Yu-Gi-Oh! and “cosplay gone wrong”: A look inside the 4th annual Anime Milwaukee convention

This weekend, hundreds of anime, video game, and 20-sided dice enthusiasts will descend upon the UW-Milwaukee Union for the fourth annual Anime Milwaukee convention. Described by convention chair Melissa Erdman as “an opportunity for local nerds to come and hang out,” Anime Milwaukee is an ambitious three-day event featuring everything from voice-actor meet-and-greets to a Rock Band competition (and panels and workshops with names like “Import Gaming and You,” “Fanfiction 101,” and “The History of Mega Man”). Hey, what’s up with these “indoor kids” anyway? The A.V. Club offers up a preview.

Anime
When Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King took home 11 Academy Awards in 2004, all things geeky were officially legitimized. But of all the nerdy pursuits that have gone mainstream in recent years, anime—shorthand for Japanese animation—remains curiously stuck in the geek ghetto. Perhaps it’s due to the perceived high learning curve; hardcore anime can seem rather impenetrable and more than a little daunting. “It’s such a weird thing,” Erdman says. “It has its own language. I get e-mails from confused parents all the time.”

Nevertheless, this year’s Anime Milwaukee is packed with tons of screenings aimed squarely at the die hards. Demon Prince Emma, Lunar Legend Tsukihime, and Yawara! Fashionable Judo Girl are just a few of the many obscure titles slated for the convention. Internet sensation “Little Kuriboh” will also be on hand to present his humorous abridged versions of Yu-Gi-Oh!. For those looking to bone up on their anime knowledge beforehand, Lost World Of Wonders (6913 W. Oklahoma Ave.) is the best local source. Also worth checking out is Greenfield’s Mega Media Xchange (4820 S. 76th St.), which carries a staggering number of used DVDs, video games, and Laserdiscs priced to move.

Video games
For those who find anime like Magical Witch Punie-chan a bit too magical, Anime Milwaukee will stock the Union’s Fireside Lounge with dozens of console and arcade games. Expect some crowd favorites along with a few surprises. “We're bringing in two full arcade DDR machines along with some other video games that aren’t available in the U.S.,” Erdman says. A Rock Band competition is also slated for Saturday, focusing more on showmanship and less on “how fast you can play your plastic instrument.”

Cosplay
The term “cosplay” sounds vaguely creepy until you realize it’s simply short for “costume play,” and mostly refers to a bunch of people dressing up as Sailor Moon and Link from The Legend Of Zelda. (Actually, that sounds sort of creepy, too.) “It’s kind of a big deal,” Erdman says. “Some of these people will spend up to $1,000 on one costume. They go all out with wigs, makeup, hair, and fake weapons.”

The cosplay phenomenon is well represented at Anime Milwaukee, with a contest scheduled for Saturday night, as well as a “Gothic Lolita” fashion show early Sunday afternoon. For those looking for a few pointers, Friday’s “How to Cosplay Properly on a Budget,” and Saturday’s “Good Cosplay Gone Wrong” panels come highly recommended.

Tabletop gaming
In a memorable sketch, The Dead Alewives—Milwaukee’s late, great comedy troupe of the ’90s—take a glimpse into the terrifying, Satanic world of Dungeons & Dragons, only to find a bunch of nerds bickering about Mountain Dew and “Mordenkainen’s Magical Watchdog.” Anime Milwaukee pays tribute to this geek staple by setting aside numerous rooms for paper, pencil, and dice games. D&D, Munchkin Quest, and other sinister titles will be represented, sending players either into nerd nirvana, or, as the Alewives would have it, “deeper and deeper into the bowels of El Diablo.”