AWA: My First Anime Convention

Anime Weekend Atlanta follows on Dragon Con’s heels every year (taking place just a few weeks later and taking place just a few miles away) but it is, of course, a completely different convention. And though I’ve watched some anime, the idea of going to a full-on anime convention never really occurred to me.

But this year, I had a chance to go to AWA – mostly to see friends who I know from Dragon Con, but also to reuse one of my Dragon Con costumes – and I couldn’t bring myself to pass it up. Though the majority of the panels centered around anime shows and the like, there were several interesting and informative cosplay panels – including “Sewing with Spandex”, “Cosplay Repair”, “Intro to Worbla”, and more. So what I thought would be a little venture back into anime for me (having not watched much of it in more years than I’d like to admit) turned into yet another cosplay-centered convention.

Not that I, of all people, have a problem with that.

While the vast majority of the costumes at AWA were anime-themed (and so much of that was Attack on Titan!), it was great to see – and participate in – some other genres as well!

Overall, the crowd at AWA was much younger than most other conventions I’ve attended – but with a decent amount of non-anime panels and a very nice venue, I have to admit that I was more than pleasantly surprised at how much fun I had. Compared to the insane crowds (and heat!) of Dragon Con, AWA truly was a breath of fresh air. I only wish I’d been able to attend the convention for more than just Saturday.

That said, though, there’s always next year. After all, there are plenty of good reasons why Atlanta was recently dubbed the Nerdiest City in America, and the sheer number of great conventions that it hosts – AWA among them – is obviously one of those reasons.

Author: Tara Lynne

Tara Lynne is an author, fandom and geek culture expert, and public speaker. She founded Ice & Fire Con, the first ever Game of Thrones convention in the US, and now runs its parent company Saga Event Planning.

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