The Anime Expo was awesome!!

During this Pandemic, I am using my time to write my graphic novel, and since I can’t draw, I take a lot of photos and use them as references to send to my artist. While scrolling through my phone, I came across a picture of my husband and me when we went to the anime expo in 2019. I enjoy anime. I love the Content of the stories of the show or manga (Japanese comics). The characters and the design of the characters, and let us not forget the backstories on what inspired the creators. One style of anime, in particular, I not only found great ideas in storytelling I just got in is called Yaoi (it is Boy Love or guy on guy interaction) I remember getting ready to go to the event because it was my first time dressing up to go to the event. My costume was Noiz (Noise) from a Yaoi computer game/anime called Dramatical murder. FYI Dramatical murder is a science fiction and visual romance novel in which players assume the role of the protagonist named Aoba Seragaki. ( I won’t get into detail about it, if you want to know about it, just look it up on google.) Anyway, it was amazing to see so many people dressed up as their favorite characters from other anime shows. There were so many games that were being promoted, new animes in development, and gadgets. There were crowds of people going to booths of memorabilia, getting food, some people would get into character and act out a scene of the show their role was from. It was so exciting. I would take a lot of photos not just to post on social media, but to use as a reference because after we left the anime expo, I went home and got started on my Yaoi Graphic Novel.

When the Pandemic happened, I was depressed when I saw on the Facebook page website that there wasn’t going to be an expo this year, due to the COVID-19./Coronavirus Pandemic. I was hoping to go not just to the Anime expo but to the Yaoi Expo as well! I was excited to see the Yaoi Expo was still going to happen. Even, I got depressed again because The Yaoi Expo was in Metro Manila in February, so I couldn’t go not just because the traveling was in the process of getting banned. However, because I was halfway in my writing done (I still needed to edit it), I am still in the process of getting my first graphic novel to publish. The Anime Expo was a place I felt I could be free from the real world and go to a place where I felt had some kind of magic (I’m not talking about the card game) a connection to create stories and get so much inspiration. I guess it was a good idea I was planning on wearing the same costume from last year because I like saving money. But I do love seeing the costumes of all the other attendees. I feel sad that I won’t get to see the year 2020 new anime shows that are in development and hear from the creators themselves. But I do see this as a way to get my Yaoi graphic novel to publish, and maybe it will be at the year 2021 Anime Expo and hopefully, the Yaoi expo, that is, if it will be here in the USA but to be more specific in California. The furthers I am willing to travel to go to the Expo is to Las Vegas. I do hope this Pandemic ends soon, so the Expo will continue and get in touch with my creative side, as well as getting inspiration.