to the point that they announce guests a month before the con, as if they just remembered that they're a convention and not like....a pay-to-gather space). The magic of this con for me is deff in the people, the creativity of attendees and not the organizers and that's what makes it still special, although the experience is getting a bit less fun every year as they're getting overcrowded and undermanaged.
Still excited to go there this year - again mostly for the people as this con has the incredible 24hr hangout meetup session vibes at a magical snowglobed cosplay town for the weekend that I'm yet to see any other con offer.
I only just recently got into cosplay after a passive interest for a few years, ans I've only attended one con so far. I'm working on my second cosplay, everything is new and exciting, and I'm in love. This video feels amazing to rewatch with my new context, all the inside jokes and the development of the culture! I'm really blessed to have some amazing new friends who can also really relate to all of this. Really fun stuff!
Wonderful! Thank you for taking us inside Katsucon !
I have never been to a con, but I have heard so much and I used to work next door to dragon con, so I'd see the beginnings on Friday. Thanks for such an interesting video and the hilarious clip of John being chased by a resurrection beast. Absolutely hilarious.
I saw so many old friends in the video! I never made it to Katsu, but I lived briefly on the East Coast and was heavy into the cosplay scene. Thank you for not only a great video but some nostalgia and fond smiles.
that's so neat!! it really IS such a small world, the east coast cosplay scene 💜
I started cosplaying in late 2020, I honestly really love cosplay content creators. As much as I love cosplay music videos I also love seeing people document their experiences
and i'm so glad that people like this kind of video talking about the experiences in the community over the years! :D
Only ever attended West Coast conventions, but it made my little heart so happy that many of your con experiences were similar. This video felt like reminiscing with old friends!
thank you so much!! i really wanted this vid to have the energy of hanging out in a hotel room talking, so this makes me really glad!
I’ve never been to katsucon (I’m not even from the US) and I’m only 8 min into the video but I’m fully invested! Its so interesting to learn some cosplay history in the background while I cut foam for my cosplay 😊
This video makes me feel like both a con veteran and also like I've been missing out (I have). Also goddamn that video editing is wild calm down
i will never calm down i cannot be stopped (come to a con!!!! you'd love magfest!!!)
I actually had a gymnastics competition there way back when! Absolutely magical to my little 13 year old self. Imagine my surprise when I found out it's where a bunch of cons happen too lol😂 I'm unfortunately too anxious to go to a con but one day when I feel better I'd like to try cosplay and go there at least once :)
Your editing is just the best!
Don't know how you stay so chill being able to tell a story and get ready in a cosplay. Someone talks to me while I get ready for work when I still leave like an hour early (despite living 8 minutes from work) and I STRESS.
@Ville oh no I didn't go to the con. I wouldn't be able to get the time off or to afford to travel there. Plus me and crowds don't mix.
oh my gosh tbf I have no idea how i even managed it in this video LOL, truly a miracle!!
Binging thru a bunch of your videos right now but this one really punched me in the face with nostalgia, good and bad. I’ve also been cosplaying since before 2010, though not so much in the past 5 years for miscellaneous reasons. The peak con culture of people editing or making whole new cosplays about stuff that happened on Friday or Saturday, absolutely iconic. The shift from just being happy to be wearing something you made to ruining your own weekend with trying to make a thing for the visibility of having made the thing instead of out of love for it… This latter one is what really hit me, because it’s not something I heard anyone talking about back when I was actively in cosplay, at least not so succinctly. Like we’d all complain con crunch isn’t worth it cuz you’d be too tired to enjoy the con but that was different than going around in a cosplay you felt should be a magnum opus that you didn’t even love because “I’ve been sewing for so many years, of course making this myself isn’t a huge achievement.” and often times not getting much notice at all. I sort of learned better, but sort of lost my con friend circle by the time I did so nowadays I feel adrift on what to do with myself and my love of creating, since it’s not something you really do in a void.
Anyway, I’m glad to see someone talking openly about their own struggles with the self imposed pressure to Show Off Your Best and recovering the Fun of it.
Oh man, I remember so many of the topics that were brought up from my high school days of wanting to attend. I finally attended 2020, where I enjoyed it but not my cup of tea. Of course, all I can remember about the con are the crowds, crab cakes and then all cons closing for the next year right after
I dont know why but such a little thrill of joy rushed through me when i saw the Obi-wan just casually walking through the background at 27:39 ish
As someone who first attended in 2013 after watching (and absolutely being influenced by) that Katsu 2012 cosplay music video featuring Yaya's beautiful vampire gown . . . yeah, this was SUCH a trip down memory lane!! ;w;
I'm so glad you mentioned the Sakizou Explosion, too. That was a Moment. 💅
Such a good historic view into the con. I had so great memories with Akon since 2005 and it's been 5 years since I went back. Last time I went it was way too crowded and the venue's changed twice.
What a great video!!!
uhhh HI IT'S THE CAMILLA HECT FROM THE 2022 LOCKED TOMB MEETUP not me finally watching this to hype myself up for katsucrunch and bearing witness to my bob just exploding in the wind in your vid :'DDDDD also, i was absolutely one of the beaus in the background of that 2019 arm wrestling contest clip and was definitely bested thoroughly by your gf drressed as jester????!? small world!!! as always, love your videos, this one turned out great
This was lovely! I'm really hoping to go to my first Katsucon next year, we'll see what happens but I hope I can participate in some of the positive side of con history
As for con programming, I know this year they had a trial run for some cosplay workshops, specifically Casey Renee ran a few and they seemed to do well based on what she said in her vlog. So hopefully this motivates them to modernize their offerings?
I hope you have a great time at katsucon!! and YES, I know the famoré workshops with cowbutt crunchies, casey renee, and sarah spaceman were all fantastically run. from what I've heard, that has was more to do with the cosplayers and famoré, but I reallyyyy hope that katsucon will manage to keep offering programming like that.
35:20 Yes! I actually don't like Katsucon all that much I just go because I have nothing else to do around that time. But you're right. Most of Katsu's panels don't appeal to me especially since I'm more of a gamer and comic book nerd and they don't have anything at night. My favorite DJ usually sets up a booth every year at Magfest, but at Katsucon he might just bring a boom box to the gazebo because the Katsucon staff said he can't set up a booth at the con and then eventually staff will make everyone leave the gazebo area at like midnight.
Also there were too many, TOO MANY dang people this year. They oversold tickets. They had to because I don't ever remember there being so many people.
Most of my con experience has been attending or staffing conventions in the Midwest for the past 7-8 years, so it's really interesting to hear about the pov of a cosplayer at these cons. I had no idea that conventions could have such a large focus on cosplaying, and that certain convention centers revolve around cosplay more than the panel side of things. It's cool to hear about Katsucon's history and especially how cosplayers have molded and shaped the con to be what it is today. The amount of enthusiasm and effort you put into cosplaying is so encouraging to people who haven't cosplayed much like myself :) Now that conventions are starting to resume again I want to try too.
(Also where did you get the lizard wizard shirt it is amazing and i need it)
thanks for watching!! and oh man I wish i knew, the shirt was actually a gift from my gf!
Just found your channel and this video is so real. Katsu was my first con back in 2017 and I still go to it each year. Cannot agree more about the "arms race" aspect of Katsu. I usually attend with my friends and we all tend to bring our best stuff and have a great time getting pics of our cosplays, but we've also encountered lots of people who are honestly just so rude about it. At Katsu 2023 my friends and I were talking one of the auxiliary stairs from our room in the Gaylord down to the con floor and there was someone doing a photoshoot there, on the staircase, that was maybe three feet in width, and the cosplayer looked so pissed whenever people passed by like. YOU are the one causing an obstruction girl!!
Katsucon really is just one of those cons you have to know how to make your own fun at if you're attending, especially in recent years. I've had a few conversations with strangers (including one person I only realized I had spoken to at a previous Katsu an hour after we talked) but it feels like recently it's harder to do so, a lot of people can come off pretty cliquish. The way I've found to have the most fun is not only having a good group of friends to go with (that you can also handle being away from, as I like to wander artist alleys/dealer halls by myself) but still get meals together or just hangout. Sorry if I seem like I'm rambling this video has just made me remember a lot of things I love about Katsu. One last thing I wanna ramble about rq before I leave is about cosplay, and that it's so worth it to cosplay something with a small fandom!! I frequently cosplay from series that no one really cares about (or at least isn't super popular) but when someone does recognize it it's so exciting to be recognized and I've had soooo many experiences like that at Katsu and I still think back on them fondly, it reminds me why I love cosplay and going to conventions in the first place!
Raaaa okay I'm done now tldr katsu has issues but it can also be so epic if you're okay doing things on your own. Also yes I do remember the teeth, I heard they were real teeth but never saw any myself.
Interesting how your experience with cosplay at cons was so separated by genre! I find that really fascinating. It definitely wasn't the case here in the Dallas area in the early 2000s (A-kon and AnimeFest especially). We had people cosplaying from star trek, star wars, comics, anime, books at like every con. There were lots of original characters too! And luckily everyone was super cool about it from my experience. :)
that's so interesting!!! yeah in my experience it wasn't even necessarily that people were mean or gatekeeping, more that the streams just didn't really cross until later in the con lifecycle. I always wish I would see more trek cosplay at cons tbh!
@@HeyLizardLeigh My theory is that A-kon especially is so dang old (oldest anime con in the US even) that it had a lot of old school trekkies running it? I'm not sure if that's why, but it was a neat vibe. I'm really glad to hear folks weren't gatekeeping, though. I've heard recently of some cons trying to ban other genres from their main one and that's so stinkin' weird.
PS Thank you so much for making this video! It was a blast to watch. Apologies I meant to say it in my first comment!
I too was there when the fire nation attacked (while wearing Tifa lol). D:
I love your cosplay style, and Your girlfriends cosplays are sooo cute as well!!
My friends and I are planning to go to katsu 2025 so I'm doing a bunch of research so we know what to expect. This has been super informative. Thank you❤
I love that cons over there are in hotels and you have somewhere private to take a break. Wish we had pretty venues like that here in NZ!
Okay so I'm a west coast cosplayer and I've been going to cons and cosplaying since 2004.... this video made me tear up and I've never even been to katsucon?? Haha! I think because major cosplayers go to it, and because it's early in the year, it really sets trends and waves in terms of the cosplay community- what series are popular to cosplay, the type of costumes, etc. So much so that it affects cons across the country. Also it took me back everytime you referenced the popular cosplay trend for each year- so many waves of nostalgia, lol. Now I really wanna make a video like this about fanimecon!
i am nearing almost 10 years at katsucon and this really brought me back. thank you for this
I just realized I met you at the Locked Tomb meetup and accidentally chatted your ear off a bit! I had no idea you were a content creator, but I was just so excited to see everyone in TLT cosplay 😭 Thanks for putting up with me and being so kind!!
omg I had so much fun talking to people at that meet-up, I'm sure you weren't a bother!! that's the joy of cons, meeting new people! :D
So good. I love it!
Kennnnnn so glad you watched!!! taking photos together is such a key part of all the katsucon memories over the years 💜
2023 was my first Katsucon and I spent most of it in my my hotel room because I was either recovering from jetlag, alcohol, or simply just overwhelmed by the number of people 😅 I'm hoping to try going next year, but I definitely have to plan it better.
it is SO crowded, I get it haha!! managing energy and people-time for a con as short and INTENSE as katsu is absolutely a tough thing to balance, I still feel like I end up spending a ton of time in the room even though I love being out n about!
Bruh my friend posted this in our server and Im only 16 minutes in but everything you're saying is so relatable.
Katsu was my very first con back in 2012 and It was my first time cosplaying a basic closet cosplay but then I saw all the videos and pictures and started to one up myself every year and I have vivid memories of the infamous 2016 fire alarm because I tragically wore a cosplay consisting of a not very warm sweater and very small booty shorts and I was freezing to death. I also for sure fell into the category of cosplaying things that were popular for nice shots that didn't make me happy and I remember bringing my sailor saturn cosplay one year that I made and was proud of until I saw everyone else looking so much better but at the time I was still so baby and didn't have good sewing techniques.
30min in mint: I also skipped on katsu 2022 and planned to go to 23 but got a new job in november and couldn't attend and now I'm not certain if i'd want to. It's such a bitter sweet love story. the onlly thing keeping me wanting to go as opposed to mag a month earlier in the same venue is friends from all over including out of the country come to katsu and its sometimes the one time of year I'd see them.
I love your longer videos! And your fab costumes! I've never been to a con, but I recently thought of a costume I really want to make. I wonder where the closest con to Czechia is?
yess love to hear that!! and thank you so much- I hope you have a great time at a con!!
We went to Katsucon but didn't pay for the con - we literally just walked the lobby and the grounds and took pictures and got pictures taken - met up with friends... it was awesome. We lived in Virginia so we didn't even pay for room, it was an fun Saturday! A big reason we didn't pay was because there wasn't anything going on, nothing to make it worth paying in our opinion.
This was my first con in 2011, and I still love it when I get to go. Did magfest this year instead, next year will be different
I just watched this with some friends because this will be their first katsu, little did I know I'm in this video because I participated in the met gala 😂😂 I actually ran into you outside the gazebo that year and in my drunken state all I could think to say was "wait, are you the fiesta blend person??" Because I watched your overwatch video while crunching 😂
I was kinda confused when you showed the hotel Katsucon is in and was like “…I don’t remember that…” After a bit of googling I found that the hotel you know is where they moved to after I stopped going. XP This was really interesting to hear about Katsucon from a cosplayer’s point of view. I never did anything but a bit of casual cosplay but I was there for the dealer’s room and the various programs. Oh and the AMV’s and cosplay contests. Those were lots of fun. Thank you for sharing with us little bits of what happened in the new location. I guess I end this comment and say from an Ace to a Lesbian, I wish you and your girlfriend much happiness in the days come and much fun in your future cosplays! 🌼
yo i actually live close to the national harbor ^^ tbh i only know of this because of my older sister going this year lol. hope you have fun this year!!!
I'm a staff at katsucon and have been since 2013. I have a time capsule of my department for 2020. It was cool finding it 2023.
I am only a mear underling but I can try to send some ideas to katsucon leads in hopes of adding what people want.
I started going to cons and cosplaying in 2008 and Katsu was one of my big ones I nearly always went to along side my local con and Otakon. Even though I haven't cosplayed in years at this point, this was a great trip down memory lane--hell I even remember getting photos of the eeveelution armor cosplays. I always remember Katsu as the "dramacon" because all my friends were always so high strung about getting their cosplays done and perfect for con that some crazy drama always happened during Katsu.
But AH THE TEETH. I remember the teeth!!! I swear that rumor has happened before? Or it was at a couple cons. I could've sworn it was ages before 2019 that happened. I remember it as a crazy rumor going around that someone was handing out real teeth or leaving them around the con like creepy easter eggs. If I remember correctly, it turned out to be fake teeth that one person was handing out as a joke "reward" and some people made it weird. I believe the "left around con" bit was more that someone had heard about the teeth rumor and was leaving popcorn in plant pots to freak people out. Con-goers can be weird.
It's weird seeing this kind of video and remembering all the friends I made along the way. I stopped cosplaying and turned to LARP because the thing I enjoyed was "being" the character more than the costume, and LARP .... is a lot kinder to my wallet, all things considered. Recently I've been reevaluating my relationship to cons and cosplay and if I can dip my toes back in. Last year I broke my fast of cons and went to MAGfest and it was amazing. I didn't make it this year, but I think it's going to be a new addition to my yearly calendar.
I hope you have/had a good Katsu this year! Thank you for the reminder of fond memories.
Great video! Katsu is my home con. Oddly I did not discover it until after I moved from the DC metro area. My first time there was in 2011 and I loved everything about the con. The Gaylord is an amazing place and conspace. Katsu really got me into cosplay! Seeing all the amazing work others were doing inspired me to try it. I haven't been since 2017 but I will go back maybe next year.
It is kinda annoying how popular and crowded Katsu has become but on the other hand, it's increased popularity means it won't fade away
agreed on absolutely every point! I love Katsu and what it's brought to the community but ohhh boy are there some big downsides to the con
The amount of Locked Tomb love in this fills my heart.
I've been cosplaying since 2011/2012 and wow, the nostalgia I got from this in so many ways. I've never been to Katsu but gosh I remember all the online drama and watching videos online. It's always felt like Katsu was the Hollywood of cons in so many ways.
agreeeed, katsucon did get this reputation for being THEE east coast con! thanks for watching!!
I clicked so quickly!
And I will return to Katsu next year
Yesss!! see you THERE
Never before have I been so grateful that Anime Boston has multiple late night, 18/21+, and ticketed events for people to go to like the rave and charity ball
i’ve been into cosplay since maybe 2012 (?) and i grew up watching cosplay youtubers and katsucon was always, always my dream con. i live in southeast asia but i’ve kept up with the american con scene through the internet for years. i’ve always dreamt of taking pics at the gazebo 😭
Amazing video!
Dunno why, but you putting on your Flick makeup was giving massive Mila Kunis vibes. I think it's the eyes.
its wild bc 2016 even at smaller southern cons was a year where a LOT of property destruction and just,,, general rambunctiousness was suuuuper rampant
I haven't ever been to KatsuCon, but I used to work at an anime convention (that was considered large for our area, but in the grand scheme of things it's more of a Large Small Convention or Small Medium Convention.) and a lot of the things you mentioned that make Katsu "Behind the Times" and "Stuck in the Old Otaku Mindset" really hit home on why I think That Con really is just... floundering.
The nighttime programing is basically the rave, or hentai panels. There isn't really an underground party culture to the con because of this, but it ends up making the rave overcrowded because there's nothing else to do. When I was on staff, I tried to set up a Karaoke event for some optional nighttime programming, and while they approved it.... the con head then didn't provide us with any equipment or tech staff and so we basically had to use UA-cam Karaoke tracks to run the damn thing.
Some of the guests they choose are just ? Bizarre? A few years back we had to talk the con chair out of blowing all the guest money on some like. 3rd rate actor from a ghostbusters sequel that no one cared about, when the major demographic of the con is like. High schoolers and college kids who weren't even alive when that movie came out. As recent as a few years ago they still had a maid cafe (and I think the only reason it was discontinued was Covid), I'm almost certain they still have an AMV contest, and the con is opened and closed with cringey cosplay skits written by the con chair and performed by the staff.
This turned into less of a commentary on your commentary and more of a rant on my Former Con, but what I'm trying to say is that it's really interesting that the seeming disconnect between Con Chairs/boards and what the People Want wasn't just a "This con" thing.
absolutely, it's been so wild to read comments on this all about people's experiences with.... really similar cons!!
I can confirm that orgies happen at Katsucon. I thought it was just a rumor but this year I found out it was real.
The biggest con I’ve been to is A-Kon in DFW and as it’s grown in attendees, it’s become horribly mismanaged. Despite that, I have some great memories with my best friends from attending that convention over the years. We, like many others, were eventually kinda priced out of tickets, and have since been favoring smaller cons. Some of them have for sure sucked programming-wise, but there’s something so fun about getting to spend a weekend dressing up in silly costumes with your friends, and creeping up the hotel halls to find the floor’s microwave.
my favorite con hotel microwave is the dragon con lobby microwave. that one has such a special place in my heart :')
a two-sentence yelp review of every convention is another video (or maybe short) I would love to see. If you're someone who has only ever gone to your local con, or don't live near a con, how do you know where to start?
Great Video! Yeah, Katsu has become the apex of cosplay conventions
I was listening to this while drawing characters from Final Fantasy XIV, only to check back and see Alphinaud and Thancred cosplays at 36:48 lol
This was such a great watch! Katsucon was my very first con back in 2009, the year before it moved to the Gaylord. And as someone who can literally see the Gaylord from my house, it's always just been... my local con. Going back to the old venue in Crystal City for AnimeUSA and Fur the More is so crazy now-- it's hard to believe Katsucon once fit there. Growing up alongside the con through the years has been fascinating, but also a bit sad.
I'm not sure if I'm getting old and jaded, or if Katsucon is getting "worse" (maybe a combination of both), but I honestly enjoy it a lot less now than I did in the past. I don't want to be gatekeepy, but I do miss having a neat local con. These days, I tell people that if I didn't live so close by, I wouldn't bother going. Cosn are ultimately what you make of them, but the poor crowd control, lack of programming, and general mismanagement just doesn't feel as worth it anymore, which is sad. Katsucon feels like it's outgrown the Gaylord, but as you said, Katsucon IS the Gaylord, so it's kind of a difficult balance. I hope that KEI can listen to feedback from attendees and work to implement changes to improve the experience in the future, as I really want to be as excited about it as I used to be as a teen.
I really feel this as someone who'll forever mourn baltimore convention center era otakon! I grew up spending soo much of my summer at the inner harbor, and my memories of otakons there are so so precious.
Great Work.
I wish the Toronto Congress Centre was nicer. Anime North is the only major convention I can get to. There's no good lighting. No nice indoor spaces. No nice outdoor spaces. You often have large jets flying low overhead as they come in and out of the Toronto airport. It's a shame the space isn't great for humans to spend a lot of time in, but rather for large seated gatherings in a warehouse-type building. Basically the only reason to go anymore is to hang out with friends, see people walking around outside in cool costumes (in weather that is getting progressively hotter each year), and get in and out of the mayhem that is the dealers' room as fast as possible. I haven't been to a panel at AN since 2012, because each year, they're basically the same they have been since I first went in 2007.
I have seen this video reposted at least 2-3 times already on different discords. It's crazy to think that this con is fundamentally bareboned and centralized around a gazebo yet is extremely popular
omg it honors me to know that this lil video is making the rounds in discord circles, that's such high praise. and YEAH honestly I remember in 2015 people being like, yeah the gazebo is like the only thing to do here, and now it's many years later and that's still true :/
Katsu isnt a con I focus on going to every year since;
A) Its a 6 hour trip for me.
B) Theres other big cons I want to go to that are between Winter and Spring so its usually one or the other
C) Im from up north and Im at the mercy of inclement weather and there have been times where I almost couldnt go to Katsu of that year simply because of bad weather a day prior to leaving
D) TRYING TO GET A ROOM IS STRESS!
I do love Katsu and Ive been there at least 6 or 7 times and I remember some of the insanity of past years. 2013 BBYO and 2016 Firecon being the most notable for me. My thing with Katsu is that the rooming situation is getting more and more ridiculous. Im going to Katsu 2024. I got a room at the Gaylord! And I got it because the ROOM BLOCK WAS ALREADY OPEN BEFORE THE TIME IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OFFICIALLY OPEN. They announced that the room block was going to open at like noon. I decided to check the link like 5 minutes before and lo and behold I was able to get my room. To the folks that went on at noon and saw that the rooms were gone already!? Ive been to many cons and of the cons I go to, I never have an issue of the room blocks being gone in literal microseconds. Heck, I went to Anime Boston this year and hours after they had officially opened up their room block, the main hotel still had available rooms! I dont think they were full until a week later, but even then they work with other hotels in the area. Why does Katsu not do this??? Ive looked up the prices for the nearby hotels in the harbor and they all average around 1500 for a 3 night stay. And I get that the harbor is a nice area, but the hotels are obviously hiking the prices simply because its Katsu weekend! If you want to go to Katsu, its either the Gaylord or bust unless you can commute or plan on stuffing your $1500 room with like 8 people!
2011-2013 was katsucon height in cosplay. Def gotta talk about pre that era though and how wcs altered katsucon’s style of con into a more cosplay con as it was originally a raver’s convention pre gaylord and its first year. Wcs really brought in the cosplay scene to katsu and then all of this happened
Lol oh hey im in your video with our mlp group ^^ (was not expecting)
You are absolutely right tf on, there is SO much to be said about the way that raver culture in the late 00s and early teens built so much of con culture as we know it!! I still think about the raver fashion in those early years at otakon, it was such a culture. And man, the WCS drama those years was so real...... glad you enjoyed the pony jumpscare hehe!
Ayyyy I see myself in the monster hunter meetup shots!!
Nah I got to call cap on Magfest having more attendees. The lines for badge pick up were way longer at Katsu, you could barely walk there especially in the Artist Alley on Sunday. I also always meet people who travel from other countries at Katsucon and the general public just seems more aware of Katsucon vs Mag. Plus Magfest themselves said they increased the prices this year because of the low attendance last year.
Now, I could believe that Magfest has more local attendees vs Katsucon, but overall, no.
God I miss beatdowboogie so much 😭
right?? as someone who goes to katsucon and dragoncon, Micah was a true legend