Otakon 2026 with Dr. Constantine Vaporis!
Our very own Dr. Constantine Vaporis (Founder & Former Director of Asian Studies) spoke on Samurai: Anime, Manga, and Historical Realities during this year's Otakon 2026! Check out his photos and highlights below!
What an experience! 50,000 young people (and some not so young...) lining up for three city blocks to get in; many of them in full anime/manga attire. It was such a positive, supportive environment--people enjoying each others' costumes, taking photos of each other in various poses (including one whole floor for staged photos for social media), workshops on armor making, costume making, language acquisition. A huge floor where vendors and artists displayed their wares (photo included).
There was standing room only for my talk (sponsored by the Embassy of Japan), with over 300 in attendance. There actually was a line to get in after I started (as reported to me). Rousing applause BEFORE I even spoke. Great questions. Too many for the allotted time. A number of former students were there representing UMBC and I've included a photo of two of them Peri Johnson and Randy Duran (both Asian Studies, both gave their permission to use the photo on social media). They allowed me to sell my samurai encyclopedia afterwards and I sold all the copies I brought (too bad the new book isn't out yet but I had a display with the discount code).
All in all, a great experience.
Best,
Constantine
Posted: August 6, 2026, 1:59 PM