Once a year, fanatics from all

over the nation come together in Houston

for Halloween weekend to enjoy

one of the most anticipated events of

the year. Yes, anime fans -- it’s Oni-

Con, one of the biggest conventions in

the nation. Before thinking anything

else, this is more than just an excuse

but it also contains items that can only

be found in Japan! The shops have a

wide variety of items: from manga to

anime, anime t-shirts to accessories,

and even swords and unique weapons.

A lot is to be expected the moment one

walks into the large room, and they

definitely get their money’s worth.

Every night at Oni-

Con, there’s a concert from famous

Japanese or local bands, or a special

event that everyone can’t wait to see;

these bands are similar to the rock and

pop bands here, but it’s exciting to see

how other countries have their own

twist on pop culture. Late at night after

the concert, there’s a (legal) rave,

and DJs are lining up.The room is

filled with flashy lights and twirling

glow sticks, and people try to show off

their dance moves while a giant circle

is crowded around them-- a fun way to

end a day. The Saturday of the event,

what’s called a “Cosplay Contest” is

held in the evening to judge the people

who put time and effort into their

character’s costume. This is the event

that everyone works for all year. After

the individual contest is done, they

hold the sketch portion of the contest,

where single or groups of people come

on stage and act out a scene they have

created with their characters or a fight

that every anime nerd wants to see. To

the end, while the votes are being decided

by the group of judges, a halftime

show containing small concerts

and skits from famous actors (especially

those from abridged series) put on a

show to entertain the crowd. After the

votes are submitted, the winners are rewarded

for their success.

It’s always sad to hear that the

event is only a weekend long, but this

just makes next year all the more exciting.

If an “anime-intolerate” person

would like to see why people are so

pumped up towards the end of October

and meet a lot of new friends who

share the same interests, check out the

annual Oni-Con and experience an allnew

addiction.