Anime Iowa 2010: Cosplay means lots of hugs in the real world

Made it to the Marriott to take some cool photos of Anime 2010 and got a bit more insight into the world of Anime - Japanese animation. I have a curious mind and it was a lot of fun learning about something that I didn't have the first clue about just two days ago.Turns out these young people are used to being accosted in the street and were happy to pose for photos. They were open and friendly and Mitch and Holly even filled me in on some background info on the Anime Conventions and the costume Holly was wearing. She's the White Mage in the slide show. Of course everyone knows what a Mage is, right? If you're into fantasy you will. I have sons who are into online gaming, so I had no trouble "getting" what Mitch was talking about with the difference between white and black Mages. I think even without my in-house experiences I would have understood. I'm a Brit. We have Camelot and Merlin and Co. Good and bad sorcerers is not exactly a brand new concept!

Talking to these kids, it seems that cosplay gets you hugs galore off-line from fans who identify with their on screen characters. And if you don't know what cosplay is you will just have to read my last post to find out. At any rate I loved the idea of that and totally get why these conventions are such a huge hit. It's an opportunity for fans to bring their virtual world into the real world. How cool is that?