Staff Writer
Over Memorial Day weekend, Animazement
took place at the Raleigh Convention Center.
An annual convention dedicated to anime, Animazement attracts thousands
of people every year. Attendees dress up
as their favorite anime characters, known as cosplay, and often pose for
pictures with other fans. Visitors also
attend panels, participate in various activities and purchase merchandise. This year many fans were dressed as characters
from Attack on Titan, a new and
popular anime. Many fans were also dressed
as characters from the online comic Homestuck.
The convention began Thursday evening
with a formal dance. Vendors set up
booths and sold merchandise such as posters, key chains, pins, comics, manga
and character dolls. Many vendors were
also selling Japanese candies and drinks.
On Saturday, visitors could attend panels and discussions about their
favorite animes. Voice actors from different
animes attended the convention and attendees had the opportunity to meet their
favorite actors and receive autographs.
Cosplay chess was another event that took place on both Saturday and
Sunday. Participants dressed as anime
characters played a life size version of chess with themselves as the chess
pieces. Saturday afternoon, there was a
contest for best costume that fans could enter.
People that entered dressed in costume and performed skits. Saturday night continued with another dance. On Sunday there were several more
panels. There were discussions about certain animes
such as a session about the mythology in Pokémon. On Sunday afternoon, the convention concluded
with a closing ceremony.
Although Animazement is mainly focused
on anime, it has branched out to other pop culture. Some fans dressed as Marvel characters or
Disney characters. There were some
vendors selling merchandise from the television shows Doctor Who and The Walking
Dead. There were also Marvel and
Harry Potter merchandise at several booths.
