Otakuthon FAQ

1. What is Otakuthon?
2. Who is Otakuthon's mascot?
3. What is there to do at Otakuthon?
4. Why are you charging for admission this year?
5. What happened to last year's masquerade DVD?
6. Who is allowed to come to Otakuthon?
7. Do I have to wear a costume? Am I allowed to wear a costume?
8. Who can I dress up as?
9. What am I allowed to use for my costume?
10. How do I sign up for the masquerade?
11. How much time is given for each masquerade skit?
12. What would I find in the Dealers' Area?
13. How come food and beverages cannot be sold in the Dealers’ Area?
14. How can I host a panel or workshop?
15. How can I sign up for an Artists' Area table?
16. How can I sign up for a Flea Market table?

1. What is Otakuthon?
Otakuthon is Quebec’s largest fan-run festival promoting Japanese animation (anime), Japanese graphic novels (manga), related gaming and Japanese pop-culture. We are a not-for-profit organization that is a part of the Otaku Anime Club of Concordia University.

2. Who is Otakuthon's mascot?
Otakuthon's mascot name is Yurika, drawn by the talented Jessie Rong.

3. What is there to do at Otakuthon?
There’s so much to do that it’s hard to list everything! Some of the things you can do are: watch anime, attend the masquerade and J-Pop Concert, play video and roleplaying games, listen to panels or participate in workshops. However, the most important thing of all is that Otakuthon brings together hundreds of people who are passionate about Japan's culture, anime, manga, and gaming. You might find someone who loves the same anime series you do!

4. Why are you charging for admission?
Last year, Otakuthon was given free room rentals by Concordia University. Due to Otakuthon's unanticipated success, Concordia University is now charging Otakuthon for room rentals. This is a significant expense and we are no longer able to cover our costs through donations alone.

5. What happened to last year's masquerade DVD?
Otakuthon was offering free copies of last year's masquerade DVD to the people who volunteered last year. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties in processing the footage taken of the masquerade, the DVD produced had a number of glitches and flaws which were not reparable. After a long and difficult debate, the Otakuthon organizers decided against using this DVD due to the fact that it would be inadequate for thanking the volunteers who helped make the convention a success. A new DVD is in production using reprocessed footage from last year's masquerade and will be made available to volunteers who helped out last year as soon as possible.

6. Who is allowed to come to Otakuthon?
Otakuthon is open to the general public. Everyone is welcome to attend, including friends and family!

7. Do I have to wear a costume? Am I allowed to wear a costume?
Cosplaying (short for "costume play"), or dressing up and/or acting as a character is a very popular event at most anime cons. Many people prefer going to anime conventions without dressing up and wearing a costume is NOT mandatory, but it can be really fun to pose as your favourite anime character. For those who want to cosplay, come and show off your costume!

8. Who can I dress up as?
You can dress up as anyone you want to. Most people dress up as characters from anime or manga series, but there are also creative cosplays as well.

9. What am I allowed to use for my costume?
All costumes must conform to Otakuthon’s weapon policy (http://www.otakuthon.com/en/rules_weapons.html). If you are unsure if your costume follows the policy, contact the Otakuthon Weapons Master at weapons@otakuthon.com.

10. How do I sign up for the masquerade?
Registration for the masquerade will be available on August 4th only. Entries will be taken from opening till mid-afternoon (2pm).

11. How much time is given for each masquerade skit?
All masquerade skits are currently limited to one minute each to ensure that all participants have the opportunity to go on stage.

12. What will I find in the Dealers' Area?
Dealers will be bringing their merchandise for sale, though there is no guarantee as to what will be available. Examples of the things you might find in the Dealers’ Area are anime DVDs, anime VHS tapes, mangas, art books, wall-scrolls, posters, bags and plushies (stuffed animals).

13. How come food and beverages cannot be sold in the Dealers’ Area?
Concordia University handles all of its food and beverages sales exclusively through Chartwells. Due to this agreement, the sale of food and drink is NOT permitted except for in specially designated areas.

14. How can I host a panel or workshop?
You can submit your idea to our panels and workshops director at the e-mail address panels.workshops@otakuthon.com.

15. How can I sign up for an Artists' Area table?
Registration for the Artists' Area is not available yet. Our Artists' Area director and staff members are working hard to ensure a positive Artists' Area experience for all. We expect to have Artists' Area registration for early June. Sorry for the inconvenience!

16. How can I sign up for a Flea Market table?
The Flea Market is still being worked on by our Flea Market Director and many staff members. We expect to have the Flea Market registration released around the time of the Artists' Area (early June).