I've been to anime conventions in the past, ranging from mediocre, to exceptionally great. Some of the local ones, such as AMA(Anime Mid Atlantic) are good(except for last year when they were booted out of a hotel in Richmond last minute and forced to go to a crappy location in Va. Beach). Others, such as Katsucon and Otakon, are worth going to, and within the state(for the most part).

After going to these conventions I've experienced the good, and the bad. So with that said, here are some tips for con hopping:

1-Go with the right people. Don't make the mistake of going with people who are just casual. By the same token, don't go with overly obsessed anime fans. There are good otaku, and bad. Too much of one thing is bad, and this applies to otaku. Otaku tend to get a negative reputation due to horrible misreporting by the media, and downright idiots I've met who have disgraced the name.

Aim to go with people whom you know will actually enjoy the damn con. For example, don't go with these guys:

These guys will most likely complain the entire fucking time on the way to, during, and back, from the convention. Don't set yourself up for disaster and bring these guys along. Trust me on it. It's often said; "don't judge a book by it's cover". In this case, no DO JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER! You'll thank me later.

To those guys the only good convention is every other one but the one they are currently at. Save the grief. At the same time, don't take these son's of bitches either:

Jesus Christ. God damn it. Going with either of the above groups will absolutely DECIMATE your chances of getting anywhere close to the following prime choice, cuts of rump:



Yeah, bringing the wrong people will make sure that last chick won't be brushing her teeth with anything of yours, just her tooth brush. Motherfuck, right?!

2-Bring water. Sufficient enough so that if you are thirsty, you don't keep going down the elevator to the hotel lobby before midnight, when they take away the water. It is a pain in the ass. I did it. Once. It sucked. Never. Again.

3-Get to where you want ahead of time. This will help in avoiding traffic, assholes in general, and the massive amounts of idiots who just fucking stand there and won't move the fuck out of the god damn motherfucking way.

4-Speaking of going where you want, try to get a feel of restaurants around the area. This way you won't be scrambling for food amidst a ton of fucking otaku, both crazed and decent but neither FUCKING MOVING THE FUCK OUT OF YOUR FUCKING WAY! I had never seen a Chipotle packed the fuck up with a line going outside, to the other surrounding restaurants, until last year. Holy fuck.

5-Bring a sufficient amount of cash. This is the money of choice for the dealers room. Most dealers do not take plastic. You love plastic. Hell I do too. Don't count on dealers taking plastic. Most won't and you'll set yourself up for disappointment if it's the only monetary stuff you've got in the dealers room. Instead you'll be walking around the dealers room, looking at all this shit you can't buy but someone else fucking bought. In fact you'll have no choice, it's not like the sons of bitches will move out of your way...

6-Keep a cell phone handy. In a large con it's the ONLY fucking way to keep tabs on where everyone in your group is. If not, it's "WHERE THE FUCK IS WALDO" only real life, and with a lot of fucked up people. Oh, that don't move out of your way.

7-Plan out expenses for hotels, gas and anything else before hand. Don't be caught by the balls paying more than you thought you had to. This hasn't happened to me but I know assholes dumb enough to let this shit happen every year.

8-Get to the dealers room early and scope it the fuck out. Last year, I missed out on a GREAT fucking deal. Oh well. Hobby Link Japan tends to deal up every time they show up, and they bring good products. Buy what you want if you think it won't:

A-Last until the last day of the con
B-Be seen much later online(yes this happens)
C-You know it's a product that while you like it, is obscure and is bound to go up on price out of fucking nowhere like at imageanime.com(god damn it why the fuck did I pass that valk up...fucking..)

9-Try to score deals as much as possible, especially during the last day. The best way is to ask for a few dollars off, if the dealer is nice and willing, try to go in for the kill and get a better price. I've managed to do this a couple of times, netting great results.

Oh yeah imageanime.com doesn't really budge though.

10-Expect to see anyone you didn't anticipate seeing. This ranges from mortal enemies, would be ex-lovers, mecha, 30ft tall cosplaying costumes(no shit I saw this), friends, and family members. My cousin was there last year and we had no fucking clue until a week later.

11-The dark room in the raves smells like shit and is crowded with people just bobbing up and down. I recommend:

12-The actual dance floor for the main rave where all I had to do was sit indian style to watch 2 girls go at it 2 nights on the row, and enjoy the view just mere feet away. Try to watch out for the breakdancers who fly the fuck out of nowhere and form circles during the rave.

Cons can be fun if you let them. If you are an anime fan who has watched at least a few series, you can have a ton of fun. It's primarily dependent on the above tips and who runs the cons.