2010 Yaoi-Con: A Rather Subdued Affair

Before the politically correct minded chew me out, they should know that yaoi is a sub-genre in anime and manga focusing on relationships between males. So an anime convention dedicated to yaoi is naturally supposed to be gay in the literal sense.

Dubbed "a celebration of male beauty and passion," Yaoi-Con 2010 marks its 10th year as a convention celebrating such. Thousands of attendees usually consisting of fans who genuinely love the subject matter and people pandering to those yaoi fans took over the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame, California for the convention. The new location was a switch from the San Mateo Marriott that people had grown used to. The Hyatt Regency featured a fancier layout and a more formal atmosphere, which probably explained noticeable changes in the convention atmosphere.

Based on first hand experience at previous Yaoi-Con conventions, I grew to expect a few things there. As an adult oriented convention where attendees must be over 18 years of age-though that does not stop a few minors from milling around the public area in costume and ghosting the convention-attendees tend to be rowdy and less inhibited in their antics. Guys dressed in costume would make out with other guys dressed in other costumes to the delight of fans wishing to see their fantasy character pairings demonstrated in real life. The bar would constantly refill drinks for attendees and watching the results unfold as the alcohol took hold. Then as the highlight of Yaoi-Con, the bishie auction would allow attendees to bid hundreds to thousands of dollars on pretty males and the winners would keep those boys to use at their own discretion. If it were not for the actual panels and guests of honor like Ryoutarou Okiayu and Hidenobu Kiuchi discussing the art of yaoi, one could easily equate Yaoi-Con to college spring break... only gay.

But this year's Yaoi-Con seemed to lack that same energy that usually manifests in adult debauchery. Perhaps it is because the fans have grown older, wiser, and more mature. But I do not buy that considering that for every old person who matures as a fan, three young fans are there to replace him or her and have a lot of immature energy to spare. So I am more apt to say that it was the new location that caused Yaoi-Con to err on the side of caution. The layout of the Hyatt was fancier in the confusing sort of way so most of the public lobby was harder to find as well as the panel rooms, manga library, and even the Fan Market tucked off-site. It is harder to let loose when you cannot find the Yaoi-Con area to let loose in. Hosting a formal wedding on Saturday-the busiest day of any convention-did not help things much as the blushing bride was likely blushing from seeing a random guy make out with another or the skimpy costumes walking the halls. Some of the wedding party members took Yaoi-Con in stride while others were visibly ticked off that their special day had to take place during this "congregation of imbeciles." The bar was constantly pouring drinks, but it was mainly for the Yaoi-Con attendees and normal people who wanted to watch game three of the Giants/Rangers World Series. Halloween was also a nice factor that usually helps Yaoi-Con festivities, but even that seemed to have minimal effect to counter the formal atmosphere. So there was little public display of gay and the aforementioned potentially skimpy costumes were the only possible public adult element.

I continued my tradition of wondering why I spent money for a badge at Yaoi-Con despite having no interest in the sub-genre. This time I spent the whole weekend there with my dear friend Yomi. Friday afternoon took place at the Swap Meet where attendees tried to sell the unwanted wares they accumulated. Friday night found me and Yomi attending the Yaoi Bingo where attendees bought bingo cards and winners won prizes as a random bishie (pretty male) stripped his clothing layer by layer. After room service for breakfast, the World Series took most of Saturday where all of the San Francisco Giants fans-attendees and normal people alike-watched in horror as they took their first loss against the Texas Rangers.

Saturday night was the Yaoi-Con Masquerade where pretty much the acts consisted of two characters making out as the audience cheered. The Bishie Auction followed where the highlight of the evening was when Ryoutarou Okiayu and Hidenobu Kiuchi sold for a whopping $11,000. The deserving charity that benefited from the auction would have been grateful, except the auction money goes back to Yaoi-Con. Yomi spent time with her old friends while I began to get to know those siblings. Sunday was bizarrely dead so I left the convention early.

Despite a less than grand time at Yaoi-Con, the weekend away from the normal life refreshed my convention spirit. It is odd that my greater memories of this year's convention came from cheering the Giants among friends and sharing room service early in the morning.