Introduction

This was my very first time at Otakon! It was a special experience for me because when I first met my husband online, it was right after he had gone to Otakon in 2024. I had just been to my local anime convention recently too, so it was something we bonded over. I always imagined us going together, wearing matching cosplay, and walking around the artist alley.

It was a bit overwhelming and much larger than what I'm used to, but I had lots of fun. Both of my cosplays drew attention, which was really exciting.

Cosplays

On Friday I cosplayed Zero from Drakengard 3, and my husband was Emil from Nier: Replicant. I was so excited when people recognized me and took photos! One person even showed me their Zero keychain. Later that evening there was a NieR/Yoko Taro photoshoot. I was the only person cosplaying from Drakengard, so I had to pose alone. It was a bit intimidating, but I really appreciated the love and excitement I received representing Drakengard. A very lovely person talked to me after the shoot and took solo photos of me and my husband. They gave us the film which I thought was so sweet <3 I hope to find them online soon. I told them to make a neocities so I hope to see them on the indie web!

Even though my outfit wasn't perfect, I made it completely from scratch and I'm very proud of that. The Zero wig was super heavy because of the pigtails, so I need to figure out a better solution for that in the future.

On Saturday we cosplayed the Hunter and Plain Doll from Bloodborne. We got a lot of requests for pictures again. Most of my costume was store-bought except for the cloak, bonnet, and gloves, which I made myself. The cloak took a lot of work, but I’m glad I put in the effort.

This Emil head was created by the person who organized the DrakeNier/Yoko Taro photoshoot. I took a picture for reference, hoping we can re-create it.

I saw some great cosplays myself, see my favorites below.

Elias and Chise: Ancient Magus Bride / Mami: Madoka Magica / Saber: Fate Series / Kasane Teto: UTAUloid/Voicaloid

Merch & Art

The dealers room and artist alley were huge. I wish I had spent more time there, but I did get to walk around the perimeter a few times. I did not like how early they closed, the artist alley closed at 9pm and the dealers room at 8pm. I don’t do well in very large crowds, but my husband was a great navigator and helped me feel more comfortable.

We spent most of our money on CDs in the dealers room, of course. I was so lucky to find a Zero art print in the artist alley. It was the only Drakengard 3 fanart I saw, so I had to get it, and the art style is gorgeous.

This nice person snagged the last Brother Nier plushie but they let me take a picture!
Zero Print: @catthytrinh

Arcade

We played a lot of Wacca and Jubeat. My husband and I got to play co-op Jubeat for the first time since our local arcade only has one cabinet. Our final song was Bad Apple!! on expert, and it was so hard. One day we hope to pass it.

Panels

I attended the following panels in no particular order:

• AMV Contest – This was a fun way to pass time!
• The Abstract and Obscure: RPG Maker – This was a cool panel where I learned a lot about some unknown and interesting RPG Maker games. Hylics, Space Funeral, Toilet in Wonderland, & more.
• Travel to Japan on YOUR Budget Panel – I've already done a lot of research on traveling to Japan, however, this panel had some insightful information on domestic travel and lodging.
• Gameshow Impossibru™: Retro Game Challenge – This was one of my favorites to watch. People from the audience had to attempt various retro game challenges at random levels. I don't think I would participate but it was a super fun panel and I hope to attend something similar next year.
• Otakon 2025 Fashion Show – Also a favorite. I've attached some pictures of my favorite coords! Even if I couldn't snap the best pictures, I made sure to keep track of the brand names I liked the most: Night Whisper / Sweet Mildred / ililil【イルイルイル】 / Metamorphose

Closing Thoughts

I can’t wait to go again. Next time I want to book a hotel closer to the venue or plan better for Sunday. I would like to manage my time better because I felt like I was rushing around most of the day. I also want to find a way to relieve the inevitable wig headache without taking NSAIDs all day. And definitely bringing some snacks next time to save money.

I am considering bringing and using my nicer digital camera but it's another thing to carry around and worry about. We will see though, I wish I had taken more pictures. See you next year o7

Thanks, as always, for reading.