Thousands of people gathered at Castle Point Anime Convention on Saturday, April 30th, 2022. Everyone was dressed up in amazing cosplays and there were so many events and activities people could participate in. I had the privilege of attending this convention, and it was seriously one to remember!

“It’s a medium size con, which I feel incorporates the best elements of both small and large cons. It has decently popular guests as well as some good artists as the large conventions have, while still feeling a bit manageable with some sense of community as the small cons have. Like, you see the same people there at least three times and you just get a whole feel for like, the group of attendees. It’s just really the best way I can articulate it,” stats otakuking via YouTube.

At cons, organizers usually provide a handbook that gives you all the details about the con… from events and times to games and special guests. They also provide a map so you know where to go, and they have a schedule for every event. Not to mention that this event was actually a two-day convention, meaning that you could attend both days if you wanted. They even give you a cool badge to wear all day!

There were so many different things to do, the first being all of the cosplay meetups. In every meetup, many cosplayers go and hang out with other cosplayers from the same film/game. It’s a great place to socialize, take photos, and meet people who have the same interests as you. You can also get ideas from other cosplayers to incorporate into your own cosplays! (Well, you don’t HAVE to cosplay but it’s really fun.) 

If you like collecting pins and prints from different shows, they also have an Artist Alley. That place is FILLED with so many talented artists that are selling different prints, pins, keychains, etc! They have things from your favorite shows and characters and even ships. 

There’s also a Dealer’s Room, which sells SO MANY figurines, plushies, t-shirts, keychains, accessories, wigs, posters, and even playing cards from your favorite series! They even sell manga, which are Japanese comics (they’re translated). In both the Artist Alley and the Dealer’s Room, they have a bunch of booths of people selling their products. There’s so much to look at and purchase!

If you aren’t sold yet, wait till you hear this. At most conventions, they even invite special guests! They invite all sorts of creators, cosplayers, YouTubers, and even character voice actors (VAs)! I had the privilege of meeting Anna Yatco (VA of Nobara from JJK and Raiden Shogun in Genshin Impact) and Brianna Knickerbocker (VA of Kanao Tsuyuri from Demon Slayer, Rem from Re:ZERO, and Hu Tao from Genshin Impact). They do signatures, voice recordings, and even photographs! They are such nice people and it’s always a pleasure to meet people who inspire you. 

For any gamers out there, they have an entire room dedicated to all sorts of cool and exciting video games! They had some older ones and more modern ones, but they’re all super fun to play! That’s also another great place to meet new people and talk about things you have in common. 

They also have an area for cosplayers to do photoshoots! There were all sorts of fun and cute backgrounds for you to do different poses and do an entire photoshoot. They have cool lighting effects and scenery to really make yourself stand out!

Lastly, they have a huge stage for all sorts of performances… from singing to dancing, to voice actor Q&As and even live music! You can even go up and dance along to fun K-Pop and J-Pop music! They have really talented singers doing live performances and even dance parties! 

Castle Point Anime Convention was a really fun local con! There were so many interesting and unique people who had the same interests as one another. It’s such a fun time to get together with friends and make new friends. There are so many different activities and events to attend, not to mention all the merchandise. I cannot wait to attend this con again next year!