My Experience At Phoenix Comicon 2016

It’s no surprise that Phoenix Comicon 2016 surpassed the 100k attendee count. There’s always an event going on for anyone age 3 to 83 during the four day event. I even got con flu afterward from how much ground I wanted to cover but not having enough time to do it all! I always enjoy this convention for the well-rounded events and panels it has because they fit all my wants for a fun weekend.

As usual, FAKKU and JLIST had their booths  in the vendor hall where I always makes my annual purchases. I always find something I’d love to own and I never have buyer’s remorse from their content, even if it’s a impulse buy. I also was able to attend FAKKU’s panel, which was very entertaining. The CEO of FAKKU is a very humble, personable guy; he let fans bust his chops while still being able to give good information about his site and what they have to offer without making it sound like an advertisement. It was easily one of the most well-rounded panels I’ve ever attended and I’d love to attend more of his panels in the future.

Similar to FAKKU, the JLIST panel was also a lot of fun. Since I’m a frequent customer of the visual novels that they localize from Japan, it’s nice to make a connection with the company who makes this dream a reality, and answer questions from customers for current and future games.

Since I’m a new fan of the Fire Emblem series, I attended a panel for the history of Fire Emblem. Being new to the series, I did not know much about the older games, so it was amazing to attend the event at PCC . Aside from all the numerous 3DS streetpasses I was able to get in the overflowed room, I was able to get a ton of information about all the games, all the way from the first one in the series. The panelist included the pros, cons, main character bios, screen caps, release dates, and which systems the games were released on for every title. It was very informative, and I enjoyed hearing why the worst games were the worst. I also got some insight on some of the older games I was considering picking up.

When I was tired of sitting in panels and wanted a little more interaction, I went to Dobutsu Lounge’s Pokemon Lounge on Saturday night. I went to their Smash Brother’s Bunny Suit Lounge event back at Taiyou con and I had a great time there as well…they never disappoint! The girls were gorgeous and entertaining, my voice was croaky on Sunday from all the yelling I did the night before, since each girl brought their own game to the table that were usually fast-paced and exciting. Also during table rotations, some of the girls provided talent portions which included dancing, singing, or playing an instrument. There were also a few raffles and an auction, which is always a ton of fun to participate in or even just to observe. It was especially fun this time around since some of the girls were fan favorite Pokemon, so the emotions were running high to get your beloved childhood memories in real form. I highly recommend this event (it is 18+, however!) to attend at least once, because after you go just once, you’ll want to go back every time they are at a convention.

I am also a fan of sports anime, so on Sunday I attended a panel that focused on the female characters whether they were the main characters or not. I really appreciated this since one of my favorite anime of all time is Princess Nine, and it was highlighted during the panel along with other sports anime from older times that I will be looking into. The panelist also gave nods to female characters in sports anime that have male driven casts such as Haikyuu and Yowamushi Pedal.

Of course the vendor’s hall is a monster that’s ready to take your money. I always make sure to visit the artist alley since there’s a personal touch to fandoms you love or even for beautiful jewelry such as Itty Bitty Aura and Good Fortune. My legs were so tired from walking through PCC from pretty much start to end, but the sensory overload you get is too much fun to pass up.

I’m really looking forward to attend next year and wonder how many more attendees will show up!