I go to anime conventions for many reasons, but when it comes to attending events within the con itself, my main focus is on panels. Industry panels, fan panels, history panels, I’m there to learn and I enjoy doing so. However, I know that in the grand scheme of the con “scene,” I am in the minority. At cons across the nation, the best ways to attract an audience are through masquerades, AMV contests, J-Rock concerts, and to a lesser extent con raves.
It would be very easy to lament that not more people are attending panels that could potentially expand their knowledge and scope as anime fans (or geeks in general). “Look at this sad state of affairs! Don’t these supposed anime fans care at all about anime?” But the answer is that they do care about anime and the fandom that surrounds it; they just choose to take it in different directions.
How do you develop your fandom? When someone reads up on anime history or when they go to informative panels at a con, they are trying to grow the “knowledge” aspect of their fandom. Here, a fan tries to become a greater fan by learning more about the subject they love, and that is certainly a valid way to do it and one I subscribe to myself. But when someone joins a specific forum of like-minded individuals, attends group panels to celebrate their favorite series, or even calls for FREE HUGS, they aren’t simply being “shallow anime fans” who don’t care about being fans of anime, but are instead choosing, consciously or otherwise, to grow the “social” aspect of their fandom. They are already fans, and they want to find kindred spirits who will understand why they are the way they are without explanation. It’s the desire to belong.
Growing your anime fandom isn’t simply limited to “knowledge” through study and “socialization” through outreach, however. Although there’s reading about anime, there’s also watching as much anime as you possibly can, to broaden your “direct experience” within the medium itself. There’s “self-expression,” the desire to show your fandom to the world, whether through fanart or fanfiction, cosplaying or creating AMVs, or, heck, writing an anime blog. Even seeing these things is in itself a way to affirm one’s own fandom. And it’s not even like these areas are rigidly separate from each other. Socializing with fans can bring you knowledge through an exchange of ideas. Gaining more knowledge can put you in better positions to talk to other fans, to learn to understand others.
When you get down to it, there’s a most fundamental part of being a fan, something that I think everyone can relate to even if they don’t agree on how to get there. I’m talking about that feeling of truly enjoying something and loving every moment of it. At that point, whether we want to have more of it or share it with others or any number of paths, we know at that point that we are truly fans.
OGIUE MANIAX 
I found the networking aspect of panels to be much more attractive than the pure informational aspect. Today’s panels tend to be largely entertainment-oriented, so that sort of focus is missing often.
Info-oriented panels are another sort of mixed bag. I probably can just youtube half of the stuff most people show at their panels, or read various sites, blogs, wikis, forums, mailing lists… That’s more the reality of “there’s only so much you can cram into an 60 or 90 minute panel.”
That really leaves the sort of panels that tackle new or current affairs. Like some of the industry ones, or ones about fandom cross-sections and trends such as a touhou or vocaloid panel. Or about indie manga, moe, or other trends.
Plus, the average con panel aims lower. In a way it is a good way to survey what’s getting people’s attention in the scene.
Personally, I just rarely have good experiences at con panels when it is about some fruity subject. But that’s probably just me.
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Exactly. \o
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Reading this post brings back some warm-and-fuzzy con memories, haha!!
When I go to cons, I try to immerse myself in what’s available as much as I can. In general, I just love the vibe of cons!
This may sound silly, but going to cons makes me feel like I’m part of a group instead of just “that weird guy who watches Japanese cartoons”. It gives me a sense of relief knowing I’m not the only one out there still watching this stuff!
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Well said o/
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I love the informational panels~ but yeah, definitely a minority. At last year’s otakon, I attended the second panel with the guy who was the art director for Evangelion (name escaping me) and there were less than 10 people attending. He didn’t even go up to the stage thing, we all just pulled our chairs into a circle and had an up-close QandA. Rather than be disappointed in anyone for not caring, though, it was more like I was glad to have such an intimate experience with a creator. Even though I’m pretty sure he wanted to murder me for wearing the ‘Lucky Eva’ shirt which seemed to confuse and blow his mind lol.
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Great post and something I never thought about before.
I usually stay away from the huge events like the masquerade and AMV contest because of the hectic lines. But I still like watching AMVs and taking photos of people in cosplay. I’ve attended industry panels a couple of times, but I’m more interested in informational panels, like one about writing about anime that ANN offered, and another one about anime academia (both at AX ’08 I think). But my main reason for going to AX is probably the exhibit hall so I can buy lots of goodies. Meeting up with friends is another fun part. I end up meeting so many people I know at AX even when I wasn’t planning to meet them.
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I like the way you’re thinking.
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It’s incredible to think of how many ways there are for a person to grow as a fan. No matter how many times I think about it, it just comes down to the fact that you’ve gotta get your hands dirty and try a bit of everything. Every activity has some sort of unique experience that you can’t get elsewhere.
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Whenever anyone asks me why I go to anime conventions I will point to the last paragraph of your post. You’ve basically summed up what I love about anime conventions.
On a side note, I’ve always wanted to attend an industry panel but, the one time I went to one, the friends I was with got bored and we left to visit another panel. Someday I will attend one.
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I haven’t really thought of cons that way, actually.
Unfortunately, as I get older I both lament and envy the presence of loud, boisterous, and often rude young con-goers. On the one hand, the behavior gets old, but on the other hand it is sometimes really nice to see people expressing such pure joy over a shared experience.
I look at them and remember that everyone gets into anime in a different way, but we’re all coming together at a con to share our experiences of a hobby that still isn’t really accepted in the mainstream.
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