Funny Halloween: Phile not Found: Animaritime 2013

Animaritime was in my city last weekend! I managed to find out about it a few months back, and was able to get a costume together just in time. Way back in October, I had started working on a Cardcaptor Sakura costume; I didn't finish that particular battle costume because I spent all my time on a Journey cloak for T. BUT - I had actually finished the staff prop around Christmas time! Clearly I just needed to make another of Sakura's battle costumes. Given the constraints of the con being held in late June, and the theme being "Through Time and Space," I figured I would make the fairy battle costume from the episode where she captures the Time card.

I thought I was being clever. ;)

Sam in Cardcaptor Sakura's fairy battle costume

The weather was on the chilly side, so T was able to wear his Journey costume. We even found an obelisk for him! Apparently there were a bunch of Journey travelers on one of the days, but we missed them as we only went on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

T wearing a Journey costume, meditating before an obelisk

We didn't make it to many of the panels because we're bad at schedules, but it was still really, really cool to see so many people in such great costumes. I do know now to pay more attention to the schedule - most of the panels I was interested in, as well as the masquerade, were in the early afternoon, but I was too busy sleeping in to notice. In the end, we spent most of our time wandering around just looking at stuff. It was really funny to walk around the familiar downtown area and see a bunch of fantasy characters sitting in cafes and lounging on park benches.

One of the weirdest parts was how may strangers (not at the convention) would talk to us. As soon as we left the apartment to head downtown, a couple of guys shouted at us from across the street than ran over to shake our hands and ask why we were in costume. (They then tried to sell us drugs. That was unexpected.) There were people shouting out of cars, and more than one person leaning out of their house windows shouting that they liked our costumes. I just thought it was weird because the only other time I've been in costume in public is at Halloween, and I guess its expected then, so people don't get so excited?

We also ran into a photographer friend of ours, and we did a little photoshoot! (I've got the edited pictures, but they're so nice they deserve a post of their own.)

I didn't take many photos because I was really shy about asking, but here's what I did get. T found a Journey buddy, and I met another magical girl from a different series. (There were a few other Sakuras, but I missed the photo-op!)

T and another person in a Journey costume, sitting together

And a few really great costumes - but there were so many more I didn't get photos of, or even see! Some of these people have been tagged in my album in the Facebook group