“I’ve been taking my sons since here they were that age,” said the lady who checked us in when we arrived at Momocon. She went on to tell me that they now have a local hotel room so that they can enjoy Momocon to its fullest extent. I could relate to her on both levels. Our boys have been attending Momocon since the youngest was three and a hotel room to crash out for a bit would’ve been nice. On an entirely different level, it was great to attend a con again and to that end, Momocon 2022 did not disappoint.
However, I’m a forward-looking kind of person, so why should I even bother recapping an event that’s already happened? I tossed this idea around with our 12-year-old because I was surprised at how few middle school students I saw at Momocon. Having substituted at numerous middle school and fifth-grade classrooms this past year I’ve seen all manner of anime-inspired backpacks, as well as students who were reading manga, instead of paying attention to the lesson that I was presenting.
Cons, to those parents who’ve never been to one, can let their imagination get the better of them. That’s the thing that separates Momocon from any other con that we’ve been to, its attendees willingly tamp down the elements that parents fear. By this I mean those costumes that might be too sexy or the cosplay that’s too violent or over the top. It’s not a watered-down con that minimizes the fun, rather, it’s a gathering where the emphasis is intended for everyone, regardless of their age.
That point is front and center on the FAQ page on their website. The median age of the attendees in 2019 was 25 and kids nine and under are free. Moreover, any sort of 18+ materials that vendors or artists could sell or demonstrate are prohibited. That is the biggest difference that parents will notice between Momocon and other cons that they might’ve attended.
It is not that Momocon is a kid’s con. It is not. It simply focuses on Japanese animation, gaming, manga, as well as, cosplay that anyone can enjoy, and does so without having anything overtly sexual or violent. Given the nature of cosplay, there are some sexy costumes, but they’re entirely within the range of what the characters would look like in an anime that elementary-aged kids would watch.
As our family gets older what we enjoy from Momocon has changed too. We’ve been going since 2015 and what our children have enjoyed has run the gamut from wonderment to commerce curiosity, video game hound, to a YouTube know-it-all, and more.
A great example of this is the Matsuriza Taiko Drum troupe. This is the drum group that performs regularly at EPCOT in Walt Disney World. I’ve been a fan of theirs for years and was quite surprised when our 12 year-old said that he wanted to see them too. Apparently, I’m doing something right as a dad because he was entranced by them. Their performance was powerful, entertaining, funny and so incredibly mesmerizing to watch. It’s just Japanese traditional taiko drums you think to yourself; but then you see the passion, timing, and factor in the millennia that these instruments have been connecting to audiences and you realize that the sum is greater than the parts.
“I’ve never seen them before that they were very cool.” said the 12-year-old. Normally, Matsuriza only performs for 15 minutes at EPCOT, so to see them do an extended set for one hour was a rare treat. And this was only one of the many breakouts, meetings, and opportunities that attendees who went to Momocon could’ve experienced. That’s where making great use of the app to schedule things out and planning ahead makes all the difference in digging as deep into an interest, or skimming the surface on a variety of them can occur.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much our 10-year-old loved Stranglehold Championship Wrestling. For a child that is hard-pressed to remain seated, he sat still for two hours as he yelled for whichever wrestler caught his attention. The action was great, the smack talk was appropriate and everyone in attendance had a really fun time.
What’s consistent with Momocon is how family-friendly it is. Even if your elementary or middle school student isn’t into manga or anime, they’re most likely into video games or board games. There is something happening at Momocon that will interest them and be the big scale, a grand form of entertainment or presence that they most likely haven’t experienced before. Their jaws will gape open, for all the right reasons, and you’ll be there to capture the moment and enjoy it too.
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