Megacon 2014: 7 Years of Fun and Adventure

By: Marquis Mattocks

It’s almost that time of year again. March 21st will mark my 7th Megacon experience, and as with every year I can’t wait. After so many years and so many cons, I definitely believe conventions are the final rite of passage for all nerds, anime fans, and gaming enthusiasts. Before Megacon, I was a fan of anime and gaming but I was still a novice in my fandom. Now, while I appreciate dubs just as much as in the past, I watch a lot more subbed anime as well, not to mention I’m a bit more adept in American comics, and now as you’ve seen on this site, I review anime and games instead of just enjoy them.

Throughout my con adventures, specifically Megacon of course, I can still remember all the good times and fun memories I’ve made, such as getting my first authentic Keyblade from my mentor and head of this site, Alberto Saldamando, at the dealer’s room. I also remember being so excited about it, that I went to every cosplayer I could find just to get pictures of me fighting different people in costume. Later on, as my fandoms began to change, I remember getting to meet the voice of my favorite character in anime, Monkey D. Luffy, Colleen Clinkenbeard. I was so nervous for multiple reasons, too.

For new readers who aren’t aware of some of my work, I have a channel on Youtube, where I do a show called The Anime Alliance. I’m actually in the process of rebooting it now with my team, but basically it’s a show where fans achieve the powers of anime characters and fight against the resulting conflict of such a reality.

It was actually after my first Megacon that was I inspired to go ahead and make the show. Anyway, I play the lead and I have the powers of Luffy, so of course you can imagine in my eyes, my Gum Gum yells can never compare to Colleen’s. I couldn’t even talk when I was in front of her, but Colleen was nice and I managed to get my picture. But still, it’s a day I’ll never forget. Megacon to me, however, has always been the most inviting con to newcomers.

If you’re a convention newbie, this is the con you wanna go to. There’s an awesome community of people who are nerds and proud. It’s a convention that accepts all types of fandoms, a place where you can always find friends and acceptance. Megacon is a 3-day event in which we celebrate the things we love most, anime, comics, and gaming. Every year is bigger than the next, and I can’t wait to see what this year has in store. But it’s no spoiler that this year is going to be another awesome one. Plus, for me, it’ll be lucky number 7, so, that adds on to the fun!