Anime Magic 2024 Review!

By Amaya McCormick A.K.A Lexie Dreamstate

Anime conventions can be a staple in most anime lovers’ lives and to some, can even be the main highlight of the year. In spirit of that, Anime Magic celebrates their 5th year anniversary with much more than just the celebration of anime, but with the celebration of all things fun, interactive, and fan-friendly! Watch as voice actor and cosplayer, ‘Amaya McCormick, A.K.A Lexie Dreamstate’,  journeys through this 3-day convention to enjoy the experience and find the true “magic” of it all.

Day 1: Check In To New Beginnings

Cosplayers in this photo: @cupkaitcosplays (Draculaura in the bottom left photo), @skyo.xo (Clawd Wolf in the bottom right photo), @queercosplay (Draculaura in the bottom right photo)

The first day of the convention was all about new experiences, breaking out of your shell, and checking into the hotel. There was a LOT of walking (or more like running) around to figure out where certain events and panels were. One of the events Lexie Dreamstate wanted to experience the most was one of the cosplay meet-ups. There were many fan-dedicated cosplay meet-ups hosted at this convention, but the one that caught her eye the most was the Monster High Cosplay Meet-up hosted by @queercosplay and @Cat_Kanna on Instagram. Unfortunately, due to her lack of knowledge of the layout of the convention center, Dreamstate did arrive later than intended. However, she was still able to meet some amazing cosplayers. Lexie Dreamstate arrived cosplaying as Operetta from Monster High and turned out to be the only Operetta cosplayer at the meet-up. It was a very unique experience and very nostalgic to be able to meet in-person with so many of her favorite characters (A.K.A Monster High cosplayers). 

People in this photo left to right: Anita and Lexie Dreamstate

Although there was plenty to do with just having a weekend badge at this convention, there was a variety of extracurricular activities that you could purchase to be a part of as well! Activities such as the maid cafe, sake tasting, and wheel throwing demo classes were all highlights available to those who paid fairly affordable tickets to the specific events. One event Dreamstate attended was the wheel throwing demo class hosted by Anita from Glossy Clay Studio. The class was presented with good education and an interactive experience. Anita was an excellent teacher and created some beautiful ceramics for everyone to view and purchase. The class even gave the participants the opportunity to take home their ceramic creation that they made in class. 

After the wheel throwing class, Dreamstate attended one of the 18+ only events. This event was the Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel fan panel. If you are a fan of either of the two shows, this panel would be a “helluva” good time for you. From the in-depth cosplays to the chaotic audience participation, and games they created. It was an overall good time. There were even some live reenactments from the show, Hazbin Hotel. 

Day 2: Where The Real Fun Starts!

Futubas in this photo: Futuba to the left is @ru13rzr3achf4n, Futuba to the right is @wyndexy, and Futuba in the middle is Lexie Dreamstate

The second day of the convention was where the majority of the special events took place. There were so many that some events overlapped with each other so you had to make a final decision on which you preferred to go to more. To start the day off, Lexie Dreamstate attended another cosplay meet-up for fans of Persona. Hosted by @mariskyva, this meet-up was PACKED with a bunch of cosplayers from all over! Lexie Dreamstate cosplayed as Futuba Sakura from Persona 5 and was happy to be cosplay twins with two other Futubas at the meet-up!

Artist businesses shown in photos & video above: Video shows Otaku Scents, top left is HeroDarkyDark, Top Right is Saboona Soap, and Bottom Right is @alisonbeemer and @jrose.illustration on Instagram

After the meet-up was over, Dreamstate explored the artist alley and found some unique artists with a plethora of merch. From handcrafted soap and perfume to anime-inspired prints and stickers. This convention was definitely not lacking in variety for its artist alley! Lexie Dreamstate even came across some anime-inspired cars on display. One car specifically being shown in memory of the late Brittany Paige Wightman and to bring awareness to ovarian cancer. 

Shown in photo: Justin Pineda at the panel

Cosplayers shown in photo from left to right: @xx.disorderly_c0nduct (Peridot) on TikTok, @chandlerchar02 (Lapis) on Instagram, @glitch115 (Steven) on TikTok, @uninerdcosplay (Greg) on Instagram, @sky_cos21 (Rose Quartz) on Instagram

After marching through the artist alley, Lexie Dreamstate attended a panel hosted Justin Pineda where he taught how to shoot & edit cosplay music videos. As a cosplayer, this was very useful to Dreamstate and fun to learn from a professional in the industry. Dreamstate also attended a Steven Universe Trivia panel that was so full of attendees that there were no more chairs left for people to sit. It was at that moment that Dreamstate realized how many people still love Steven Universe as much as she does and that made her smile. 

People shown in pictures and video above: Video shows @lionofdemise on Twitter (Mario), left photo is Oriana Peron and right photo is Lexie Dreamstate.

The last exciting event of the night was the drag show hosted by Oriana Peron. The show was full of life, lights, and so many familiar characters! A fan-favorite being Mario from the Super Mario game series. To describe this drag king in simple terms: An overall fun time that will have you feeling GOOD! Dreamstate also attended the show dressed as the “baddie” version of Ice King from Adventure Time.

People in photo above from left to right: Zeno Robinson and Lauren Landa

Day 3: Final Farewells & See You Laters!

For the last day of the convention, the focus was on saying goodbye to those Dreamstate met and enjoying the last few events before packing to go back home. Dreamstate made another trip to the artist alley and bought some last minute merch deals while also taking pictures with even more cool cosplayers she came across. Then, she made it a mission to go to at least one voice actor panel before she left. That panel featured voice actors, Zeno Robinson and Lauren Landa. This panel had Dreamstate fan-girling a bit because she adored Zeno Robinson’s work as Hawks from My Hero Academia and she really loved Lauren Landa’s work as Annie from Attack on Titan. To add the icing on the cake, these two happened to be voice actors on a new favorite of Dreamstate and that is Zom 100. It was a great experience for open conversation and hearing the behind-the-scenes of what it was like recording for the anime they had the pleasure to record for. Times like this made Dreamstate feel even more grateful to be a voice actor & share that love with others. 

People Shown in photos above: @davyrock08 on Instagram (Marshall Lee), @bldy.kisses.cos on Instagram (Marceline), @kingboi.cos on Instagram (Alan) @amareesenpai on Instagram (Inosuke)

Cult of the lamb photo taken by @starrisephotography (That’s her in the picture next to it!)

So, What Is The “True Magic” Of Anime Magic?

Lexie Dreamstate has done a lot in this short time of anime fun, but it wasn’t just the many activities and events that created the magic of this convention. It wasn’t the creative costumes, the panels, or even the food that touched Dreamstate’s heart the most. It was the kind people she met and the feeling she got when a stranger would geek out over the same cartoon or anime she loves. It was the warmness she felt when strangers would be alongside her and embrace each other’s fandoms without judgment. Lexie Dreamstate could be as goofy and quirky as she wanted to be in this space. The “magic” formed within her through the love of anime and togetherness.

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