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Montreal Geeks Out | An Overview of Otakuthon

The crowds gathered at Otakuthon

To the laymen (and women), seeing droves of people walking in flamboyant costumes around the streets of Chinatownand the Old Port on a sunny weekend in late August might seem unusual. And we say might, because Montreal is so fullof events year round that most inhabitants might already have guessed that this was symptomatic of yet another Montrealcultural festival. And they’d have guessed right: last weekend, Montreal’s convention center was hit by Otakuthon, thebiggest annual Japanese animation (anime) festival in the city. (Need an anime primer? Check this out first!) Otakuthonhas been in Montreal for almost a decade, having begun as the brainchild of Concordia’s Anime Club. While the festivalbegan with only a few tables and a few hundred people, the annual event has since changed management and grown intoa massive gathering the likes of which attracts fans and curious onlookers alike, to the tune of over13 thousand guests this year alone. It showcases mostly anime and gaming (tabletop and video) but also features othergenres like steam-punk, sci-fi, fantasy and general animation and cartooning.

Navut was there, and we caught up with self-proclaimed anime enthusiast who goes by Cyberfox to give us small glanceof what’s it’s like to be an otaku (an anime fan). But first, let’s go through a breakdown of what’s what at this interestingfestival.

Cosplay:

Short for “costume play”, cosplay is one of the most popular features of any anime convention, and Otakuthon is nodifferent. Fans dress up as their favorite characters in incredibly intricate costumes which are often home-made. Cosplayis an entire artform in itself, and if you’re a fan of sewing and creativity, seeing all the fantastic get-ups is not to be missed!

A cosplayer and her costume of Elsa from Frozen

Male cosplayers sometimes gender-bend in costume (and look GREAT doing it!)

Merchandise:

No convention is complete without a more commercial angle and as such, many merchants, comic-book stores and online

vendors attend the festival to sell toys, books, costumes, DVDs and countless other items. For many anime fans, this isone of the most attractive and exciting parts of the convention, as they can buy merchandise of their favorite series. It’sdefinitely a feast for the eyes, if a bit of a stab in the wallet, but some clever fans save up all year for their long-awaitedpurchases.

Artists and Artisans:

Artists selling their work at Otakuthon

Most conventions feature a large section devoted to artists and artisans who create and sell their own fan-products;personal renditions of their favorite series. A lot of the offerings include prints, key chains, bookmarks, hand-knit plushiesand a variety of other original crafts. It’s a great place for artists to meet and exchange on techniques, as well as interactin person with fans that are often based online. It’s an opportunity for con-goers to purchase artwork from their favoriteartists, often for a lesser price than official merchandise.

Panels and Screenings:

At the core of convention events are panels and screenings. Panels involve experts on various topics surroundinganime,or special guests from the industry (famous cosplayers, voice actors, etc.) discussing their craft. These panelsallow attendants to ask burning questions about their favorite animes and interact with panelists, which is a rareopportunity for some. Screenings are large showings of anime series or movies, where fans can get together and watchtheir favorite series together on the big screen, which is a rarer happening in North America. In some cases the movies runall night, which means a lot of baggy eyes on the final Sunday!

Ask a Con-Goer:

Cyberfox shows us his Otaku enthusiasm

Our otaku friend Cyberfox is a well-loved and “familiar face” at Otakuthon, and goes every year. He enjoys photographyand works in quality assurance by day,and is a long time anime fan by night (he’sa veritable super hero of the genre, tolocals). We caught up with him and askedhim to explain what he enjoys most aboutgoing to Montreal’s biggest animefest every year, aside from taking some ofthe excellent photos he was graciousenough to share with us in this post.

Why do you go to Otakuthon?

“I have been a fan of anime, video gamesand Japanese culture all my life and goingto Otakuthon is nothing but abig celebration of that and more. Also, alot of my friends go to Otakuthon so it isalso a great chance to see everyone Ihave not been able to see in over a year.”

What’s your favorite event?

“For me it is the Masquerade. This iswhere you see top-notch cosplayersshowing off their cosplays and the hardwork and dedication they put into makingthis costumes. They also do a small skitperformance too, that can add a bit of drama and effect to the costume. It is quite a show.”

Anything else you’d like to add?

“Being at Otakuthon is always an amazing experience since you get to see old friends and make new ones. I always feelso positive everytime I go. Although it attracts a more younger crowd, I see people from all ages and walks of life going tothe convention who are young at heart enjoy it as well.” We asked Cyberfox what he thought about cosplay, and well…

You get the idea. (Cyberfox in cosplay)

Otakuthon in pictures

Otakuthon Masquerade, where cosplayers show off their skills

Girls in Sailor Scout costumes

Girls in Frozen costumes

We have no idea either, but it looks pretty cool!

And check out this amazing fanmade music video by Caveman Z of this year’s cosplays at Otakuthon:

Final thoughts

Even if anime isn’t your cup of tea, it’s easy to see why Otakuthon draws thousands of fans from Montreal and beyondevery year. By all appearances, this convention is filled with diversity, like-minded and fun-filled folks, who takes part inan impressive output of creativity and bonding. It seems this annual gathering is an otherwise rare opportunity for theMontreal and Canadian anime community to get together and celebrate their well-loved interests and meet other fans. Weeven saw entire families taking place in the events, in full costume. (The family that cosplays together… stays together?)In any case, all we have to say is, sugoi ne?!

Otakuthon is just one of many events which takes place is Montreal’s beautiful Old Port neighborhood, just below thefestival-filled Quartier des Spectacles.

If you’re interested in more Montreal neighborhoods, check out Navut’s MontrealNeighborhood Profiles and find out which area would be best for you!

If you can’t get enough of geek culture (we certainly can’t!), check out Montreal’s Comic Con, happening this September!We’re sure to attend and hope to see you there. Got any photos or comments about Otakuthon? Did you attend, or areyou curious to? Share you thoughts with us in the comments section below!

(Photos: Liz Lee, Cat Messier and Cyberfox)