This was my second Katsucon and I felt so much better prepared for it this year than I did my first time in 2020. In my Katsucon 2020 review I did state that I came in with reasonable expectations, but now having attended once I feel like I had a better idea of the con from my own perspective and I've also grown a bit and become more comfortable in a convention setting and venue.
Con: the badge line
I'm not going to lie, this one really bothered me. Granted it didn't interfere with my weekend that much but I feel it didn't because I did badge pick up on Thursday.
I pre-registered for a badge and it took me about 2 hours to make it through the line. They had no separation between pre-reg and at-door, meaning that regardless of if you had registered before or not you all had to wait together. And I didn't get any early bird rate so I legit paid online just to wait inline anyway. I don't understand why they didn't simply separate the lines. I feel that this would have made more sense, been quicker for pre-reg, and also been a really nice perk for those who helped to support the con prior to it actually happening.
Pro: the COVID requirements
I personally LOVED the COVID-19 requirements that Katsucon put in place for this year. It made me feel so safe at the convention.
I did see a lot of people in the atrium or by the gazebo of the Gaylord not wearing masks for a quick picture but frankly, with the COVID policy that they had in place regarding everyone being vaccinated, I didn't mind. If the policy hadn't been in place then I would have definitely had an issue, but as it was I was comfortable if someone removed their mask for a quick second to eat, drink, or take a quick photo. And when people did remove it for a photo it seemed that everyone also respected a social distancing measure that also increased the feeling of COVID safety. If someone took a picture with someone I didn't see them removing their mask. So overall very respectful of others safety.
It seemed that this policy also helped to bring together a community that was more concerned about safety than other conventions have in the past, I didn't see anyone unmasked in any areas that were more crowded such as the registration lines, artist alley, or dealers hall.
Pro: the venue
I made the decision in 2020 that I wouldn't attend Katuscon again unless I stayed in National Harbor, preferably onsite. And though I hadn't made any plans to attend Katsucon prior, in fall of 2021 a friend who had booked a hotel room had to drop and thus I was able to stay at the Gaylord. I was able to skip the entire hunger games which was very nice.
A few weeks prior to the con a lot of people were dropping rooms so many people were able to transfer to the Gaylord, but with it being so close to the event I don't feel that I would have been able to plan as well and fill my room with my friends, or even book the shoots I needed to break even. So for me a room takeover was definitely the way to go. I know in future years I won't have this luck so I'll have to decide if I'm going or not before I dedicate to the hunger games for 2023.
Con: the safety
So personally I didn't feel unsafe at any point during Katsucon, but there is one thing that I want to note that is worth documenting here.
On Friday of Katsucon an attendee brought a real knife. That part is confirmed. It was a steak knife with an actual serrated blade. I happen to know kitchen knives pretty well for someone who doesn't work in the food industry, and while no knife should have been allowed to the con floor or even in the hotel area, a serrated blade can do a lot more damage to a person than a straight edge knife can. This is because a straight edge will create a clean and straight cut that is easier to stich or glue together whereas a serrated (or even a dull straight edge) will act more as though it is ripping through skin and will create a much messier cut. So the fact that the attendee was able to not only bring the knife but apparently also go to meetups, that's very concerning.
This was shared in the Katsucon Facebook group and I screenshot it for this article, but if you want to go and view the post and read the comments here is a link to the post. I also am going to share one more photo, this time of the attendee's Instagram where it more clearly shows the knife that they brought.
This was all shared with the Katsucon staff according to the Facebook post comments, but what the outcome was I don't know.
Pro: Artist Alley
This was one of the best artist alleys I've been to in a while. It was absolutely amazing. The amount of variety of artist styles, products, and source materials represented was wonderful. I know Katsucon is known for the cosplayers showing up in droves with their most elaborate cosplays, but no one should sleep on the Katsucon artist alley. I didn't purchase much, but do see below for the image of the items I did purchase.
The massive boba plush I actually didn't get at Katsucon, I got it at the boba shop about 3 blocks from the venue. I just wanted to include it since I think it's cute and it's the first squishmellow I own.
I did also collect so many cards for artists I'm going to keep an eye on. Many of them had fandoms represented that I love, but just not a specific character that I was looking for.
Con: the wind
The wind this year was absolutely ridiculous. I know this isn't something that Katsucon can control, but with it already being chilly the wind makes it absolutely FREEZING.
I want to give an accurate idea though of what I mean when I say the wind was strong.
I mean that it took my full body weight and the help of another attendee pushing from the outside and another person pulling from the outside to open a door from the atrium on Saturday.
I mean that I was walking at basically a 45 degree angle against the wind so I could even move forward.
I mean that when on Friday early AM I met up with @CTowershot to photograph my Ningguang we gave up after 5 minutes since my accessories wouldn't even stay in place.
But going back to it being so cold due to the wind, has Katsucon ever considered becoming a mid to late March con? I feel like the weather would be so much better then for attendees.
Pro: the crowd (or lack thereof)
In 2020 it took me so long to cross the atrium due to how many people were stuffed inside. However this year I could cross easily, barely even having to watch out for cosplayers with large wings! (that said the large wing cosplays were there, I just didn't have to be quite as careful because it wasn't as crowded) I heard that there were approximately 5,000 less attendees this year (be that due to COVID still ongoing or Katsucon putting in strict COVID requirements I'm not sure) and frankly this made the event so much more enjoyable. And I know I'm not the only person who felt this way. I spoke to numerous people who agreed with me. Maybe this is a sign for Katsucon to raise badge prices and decrease the attendee cap?
This was my second Katsucon and I'm definitely interested in coming back, but only time will tell if that actually will happen or not!