MIKOMICON 2007
Date:September 7-9, 2007
Location:California State University Northridge; Northridge, CA

One day, we will write an article about all the good times and
crazy stories we had with Nick Kurachi. Until then, you’ll just have
to trust us that going to Mikomicon is well worth the investment. The location,
CSU Northridge, has multitudes of advantages and allows the convention
to present itself and flow much differently from any other con out there.
There is also a bit of a Sci-Fi element thrown into the mix, so this
con has some of the most interesting panels available. One picture: Bridget.

Peter Beagle (Author / Screenwriter)
Johnny Yong Bosch (Voice Actor)
Kyle Hebert (Voice Actor)
Yuri Lowenthal (Voice Actor)
Wendy Pini (Artist / Writer, ElfQuest)
Tara Platt (Voice Actress)
Kenn Scott (Actor)


CON REPORTS:

"Wes' Con Report: Mikomikon Year Two: September 7-9th 2007, Northridge
California.


I recently went to MikomiCon: a college convention headed by the very talented
Nick Kurachi along with the Cal State University of Northridge anime club
and "Write 4 Hope".

I was very excited to go this year because last year had a lot of kind memories
for me. I gathered my things, made arrangements with some friends
of mine, and off we went to Northridge! (As a side note: if you're ever
driving on the I-405, just south of long beach, there is a terrific Indian
food restaurant called “Taste of India” along the way. "It serves as a good halfway mark" between San Diego and Los Angeles, as Austin said on the
way up.)
As soon as we got to the con, we knew it was going to be a slow first day.
The scheduling was not kind to those [still in school], so it was basically
just the college students and adults in cosplay, which was a laugh.
Both a Bridget (Guilty Gear) crossplayer and Kakashi (Naruto) stood around
, waiting for some friends to meander in. The mood of the day was
stoic. Not much happened, save some bands playing (which I didn’t believe
to be all that great) and game room shenanigans...

However, the next day would prove to be quite interesting...

Saturday was by far, and quite obviously, the best day to be there.
This is the day that everyone, hardcore and new fans alike, came to enjoy the
con. All day the atmosphere was friendly and entertaining, as the entire
convention was filled with a generel 'good vibe'. From the moment the convention halls opened it was enjoyable. Panels abound upon the
school's large common area. Panels from Aikido, which showed some congoers
some self defense moves (for, say, Anime Expo '08?) to Gundam Model kits,
where you could make your own and learn tricks of the trade, to the Masquerade,
which I thought was really good. But more on that later.

The thing I find great about smaller conventions is the fact
that it’s much less intimidating when you want to make some new friends.
The fact of the matter is that larger conventions are hard to network in.
Where would you feel more comfortable to open up socially--in a huge convention
hall where everyone is moving, or in an open common area, where you can
converse freely? I’d choose the latter myself.

As the day progressed, the staff of MikomiCon really pulled through:
they were knowledgeable about the panels and locations of events, they
were friendly (unlike the ALA security) and they had some fun stuff planned.
Case in point: the watermelon eating contest. It was HOT, people.
Southern California is HOT. And then suddenly, there was a contest of eating cool,
refreshing watermelon. Good choice, MikomiCon, Good choice. In addition, they
had bands playing music all day, which I thought was a nice
thing to add. The closeness of all the members of the con, plus an atmosphere
of a welcoming degree just sat well with me.

As for Sunday… I don’t like the last day of cons, no matter where I go.
Not too many people showed up and those who did were winding down; the dealers
left early.

...What could they have done better? That’s an easy thing to say,
but you have to think of the resources they have. First off, they'd need
to rope off some areas in order to shirk the area of convention, as said by
a friend of mine. The attendance was a bit small for such a big area.
It just didn’t have enough attendees to have it spread out like that.
They also should have had more shade. The whole time, there were cosplayers
in heavy suits and costumes like a few Akatsuki (Naruto) cosplayers
and a few members from Organization XIII (Kingdom Hearts) who stood
around in heavy black coats all day.

This isn’t to say that they didn’t do anything right, though.
Most of the stuff they did right. For instance, the dealer’s hall was fantastic.
Everything a small convention should have was there, and it was air conditioned. Even Chaz (CHAZ IT UP!) from Anime LA was there,
handing out free water and showing off his fliers. Another thing was how they
organized the masquerade and rum party. For those that don’t know what that is,
the rum party is were a crew of cosplayers all come together and throw
a pirate themed little party, handing out free drinks. No, there’s no actual rum,
because it’s all ages. But you can hang with friends and play cards,
liar’s dice, walk-the-plank and on occasion other games as well.

Back to the original point, the Rum party was in a room directly
connected to the masquerade. Last year, the room was open and a part of the masquerade.
This year, they put up a removable wall, and that drastically
improved the mood of it. With the room a bit more crammed, the masquerade seemed
packed, when there couldn’t have been more then 250 in the room.
And when it was done, the rum party started, and the staff moved the chairs
for the dance, so everything was moving on the same focal point. You had
everything you wanted to do that night in the same area. How fantastic is that?

Overall, I give MikomiCon a B-, which is better then some cons.
It’s good. But there’s definitely room for improvement. "