Anime Milwaukee 2018: A nerdy favorite

Once again, Milwaukee was the host of their annual anime convention this past weekend, Feb. 16-18. Every year I take my younger brother, Jake, to the event as he is a big fan of anime. It was a great experience and an easy thing to go to when my family lived in Milwaukee. However, we recently moved to the UP so it was a little harder, but we made it work. Last Friday when my classes were over, I drove home, picked up my brother, and then proceeded to Milwaukee.

The venue was already bustling with attendees when we went to the event Saturday morning. We waited in line for an hour and a half just for badges into the con. Although it didn’t seem like an hour and a half wait, it was definitely long. Jake brought his 3DS to play while we waited in line, so while he was “kicking people’s butts” in Super Smash Bros, my boyfriend and I looked at all of the different cosplayers walking around.

One of my favorite parts of going to the convention is seeing all of the costumes. Some of them I knew and some we saw multiple times as there were plenty of cosplayers walking around as the same character. It always amazes me to see the dedication some fans have. Some spend weeks making their own costume and accessories. There are always a lot of wigs as well, since anime hair tends to be wildly shaped and colorful, nothing like a normal person’s hair. I could never wear a wig, so I give mad props to the people who can wear one all day. I saw someone with a crocheted wig as well, which was especially awesome.

Anime Milwaukee always has a variety of scheduled programs throughout the day as well. This year they had things such as Pokemon Bingo, K-pop trivia, a 24-hour video gaming room, and laser tag. The three of us went to laser tag, which was pretty cool. A local laser tag company came and set up a little area for people to play laser tag in. There was also a restaurant called the Maid Café, which was exactly as it sounds like. Volunteers dressed as maids and butlers were working the café, and those who purchased tickets, could attend their event. We bought tickets, and after taking an elevator to the very top of the building, we were seated at a clothed table scattered with rose petals. We were served some cake and coffee while the maids did a dance and introduced themselves. After the event, they also allowed their guests to take a decorated polaroid picture with some of the maids and butlers to remember their time at the cafe.

The vendor hall is where all the action was. There were a lot of booths selling souvenirs and other products. You could buy things with your favorite anime characters on it such as pillows, art, dolls, keychains and even body pillows. There are also a lot of artists that attend the convention and have booths set up with their art. I love seeing all the different art styles and looking at the hundreds of buttons that people have for sale.

The convention isn’t just for anime lovers, it features a wide variety of content. There are things from cartoons, video games and music groups. There is also plenty of LGBT+ pride at the convention. Some of the booths were selling pride items such as scarves and buttons with pride flags decorating them.

It was great to see a place filled with so many different interests coming together. Everyone who went was thrilled to be there and to be surrounded by others who share the same enthusiasm as they do. Even though I am not deep into the world of anime, it was an amazing time and well worth it to see how much Jake enjoyed his time at the convention this year.