Host City: Bowling Green, KY
Venue: The Sloan Convention Center
Date: February 15th, 2014
Some conventions are a once-a-year deal, and with the amount of work that goes into them, it's not hard to see why. Coordinating people, places, things, and ideas - no type of noun gets left behind - to give a show to a thousand or more folks from different age groups, tastes, and backgrounds is undoubtedly a task for the mighty.
And then there are some people just crazy enough to do multiple shows in a year. The folks behind Sukoshi Con are that kind of crazy(in a good way). They have at least seven shows in four states, which means they're at least seven times that kind of crazy by the Distributive Property of Insanity.
Sukoshi Con is known as "the social anime convention," and that's because they take a fan-focused approach to their shows. Among other things, that means setting up as many events as they can around the Southeast, to serve as many otakus as possible. It also means that the staff are eminently helpful, approachable people who take an active interest in listening to and working with their attendees. Before this event, I attended Poke'CON, their Pokemon-themed event in Louisville last July, and it was easily one of the best-run small cons I've had the pleasure of attending.
The venue of choice was The Sloan Convention Center in Bowling Green, KY, adjacent to the Holiday Inn University Plaza. There were other events in the center that day, so this con only occupied one side, but a single hallway was perfect; the vendor area, artist alley, panel room, and gaming/video rooms were neatly tucked together, which meant it was unlikely anyone could get stranded high and dry and passed over.
As this was SCBG(Sukoshi Con: Bowling Green, 'natch)'s first year, it was a one-day show with just a few events - more to get acquainted with local fans and test the waters for the future than as a major con. But you shouldn't take that to mean that the events scene wasn't worthwhile. Much like Edward Elric, it was short but delivered a mighty punch(I just watched Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood recently, shuddap). "Otaku Dream: Traveling to Japan on a Budget" was an excellent presentation on getting to Otaku Paradise without breaking the bank. Shadow Clone gave one of his characteristically-awesome shows, and while this one was much smaller than usual, it was also more personal and laid-back. And, much to this costume addict's delight, there was a costume contest.
Given the smaller nature of this convention, I thought it a good chance to focus on the artist alley. Following below are the rad folks who joined the alley, artists and otherwise:
Specializing in plushes, clothing accessories, and other things adorable, this shop is a regular along my con route. Also, one of the ladies does a fantastic Selphie cosplay.
Plushes, prints, tees, stickers, cosplay gear, jewelry, GO CHECK THEM OUT.
I buy from these print artists almost every time I run across them. One of their big draws is multi-print spreads(Arkham City and Attack on Titan are personal favorites).
Phone holders, hats/hoods, plushes, and an awesome Pokeball Christmas ornament are just a few of the things you'll find here. Pokemon is one of her specialties, but she does lots of custom work, so don't hesitate to make requests!
You've probably seen perler sprites before. But have you seen a 3D perler Tardis before? That's what I thought.
The D20 Girls work to promote positive images of women in geekdom, which includes attending conventions, volunteering, and generally just being a great network for meeting and hanging out with people. Expect to be within their charm radius at your local events.
Chainmail jewelry: functional and visually appealing. Like a sledgehammer with nose art. But you probably shouldn't try to hit someone with it(though if you did, you'd be protected from reprisal)!
If your anime fandom falls under "cute" in any way(even convoluted, unexpected ways), there's a good chance the Cuteboom gang will get along with you. They're working on a convention, but they already have smaller events to whet your appetite.
If you like entertaining crossover art(Kamen Rider and My Little Pony? How about Skullgirls and BlazBlue?), then you should check this bloke out. And he's got a webcomic set in 20XX. That's pretty great, in my book.
If chainmail accessories aren't your thing, how about leather ones? Leather ones with spikes?
Bullying has unfortunately become a big problem in the cosplay community - specifically, geek-on-geek bullying. Be the Minority is all about cosplayers coming together and building each other up instead of tearing each other down. If you're a cosplayer, drop 'em a picture, show 'em some support, and join us!
Small convention or no, Sukoshi Con still had a number of vendors in addition to artists. If your Holy Grail of con shopping includes high-quality figurines or DVDs, this is where you'd want to be:
Athens Anime is a vendor who has a close working relationship with Sukoshi Con in their many shows. Bringing a row of tables laden with manga, DVDs, and figurines, you may just wind up selling your clothes for extra cash if you run across them. But it's so worth it.
Located in Glasgow, KY, these folks have your retro game needs covered. And Darth Vader has a part-time gig there. 'Nuff said.
Star Boxes. Random little cubes of otaku goodness. You should buy one, because it's like a mini-Christmas every time you open one.
For now, this is your Ever-Curious boy Ro, signing off until next time.
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