Labor Day weekend 2018 marked Sub Cultured’s third year at Nan Desu Kan (or NDK, as the locals lovingly refer to it as), an anime-centered convention in Denver, Colorado. This time around, my partner-in-crime, stream buddy, and fellow SC content creator, Kyle, wasn’t able to join me, but it was still a great time attending this event solo nonetheless. This convention never disappoints with the plethora of events that are lined up throughout the weekend, ranging from early in the morning to the wee hours of the night – enough to keep pretty much any anime/video game fan entertained.

I arrived Friday evening and settled into my hotel room, which due to the last-minute nature of planning for the convention, was shared with other random con-goers. One thing to keep in mind for staying at the hotel where the convention is at – always make sure to reserve your room early, or they’ll be booked up by the time the convention weekend rolls around (which might put you in a situation similar to mine). Luckily, the people attending these type of events are generally very friendly and welcoming, so I had no issue finding a room to stay in for the weekend.

The rest of Friday evening was fairly relaxed. I spend a good amount of time at these conventions just scoping out the cosplayers, because to me, they’re the main event (especially the ones that take the time and effort to craft their costumes from scratch). The chunk of my cosplay-watching was done on Saturday, but I did manage to get a couple of shots of some familiar faces from other local conventions, and some new faces as well.

bleachkeki as Yumeko Jabami (Kakegurui)

Eyarii Cosplay as 2B (NieR: Automata)

Peachy Sweet Cosplay as Major Motoko Kusanagi

Pocahontas serenading us with “Colors of the Wind”

After a bit of wandering around, I attended the Pink Unicorn Karaoke Lounge, where I watched some familiar characters belt out their favorite songs. There’s just something special about seeing Pocahontas singing “Colors of the Wind”, a knight getting down on some Tool, or Trunks getting brutal with some screamo.
The cosplay-watching resumed around Saturday afternoon. Most of the mid-hours of the day were spent wandering around some more, mingling with some old friends and new, and checking out the various shops filled with great excuses to empty your wallet, such as the Dealer’s Room.

Late Saturday afternoon, I attended the Costume and Cosplay Contest. This is where cosplayers sign up to flaunt their projects that they’ve worked on for days, weeks, maybe even months, and compete with fellow cosplayers to see who takes the gauntlet for the best cosplay of them all. The contest was divided into different classes, such as beginner, intermediate, and advanced – contestants were able to sign up for any class that they felt their cosplay belonged in. I’m always extremely impressed by the amount of work and attention to detail that these contestants bring to the table.

Of course, with all the great cosplays, come the great cosplay team-ups.

Another notable event on this day was the Q&A panel with voice actress, Cherami Leigh. One might recognize her name from animes such as Pop Team Epic and My Hero Academia, but to me, she’s the badass android, A2, from NieR: Automata. Sadly, I didn’t end up attending this panel. Let’s just say that the nature of how I make plans at conventions is a bit… whimsical.

The MasqueRAVE

Saturday evening ended with the MasqueRAVE. If you’re familiar with anime conventions, you know that this is when the real party animals come out to play. Given that your costume wasn’t too hot to dance in (or your amount of dedication), you were out on the dance floor, letting loose with some characters from your favorite games/animes/movies to colorful light shows and bass-heavy music.

Sunday at any anime convention is con-Z day. Everybody is walking around in a zombie-like state, drained from the activities from the past two days, and winding down into the end of the convention. I took this time to wind down as well, hanging out with new and old friends, and made my way to the Japanese Arcade to test my rhythm skills with Taiko Master and Jubeat.

I also made a last-ditch effort to get some more pictures of cosplayers (and with) before everyone headed home.

All in all, I’d consider 2018 another extremely successful year at Nan Desu Kan. As I’m becoming more of a regular at the local Denver area anime conventions, I also feel a developing sense of family among my fellow con-goers. It’s a pretty nice feeling walking into a con and being recognized by people you had met previously, whether from last year’s convention, or another local convention.

Until next year, NDK.

Don’t forget to check out our Nan Desu Kan 2018 Photo Gallery or find additional convention coverage here! Let us know what you think on Facebook or Twitter @SubCultured, and join in the conversation on our Discord channel!