Charles Berman, 21, of Dundalk as Mario {Brian Krista, b}

If you see ninjas, wizards or otherworldly creatures strolling around the Inner Harbor this weekend, don’t freak out – Otakon is back. The convention, in its 16th year and one of the largest in the country, is set to lure about 25,000 people from around the world. They share a love of anime, video games and cosplaying (also known as “costume role-playing”). Here are a few you might just see roaming the streets in costume:

Charles Berman, 21, Dundalk
Past costumes: Wrestler The Rock and Link from the “Legend of Zelda”
A temporary job turned into a lifelong passion for Charles Berman. His love for anime started in 2002 at North Point Flea Market in Dundalk, where he sold used video games for extra cash. There, a new friend — a gamer and anime fan — introduced him to the manga series “Cardcaptor Sakura.” (Yeah, we didn’t know it, either.) “Then he got me into ‘Sailor Moon,’ ‘Dragon Ball Z’ and ‘Princess Nine,’” Berman said.

That year Berman attended Washington’s Katsucon, his first anime convention. He’s been hooked since, but of all the conventions he’s attended, Otakon is his favorite.

“It’s the Super Bowl of anime conventions,” said Berman, who studies computer graphics at the Community College of Baltimore County-Dundalk.

Berman’s dressing as Nintendo’s beloved plumber/hero Mario.

“I was a very young Nintendo fan. I got my first one when I was 6, and I still have it,” he said. Berman has an impressive video game collection, including more than 100 Nintendo titles. His favorite, of course, is “Super Mario Bros.”

Despite being crafty with a needle and thread, Berman didn’t make his costume. He found a Mario costume online for about $40 and plans to embody the character.

“If your character has a distinct voice or walk, you have to mimic that,” he said. “You have to talk about their lives and adventures like you’re really them. Sometimes kids are there and they think you’re the real thing, so that’s kind of cool, too.”

Lori Travis, 35, of Fells Point in a Steampunk costume and daughter Elizabeth, 14, in a costume based on “Kiki’s Delivery Service” {thanks, Aaron Travis}

Lori Travis, 35, Fells Point
Attended her first Otakon as: a Japanese schoolgirl

Most parents have to beg their teenage kids to spend time with them. But not Lori Travis – she’s the coolest mom on the block. The Otakon veteran plans to attend this year with her daughter Elizabeth, 14, and two of her friends.
“It’s a family event,” said Travis, who has been going for five years. She’s still putting the finishing touches on her costume for this year, based on Steampunk, a genre of fantasy fiction.

“It’s sort of this Victorian-era style of dressing modeled after H.G. Wells’ writings,” Travis said. “What’s cool is that it’s DIY, and you can use random objects to make the clothes.”

Her daughter’s costume, based on the movie “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” isn’t as elaborate: “It’s a black dress, a hair ribbon and some little shoes.”

Travis has been working on her Steampunk costume for three weeks.

“The dress looks like I’ve been crawling in the center of the earth, like an explorer,” she said. “I’m also going to wear goggles I made from PVC pipe. That’s sort of a Steampunk trademark.”

Besides showing off their costumes, Travis and her daughter are looking forward to expanding their anime collection. She expects to spend $500, a drop from the $2,000 she spent at a past convention. She lost her job as an accountant in January and has started a photo company.

“This year is a lean year for us because of my financial situation,” she said.

Joe Weise, 35, of Eldersburg and daughter Audrey, 11, as characters from “Bleach” {Brian Krista, b}

Joe Weise, 35, Eldersburg
Otakon experience: This will be his first.
Wooden swords aren’t often unsheathed during father-daughter bonding. But if Joe Weise is your dad, you probably know how to operate a saw and sand rough edges.

“My daughter said she wanted to dress up as Renji,” a soul reaper from “Bleach,” originally a manga series, “and she asked me to make a sword for her. Planning out making the sword got me excited enough to pick my own character out from the show and make my own sword,” he said.

Like daughter Audrey, 11, he’s wearing a “Bleach” costume to Otakon: He’ll be going as the Grim Reaper-like protagonist Ichigo. They got the idea after watching episodes on DVD last summer.

“My daughter and I are both anime fans, and I thought it would be a really cool thing for us to do together. I also love Halloween, so any event that invites costumes is high on my to-do list,” said Weise, an Eldersburg resident who manages a Wachovia.

Before this, Weise had heard about the anime convention for several years, “but never had the opportunity or group of people to go with.”

Inspired, he and his daughter bought their costumes but made their oversized swords by hand. He’s pretty pleased.
“Each sword I make gets easier and looks better,” he said.

Brad Brooks, 21, of Havre de Grace as Black Star from “Soul Eater” {Brian Krista, b}

Brad Brooks, 21, Havre de Grace
How he describes his character, Black Star: “A very overzealous ninja.”

Some come to Otakon for the video games. For others, it’s the chance to meet professional artists. For Brad Brooks, it’s all about the costumes.

“Dressing up is one of the best parts of a convention. It’s a chance to not only show how much you love a certain show, but all of anime as a whole,” said Brooks.

He’s attended three Otakon conventions in handmade costumes.

“I had to buy my costume from a custom store on eBay, but I have made my own in the past. Last year I was Travis Touchdown from the video game ‘No More Heroes,’” he said. This year, he turned to the anime and manga series “Soul Eater.” “I chose Black Star because of how enthusiastic he can be and I love to play energetic characters.”

Brooks loves the reaction to cosplay not only at the convention, but also on the streets of Baltimore.

“Sometimes it gets real funny when the people of Baltimore see a pack of ninjas or ‘Dragon Ball’ characters,” he said. Jazzmen Tynes, special to b

If-you-go

WHAT: Otakon 2009
WHEN: 8:30 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St.
PRICE: Full weekend registration is $65
INFO: otakon.com

Defining the ‘Kon

If this is your first Otakon, you’re probably excited and a little nervous. But don’t worry – we’re looking out for you. Play it cool, and no one will know you’re a newbie.

Dealers’ Room: No, not that kind of dealer. This is one of the main attractions at Otakon. There are usually over 100 vendors, also known as dealers, in the Dealers’ Room, where you can score DVDs, comics, T-shirts and figurines.

Cosplay: Short for “costume play,” a hobby of many anime fans. Participants will dress up as their favorite characters — sometimes mimicking the character’s voice and personality.

Anime: Anime is a Japanese style of animation. The bright colors and stylized movement set anime apart from other styles of animation.

Manga: The Japanese term for comic book. If the story doesn’t make sense, you’re probably reading it wrong. You have to read from the upper right, and end at the lower left. Now, go back and read “Akira” all over again.

Tankoubon: A compilation of manga from a particular series in one volume. It’s not the entire series, but a good chunk of it.
Jazzmen Tynes, special to b

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.