[Question_Assumptions]

I remember going to a local "Trek" event about three years ago down in Southwest Broward at BCC South. See, my local anime club got tapped to do the anime screening room at the daylong event. We were, ostensibly, members of the staff. We were told before the convention that we could have some of the donuts, as well. We should have known better than to go in and help ourselves to some of the staff's donuts. One middle aged gentleman walks in dressed like Picard and dresses us down for eating some of the freaking donuts!

This disturbed you? You obviously haven't met the stranger elements of anime fandom. A grown man dressed like Sailor Moon. Now that's creepy. And don't even get me started on furries and their anitomically correct plush dolls. Heck, the anime fans are even freaky in Tokyo. The only place I ever ran into a Japanese person badly in need of a bath was in an anime shop.

Yes, I realize there are normal anime fans. :-)

[discostu]

You must have a loose definition of normal. I know lots of anime fans, none of them are normal, some of them I would trust alone with a child but normal just ain't happening in that crowd.

[nospinzone]

You obviously haven't met the stranger elements of anime fandom. A grown man dressed like Sailor Moon. Now that's creepy.

Yeow! I'm not even going to ask if he shaved his legs.

[Paul C. Jesup]

This disturbed you? You obviously haven't met the stranger elements of anime fandom. A grown man dressed like Sailor Moon. Now that's creepy. And don't even get me started on furries and their anitomically correct plush dolls. Heck, the anime fans are even freaky in Tokyo. The only place I ever ran into a Japanese person badly in need of a bath was in an anime shop.

But they are some much fun to watch. When I go to an anime convention, I go to mainly to see the diehard fans, that is enough entertainment in of itself. Also one of things seeing the diehard fans does is that it reaffirms my belief in how truly sane I am.

Going to an anime convention is like taking a three day vacation to the Twilight Zone. It is fun, but I would not want to live there.

So which anime convention do you go to?

[section9]

This disturbed you? You obviously haven't met the stranger elements of anime fandom. A grown man dressed like Sailor Moon. Now that's creepy. And don't even get me started on furries and their anitomically correct plush dolls. Heck, the anime fans are even freaky in Tokyo. The only place I ever ran into a Japanese person badly in need of a bath was in an anime shop.

Please.

We anime people try not to talke about the otaku with "outsiders"<_>. Think of Ross Perot's Crazy Aunt in the Basement, only the Aunt has a crying need for deodorant and bar soap.

I'm not kidding. Some anime people go to a four day convention and fail to take a bath. Of course, those are the kids.

And yes, I have seen the cross-dressers. The hairy guy who dressed as Usagi (the lead character from "Sailor Moon") was the hit of one of the costume contests. Back in 1999, at Anime Weekend Atlanta, I ran into an Absolute Ronald who was dressed as Rei Ayanami from Evangelion.

How and ever, the costume contests do have their highlights, such as the woman who dressed up as Major Kusanagi in the "hardwired" outfit...

This gal did the convention circuit one year. She was the biggest hit since Ippongi Bang went back to Tokyo.

Anyway, this is all to agree with you that we all have our own black sheep. I just couldn't understand some guy who was channeling Picard, that's all. Gotta love them Klingons, however.

Be Seeing You,

Chris