schneiderc1

[schneiderc1]

I really liked your post, and I'm sorry you didn't really get into the series. I know it doesn't really have the best plot, and many people just watch it because it has good fight scenes. I do like how you connected JJk to Shin Sekai Yori, though. Overall, good job!

#28: Jujutsu Kaisen

Obviously I've heard of Jujutsu Kaisen before, and have watched a few episodes of it, but didn't really get into it. After watching the show, I thought the fight scenes were good, but it just didn't do it for me, and I can't say I liked any of the characters at all.

I can see how Geto in JJK relates to Shin Sekai Yori as he believes a world with no non-sorcerers would be the best outcome to the problem of cursed spirits. The non-sorcerers drag down the jujutsu sorcerers because they're weak and need protection. He solely believes that the sorcerers are superior humans and those that don't have this power are weaklings, calling them "monkeys". Similarly, in Shin Sekai Yori, we learned that the mole rat people were originally humans who did not have psychic powers, and in order for the espers to protect themselves from the death feedback, they had to make them inhuman and enslave them. By doing that, the mole rats have less of a chance to revolt against the espers, and the espers can easily protect themselves if a mole rat attacks them. So in a way, both of these anime have to deal with opposing populations and the issues that come with it. For a real world connection, I found Geto's ideology to be eerily similar to Hitler's, in the belief that there are "superior" humans. In this case, Aryans for Hitler and sorcerers for Geto, everyone else becomes an afterthought. How they go about their plans is also similar, with Hitler killing Jews, black people, and LGBTQ+ people, and Geto killing humans who can't use cursed energy.

I also found it interesting how in the anime they were basically relying on and using highschoolers to exorcise cursed spirits. Like I know they have adults who are also cursed energy users, but having a cycle of raising students to become sorcerers somewhat seems unfair for them. However, no one, sorcerer or not, should have to die in order for society to be safe.

[schneiderc1]

Jujutsu Kaisen

So I have watched Jujutsu Kaisen before, and honestly it’s not one of those anime where you think too hard about themes presented. In my eyes it was always one of those fun shounen that you watch mainly for the fights. But going back and rewatching part of it while actually trying to pick out some themes made me appreciate it a bit more. In the hidden inventory arc specifically, there were a couple of ideas/questions presented to the viewer, such as should traditions be followed instead of making progress? How important is one person's life in comparison to the well-being of society? Is being powerful all that matters? 

This was definitely one of my favorite arcs in the series, as I got to see younger versions of a lot of my favorite characters. We get to see how Gojo, who is said to be “the strongest,” got to be where he is. One of the big themes in this arc is how important one’s life is, as Riko is set to be the sacrifice for Tengen to ensure the preservation of the Jujutsu society. Throughout the anime she is fine with it because it’s for the greater good, but Geto continues to ask her if she is really okay with it, and she finally admits that she would rather live. We can also see how trauma affects people differently. After Gojo lost to Toji, he used his grief to push himself past his limits in order to become stronger, whereas Geto thought of himself as too weak and instead wanted to get rid of curses by killing all the humans. We can see how their two different approaches to the same problem cause a rift in their friendship.

Overall, rewatching this made me come to love this series even more.

[schneiderc1]

I really liked your post, and I like that you're able to connect it to other pieces of media you've seen. I think this anime does a really good job at showing the affects war has on people, not just in the war, but outside as well. Overall, good job!

Violet Evergarden: Recollections

This anime made me cry at the end. This media reminded me of the Gudam series we watched earlier in the class. This being with how war effects children and the consequences of war on children. However, this anime reminded me more about a book I read in high school that was called A long way gone. The story was about man who was a child soldier in Africa and about what he did to survive. It went along with how he lost the innocence of childhood with killing and surviving. Moreover, it goes over his redemption of how he was able to escape and live with his memories afterwards. It was a really impactful book that stayed with me for a long time and when watching this anime all I saw was parallel's between the two. The words of "your burning, but you have no have no idea" was really good and it felt like it added well with the message of the movie. The pain that Violet has to go through with how she must find herself and how she must continue living was really well done. Moreover, the story about her trying to find what it means to love was so well made. This story expertly done and its message of how one has to continue onwards living with the past was well put. Another piece of media this reminded me of was another book I read in high school called All quiet on the Western Front. This book is about young German men getting drafted into World War One and fighting on the front. It was about the loss of innocence and how war changes people. It was a horribly sad story and it also reminded me of Violet Evergarden: Recollections in how the stories cover the war time battles. It only shows fragments and pieces of what happens, but its so well done that it shows how people broken through war. This anime will stay with me for a long time and I'm glad I was able to watch it.

[schneiderc1]

Violet Evergarden: Recollections

This is one of those anime that I’ve always wanted to watch but never got around to. But man, it was a lot sadder than I thought it was going to be. I might have to go watch the full series now. Anyway, this anime follows Violet Evergarden, a former child soldier who was mainly treated as a weapon instead of a person. Since she grew up in the military and was never really treated as human, she never learned the social skills many children learn throughout their childhood. In the beginning she is kind of emotionally detached, speaking very formally and not understanding the nuance of human emotion. But as the story goes on, she gradually begins to understand, picking up on other people's feelings and using them to understand her own. This story is very well written, as we see her constantly struggling with her own feelings. Since she grew up in the army and fought in wars, she had taken many people's lives. She struggled with the idea of being free and helping people with their own feelings, as she, one, had trouble expressing her own feelings, and two, didn’t think she should be allowed to since the same hands she used to articulate people’s feelings took many lives. This anime also did a great job of showing how grief affects people. When Violet found out that Gilbert died, she first didn’t accept it, believing him to somehow still be alive. Once she finally saw his grave, she tried to take her own life but ended up stopping short, realizing that it’s not going to change anything.

Overall, this anime was really good. I will definitely be watching the actual series whenever I find the time. Also, I kind of want a typewriter now. Is that weird?

[schneiderc1]

I really like your post. You did a great job at breaking down some of the themes in the movie, especially the corrupt politicians. All they did was complain about different issues and never get anything done, cutting funding to an important project for their own gain. Overall, good job!

Akira - Not My Thing

Although Akira get’s super high ratings from critics and fans alike, it’s just not my cup of tea. The visuals were bold and detailed and the animation was phenomenal, but the aesthetic of the dirty, steam punky 1980’s dystopia wasn’t appealing to me. There was lots of blood and gore, so much so that it seemed like the animators were trying to add it to as many frames as possible. Watching the scenes where the Espers were making Tetsuo hallucinate that they were giant toys, and the one where Tetsuo mutates into the giant fleshy monster with fingers coming out of fingers was like a waking nightmare.

That being said, I’ll try to comment on some social ideas that the film tackles. There is definitely some commentary on the ineffectively of government. In the film, social order is hanging on by a thread, with gangs running rampant, high instances of violent crime and mass protesting in the streets. The scene that shows the New Tokyo parliament arguing when Colonel Shikishima requests more funding for Doctor Onishi’s work with the Espers shows how deep the social disorder goes. The politicians cannot seem to agree on their priorities, one pushing to route the funding to social programs, another to the upcoming olympics. Name calling ensues while another politician casts doubt on whether Akira even caused World War III. The Colonel attempts to convince the parliament that the threats are real and quick action is required. Other members accuse the Colonel of corruption. As the disorder goes on one of the politicians is shown dozing off and another quietly sips tea. Frustrated, the Colonel finally storms off. Akira paints a picture of the challenges when there's rule by committee. For someone like the Colonel who values decisive action over deliberation, the slow moving and bickering bureaucracy is a source of frustration. In the context of the film, the scene reads as critique of weak corrupt leadership. Without someone like the Colonel to step in, powerful forces like those being developed in the Espers will get out of control. Instead of bickering over pet ideas, representatives like those in the parliament need to understand and appreciate the threat and support their counterparts, rather than nit-pick. Thus, Akira suggests that in the face of a crisis, those with authority need to unite, otherwise society risks crumbling into anarchy with the worst of the powerful filling in the gaps left over.

[schneiderc1]

Akira

Well, this was sort of interesting, although I don’t think I liked it as much as I thought I was going to. I’ve never seen this anime before, but I have heard of it, and some of my friends liked it, but there was something off about it that I don’t know how to describe. I definitely liked the animation style and the cyberpunk-ish feel of the anime, but the story felt a bit all over the place, especially at the beginning. I think I would have liked it better if it was a series instead of a movie so that we could form better connections with the characters, but that’s just me.

Anyway, this movie follows two kids, Shōtarō Kaneda, a biker gang leader, and his friend Tetsuo Shima, who gains telekinetic powers from some experiments. There were multiple themes presented in the film, such as Japan's nuclear trauma, political corruption, and the corruptiveness of power. Right off the bat we see Tokyo being destroyed by an explosion, leaving nothing but a crater where Tokyo used to be. This is definitely a depiction of Japan’s experience with Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Distrust in the government is also shown throughout the film. The politicians are continuously shown putting their own priorities above the public's, such as when they cut funding to the Akira project even though that would put the city in danger from Tetsuo. Lastly, we’re shown how corruptive power can be when Tetsuo completely changes once he gets his powers. Tetsuo went from a relatively normal kid to crazed on violence just because he had power over others. He would even go and kill his friends just because he was annoyed by how they acted before.

Overall, this movie wasn’t bad. I think I might have to rewatch it later down the line to see if I’ll like it more.

[schneiderc1]

I really like your post, and I can understand why you criticized their portrayal of the world wars. But I kind of like the way they did it. Although it does come off as a bit insensitive, I think the fact that they were able to break down these horrific parts of history into their main components (causes and effects) and make jokes that are easy to understand is kind of impressive. It provides a way for people to talk about these topics without getting super depressed. Overall, good post!

Hetalia

When going into this anime, I had little to no idea of what to expect. It was an interesting watch, but a little difficult to follow at points. I found myself laughing at how Italy was being treated throughout the show as the punching bag. However, if some of my Italian friends saw this representation of their country I doubt they would find it as funny. Some of the imagery, such as the backgrounds within the episodes, were really well made as metaphors. One such instance of this is the island that Italy, Germany, and Japan find themselves trapped on. This being the metaphorical isolation the countries found themselves on during World War Two. Furthering this idea, the show is a parody of many world events and the stereotypes of the countries. This is shown with the interactions between the countries within the show. With Germany being the stoic, hardworking country whereas Italy would be more of a carefree type of country. One criticism that I had when watching the show is that it felt like they made a joke of the World Wars. Now I understand that the countries were make as a parody of actual events, but it still does not feel like they put respect on that history. On a lighter note, I believe that they balanced the stereotypes of each country quite well and the history behind the creation of each was done well similarly. I believe that there is some merit in creating shows like these as it allows for lessons in history while also having fun with it. The storylines were a bit jumbled, but well thought out and executed. I found myself unable to guess what would happen next and I really enjoyed that type of storytelling. It was a good watch and I believe that I was able to appreciate how it told history.

[schneiderc1]

Hetalia: Axis Powers

This anime was actually so funny. There were so many times when I was genuinely laughing. Although most of the humor is just exaggerated stereotypes, I still think that this anime would probably pair nicely in some history class. I’ve never been big into history because I feel the way it was taught was kind of boring, so I feel that if you were to watch certain clips after learning some topic, the information might stick better. I know for some people the show could kind of come off as a bit insensitive since it’s reducing monumental events like world wars and historical alliances into funny conversations between countries, but I think it makes the subjects easier to talk about. By reducing these huge parts of history into short, summarized jokes, it provides a medium for the audience to explore topics of imperialism, militarism, and political rivalry without having to get into the nitty-gritty details of history. I also like that they poke fun at all the major countries, and not just the ones with obvious flaws. I believe that this show is both good and bad at representing the people of a country. I think that stereotypes can be an easy way to get the main gist of a certain topic, and I think that Hetalia uses humorous stereotypes as a gateway to understanding historical and cultural differences, such as America needing to lose weight or Italy being a lovestruck, pasta-loving character. But these cliches obviously miss the complexities of many people's national identity. I feel that many people who watch this are able to take these gibes at their culture in stride and see it as something they are proud of or something they need to work on. Humor can be used to both unite and divide; it all depends on how it is used and perceived.

Overall, it was a fun show!

[schneiderc1]

I really like your post. You do a great job at breaking down this movie, and I definitely feel you about being a happy ending kind of guy, because I am too. I wish the movie was a little longer so that we could have seen how their life played out together. Anyway, good jod!

Your Name.

The first anime I was assigned to watch this week was the movie Your Name. This was quite an interesting movie, and it had me very engaged throughout the entire thing. This movie at first seems to be a movie about a boy and a girl from different places in Japan switching bodies. The girl is from a rural town, and the boy is from Tokyo. At first, I believed that they switched bodies due to something to do with the comet, and after it passed, they found each other and fell in love. I was sorely mistaken. It turns out that they were in completely different time periods, yet they would switch as if they were on the same day. The time difference between the two was three years, which caused the boy (who was living in the "future") to realize that they stopped switching places because the girl was killed because the comet broke up and landed in her town. The boy then takes matters into his own hands and forces them to switch bodies once more, with the intent to save her town from the comet. They work together and are able to save the town but forget each other's names. At the end of the movie, they are both living in Tokyo, and this part really had me stressed. In the final scene, they see each other on parting trains and run back toward each other, yet when they walk by each other, they don't say anything. This moment had me freaking out because whether or not one decided to speak up would decide whether it was a happy or sad ending, and I am a happy-ending kind of guy. The boy eventually says something, and the movie ends, leaving me very pleased :). This anime touches on corrupt government using money to get votes but does not flesh it out much. It also touches on religion and how people may feel about a religion and its followers.

[schneiderc1]

Your Name

So I watched this anime a couple of years back, and I remember liking it, but rewatching it made me appreciate it even more. This movie follows two characters, Mitsuha Miyamizu, a high school girl in a rural city, and Taki Tachibana, a high school boy who lives in Tokyo. These two high schoolers start swapping bodies one day for no apparent reason, leading to some pretty funny situations and interactions between their close friends and family. This film had some pretty good messages in it. One of the ones liked was how they both had to try blending into opposite gender roles when they were in each other's bodies, although they didn’t do that good of a job, especially Taki. You could always tell when they switched because Taki in Mitsuha’s body would always be “masculine,” like not caring about his outward appearance, being really straightforward, and being quick to anger. Mitsuha, in Taki’s body, on the other hand, would act more “feminine.” She was nicer to the people around her, she knew how to sew, and in general just acted softer. I think that it was cool seeing people of the opposite gender having to see what life is like for the other. This film also explores the importance of community. Mitsuha, since the start of the movie, has said she wants to live in Tokyo and that there’s nothing to do in her small rural town. Throughout the movie you can see how close her community is to each other, especially in comparison to Taki’s life in Tokyo. The reason the townspeople were able to be saved was because of their shared efforts and mutual trust, getting everyone to the school safely.

Overall, this movie was a really nice watch. I kind of wish there was a spinoff series about Mitsuha and Taki’s life after they found each other, though.

[schneiderc1]

I really like your post, and I think you do a great job at describing the conflict between humans and blades. I also think that it's kind of funny how, in all the shows we watch, humans are always doing something wrong, like destroying the environment, but the show never really gives a solution to stop them.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

I was actually familiar with the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 game going into this assignment. Moreover, I actually own the game, but never finished it due to the long cutscenes. It was a little torturous for me to watch all of these scenes, but it made me interested in the game again. The big critique that I saw towards the end was how humanity is the worst monster of all. This being in how humans strive for more and more power at the expense of the environment around them. This game was interesting as it felt like it did not really give an answer to this problem. Even when Klaus, the architect, recreated humanity humans ended up being the same as before. No real change had happened and they were no different than their predecessors. This left me a little confused as all that work to further humanity ended up being wasted. I felt like the message then was to be happy with who you are and try to be the best that you can be everyday, but that felt a little hollow. The conflict with Blades and Humanity was also interesting to see. This conflict being how humans are dependant on blades in how they protect them, but also in how they turn into titans as well. Moreover, in becoming titans they grant humanity islands to live on above the cloud sea. However, the conflict being that humanity abuses blades and that blades should be the true rulers in the relationship. The argument that Malos had was interesting in how the only way to save Earth was to destroy it. It did not feel like the right answer, but also did not feel like a wrong one in a weird way. It was an interesting concept as I had not really thought of the environment when playing Xenoblade the first time. I'm glad that I was able to watch it and come back to the game.

[schneiderc1]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

So, this was a pretty fun watch, and it definitely made me want to play the game. Although I don’t own a switch, so I don’t know what to do. Anyway, the cutscenes we watched painted a pretty good picture of the storyline, although it was a bit jarring when someone was alive in one cutscene and already dead in the next. This game is set in a world where there is no “land,” only this sea of clouds. In order to survive, humanity lives on top of titans that float in the Cloud Sea. Rex, the main character, becomes the Driver of the Blade Pyra (and Mythra) and sets off to reach the paradise Elysium. There are a couple of takeaways that I got from this game that relate to issues globally and in Japan. First, one of the big things that this game pushes is the fragility of one’s environment. The titans that people live on are slowly dying out, and Rex wants to reach Elysium, a so-called safe haven, so that no one has to worry about dwindling resources anymore. He says, “Living space is running out day by day. Sooner or later, we’ll be the ones sinking down into the cloud sea.” He wants to find the way into Elysium so that “everyone could have peace and security.” The next takeaway I got was how some humans interacted with the Blades. Even though these Blades are sentient weapons, some people still treated them as tools and not as people. I believe this kind of resembles Japan's work culture. Many offices in Japan don’t treat their employees like people and more like tools to do their bidding.

Overall, this game was pretty fun to watch. I’ve always wondered what game Pyra and Mythra came from since I’ve played them in Smash; now I know.

[schneiderc1]

I really like your post. You do a great job at breaking down the film as well as talking about how war is one of the main things that caused their world to become toxic. I do wish the anime gave us a solution or idea of how to fix the environment and not just "wait."

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

The anime we were assigned to watch this week was Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. I enjoyed this anime, as one would expect out of a Studio Ghibli movie. This anime's main concern and driving factor was the environment. The movie takes place in some kind of future world that has been extremely polluted by previous wars. The forest is toxic and has these huge insects that can kill humans with ease. I feel this movie speaks out about war quite a bit. War is what polluted this whole world, and there is a weapon treated as basically a nuclear bomb. This weapon causes the world to be on fire for seven days, and the main conflict begins when the weapon is introduced. I feel this anime could also slightly be critiquing how governments treat things like the environment and unknown threats. The kingdoms that did not understand the truth behind the forests tried to burn it, causing many issues like the wrath of the insects. The kingdoms constantly being at war did nothing but aggravate the environment further, making their situation worse as a whole. One of the most shocking parts of the movie is when it is revealed that the plants in the forest are actually not toxic, but the water and soil the plants use to grow is toxic, causing the plants to be toxic. It is also revealed that the forest is slowly cleaning out all the pollution and creating clean soil and water, and the insects are protecting that process. I feel that this speaks out about what is going on in the world. The Earth is slowly fixing itself, but humans are doing things to make the situation even worse, even without trying. The only way to truly make a full recovery is to wait and let the Earth fix itself.

[schneiderc1]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

This is another anime I haven’t watched before, and it was pretty good. This film follows Nausicaä, the princess of the Valley of the Wind. The world was devastated a thousand years ago, and now big portions of the earth are uninhabitable by humans. 

This film definitely reflects on a lot of societal issues such as environmental/nuclear caution as well as human greed and war. Much of this film follows Nausicaä as she goes through the toxic jungle, and we can see how pollution has changed the earth. The air isn’t breathable without a mask, the water will burn you, and the only inhabitants that live there are insects. Pretty much all humans, apart from Nausicaä, are incredibly greedy and war-hungry. We get introduced to all of these people outside the valley of the wind, and all they’re trying to do is fight each other. This made me pretty upset; no matter who it was, no one would listen to Nausicaä. She would tell them to look at their actions and see that what they are doing is harming the environment. There is no way that humans would be able to defeat the ohms, so instead of fighting against them, why not just work with them? They seemed really chill when you didn’t do anything mean to them.

Overall, this film was great. Nausicaä was an amazing main character who was nice and compassionate to anyone she met. She treated nature with respect, and although this anime doesn’t really give us a solution to fix the problems we have with society and the environment, it does kind of make us take a step back and think about it. How can our relationship with technology and the environment be improved? Why are humans so greedy? Is there a way to change that?

[schneiderc1]

I really like your post. I like how you showed the difference between Shinji and Asuka when they were faced with all those Evas. Asuka was going crazy, almost thriving while fighting. Then we cut back to Shinji, and he is just curled up with his head in his hands. I also think that this ending was better than the original just because it was easier to understand.

The End of Evangelion – No Place for Shinji

The End of Evangelion did a nice job of filling in the gaps left in the ending episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The imagery that tried to convey the process of the Human Completion Project was a bit abstract for my taste. I understand that it probably needed to be abstract because it wasn’t a process happening in the visible world and the imagery was highly metaphorical. For me, the end result was artsy but it wasn’t moving. It left me confused, and I’m not sure I fully grasp everything it was trying to say. But there were still a few things I found worth reflecting on.

It was interesting to me that Shinji’s character was not as redeemed in the End of Evangelion as in the final episodes of of the show. I’m assuming that the story in the film cut off before the end of episode 26 of the show where Shinji does find resolution. Throughout The End of Evangelion, Shinji’s character was broken, unable to cope with the destructive battle that was going around him. He was crying and in the fetal position in almost every scene. His demeanor, in contrast to Asuka’s thriving in the face of imminent danger, seems to comment that Shinji’s queer masculinity completely fails in this type of situation. It like his weakness is presented as a flaw with no redeeming aspects. Perhaps the film is suggesting that Shinji’s role is not in combat, but in what comes afterward – a rebirth. Before Shinji moves into Human Completion, Kaworu tells him that the future of mankind rests in his hands. In a metaphorical sense, he is tasked with bearing humanity into a new collective existence, a role that would be traditionally associated with femininity. Then again, maybe there is no redeeming quality for Shinji at all.

The film closes out with a scene where Shinji begins strangling Asuka and after Asuka raises her had to touch Shinji’s face he releases her and begins crying. In the final moment, Asuka mutters, “Disgusting”. Normal society, represented by Asuka, just can’t find a place for someone like Shinji who cannot live up to their expectations for how someone should perform masculinity. Shinji tried his best to pass but failed. Conforming to society simply wasn't in him. In the end Shinji is sad, scared and alone.

Tsurumaki, K. (Director).  (1997). The End of Evangelion [Film].  Toei Company. 

[schneiderc1]

The End of Evangelion

Well, that’s another hard-to-process film. Man, this series really loves to throw around some trippy stuff. I kind of thought going into this film it was going to be a lot easier to understand, which it kind of was, but compared to the start of the series, Evangelion takes a crazy left turn. I just think it’s kind of funny that before I watched this series I thought it was just another mech anime, but it really goes deep into the painful struggles of its protagonists. I’m just going to skip over the hospital scene because I don’t really know what to say about it, plus it was talked about in the video. So Shinji throughout the series is constantly conflicted. He’s always struggling with his inner thoughts of inadequacy, isolation, and how everyone expects him to be a man. In this film, Shinji starts out not wanting to do anything. He wasn’t moving even when he had a gun to his head. It isn’t until the Eva kind of calls to him that he gets into it. After all the inner monologues and the dream sequences, Shinji chooses individual existence over a forced collective consciousness. I think that this shows a bit of character growth for him, because despite his struggle to connect with people, he still chooses to live separately even if it causes him pain. Asuka also had some growth over the series. She is constantly showing this confident outward strength, but at the same time she has this unresolved trauma, and, like Shinji, she also has an intense need for validation. In her final interaction with Shinji, she kind of lets down her mask for a second, even while being strangled.

Overall, I think I liked this ending better than the original. Probably because I was able to follow it a bit easier.

[schneiderc1]

I really like your post. I also think it's kind of cool that you've been to a couple conventions before. I've never been to a convention since I haven't been too interested in it, and I didn't know if I would fit in. But your experience seems kind of fun, so I might think of going to the one in Gainesville. Also, Omniscient reader's viewpoint is really good.

#21: Convention Blog

One of my experiences with fan conventions would be Megacon 2025, and in fact, it was my first one. I only went for one day and with three of my friends. To start off, it was pretty crowded, but as corny as it sounds, I felt like I was with my people. I was in a cosplay from a game I play, Sky Children of the Light(COTL), and it was amazing to see all the other cosplayers there, so I didn't feel left out at all. My friends also cosplayed, with one being Viktor from Arcane, and the two others wore their fursuits. We got a picture with Matthew Lillard, which I thought was pretty cool. Since there was a lot of people, I mainly just stayed on the first floor where the food court, vendors, and artist alley were. I didn't visit the other floors, nor did I attend any other panels, but I still had fun walking around with my friends on the first floor.

I split up with the group since two of them were getting another picture with an actor, so I was mostly walking around with my friend who did Viktor. We got lost and couldn't find artist alley for a bit since the convention hall was so big, but we eventually got there. I especially loved seeing everything the artists were selling, keychains, prints, pins, etc. I bought keychains and probably spent around $60+ on that alone, but it was so worth it. I found a few artists who were selling merchandise of the characters I liked, so I bought from them. I had to restrain myself from spending even more, but I was quite tempted.

While wandering around the convention center, I even ran into another friend and his girlfriend, and we walked around together for a bit before they had to go. One of the best parts about the convention was probably seeing another Sky COTL cosplayer. Although I wouldn't say this game is niche, it's definitely not as popular as others, and I thought I would be the only one cosplaying it. I'm happy that I was proven wrong and I had a friend snap a picture of me the other cosplayer together.

My second convention experience I had, was going to UF's very own Swampcon. For the first day, I dressed up as Kim Dokja from Omniscient reader's viewpoint, and on the second, I did Sky COTL again. This time around, I actually went to a few panels, including the furry one to support a friend. Even though the artist alley and vendor hall were smaller, I still visited it multiple times throughout the day and the next, it's just fun to see all the different art and merchandise each vendor sells. This time, I didn't spend as much, but I still ended up spending around $30+. I purchased a print for a friend, a sticker for my computer, and a small phone charm. I felt more bored during this convention, but that's probably because I didn't go to as many panels and wandered around more. I would have to say, one of the coolest parts of this convention was the maid cafe. I was somewhat skeptical of it at first, thinking it would be a little bit cringey, but I was proven wrong again. They served free refreshments, and you get to see a cool dance performance done by volunteers in maid and butler outfits. One of my favorite parts of the convention is being recognized in both cosplays, as I wasn't expecting to be recognized in either.

Overall, Megacon was a fun experience, but I'm not sure if I would go again since a ticket can be pretty expensive, and adding that on top of merchandise and other expenses, it can easily make this experience cost $100+. As for Swampcon, I'll definitely be going again since it's free and I'm already right in Gainesville.