Slice of Life: A Weekend at Youmacon 2019
Hello everyone! I’m back with another Slice of Life post! Today I’m sharing my wrap-up of Youmacon 2019. What is Youmacon?Founded by Morgan Kollin in 2005, it is the largest anime/gaming convention in Michigan and the 10th largest North American anime convention as of 2017. Here is my wrap-up of the convention!
In early November, I attended Youmacon 2019. It was my 7th time attending the con and my first year staying at the convention for the entire weekend. This annual four-day anime convention was held during late October 31 to November 3rd at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center and TCF Center in Detroit, Michigan.
This is the second year I did preregistration online and it worked out in my favor.My friend, Katie, and I arrived by 10am and as soon as the line opened at 11am we didn’t wait for long to get badges and complete registration. If you’re going for multiple days, I definitely recommend preregistering online beforehand as the convention offers deals leading up to the convention (ex. Black Friday, Holiday discounts) plus you save more money than purchasing badges at the door.
As always one of the best parts about any convention is the Artist Alley and Dealers Hall. It’s one massive room filled with numerous artists, shops, and a variety of vendors. I enjoyed chatting with shop owners and checking out all of the talented artwork. Among my favorite booths were the ones that specialized in selling manga, specialty anime OSTs, enamel pins, art prints, Japanese stationary and BTS merch. There were also an array of photo backdrops for con-goers to use for cosplay photos, Japanese crane games, and even Purikura (photo booths).
We shopped in the Artist Alley & Dealers Hall and each day we found new things to buy. It can be an overwhelming shopping experience, so I recommend taking your time shopping and checking the prices before you buy items. Some shops sell the same items at different prices. The hallways were lined with con-goers taking photos, people chatting, and we hung out with some K-Pop fans while dancing along to our favorite songs.
This was my second year cosplaying and I dressed up for two of the three days. On Friday I dressed up as Koya from BT21 and my friends were dressed up as some of the other BT21 characters too. On Saturday, I dressed up as one of my favorite Disney princesses Tiana (from Princess and the Frog). I had a lot of fun meeting other cosplayers and taking photos. The community of people at this convention is so welcoming.
As for the panels Katie and I checked out even more this year. We went to a K-Pop fan panel where they gave out prizes for K-Pop trivia and played a game of Random Dance Play. We also went a panel called “Live Free, Vine Hard” which showed some hilarious Vine clips. My favorite panel, however, was the panel focusing on Japanese horror mythology. It was hosted by Marble Forest Podcast and it was informative and creepy at the same time. I’ll have to check out their podcast soon!
The video gaming room is continuing to improve as it is the second year it has been in the TCF with more space. The expanded the variety of games, more with classics such as Street Fighter, Taiko Master, DDR (which I played many times. There was a better layout for the games, but the music games were placed so closely together that it was hard to hear the songs you were playing even though you were standing in front of the speakers.
The Renaissance Center is gorgeous and it was my second time staying in the hotel. The room was nice and equipped with features and the view of the city and Detroit from my window was stunning. Hotel staff were friendly and there was a very easy check in and check out process. They were accommodating and helpful to everyone! The hotel offers convention discounts if you choose to room there, but there are also a number of hotels near the convention area Downtown with reasonable prices if you book ahead of time.
All in all, Youmacon 2019 was a blast and I can’t wait to go back again in 2020! I’m already brainstorming cosplay ideas for next year. If you’re a fan of Anime or Japanese pop culture and live in the Metro Detroit area, this is a convention you should definitely check it out in the future!
THIS BLOG claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.
Seems it was great fun. I plan to make it to at least one con in the new year.
It was! Hopefully you’ll make it to a con in 2020.