An annual 3 day
anime convention held in the
Baltimore area. In its 7 year history, the con has grown from 350 attendees to 7,750 in
the year 2000. Origionally created by students at
Penn State, the event has grown into the largest anime convention on the East Coast, hosting
famous Japanese
animators,
seiyuu, and even
J-Pop stars.
Fansubs are shown in viewing rooms, and
cosplay has become very popular, especially during the
masquerade, held on the second day of the con. The birthplace of
Mystery Anime Theater 3000, and site of an anime
rave.
Video Gaming tournaments are held on the newest import titles, and panel discussions are conducted with
industry heads and experts. Usually held in
August creating an interesting environment for
ludicrously huge foam haired costumers to survive in. Quite an awesome spectacle.
Also the handle of computer hacking guru
Hal Emmerich in
Metal Gear Solid was an
homage to the convention, not the
other way around.
Otakon Statistical Table
YEAR ATTENDANCE PROGRAMMING
ATTENDANCE GROWTH DEALERS GUESTS STAFF THEATERS LIVE
(PD MEMBERS) PROGRAM
TRACKS
1994 350 - 4 9A 16 2 2
1995 450 +29% 15 2J/14A 25 3A/1HK 3P/1WS
1996 1000 +122% 20 1J/9A 35 3A/1HK 2P/1WS
1997 1750 +75% 22 3J/15A 45 4A/1HK 3P/2WS
1998 2500 +43% 25 2J/22A 60 5A/1HK 2P/2WS
1999 4500 +80% 30 5J/22A 80 5A/1HK 3P/2WS
2000 7500 +60% 45 6J/20A/ 114 6A/1HK 3P/1WS
6UK/1HK
2001 10275 +37% 65 4J/14A 180 6A/1HK 3P/1WS/
1 kids
2002 12880 +25% 133 6J/9A 285 5A/1HK/ 3P/1WS/
1F/1T 1 kids
2003 17338 +35% 73 8J/13A/ 252 5A/1HK/ 4P/2WS/
1EU 1F/1T 1 kids
Key:
Guests: A = American
J = Japanese
UK = United Kingdom
HK = Hong Kong
EU = European
Theaters: A = Anime
HK = Hong Kong cinema
F = Fan/Parody
T = 35mm
Live Program Tracks: P = Panel
WS = Workshop
Statistics provided by http://www.otakon.com