Also, they were all so super nice most of the time you get small handmade gifts when you bought something. I got a little cute pack of gum with Kokuyo characters on it, tissue packs with character cards in the front, little flyers, ect.
One of the biggest things I noticed about buying doujin over there was how much Americans get ripped off buying doujin here. And it really pisses me off.
They'd probably be sold for twice the amount here and I hate that that money doesn't go to the artists. BI I'd only ever bought two doujin from a con dealers room before but pretty sure I never will again now after Comiket. Something else I only vaguely knew about beforehand is that there's also second-hand doujin shops. Now I know what you're thinking, "used doujin?? How can you read it don't all the pages stick together? We went to Mandrake in Ikebukuro twice and even though it was hard to find what you wanted it was becuase they had sooo much!
It's a really good thing I don't live in Japan becuase I'd have bookshelves full of doujin and I'd probably be spending my Friday nights down at Mandrake.
BI It was cute though because the girls who worked there did so in cosplay and the first time we went it must have been Hetalia night because they were all different countries. X3 Also, doujin is sold at normal bookstores and stores! They have a small selection at some of the Animates and major bookstores we went into had back walls full of non-official books! It was pretty cool. Cosplaying there was soo amazing and I'm really glad I did. Unlike cons here, you can't go to or leave the con in your cosplay.
Partly because you have to pay to cosplay and also because it's not acceptable to walk around in cosplay though I did see a girl as Lag Seeing in the bathroom of Tokyo Station after Day 1 ahah.
They have separate changing rooms for girls and boys to change into their cosplay. Pictures aren't allowed in any other area! It was sorta weird being in the photo area because at American cons usually there's photoshoots and people hang out with people doing the same series. Mostly cosplayers just stayed in their own little area as the constant stream of people scrambled for pictures of them. Some people did group together for certain series but not really as much like they do here. And no one was fucking around like we do in America.
XD Also, most cosplayers don't make their own costumes in Japan. And why would you? There's entire shops selling all kinds of costumes from tons of series. It's very accessable and not that expensive. So it was strange because while everyone looked really good I wasn't all that impressed just because almost no one had made their stuff. Probably the closest I will ever come to being one of the Beatles.
I know I exaggerate a lot but girls literally freaked the fuck out. Expecially when I was Prussia and my sister was Germany. I thought one girl was gonna start crying. It was so adorable and simultaneously flattering and embarassing for us because we couldn't really talk to them in Japanese so I mostly smiled and kesesese'd while Erin shook her head at me which would revive a new wave of squealing. Several times we noticed there were groups of two or three girls huddled together looking at us, giggling, and then would run away when we looked over.
It was cute but a little unnerving even though we knew people weren't saying bad stuff. We were also given little things from artists that liked our cosplay like cookies and from one girl-- a crochet'd tomato phone charm!
Everyone was so nice, they were calling us "the real Prussia and Germany"! It was fantastic and magical. There was also a good variety of series that were being cosplayed. That was soooo nice. It takes awhile for people here to watch series from the new seasons but of course people are up on their anime over there! There was plenty of Basara, Hakuouki, Arakawa, stuff you'd very rarely see cosplayed here and really only at AX!
I honestly don't remember seeing any Bleach cosplayers, though maybe there were a few. And there was only like a dozen Naruto cosplayers. Even for Hetalia there wasn't an overwhelming amount. I'm trying to think if there was something that the majority of people were cosplaying but I can't really think of anything! People wanted to see what I bought so here it is. I spent the majority of my time in East Hall. Plus freebie Kokuyo gum that came with the latter and a Ken pin I bought.
The Comiket convention being a place where hobbyists distribute their doujin wares. It started in and now has over half a million people attending every year. Worth a read! It is based on the Umineko visual novel series.
The game play is pretty tight, and graphics are more impressive than Melty Blood. The game has been improved greatly, and the soundtrack is very nice. I highly recommend this one. Here is a link to a page with more info. I found another fighting game released at the Comiket.
This one is called Hinokakera: Chaotic Eclipse. It is a revision of an older doujin fighting game of which I never knew existed. The action is primarily 3-D on a 2-D plane, kinda like the old Tobal games. The graphic looks pretty average, but this video I found of the super moves is awesome. Moves do not get much more over the top than this: Feyman added: Crimson Clover saw its full release at C79 as well.
It's a pretty awesome vertical shmup, and certainly leagues beyond those lame Tohou shooters everybody's always raving about. El Diabolico from SomethingAwful forums also started a topic , with plenty of information and links: What once had humble beginnings as a small local fair meant to promote and distribute "Doujinshi", independently published books, has since grown in to a massive beast with thousands of groups and individuals over the years hocking their own "doujin" works no longer limited to just books but to just about everything: Books, Comics, Music, Anime, etc.
Even the larger Companies have taken note and use their opportunity to sell their branded goods to the otaku masses. Of course this triggers a large otaku migration which grows larger and larger as the years go by.
As El Diabolico points out, the whole event is usually ignored in the west. It's spoken about only by the super hardcore hypercore? The games released also often end up stupidly rare or even impossible to find later without paying exorbitant sums. Many are forgotten. With recent insidious trends for people to hate on Japan and those who like its games, it is now quadruply as important for the remaining faithful to preach the good word and foster greater awareness of all games Japanese.
Well, fuck the haters, because obscure shit like this is my goddamned mojo - and I will relentlessly man the ramparts. El Diabolico also provided several links to lists of what turned up, and shops where you can buy this stuff. The spelling on the title may be wrong but it's a Castlevania pun. And this? A sequel to last year's Castlevania X Touhou mash-up.
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