Anime: Conventions Don't Have to Bust Your Wallet

Let's face it, the rise in Japanese Animation popularity has skyrocketed over the last ten years. What was once strictly a cult obsession has become a common place form of fandom. If you've collected at least an entire series on bilingual DVD, purchased over $100 worth of manga, own at least half a dozen figurines, and sleep with a plushie resembling your favorite characters; chances are pretty good you're what the Japanese would label an "Otaku" meaning Major Anime Fan. Well once it's established that you're an anime fan, eventually you're going to want to take this hobby to the next level, and that means Anime Convention. No matter where you live, there's bound to be an anime convention somewhere, all you need do is look up Anime-Cons on Google and you'll get a whole listing.
But before you throw on your kitty cat ears, favorite anime T-shirt, and grab the ninja gear, there's a few thrifty tips to know before heading off to a con. Thrifty tip number one, it's always best to go with a group, grab your family or your friends and start planning in advance. Generally you can have between 4 or 5 people per room at the maximum, that means splitting $100 a night into $25 a person per night plus it'll save on gas money which is a necessity what with the rising costs of fuel. It's also safer to be in groups, especially if the con is being held in an unfamiliar location.

If you plan ahead; most cons offer a discount to early registration which can be done online by certain posted due dates. I've been to cons that offered rates as cheap as $30-$40 for early pre-registration. Pre-registration is also helpful since it means you won't have to stand in line for nearly as long as those paying at the door. So pre-registration equals lower cost and shorter wait; you just can't go wrong with the right planning.

The initial cost is not the main financial blow, if anything it's the hotel cost and food, luckily, there's a solution to this burden of funds. Most cons feature a con-specific hotel which offers convenience and maybe an exclusive event or two. This is all very well but if you're looking to save cash for other matters then may I suggest taking a visit to hotels.com; find a nearby hotel for maybe half the price of the con hotel. The Convention hotel is generally a 4 star and will cost quite a bit but since you came for the con and not the hotel I'd plan on roughing it out in a bargain hotel so long as it's in a safe location. With the hotel situation taken care of, you'll want to plan for food. Eating out can get pretty pricey especially if the con is located in a tourist area. My suggestion is to pack some easy meals from home and make sure your hotel has a refrigerator in its room. If you can't pack food from home, you can always pack drinks at least, a lot of hotels will charge outrageous amounts in their vending machines. If all else fails, plan for pizza; its generally cheap when split between friends or family, it feeds a group, and is actually healthier than most fast foods.

Are you an artist, or maybe a seamstress? Do you plan to participate in an art booth or a cosplay (costume + skit) contest? Well if you plan to do either, do it because you want to and because it's fun; don't plan on making a huge profit. Coslpay costumes are primarily a way to show off your homemade costume and the prizes are usually straight out of the dealer's room. Art shows are a fun way of displaying your skill and meeting people but most people bring their wallets with one goal in mind, and that's the dealer's room.

At last the dealer's room, the moment you've been saving your hard earned money for; but before you let the excitement whisk you away into weekend poverty, first be aware that anything in the dealer's room can be bought online nowadays. Granted, a lot of items in the dealer's room are sold slightly cheaper and with special deals and discounts but remember not to let the bargains trick you into too many impulse buys. A pin here, a patch there, a headband, a DVD, a CD... soon it starts adding up and you need money to pay for the gas when you go home. Another thing to consider, sometimes for that perfect souvenir, all you need is a camera, it's cheap, it's easy to carry, and you can control what memories you capture.

It should also be pointed out that most conventions land on a weekend. My advice is to leave on Thursday, that way you can get up early and pick up your pre-registration badges, or pay at the door as early as possible; the lines will fill up fast. Although most cons take place on Sunday too, unless you really just don't need to work on Monday or don't mind paying an additional hotel night fee I'd say skip Sunday and go home, that is after you hit the dealer's room one last time on the way out. Sunday events are never that spectacular and it's the general assumption of all that Sunday is the least active day of a convention, whereas Saturday is the biggest.

Now that you're saving money, here's a few things to also consider to maximize your anime convention experience. Dressing up is a plus, even if you can't go all out, you can usually throw even a simple outfit together. Trust me, it's just more fun when you feel like you're a part of the anime attraction. Definitely plan to go see the AMV contest if they have one, AMVs (Anime Music Video) contests are one of an anime-con's most precious gems and you'll be amazed at the imagination, talent, and skill some of the AMV creators have. Make sure you give the artists some attention, they've put a lot of hard work in their art, and you never know, they might be the ones drawing your next favorite manga. All anime cons show anime, that's a given; read up on the anime being shown in your program and check which ones you're interested in. Lastly a word of caution, if you find yourself in a showing for yaoi (boy love boy) or bishonen (pretty boy) anime, you will become deaf amidst the screams of a room full of hormone driven anime fangirls; but hey it's all in good fun.
Plan ahead, grab your friends, and if possible know what you want to buy before you go into the dealer's room. Hopefully, with these things in mind, your next anime convention experience will be a pleasant one and won't leave you hurting for money before your next paycheck. In the end, the object is to have fun, so go forth and start planning for what's sure to be an awesome weekend.