So, now I’m
finally able to keep my promise to Frozen Angel and to write about some facts and
personal experiences I made at German and one Austrian conventions which are still taking place. There are of course also some smaller
ones and especially in Eastern Germany I haven’t been to these. But I could
look them up if someone’s interested. Plus there are currently many new Comic
Cons mushrooming up which I haven’t attended yet cause they are more focused on
Western stuff than on Anime/Manga. I will also exclude Scifi cons like FED con
to which I haven’t been either or purely fantasy based ones as the RPC in
Cologne or Ring con in Bonn and others or the biggest Gaming convention
Gamescon. If you look for German cons I
recommend in general the German community website animexx.de since there are
many big and small events listed. There is also an English version.
But now
enough about what I’m not going to tell. What am I actually going to say? Well,
as a cosplayer I will focus on locations, shopping areas, staff & rules, prizes,
program, opening hours, how many ppl attend, when the con in general takes
place and some personal experiences…
Still one
more thing: What do German conventions have in common which possibly is special
in my country?
I think we
have rather strict weapon rules by now. Some props simply are forbidden to be
brought inside but usually you can hand them (after a weapon check) to the
staff (sometimes after paying a small fee) to be kept and use them outside as
well. Usually this is necessary for long weapons (size depends on the con),
wooden or very hard stuff and sometimes also arrows or bows with a string that
can actually release arrows and so on. Always forbidden are due to the German
weapon rules: Weapons out of metal and pistols […] that are not easily
distinguished from the real thing, plus softair or of course the real stuff …
At cons for
cosplayers it is not that uncommon to stay outside nearly for the whole con or
to frequently go in and out (if the location and weather are nice), sometimes
they don’t even buy tickets at all. But I think this has decreased a bit. Still
German cons have a strong focus on the outside area around as well.
Besides
many cons mentioned here are fan-organized! (The big exception is the
commercial Animagic and some are organized bei the German cosplay society
Animexx.)
Program in
general often includes cosplay competitions, showgroups (with plays and/or
dancing / music…), workshops ( e.g. concerning photography, (traditional)
Japanese stuff, working methods for cosplay (wig, sewing, crafting, makeup,
crossplay…), drawing, writing…) some Japanese guests (sometimes bands or
singers), producers of animes, sometimes voice actors and magakas, ‘famous’
cosplayers (-.-)… But there can also be other competitions (gaming e.g.),
nearly every con has a games room, not rarely also a maid or host café, food is
offered (not always asian/Japanese), sometimes also small congames like a paper
chase or some riddles to be solved or certain cosplayers to be found or
photochallenges… oh and quite often a
con also offers karaoke (with Japanese (Anime/manga and pop culture) songs,
Disney, German anime openings, English songs and also some nonrelated German
ones. Also every con has of course a shopping area differing in size. Another
very convenient thing at some German cons is that there is a repair-station
where first aid for cosplays is offered. Quite recently also other activities
are offeren by a few like laser tag, a ball pit, photo walls and a Matsuri
(something like a Japanese funfair). So
I think the trend goes to cons offering some more program also for
non-cosplayers.
Germans
don’t in general have any problem to cosplay in public. So travelling from
hotel to con using public transport or shootings in public areas like parks are
rather common. You just sometimes have to ignore comments from ppl who don’t know
about cosplay. But as often there are also nice and curious reactions.
At German
cons by now a colourful mix out of manga/anime, games, Disney, life action
series, comics, own creations, Japanese clothing … and of course ppl without
cosplay is common. But I think cosplayers are in the majority at cons. Besides
cosplays are often selfmade although the trend is decreasing as it is easier to
order good stuff online nowadays. The quality of cosplays differs also still
greatly. I think the majority of the German cosplay scene is maybe in their
twenties now, in some cases some have started to bring their own children with
them.
Atm to
exchange coscards has become quite common in order to stay in contact after the
con, but there are still some who keep the old Conhon (“con book”) tradition.
It’s kind of a friendship book where addresses are written down, sometimes
small letters and not rarely also a drawing added as well.
So what
else? Oh, language. I think most Germans speak English more or less well, so
there usually is no language problem at all. But the program at cons usually
still is (fortunately) in German. It’s
not so rare that you find a person who actually also speaks Japanese. About
other languages I can’t tell, except that many of us learn also French at
school or in some cases also Spanish or Italian.
That’s all
I can think of spontaneously. I guess the rest I can only figure out / remember
while in conversation with ppl from other countries.
So as an
overview, here is a little (not 100% up to date table of German cons), before I
go into detail:
Ticon
Date:
usually February, 2017: 4.-5.3.
Size:
Rather small; about 1200 attending
City:
Würzburg
Prize: Very
low! About 8 Euro for the weekend.
Opening
time: Long; Saturday: 10:00 – 24:00
Sunday: 10:00- 18:00
Cloakroom:
Yes, for free.
Parking:
Possible, but not so easy.
Location
Photos:
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QqDD00JO7Y
(Location)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N2IKnh81Dw
(more inside)
Although
it’s a rather small convention, I really love Ticon cause it is just so comfy
and has a rather great location just outside :). The prize has to be as it is
rented from a non-profit organization
(not sure how to explain that in English -.-) very cheap. Ticon also has a very
great maid café although you should consider that you have to wait till you get
in. It also has a small shopping area, a Bring&Buy and a quite small stage.
There has also been one of these congames I already mentioned and there are also a few workshops. Ticon also offers
food but it’s more or less average and not Japanese.
But as
already mentioned the location is the big plus of the con. Würzburg is a rather
old and beautiful city and a nice park with historical buildings (about
1700-1900), a fountain and lots of green
you can use as forest background is very close by. Plus there is also a
basketball court just around the corner and we also were able to take some
photos in the changing room once as well (which is just great for sport animes
or school related stuff).
The
building the con is located in looks also quite nice and a bit historical.
There is also a small patio. You don’t find modern backgrounds though. So
cosplaying from a Scifi series some years back was rather not the best idea
concerning photos xD.
Besides you
should of course consider the temperatures. In February it can still be quite
frosty in Germany.
LBM/MCC
Date: usually
in March; 2017: 23.-26.3.
Size: One
of the biggest, (online 96000 visitors are stated, but I’m not sure if this is
not related to the bookfair in general, still impressive)
City: Leipzig
Prize: moderate,
31 Euro for all days
Opening
time: Short as it is a fair, 10:00 – 18:00
Cloakroom:
Yes, but for a fee per item of luggage (about 1-2 Euro).
Parking: It’s
a fair, so lots of parking spaces available.
Location
photos:
The
bookfair in Leipzig (since 2014 officially a con (Manga-Comic-Convention)as well) is huuuuge. You see
so many cosplayers that you might feel the equivalent of a little culture shock
at your first visit. The area is also not small and the shopping area covers
nearly a whole hall of the fair. But as it is a fair it is rather crammed most
of the time (except for possibly Thursday and Friday) and you shouldn’t be
afraid of the normal usual book fair visitor and consider them as well. So
quite some things are in theory forbidden (bloody make up for example, too
revealing cosplays, they may have problems with red lenses in some cases, the
weapon rules are also a bit more strict). Also the fair closes at 18:00, which
is rather early in comparison. But on the other hand they always invite one or
two Japanese mangaka, some German ones and other special guests. Although I
have to say the autograph system is a bit… well… as you sometimes have to draw
lots beforehand… There is also a very huge stage and quite some cosplay
competitions, no workshops or a real gamesroom or karaoke though. Plus once or twice you
could try to shoot with a bow at the con in a special area *-*. Aside from this
you shouldn’t miss the small tea garden in the manga hall. They offer green tea
for free and if you get seats it’s a good place to take a small rest. Food although they offer quite some on the other hand is rather expensive. The
location all in all is a fair. So it’s mostly taking place inside. But there
are huge walls, some trees, the very very huge glass hall and a small inner
park with water, gravel and some bald trees. Also just before the fair is a
lake, some grassland and of course the modern building of the fair itself. I’d
recommend to cosplay something modern or futuristic there. Or something that
goes well with the glass :). Or something you want to show the visitors as for
example some book adaptions or Disney. But it’s also possible to cosplay
fantasy stuff there cause of the wall, the inner park and the grassland around.
It’s just not as easy to take photos. In general I really would recommend the
bookfair if you are not afraid of the masses. But it’s not the most comfy con I
know of and neither my absolute favourite but rather a superlative.
Animuc
Page: http://2017.animuc.de
Date: usually
in April close to Easter; 2017: 21.-23.4.
Size: middle,
about 3000
City:
Fürstenfeldbruck (near Munich)
Prize: moderate;
all days 38 – 40 Euro depending on the time booked;
Opening
time: rather long; some parts close at 19:30 though;
Friday: 14:00 - 23:00
Saturday: 10:00 - 23:00
Sunday: 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday: 10:00 - 18:00
Cloakroom: Yes,
but for a fee per item of luggage (about 1-2 Euro).
Parking: Possible, quite some free parking spaces but you should be rather early to get one for sure.
Parking: Possible, quite some free parking spaces but you should be rather early to get one for sure.
Location
photos:
There are also some on the website.
Animuc is
in midfield regarding size, but clearly one of my favourite cons cause the
location is so great, the staff tries so hard and it feels so very comfy :). I have to admit that I know quite many ppl
who help at the con though.
Well, if
the weather is nice, Animuc has a very
very great location with a very huge
meadow, a small river, a small fountain, a playground and a beautiful church just
outside. On Sunday you just should be considerate of the ppl attending the
church service though. So the location is very very great for historical
costumes from 1600-1950. I personally love to cosplay from Fullmetal Alchemist
or D.Gray-man there. But the walls of the church are also surprisingly a very
great location for Magi. But aside from the historical setting there is also
the glass wall at the back and some metal flights of stairs in the back for a
more modern background. If you stray
further you can also find a small lake and a forest. So the con offers
backgrounds for nearly every possible setting.
But I love
Animuc not only for its photooptions. The program is quite nice as well. The
stages are located in separate rooms, karaoke and gamesroom as well, there are
lots of workshops offered, a Bring&Buy of course, the already mentioned
cosplay repair-corner and they have small congames nearly every time. This year for example they are going to have a
Pokemon Sun&Moon tournament where you can battle selfdesigned gym leaders. The
shopping area is about midlevel in size. Food is also not an issue the con offers some fastfood and there are some restaurants/a beer garden close by. It's just not very cheap. They also have a small chill-out zone with
pillows nearly every year oh and last but not least the con has a cosplay ball
at one evening. But I have never been to it yet so I can’t tell about its
quality. I have to admit one of my faves of the program is clearly the karaoke
though. We have ended the conday late at night at karaoke so many years in a
row XD. So, as already mentioned I really comment this con to everyone. It’s
not overly crowded cause of the large outside area but still you can meet quite
many ppl and get a good impression of
what German cons are like. The weather is a matter of luck though as April in
Bavaria can be snowy-cold, summerly hot, rainy, extremely sunny or anything in between.
Hanami
Date:
usually early May, 2017: 6.-7.5.
Size:
middle, about 5,200
City:
Ludwigshafen
Prize: reasonable,
25-29 Euro
Opening
time: ?; can’t tell
Cloakroom:
?
Parking:
Rather difficult I think.
Location
photos:https://ssl.animexx.de/fotos/event_74620/
I have to
say Hanami is not one of my favourites so I haven’t bought a ticket yet and can’t
tell about the program inside as I just have sneaked in with a borrowed ticket
once XD. But I can confirm that it has a midlevel shopping area and offers
quite some Japanese and non-Japanese food inside and outside. Plus there seems
also to be a stage. The special thing about Hanami is its huge shopping area in
the outside area though and that it takes place in the middle of Ludwigshafen.
The location is not thaat great to my mind, just like a modern city… but I have
heard that you can also go down to the Rhine and take photos there. The most
curious thing close by is a small church though, which is no longer in service
and where an ice cream shop and an Italian restaurant are located inside xD.
Plus there is also a small fountain where many photos are taken. If you stray
further you can also find some small parks :). It’s a nice con to meet ppl and
outside the “party” goes quite long as well as usually May in Germany is rather
warm, sometimes quite summerlike.
Dokomi
Date: usually
at Whitsun, 2017: 3.-4.6.
Size: big,
about 31000
City:
Düsseldorf
Prize: reasonable,
35-41 Euro
Opening
time: middle, Saturday: 10:00 – 20:00, Cosplayball & J-Disco: 20:30- 0:00, Sunday:
10:00- 18:00
Cloakroom: Yes, but for a fee per item of luggage (about
1-2 Euro).
Parking: As
it is also a fair there are quite some carparks and parking spaces. They are not
for free though. But I think for about 5 Euro per day.
Location
photos:
There are also a few on the page.
Videos:
Dokomi is
my very favourite German con by far :). It offers nearly everything one could
think of and has become very very large (about 31k attendants) over the years.
It is now the biggest purely fan-organized con in Germany and seems to have
overtaken even Connichi. I’m also very attached to it as I have attended every
single Dokomi right from the beginning in 2009. But I’m not attached without a
reason. Dokomi is taking place at the fair in Düsseldorf and offers a vast
space with a very large shopping area (as big as the one of the MCC now). We
are talking about a complete hall. They also have a maid and a host café, quite
some food (they promised to get more asian food for next year even), gamesroom,
Bring&Buy, various workshops and contests, often also a con game, they
invite some Japanese special guests, have a cosplay repair-station as well, some
photo-booths, a ball pit and last year
they had newly included lasertag. Plus I also recommend one highlight of many
cosplayers: The Dokomi cosplay ball. It’s just so well organized with a great
location and much love and little games included. Plus the songs are well
selected (many anime or Disney songs in versions adapted for classical
dancing). The tickets are sold-out within hours though. Aside from the ball
there is also a J-disco I haven’t tried yet as it takes place at the same time.
What is also quite appealing is that they stay in contact with the visitors and
ask what should be included next time. So the con is very adaptable.
But one of
the greatest things again is the very variable location. You have got the
futuristic fair building of the con, the river Rhine close by and last but not
least a very very huge park with the classical flower beds and blooming trees,
fountains, a small Japanese garden (with a small waterfall), one part which
looks Mediterranean to me (or even oriental if you just focus on the pond) and
also wild vegetation with high grass, trees and a bit of forest. It’s very very
beautiful in late spring or early summer and the weather often happens to be
nice. We often went there for shootings years ago even before the con was
located there. So, you can shoot nearly every series there and have lots of
space to linger. Only the Japanese garden is very often crammed. So you have very
many opportunities at Dokomi and I recommend it the most to cosplayers and
non-cosplayers as well.
Cosday²
Date: Summer
(June – July), 2017: 15.-16.7.
Size: middle, about
6000
City: Frankfurt
Prize: ?
Opening
time: Middle; Last year: Saturday: 10:00 – 22:00; Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00
Cloakroom: ?
Parking:
Don’t know.
Location
photos:
There are also some on the website.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df8v7Q7Ruds
About
Cosday I can’t really tell much as I have never been inside and haven’t gone
for about 2 years. I have to say it is a convention where it is nice to meet
ppl, but the location is not so great as it is located directly in the middle
of a shopping mall. So if you attend Cosday² you should really have no problem with
cosplaying in public. But even if the location is lacking in some points, it’s
great for modern slice of life animes and can be quite comfy in a casual way in
summer and quite unique. Oh and cause of the shopping mall food is not an issue at all.
About the
program I can only figure that they have some special guests although not from
Japan rather more German or maybe American ones. A stage and of course a
shopping area and Bring&Buy should be included, oh and last years’ program
tells of karaoke and a gamesroom as well.
So and as the entry is already extremely long, I am going to split it up for reasons of convenience. So the second half of the German cosplay year will be included in the next one.
:) As already said happy that you are.
AntwortenLöschenI have to say I expected it to be kind of like this.
Maybe they are more strict here due to fearing terrorism. It has at least become a bit more strict. But in general I believe that many Germans just like to set rules and to be prepared for every eventuality.
Well, I once actually read a number or two of yours I think. And I have to say I expected this as well xD. We are a bit more ppl as already said. And yes, of course I'm interested.
I think the location is important as well if you want to take photos, which I really enjoy mostly :). And it's also good to know about convenient stuff like parking, supermarkets... I like to know this in advance as well but I don't mind exploring either. Afterall cons are more or less holidays.