So, right now, an event I used to go to every year, Anime Blues Con, is happening here in Memphis. It’s, as the name suggests, and anime convention, and it’s been in previous years something I’ve looked forward to since learning about it in early 2011 – I would first attend the convention in 2012 and have one hell of a good time!
Slowly, though, I started to have less and less fun each year at the convention. I originally had a massive write-up which covered the details, but for brevity I’m keeping things simple here – Originally I would go every day of the con (even Sunday, a day most people skip), but as each year passed I found myself attending for less of a time each day, then eventually skipping the one day event before eventually skipping whole days of the main convention to this year simply not going at all.
It’s a shame, really – I really did enjoy the event, and even last year, where I only went one day, I had an amazing time. That was less to do with the convention and more to do with a set of friends I finally got to spend time with, and even then, the convention isn’t actually necessary for that.
Anime Blues Con is now held in Downtown Memphis. Pretty, but not a fun area to go to and from day after day.
Between panel selection changing, the location changing and the convention basically growing too large for me, it just became more trouble than it was worth in time and money to visit. I mean, why bother if you’re not having fun, right? Last year I only went for one day, and that was to do my panel on video game collecting, and to see a friends panel – beyond that, I had minimal interest and while I had fun, it was simply due to those events and a bit of gaming, and not so much the event itself – they were fun in spite of the annoyances, rather than fun because of the convention.
Like I said, it’s a multi-faceted thing, and I could go into detail on everything, but I won’t here. What I will say is that it’s bittersweet to think the convention is going on right now, and I just don’t care to go. It’s just too much to deal with though for too little fun, that’s the simplest way to say it. I had fun in previous years, but the convention has changed to just not be what I want in such an event.. Maybe next year I’ll care to check it out again, but for Anime Blues Con 7, I’m just going to skip it completely. That being said, I hope my friends who are there do have fun.
Lastly, you may wonder why I would even write about it? Like anything like this I share, I talk about it for anyone who can relate, who finds themselves wanting to avoid something they once loved to do, especially if it’s a case like this of an event that you now just would rather not go to, kind of my way of saying “Hey, you aren’t alone” for whatever that’s worth to anyone.
Maybe next year…