When people think of Las Vegas today, images of slot machines, showgirls or club pools brimming with scantily clad fist-pumpers most likely come to mind. Over Labor Day weekend, Vegas came to be known for something else. Just off the strip and across from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, in a lesser known resort called Alexis Park, Anime Vegas 7 happened.

To say the convention was a success would be a modest understatement. It was smaller con than the more well-known gatherings in San Diego and Los Angeles, but for what the event was comparitively short on in volume it made up for in many other ways. The three day excursion saw an array of cosplayers who braved the 105 degree heat to show up in their finest works. So many attendees wore costumes, in fact, that you were actually in the minority if you weren’t wearing one. Although it was mostly a younger crowd (late teens through early twenties), a wide range of ages were represented.  The Big Daddy seen here is actually this Hit Girl’s real dad.

What I found remarkable, even more than the creativity and effort that went into putting some of the costumes together, was the spirit of kindness and camaraderie I saw happen between the folks who showed up.  I honestly never met so many genuinely nice people in one place before.  Attendees I interviewed commented on how mellow the crowd was compared to some of the other, larger cons.  The vibe was warm and  supportive; there were no attitudes being flung around.  People were just there to have fun and take in a panel or concert, buy some stuff, and share in their mutual love for Japanese animation.  For parents, it’s a pretty neat thing for kids and young adults to be a part of.  They could do a lot worse, especially in a town like Las Vegas.

The event offered the usual activities from fan-based presentations like the Naruto panel, a game room that offered just about any game imaginable to play, an AMV contest, meet and greets with draws like Fullmetal Alchemist voice-over artists and former Power Ranger Jason David Frank, a masquerade ball (which lasted for nearly three hours), live onstage performances by bands like the effervescent Red Bacteria Vacuum (whom I will review in another article), and even an all-ages rave, which by the way, blew away a local over 21 nightclub on the Strip which I attended the night before. The merchandise offered was abundant as well, including the latest Lolita fare straight outta Japan from Man in a Dress, these ultra cool light-switch covers which come decorated in just about any anime or Marvel character (check them out at www.splatez.com or look for them at a con near you), swords, kimonos, anime DVD’s of course, figurines and other items from a local outfit called Game World, and this intense graphic novel publisher called BrainMachine which Mongoose will review at a later date.  Click on the link to preview the graphic novel: http://www.theunforgivable.com

As more and more fans become disillusioned with the over-popularity of the larger cons (80,000 people are said to have attended the last comicon in San Diego), I expect Anime Vegas to continue to grow in popularity, and rightfully so.  Until next year…

Below are some more pics we took.  Also check out our slideshow to see more of Anime Vegas 7 in the photo gallery tab or click here http://www.nerdsociety.com/gallery2/.

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