Anime Weekend Atlanta Recap

Hey everyone! How did you spend the last day of September? Did you do something amazing to wrap up the month?

Lauren's birthday is coming up, and one of her birthday wishes was to attend her very first convention, Anime Weekend Atlanta.

As many of you know, Lauren is a huge fan of anime, video games, and anime comic books, with The Legend of Zelda being her all-time favorite.

Since I heard that this convention was a huge 4-day event, I did some research to make sure it was kid-friendly, offered 1-day passes (as we couldn't attend all four days), and to see if costumes were required.

Events like these are way out of my comfort zone; I wouldn't dare step foot in what Michelle was calling it, "A Geek Convention!"

But spending time with both my girls doing things they love taught me to step outside my comfort zone and try new things. I might miss out on something I could end up enjoying.

The girls and I were planning to cosplay for the first time, but we were too last minute to decide on costumes, so instead, we went out and found anime shirts to wear for the big day.

Anime Weekend Atlanta is an annual four-day anime convention held during September/October at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel, Cobb Galleria Centre, and Sheraton Suites Galleria in Atlanta, Georgia. It's the largest yearly anime convention of the southeast. The event is about celebrating Japanese anime (animation), manga (comics) and cosplay (costume-play).

When the girls and I arrived at the convention, we were surprised to see people dressed up in more than just anime characters, pretty much it was like walking into a massive Halloween Fest.

And some professional cosplayers were walking around with photographers snapping pictures of their every move. You can tell those cosplayers take pride in their looks taking them months to complete, and they may even do it for a living.

This guy cracked me up with his impersonation of Donald Trump. He said he can make Momocon 10 percent better! 😆

I didn't have tickets beforehand, so we had to go to walk-in registration standing in a long winding line. Good thing it went quickly. But man, those ticket prices were ridiculously high! Lesson learned to buy tickets in advance.

Y'all should have seen Lauren's face! So gleeful, cheery! It's like she stepped into her happy place. She was ready to have me make it rain in the dealer room with over a thousand vendors selling a variety of merchandise.

Lauren: "Mom, I want this!" "Mom, I want that!"

What really made Lauren wide-eyed was seeing all the exclusive Japanese items not sold in the US. You know she had me buy some of it like the movies and video games.

Even Michelle who is not into anime wanted all the cutesy items.

My favorite part of the convention was the Maid Cafe. I didn't understand the concept of it at first, so I needed Lauren to explain what it's all about.

According to Lauren, Maid Cafes in Japan is young ladies dressed in maid outfits that sing, dance, and serve food and drinks. They do what visitors say, and are your companion while visiting. So, if you're lonely, you'll have a friend to keep you company during your stay.

The maids were so bubbly and fun, serving us yummy desserts and drinks. They sat us at a table with strangers, and we all introduced ourselves, ate and drank, and played a game that was on the table for us called Monkeys in a Barrel.

Also, the maids did a little dance for us, making sure our time was an exciting and memorable one.

After our sweet treats, there was a room Lauren had us go to watch an anime movie. Unsure what it was called, but Lauren loved every bit of it. Me and Michelle on the other hand, not so much, we were ready to go!

Although this is a family-friendly convention, I do like to mention at night it becomes more for adults with adult entertainment and parties. That was our cue to get the heck out of there! It started to get rowdy with drunks, foul language spewing everywhere, and raunchy costumes.

All in all, it was an exciting event stepping into a world of what Lauren loves. It helped me to get to know her likes better and for her to share her enjoyment with us. This will be a bonding experience I'll cherish, and I'm looking forward to the next convention with her and Michelle.

Check out more pics below