This weekend started of as many do, me trying to get some extra sleep, but alas I did not for this weekend was MANIFEST!!! Being my 4th Manifest I knew what I was getting myself in to and was well prepared like $350 prepared, but before we get down to the spending lets get to the feeling of arrival.
If you ever get the chance to dress up, and go somewhere you will understand getting looks of what the hell, and if you cosplay (costume play/dressing up as a character) you get LOTS. The train to North Melbourne was interesting, I dare say I was the most strangely dressed person there, but that all soon changed, getting on the showgrounds train you soon become aware it is FULL of cosplayers, in fact those who had not embraced the cosplay sprite who where on the train stood out, and even more when the train arrived at its destination.
This year Manifest has learnt from the past and had gotten a lot stronger, not only did they add new buildings to accommodate more people, but also used the ticket gates at the train station to full used, dealing with people there, rather then having everyone arriving trying to go to one location to get tickets, they had it spread out, so you buy before entering the show grounds, it was smart and worked like a charm, saving time for many.
Traders hall became harder to move in as day continued, and I over heard one of the Traders say one of the most true and amazing things, “Manifest is one of the biggest Anime Conventions in the southern hemisphere… and people have save up money since March so they can spend it all in three days” and everything he said it true, Manifest has soon become the biggest Anime based convention in the southern hemisphere, most Con’s are Sci-fi, or pop culture combinations, but outside of Japan (the mother country) Melbourne has one of the biggest Anime only based Con’s around, and really pulls in the numbers, especially when you think this all started when several clubs from Melbourne Uni joined together to create a small screening festival, and now look at it.
They have stepped up so much in the short time I have been attending, and you can even see it in the programs they had put out, no longer printed from a computer, on normal paper, folded in half and stapled, they had proper photo card and paper (the kind that has a shine to it when you hold it up to the light) and looked amazing beyond belief. I have really been amazed by this years Manifest, the first things to amaze me in order was the ticketing at the train station, more of a use of the buildings at the show grounds, portable toilets and fantastic food vendors, I must say this has been the best they have put on since I started attending in 2008, and they could only continue to get better as they wind down for this year, and start planning for next year.
Ok so on to the spending… enjoy the video
So that was Saturday, but now on to Sunday and it was fun too, I got Soul Eater 4 to complete my DVD collection, spent money at bread top, went to the movies, and TGI Friday’s, got the hick ups, lost the them, had tea and got them back again, all round a fantastic weekend, and I think the best way to start of a new week working.
MMGT
I’m a little worried about eating the every flavour beans… I really don’t want to stumble across the vomit one.
Mad-Molly-The-Grim
P.S People… my calves are killing me from all the walking, don’t know how I’m going to go at work.
