I first learned of Kumoricon just a few short weeks before the event. My family and I were at Pioneer Courthouse Square, when we saw a group of girls parading through the area with the most intriguing costumes. They had successfully peaked my curiosity. I had to know why they were so intricately decked out. They patiently explained that Kumoricon, an anime convention, was September 5-7, 2009, at the Hilton Executive Tower. The elfin-type character produced a grin as she proclaimed, “We’re here early to get a lay of the land.” The girls were more than willing to have their picture taken and even rapidly produced props from their bags for the picture.

The girls that were, "Getting the layout of the land" weeks prior to the event. Image taken by Marion J. Flores. May not be reproduced without written permission from NewAgeVenus.Com

I knew nothing about anime, and my investigative skills kicked in, and I had to know more. A quick internet search quickly revealed that Kumoricon.org had a website. Anime, I simply thought it was Japanese cartoons, and Manga, I had never heard of. Kumoricon.org explained that it was Portland area convention that had originated in 2003. The site proudly boasted the convention was attended by thousands. This year, the convention was being hosted at the Portland Hilton Executive Tower. My interest still growing, I wanted to know more. So, I decided that Kumoricon was an event I needed to attend to help educate myself and my readers.

The convention kicked off their opening ceremonies on Saturday at 10A.M. Their calendar showed a full schedule nearly twenty-four hours a day. When I arrived at nearly the stroke of 7p.m, I knew instantly I was way out of my element. The hotel was surrounded outside and in with a sea of costumed characters. These were not your average Halloween-type garb. They were detailed and intricate, yet I did not recognize the majority of the characters.

I made my way to the hotel doors and attempted to enter. Hotel security immediately stopped me to advise that the convention had already completely sold out; there were more than 6000 attendees crammed into the hotel and area. I casually explained that I was press and was escorted to the registration desk to obtain my badge for entrance. That began the nearly hour long wait, while the staff tried to track down where the press badges had been moved to. I was sent from registration to another area, then to another, then back to the first. Then, I had to wait while they called the staff press person, then texted him and waited an exurbanite amount of time for him to respond.

During my ridiculous wait, which felt a bit like hari kari; I met an event staff member, and anime fan, a kindly woman named Amy Kelly. Ms. Kelly, I think knew on first look that I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and very out of place because I was dressed normally and was obviously an anime dummy. She patiently took the time to talk with me, which gave me the opportunity to begin asking questions about an event I knew completely nothing about. She started by explaining just a few of the basics. Anime is Japanese cartoons, and the characters are usually identifiable by their exaggerated traits. Among its fans, anime is an art form in its own right.

Amy explained that anime began in the early 1900’s. However, major changes took place in the techniques during the 1930’s, when Japanese animators were influence by Walt Disney and the success of their characters. So, people came dressed as any one of the anime characters that they personally like. I would later learn from other attendees, the more obscure the character they represented, the better it was. The characters not only came from anime (video), but Manga (books), comics and video games. There were characters from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, though I still don’t quite understand how they tied in to the whole event. A few Anime characters that non anime people may know are Pokemon, Fire Nation, Super Mario Brothers (from the Nintendo game series) and Dragon Ball Z. Amy suggested that as a new comer I should definitely attend the Cosplay Contest and the Masquerade ball.  

There were characters from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, though I still don’t quite understand how they tied in to the whole event. Image taken by Marion J. Flores. Do not reproduce without written permission from NewAgeVenus.Com

Now, remember the whole time Mrs. Kelly was explaining this, I was still waiting for the staff to figure out where they had placed the press badges. When they finally figured out where the badges had been moved to, I kindly thanked Ms. Kelly for her time and explanations and headed off to get my badge.
Nearly an hour after arriving, I was finally free to roam the convention. I checked my schedule, and there was so much to choose from. There was merchandise galore, origami classes, manga drawing classes, Taekwondo demonstrations, gaming rooms, contests, a charity auction, art viewing rooms, libraries, karaoke, famous attendees, dances, autograph sessions, photo booths, comedy skits, question and answer sessions, 18 and over only classes, and the list goes on and on.

Guest of Honor Phil Foglio Witer and Artist of Girl Genius. Imafe taken by Marion J. Flores. Do not reproduce without permission.

I left the main hotel and headed to the tower to see one of the skits. The costumes were amazing, and I quickly learned that you could ask anyone for a photo, and they would quickly and happily strike a pose that represented their character. The crowd, obviously familiar with the comic that the skit was based upon, found the show very amusing. I only understood the significance of one or two of the jokes, because they were specific to understanding the series. I would like to take the time here to thank freelance writer and Kumoricon enthusiast, Brooke Woolfson, for taking the time to help explain more of this whole event.

Every time I tried to get from one area to another, it was a nightmare. I do not believe this was the fault of the event planners. I truly think that the hotel was so overwhelmed with the sheer number of attendees that they did not know how to handle it. The hotel’s security staff were pains to deal with. You had to get permission from them to walk near the restrooms. They were constantly cutting off main paths and forcing people outside to get to easily accessible areas in the main portion of the hotel. As far as the wait at the elevators, forget it, I easily waited 15 or more minutes every time I needed to use them. While I was in attendance on Saturday and Sunday, they had most of their escalator system shut off. As for the stairs, I had great difficulty finding them, and would not want to be in this hotel if there were ever a disaster. Oh, and did I mention that the executive tower of the hotel charges exorbitant parking fees? One additional note here, the hotel’s restaurant charged an average of $12.50 and up for a hamburger. I am sure that my readers, who know me, are now quite sure that I was NOT impressed with the hotel; but I was still on a quest to learn more about this anime pandemonium.

On Sunday, Roxanne from Roxanne Reviews, and I headed to the convention together. I figured now that I knew where they got my registration badge from that getting Roxanne’s should be a breeze. Silly me! The convention staff had moved the badges from Saturday’s location to some new location on another floor. We again had to chase down the proper authorities to receive the Press Registration Badge.

Roxanne and I scoured the grounds examining the costumes and mood of the crowd. The crowd acted like they were a large family at a reunion. Many of the attendees knew each other, and if they didn’t, they respected each other’s enthusiasm and characters. The individual events seemed mildly disorganized and almost every event I attended started late.

The artwork that was displayed, and for sale in the viewing areas, were amazing pieces of artwork. Each and every piece was crafted with a love and dedication to anime. There were digital prints, and original drawings. Even with my little anime knowledge, these pieces of art were so impressive that anyone could hang them in their home and appreciate their beauty and creativity.

Next, we were off to the merchandise area. I had expected a few tables with vendors, but, boy was I in for a surprise. The amount of merchandise that Kumoricon had for sale was incredible. In fact, they needed the whole lower level of the parking ramp, a very difficult walk if you are not in prime health. There were lengthy rows upon rows of vendors. They had stuffed animals, costumes, clothes, t-shirts, key chains, anime prints, manga books, swords, comics, posters, jewelry, and action figures. Almost anything you can think of, related to anime, was for sale by the event vendors.

Then we headed toward the room for the Cosplay Event (which to us non anime fans means costume play.) The line went outside the building and all the way around the entire block-long hotel, the line was treacherous. The attendees waited patiently and with no complaints in the chilly wind and random spurts of rain. We finally reached the constantly growing end of the line. We spotted a staff member pacing the perimeter of the area with a sign that said VIP’s. Thanks goodness, as press we were permitted to follow him, right past to whole crowd, and were swiftly seated in the very first row. When the volunteers and staff got everyone seated, in the packed room, the stage lit up. It was like a fashion show of the best costumes, intertwined with very short skits. Ms. Kelly had been right this was one of the “Must See” events at Kumoricon. Then we were off to eat, outside the hotel of course.

After a short break from the convention, I returned in time for the Masquerade Ball. Again, the line for admittance wrapped completely around the hotel. The poor crowd was patient in the irritating conditions, and entertained themselves with chatter, dancing and pictures. For this event, there was no VIP sign person, so I cut right to a staff member and asked if press was allowed VIP access again. No one in the area knew, and they had to start the chase here and there and call this person and that person to see. After a short time, I was escorted right into the event.

I was rather pleasantly surprised at this experience. The room was full, and the admittance line was still extensive. The room was swaying, in a rhythmic motion, to the beat of a song that I was not personally familiar with but had a childish sound. The music varied from anime music, to modern music, and many different genres. The music choices kept the crowd moving and happy. The costumes were breathtaking at the ball. Many of the attendees had switched from there “Cosplay” outfits to full length gowns, and Carnivale type masks. The ball was one of the highlights of the whole event.

Exhausted, I headed to the parking ramp to retrieve my car. The elderly parking attendant and I chatted. He made a very keen statement. He said, “When I was first told about this event, I was not looking forward to working it. In fact, I was dreading it. But, this group of kids turned out to be the most respectful and well-behaved crowd ever. Then to cap it off, tonight they made this whole area look like Venice. What a treat.”

In summation, some of the events were definitely not geared to non anime fans, but anyone can enjoy the costumes and the pleasant vibe. Overall, the hotel failed miserably, while I think the convention staff did a decent job of handling the whole scenario. I know that next year, I plan on taking my 8 year old son to the cosplay event and the masquerade ball.