San Japan 16

San Japan 16

SAN ANTONIO - San Japan has once again descended on the downtown area and taken over the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. This year there were many welcomed additions to take note of at the event including an advertised midnight market.

The event was once again a smash and the convention center was packed with cosplayers and general attendees. Attendees jumped from room, to event, to show, to panel, to display throughout the day and truth be told, this was definitely a convention you can not see in just one day.

Final Fantasy

Starting with the cosplay, there were so many great ones to see. Just as an example, have a look at the Final Fantasy cosplay to the left here.

There were honestly quite a few Final Fantasy cosplayers this year and one has to wonder if that had anything to do with the recent release of the latest Magic the Gathering set which featured the beloved series. Whether it did or not really doesn't matter as their presence was greatly felt.

In addition there were cosplays from a variety of anime's such as Dragon Ball Z, Black Butler, WWE, Star Wars. Warhammer, and even ...... the one and only Earnest P. Worrell RIP. As seen below

Earnest P. Worrell

This is not only a great cosplay but one of an endearing character that lives on in the hearts and minds of many people all over the world.

Outside of the cosplay which is always a highlight of the weekend there was also a top notch arcade set up near the main hall. One thing that we can honestly say about the arcade is that it was a definite upgrade from the previous years convention.

Make no mistake, last years convention was awesome as it is every year, but the arcade was a bit lacking. This year however, there were more games, more claw machines, and even a section of Pachinko machines.

A great part of the arcade for this publication was the inclusion of the following arcade cabinets:

The Simpsons

X-Men

House of the Dead

Time Crisis

That alone was worth visiting the arcade for. However, if that is not really your thing there was also a great section of table top and card games to play and browse through.

A great part of the table top game section is the fact that not only is everyone welcome, but if you have never played before, people will welcome you and teach you. That in and of itself is a great thing because as we all know not all gamers are so friendly, but this was an inclusive event altogether.

Milky Tomato

In the merch room there were so many brands and artists to choose from it can be overwhelming. However, one stand out was a brand called Milky Tomato.

If you haven't heard of the brand we highly recommend checking them out on their social media as they have a variety of cute and funny items to choose from. If you like cute or silly animal creations, they are a must.

As the evening fell on the event many made their way to the 18+ night market which was located on the 3rd floor of the event. If we're being honest, the night market left a lot to be desired.

We entered the night market with, as Tim Curry would say, "Antici.........pation." Sadly, what we found was a small room which contained a dozen tables that for the most part featured uncensored AI art of the anime persuasion.

It wasn't bad, horrible, or offensive, but most people would expect a bit more that art. Clothing, Manga, Comics, DVD's Costumes, ect would have rounded the area out.

Though we ourselves don't necessarily care for some of those things, they still would have made the night market a bit more entertaining and at least give it a novelty aspect with variety. After about 5 minutes in the room, an attendee would have seen everything the vendors had to offer and most likely would have moved on.

Rounding out the night was the EDM events and the always enjoyable Ken Dolls performance. If you haven't seen the Ken Dolls or seen our interview with troop leader Ken Sevier we highly recommend checking them out.

What are the Ken Dolls? A troupe of talented burlesque performers who not only entertain, but stand by the motto, "Cosplay is not consent."

This year the troupe filled their hall yet again and not only teased the crowd, but in true Ken Dolls fashion dazzled with their show and acrobatic skills. Every year this troupe delivers and this year was possibly their best show yet.

If EDM and Burlesque is not your thing, there were also events such as the OkashiCon fashion show which was focused on Decora fashion. Okashicon featured a variety of brands at their fashion show such as ACDC Rag, Ghost Girl Goods, and Precious BBYS.

A lot of the brands focused on the victorian lolita style of clothing but ACDC Rag and Ghost Girl Goods definitely stole the spotlight at this event. What made their brands really stand out was the more modern and edgy style of their kawaii/decora goods.

If nothing else, if you are not into fashion, you still would have been entertained as the energy of Ghost Girl Goods proprietor is downright infectious. Alexia Panakos, not only owns the brand but also designs the clothing herself.

This young designer doesn't walk the runway, she turns it into her own personal dance floor. Extremely engaging, the young designer takes control of the stage and the crowd as at one point she had the audience participate in the wave with her.

It is no wonder OkashiCon asked her to Co MC the fashion show, she killed it hands down.

Speaking of killing it, San Japan 16 certainly did. Yet again they delivered a well rounded convention with something to offer everyone of every background.

Not only was the convention entertaining and fun, but most importantly it was a safe and inclusive community of attendees and guests. If you are in the San Antonio area, it's worth attending.