Akroview

So here we go again, thousands of anime and gaming fans piling into the infamous Croke Park stadium to join their fellow cosplayers in a weekend full of fun and festivities!

And cosplay….lots and lots of cosplay!

So this is my third year at Eirtakon and amazingly they have actually upped their game from last year, I was very happy with the changes that have been made. Mostly with the layout and variety in the panels.

Layout was a problem in the first year I went (2013) and this was rectified in 2014 with the new layout scheme, which was such a big improvement. But as you may have known from my previous Eirtakon review, it wasn’t all good vibes. This year however, they have modified the layout ever so slightly, but this one little change has made the world of difference to the flow and traffic of the convention.

Simple, but effective. They swapped the Artist Alley and Fairtakon around, brilliant idea. Last year’s artists alley was way too cramped and just seemed so dark and unwelcoming at points. But this years AA is bright, inviting and filled with some truly amazing talent. You guys in the artist alley, bravo, it always surprises me the amount of talent there is on this little island!

Other than that there is not a whole lot of change to the convention in my eyes, the gaming downstairs was always a popular attraction with plenty of consoles and PCs to keep players busy, along with multiple tournaments across a wide variety of games, there was always some fun to be had.

Eirtakon this year was jam packed with things to do; to eat, to drink and to learn! With panels being held every hour for the entire weekend it’s amazing to think there was so much info to be learned and laughs to be had, of course it was going to be mentioned sooner or later that one of the more popular panels was the Cocktail Making panel by Trial by Bar, but far from just being an alternative way to get tipsy, this year brought a new addition, that I have never seen done in any convention I’ve been to so far. Its an honor to say you met your idol or a celebrity you love, it’s an almost unthinkable honor to say you’ve shared drinks with one, but now, the 30 people attending this panel, not only got to meet anime voice actress extraordinaire Michelle Ruff, and not only did they get to share drinks and laughs with her, but they also got to taste drinks that SHE made for them. And that is something truly amazing to say that you have done! Next time you look at “Gurren Lagann” and Yoko comes on screen you can now proudly say, she got me wasted on the weekend!

The panels I attended were amazing, very informative, very fun and very relaxed, the Confidence in Cosplay Panel was one of my favorites. Hosted by Grahamedia and Lemon Lali Cosplay they talked about about to feel more confident and happy in your cosplay and how cosplay can help make you a more confident and stronger person, amazing!

Trial By Bars panel was just an awesome laugh, very laid back and entertaining, switching it up from last years by adding a degree of interaction with the audience and each other just made it that much more enjoyable and actually made people make new friends thanks to a common trait of having horrible senses of humor thanks to Cards Against Humanity!

All the guests were amazing, they were social, fun loving and just overall had a positive atmosphere around their tables! They were also the most active guests I’ve seen at a con so far, balancing their time to socializing with their fans, hosting panels, leading workshops in both cosplay and voice acting courses, and also judging cosplays and entertaining con goers in the main hall, thinking back now it truly was an amazing experience for the true dedicated fans of anime and cosplay, and the staff and organizers at eirtakon should feel proud and accomplished that they managed to put this together for their fans, well done guys and thank you!

There is so much more I could write about but it is all just positive comments, trying to think of something bad to balance it out is actually pretty difficult. Apart from technical issues, which most of the time was out of the staffs control, everything seemed to run smoothly. The atmosphere was super relaxed and there was always screams of joy and laughter from the halls. The lighting in the main entrance and main hall was amazing, it added such a fun and funky atmosphere that got you pumped for the night ahead!

Seriously gutted that it is over, but alas all good things must come to an end, just like this review.

In short, eirtakon 2015 was an amazing experience for both noob con goers and veterans of the scene, it is one that I truly look forward too every year and it’s just been on the rise. But right now this journalist has to prepare for the post con blues and reflect of the fond memories that eirtakon has provided.

Thank you to the staff, the volunteers, the guests, Michelle Ruff, Dabit, NipahDUBS, Pryopuncher and W92Baj, the con goers, cosplayers and of course you reading this review. If it wasn’t for you guys I wouldn’t get the chance to do this and I am eternally grateful!

Adam.