With this having been my third consecutive year covering Youmacon (second for WGTC), I couldn’t help noticing how much more grandiose Detroit’s premier anime convention had become. Granted, its occupation of both Cobo Arena and the Renaissance Center was nothing new, but Morgan Kollin and company managed to make what I’d seen before look like a prelude to the main event.
Truth be told, I’m glad the Powers That Be had the foresight to accommodate for a larger crowd because this year’s shindig may have very well drawn the highest amount of attendees of any Michigan convention catering toward geek culture in 2018. Really, it was an absolute madhouse on Saturday – but in a good way.
In my view, the decision to swap the purposes for Halls C and D was the right move, as it felt like the dealer’s room/artist alley was more wide open over in C. I’m not sure of the square footage offhand, but odds are you probably got the same impression, had you also been there. Registration, meanwhile, resided in D.
Like I said, the place was packed, with damn near everybody donning a costume of some sort. As was to be expected, I assembled a gallery featuring some of our favorite cosplayers, which can be viewed below. Let it be known how I trekked to several superhero-themed photo shoots on Saturday, so I hope you all appreciate the hard work these folks put into their gear.
In addition to the usual stuff, I thought it best to include a few photos of the gargantuan gaming room in the aforementioned slideshow. This time, Cobo Arena was home to this sort of fun and, let me tell you, it was a veritable paradise for lovers of the fighting genre.
Much like 2017, I was unable to stick around for any raves or late night parties, so, hopefully, I get to do that again next fall. Anyone familiar with this show knows how things kick into high gear in the evenings, thus I’m sure everyone had a great time in my stead.
So, whether you’re a veteran or a newbie, it’s encouraged that you check out Youmacon in 2019 when it celebrates its 15th anniversary. Hints have already been dropped teasing how that’ll be an even bigger and better affair, so consider me curious to find out what’s planned.
