The next time someone tries to tell you that SF/fantasy is dying, or especially that teens no longer read in the genre–they need to go to an anime con. (Or, from all I’ve heard, a ComicCon–and since Phoenix’s ComicCon doesn’t conflict with Kindling Words this year, I’m looking forward to checking one out.) The amount of unbridled (often shrieking) enthusiasm for SF/fantasy at Anime TuCon was amazing, never mind that I had no clue about much of what was being read/watched/cosplayed (often elaborately, gorgeously cosplayed). Yet again I’m reminded SF/fantasy is alive and well, if only we look in the right places.
It was a small con, but they plan to grow it. I’ll probably be back, maybe a little more knowledgeably, the next time around.