Courtesy of comicbuzz.comWords can’t describe just how amazing Yaoi Con truly was, but I’ll try my darn best. First off, a portion of you will be wondering just what in the hell “yaoi” is. Well, my friends, yaoi is a japanese term for “boys love” or “BL”. Yaoi is more popularly depicted in manga form and is hugely popular with heterosexual females, who enjoy the idea of their two favorite male characters being together.
Yaoi Con is an 18+ convention solely dedicated to celebrating all things yaoi. It’s basically a chance to meet people who love the same thing you do. Formed in 2001, Yaoi Con took a break last year and came back bigger and better than ever.
Having just come down from the high that was Anime Expo, I was quite hesitant when it came to this convention. I love yaoi, but i could hardly find anything about Yaoi Con on social media, so I had no idea what to expect. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised and ended up enjoying myself at this convention MORE than I did at Anime Expo.
It was a much smaller convention (in comparison to Anime Expo) which made it easier for me to meet new people and chat with the extremely nice artists in artist alley. The convention was also well organized and it took me less than 15 minutes to get my badge. The staff was helpful and just so full of energy, it was contagious. I’m not normally an outgoing person but just being surrounded by all these funny and vibrant people made me turn into a social butterfly.
The cosplays were well done and, surprisingly, most of the cosplayers cosplayed as characters from Free!, DRAMAtical Murder and Black Butler. Obviously, other fandoms were included but these three were the most commonly represented at Yaoi Con.
The dealers room and artist alley were held in the Grand Peninsula Ballroom, which was more than big enough to accommodate all the artists and exhibitors. The dealers room was constantly crowded, but not so crowded to where you couldn’t move around and see the booths. Akadot Retails booth was continuously being swarmed with groups of people due to their generous $3 manga sale. SuBLime, a yaoi manga publishing company, also had a booth that was frequently buzzing with excited fans (me being one of them).
I was so enraptured by the people and carefree environment that I didn’t attend a single event or anime viewing. I spent all my time in the dealers hall conversing with talented artists and energetic attendees.
Overall, Yaoi Con quickly became the best convention i have ever been to and I applaud the staff, attendees, exhibitors and artists for making it as enjoyable as it was. I will definitely be returning next year!
Check out these extremely talented artists and support/read their original comics:
Tara Fernon
HamletMachine
Savy Studios
Redstar
Irene Flores
Hazel + Bell
With Star Like Words
Marcelle Natisin
Jean Kang
The Kinsey House
C.R. Favre
Devoto
Hasuyawwn
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