Anime Banzai 2015 adventure! :D

Hey guys! Hope you've been having a good time since I last posted.

I got back from Anime Banzai sunday night. Three days of AWESOME I must say! I made a Garo Master costume this year with the help of my wonderful friend, Holly, and also brought with me my costume from last year (Osmund from White Knight Chronicles). I actually entered the 2nd costume into the Beginner's category for the cosplay contest for craftsmanship and performance. Damn near had a heart attack waiting to go on stage. I've NEVER done anything like this before or have been comfortable with being the center of attention so I kept asking myself alot: "What the hell were you THINKING?! You freaking idiot!! You HAD to do this didn't you?" 

But in the end.... I didn't pass out. I did quite well! I didn't forget the actions I needed to do (had audio over the speaker system so I didn't have to shout and only had to act) and I managed to NOT step off the stage and fall, which was another concern I had. My goggles are cool enough to look at and wear, but they aren't the easiest to see through and judge depth perception. Anyway, moving along! There were so many awesome looking costumes this year--even a cute couple who made their own transforming weapon! It turned from a sword into a bow and vica versa. Probably one of my favorites was the main character from Trigun, Vash. Music was freaking cool and he performed with an enthusiasm that made me laugh. Definitely an anime that I should look into. The Aquaman cosplay was pretty great too--ending was fabulous and cute.  

After all the cosplays walked though, results came in. I actually ended up winning 1st place in the Beginner's category for Craftmanship...AND a Judge's Choice! HAAAAAAAAAAA!!! I could die happy now--but there's a few people that wanted my contact info for potential costume work at studios based on Salt Lake too. I can't die yet!  

Yes, this weekend was a good one! The Legend of Zelda scavenger hunt was a lot of fun too. Gave me something to burn off my energy while I ran around looking for links of all colors and goddesses and fairies... My friend, Margaret, also came with me to share the adventure with! YAY for Magpie! We just roamed around and went where ever the wind took us. And for the first time in the three years I've gone to Banzai, I could SLEEP PEACEFULLY. I didn't feel weird since there weren't any strangers in the room with me (or have to wear my earbuds to sleep) and we both could go about our normal routines without it being uncomfortable to the other person. 

I met some really chill people along the way too! And took some awesome pictures too! (I'll post those later...) People ask me why I like Banzai over Comic Con and frankly, it's the volunteer effort and the fact that people go because they enjoy going, not necessarily because of big-time celebrities and all the extra merchandising efforts. Comic Con is simply too big for me. I like the smaller events because you get to meet passionate people who love what they do. I look forward to going to Anime Banzai 2016, regardless if it's in a new location in Salt Lake or not. Hopefully all the people I have met this year and prior years will come too!