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County's first anime 'con' deemed a hit Date: 2/26/2006 |
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GREAT BARRINGTON ? They called it Llamacon. The first anime convention ever to be held in Berkshire County attracted more than 300 people from around the Northeast, and even guests as far away as California. A full-day affair, the convention, or "con," was held yesterday in the Daniel Arts Center at Simon's Rock College of Bard. It was a heavy-duty cocktail combining the elements of a film festival, rock concert and comic book show, stirring some fans' fantasies and leaving other attendees shaken. "It was interesting," "It's kind of cool," "It's weird," were some responses overheard from a group of students walking out into the parking lot. Upon entering the lobby of the arts center, those words became salient. There were groups of people, from adolescents to adults, most wearing T-shirts and jeans and Converse sneakers of some kind. And then, there were the costumes: characters from the animated Sailor Moon series in little sailor outfits; girls dressed in everything from gowns to boots and fishnet stockings; King Koopa, a character from the Super Mario Bros. video game series, and of course, the llama, Simon's Rock's and the con's mascot. "Conventions are a social event," said costume maker/anime fan Aleksandra Valiunas of Amherst. She sported a pair of fun fur kitty ears, a short skirt and top and some funky black and purple fishnet stockings. "Costumes are a way to show the love for (an anime) series. It tells me what characters you like, which may be something I could talk to you about." "It is what it is," said Daniel Orlowitz, a senior at the college and chairman of the event. "And it's all about the fans." He came up with the idea for the convention about six months ago, and has been heavily planning, organizing and promoting for four of those months. He was assisted by the 30 other members of the school's Anime Club and received support and services from the school. When asked if she thought the con would ever come to fruition, former club member and event volunteer Mallory Eckstut admitted that she didn't think it would happen. "A lot of people come up with ideas around here, but because we're all pretty young at Simon's Rock, some things don't actually happen," she said, "This is impressive for this school." The event ran from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. It encompassed two video screening rooms combining a total of more than 400 seats; Artists' Alley, a haven for anime and webcomic artists, and a room to discussion a literary genre known as "fanfiction." Activities included an Anime Music Video Contest featuring 21 entries, celebrity/professional guest panels and discussions, musical guests Michael "Piano Squall" Gluck and the Bad Luck Cosplay Band, and a human chess match played on one gigantic gameboard. There were awards for the best of the videos or AMVs, best costumes and the Cosplay Chess match. There were lots of materials and merchandise. And there was a lot of camaraderie. "It's a whole other world," said Eileen Houck of Albany, N.Y. She and two other adults were parents who brought their children, ages 12 through 17, to the event. Llamacon was their second convention. "It combines all the things the kids like. But there's also a certain safety here," said George Cushing. "They're not out on the street." Susan Keating said her children got into anime about 10 years ago with shows like Pok?mon and some video games. Though the parents agreed that the activities were something beyond "the norm," they were also impressed by how passionate the attendees were and how well the event was organized. "It's so happy here, they're in their glory," Keating said. "You've got to have someplace for the geeks," said Houck. |
| Source: Berkshire Eagle |
