Wow, I’ve had a few weeks of recovery since San Diego Comic-Con (and doing WasabiCon right afterwards…) I’ve been pushing myself hard since it ended to make sure I didn’t let the con come down, which is one of the worst things to go through after con, hit me too hard. I fought it off by going to the zoo for five hours the day after con (yes, of course it was the San Diego Zoo).
So, what you’ve all been waiting for. Everything from me on my first SDCC ever.
I had a blast at the five day long convention, I got to try and see so much that I never got to at previous conventions. Even though the con was more tame this year without all the big productions and A-list celebrities (sadly, no Chris Evans or Henry Cavill to stare at), I think it was a good SDCC to start off with. I mean I was already overwhelmed thinking about the con before I even went in, and there were so many people! I’ve never been in a convention center that big before. The fire department even had to show up to shut down lines for booths, because it was insane for special drops every day.
I did have to tone down my excitement and how much I did every day, since with my luck, I got a concussion a few days before I flew out. So, not the best of fun I could have had at SDCC. I really hope I get to go again in the future and do everything I didn’t get a chance to do this year.
The booths in the exhibitor hall, along with the activations outside were very cool and something new I haven’t seen before. For something new booth wise, it was just really cool to see such big companies at a con and having the coolest stuff to sell, freebies, and props for photos. I tried to go through as many of these booths as possible just to see everything, sadly never even got close to the Marvel booth (eh, what can you do). But I had a great time at all the Bandai Namco booths inside and outside, same goes for Viz Media’s booths (and art gallery for Junji Ito), and at Dim Mak (all the One Piece clothing merch I could ever wish for). Weird thing is, I didn’t end up buying all that much. No crazy huge figures (not enough space in my luggage for one), just a handful of small things (which I’ll share in another article). But, I’m madly in love with my Dim Mak shirt of Zoro (from One Piece) and the very cute small figures I picked up from Bandai Namco.
I even got a seat at the Her Universe Fashion Show, all the designs blew me away. The whole show was so well done and I loved each look into the artists and why they chose what they designed for the show. Lots of secret last minute reveals to dresses, extra added detail we didn’t see before or even know about in the intro video done for the design. The hosts were very entertaining too, and I was drooling over their outfits! I’ve never seen fabric that could play clips from movies on it before (I’m talking the fabric was like a mini tv!). Honestly, I think all the people who entered should have gotten picked!
Meeting all these new people at the convention was great, I got to interact with people because of my cosplays I wore (my three One Piece ones I did always got me some interaction), the interviews I was going around for, and helping out at my friends booth. A friend of mine ended up working in the hall selling her prints, I took breaks from walking around (also very much still concussed and tired) and ended up watching her booth for her during the last three days of con. Everyone thought it was funny that I was having a blast just talking with people and selling art prints instead of walking around more. But, it’s getting to talk and meet all these new people that’s a fun part of every con for me. I made a lot of connections and a huge amount of friends who are into anime too! It was also super fun meeting a family that has been coming to SDCC for many years and this year they were bringing their grandkids! A very cool family tradition in my book!
As a first timer for SDCC I think I did pretty well considering all things, and I really had a great time (and want to go back so badly). I also think I ended my official first San Diego Comic-Con in the best way possible, In-N-Out Burger. Never had it and now I miss it every damn day.
Were you at San Diego Comic-Con 2023? What were your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comments or chat with us on Twitter at TheConCollectve.
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