Los Angeles' Ninja-Con convention brings surprises

Los Angeles' Ninja-Con convention brings surprises

LOS ANGELES cosplay costumes - Rather than crowding Toys R Us stores, many kids who "don't wanna grow up" have become fanboys of Japanese animation, comics and video games, said air man the sponsor of a small, new convention in Little Tokyo.

About 200 people attended Ninja-Con, a three-venue event at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, Anime Jungle and the Miyako Hotel. While some wore T-shirts and jeans, others were dressed in full "cosplay costumes" attire, meaning they were outfitted as anime, comic book, movie or video game characters.

"I notice a very close-knit community," said Stefanie Warner, the CEO of Creative Chimera, the nonprofit who helped host the convention. "A lot of kids that would normally not cosplay be social have a way to be social, and I notice that the wigs for sale is a way to get out of their shell. They don't feel so shy, so scared."

Many in this community recognize the stereotypic perception people have of them. Oscar Andrade, a 22-year-old Bell resident, said people who are big fans of anime, cosplay shoes or comic books have a tendency to live a "vampire lifestyle" and are "shut-ins," but he said not everyone in this subculture is introverted.

"We're regular people that just like to have fun in a safe, comfortable environment," he said, an appropriate statement for a man wearing a "Ghostbusters" T-shirt. "We're just little kids. We get along with other people just fine."

Japanese, Chinese, Hispanics, whites and blacks played video games such as Mortal Kombat 9 and movies cosplay Ultimate Marvel vs. anime for cosplay Capcom 3. Others cosplay costume played card games like Tentacle Bento, whose objective is to