My fellow otakus, it’s been an awful while since I last did an article like this one. The moving has been SO busy for me, that I’ve barely had the time to work on my projects. The thing is, the move is STILL not done yet, so, I’m still pretty busy at the moment. Of course, with such an important event that happened for me recently, in which you see it’s me attending the Sarasota Anime Fest with my awesome Len Kagamine cosplay, there is no way I’d miss the chance to write an awesome review for an awesome anime convention like this one you see right here! So, what’s up?

The year 2025 hasn’t been kind to me. This year will, unfortunately, be remembered as a strange year of slow transition. It was a year when I missed out on a lot of amazing events for the otaku like myself, and, also missing out on tons of Anime conventions. The moving significantly slimmed my chances even more. Towards the end of 2025, there was great sadness that I would not be able to attend any anime convention for this year at all whatsoever. Until when I finally nabbed the chance to attend one, and it’s the awesome Sarasota Anime Fest, located in Sarasota, Florida, (first time I have ever been to Sarasota). Also, this anime convention will proudly be remembered as the first ever Anime con that I have EVER attended. So, how was Sarasota Anime Fest? Well, all I can say is, buckle up and get ready to hear all the awesome stuff I have in store to show all of you! Also, this is my third cosplay, and the first cosplay which is fully completed!

Sarasota Anime Fest is a one-day anime convention. It’s size is small, so, by definition, it’s considered to be a small anime con, but, that didn’t matter at all. Sarasota Anime Fest, in spite of it’s size, had a lot of fun things to do. So, what made it fun for me? Well, many things. Firstly, the people at the convention were very friendly, helpful, and I could tell it was filled with many passionate fellow otakus. Like most events, the first thing I did, and would always do, is look around the convention. I saw many awesome vendors selling cool otaku goodies that I wished I had my hands on. Unfortunately, I’m a bit tight at the moment, so, I had to miss out on a lot of awesome potential goodies that I’ve had on my wish list for years. On the bright side, I enjoyed the overwhelming amount of positive reception I received for my Len Kagamine cosplay! It seems like this cosplay of mine is my best to date!

Here’s an example of an awesome anime figure I saw at Sarasota Anime fest. It’s none other than fellow Vocaloid character, Hatsune Miku, but in a very cute chibi form. Ironic how a fellow Vocaloid character, who I’m cosplaying as, saw a Vocaloid figure. Pretty crazy, huh?

As I spent some time looking around, it got a little hot for me, and, because Florida is Florida, and despite being December, the weather was pretty hot, and I could feel the typical Florida Humid. To make the matters worse, I got thirsty, and the heat itself did NOT help me with the situation. Like all cosplay, the sweat was starting to consume me, but, it wasn’t as bad as my custom casual Deku cosplay that happened at Hibachi Samurai & Ramen, and Ocala Comic Con. Nonetheless, the temperature was still unfavorable… On the bright side, I guess that was a good thing, because that meant Len was perfectly usable for this type of weather. Now, for my favorite part…

Here I am with these two VERY awesome cosplayers, and including a third one who had to leave the panel due to schedule and convention duties. These two you see right here, are tc_lifestyle_adventure, and thegratefulbread. These two are awesome, and I enjoyed the awesome conversation I had with these two, and the third one as well! I loved this panel so much. The question your probably asking is, what was this panel about? Well, the topics that I was mainly here for, was the importance of cosplay. The first topic was about the importance of how cosplay is a hobby for everyone. As you all know, lately, there has been an insane rampage of discrimination against cosplayers of skin color, specifically darker skin color, and, indeed I have noticed the horrific ongoing trend. In fact, I covered this topic on Instagram and X, and soon, when I have time, I will be covering this awful toxicity that has been plaguing the cosplay community. We also talked about the unfortunate passing of Ashley Gail Paxton, also known as Ash, and how her death symbolizes the awful ongoing problem of racism in the cosplay community. Other well known cosplayers have gone through the same thing, and I probably will sometime in the future. Cosplay is for everyone, regardless of race, religion, weight, and the individuals in general.

The second panel was the discussion of hygiene in cosplay, and budgeting. Even before attending Sarasota Anime Fest, and attending this panel, hygiene was already of great importance for me. Clean body, clean cosplay, and hygienic etiquette is a literal mandatory staple that’s always been a part of my otaku life for cosplay. However, this panel taught me some important hygienic practices for cosplay that even i myself didn’t know. Most notably, the insane amount of unhygienic practices by many cosplayers is shocking. Ranging from bad smell, to lack of self-cleaning, and nasty actions that would seriously gross anyone out. In fact, so nasty that I honestly wouldn’t like to tell you because it would make your stomach twist. The topic of budgeting mainly revolved around the infinite possibilities of relying on any retail to create a cosplay one would like to do. Examples include goodwill, Walmart, Amazon, etc. Indeed, that’s true because I have plenty that I would like to make of my own. That’s the beauty of cosplay, even if the budget is tight, a few clothes can make a cosplay that not only stands out, but exactly replicates the official design. Cosplay is truly art, huh?

The third and last topic of the panel was the topic of one needing to take care of themselves and not neglect their health or finances for cosplay. Not matter how many ideas one has, or the amount of money, wasting it all on cosplay without good health, or financial backup is a terrible idea, and one has to take care of themselves. One also has to think wisely when cosplaying as a certain character during the seasons. In fact, a horror story was mentioned when a bunch of cosplayers at Metrocon, a con that I will attend next year, collapsed, or were close to collapsing due to the insane summer heat that plagued Metrocon 2025. Another topic was the importance of attending anime conventions, regardless of their size. Either it being small, like Sarasota Anime Fest, medium like Brick City Anime Festival, or gigantic like Metrocon, all anime conventions are fun to attend, and it’s a perfect opportunity for one to attend and fully engage with the community. That’s a philosophy that I always stuck with even before starting. The travel is sometimes tedious, but, in the end, it’s always worth it, and, sometimes fun! The final topic, of all, was the importance of cosplay not being consent, and how boundaries have to be respected. No touching, no taking pictures without permission, no photo op if they are busy like eating, and just don’t act like a creep in general, and do creepy actions. It’s as simple as that. These were the amazing topics that I had at this awesome panel.

I’ve had my eyes on the retro games being displayed here, but, with tight finances, what chance did I have? Oh, well… it was cool seeing a Famicom, and super Famicom. A lot of Japanese video games as well. The gamer in me squealed like a fanboy.

Remember the third person I was talking about? Well, it’s this person who I’m next too! Her name is anon_sera_leyla. A well known amazing cosplayer who has appeared in numerous anime conventions, and even by local media outlets. Her cosplay knowledge was outstanding, and she discussed topics that taught me a LOT about cosplay! I am utterly grateful, and thankful for her amazing professional topic about cosplay.

My Len cosplay truly stood out, and it seems like it was a total resounding success. Probably my most successful yet. Due to this, I was approached by an awesome dude who also loved Vocaloid as well. He wanted to take a selfie with me, and I very happy to say yes. His name is theloneshadow15. Awesome dude! Huge thanks to my Miku ringtone haha!

An otaku buddy of mine from neighbors Texas by the name of Ghibli Scribblies introduced a very funny and hilarious trend where a cosplayer is on the ground lying face flat. Either through tripping, or just lying flat already. Since then, a lot of her buddies did the same thing, and, finally, I had the chance to do it LOL! Here’s my cringe floor drop.

A cosplay contest happened as well, and I saw some amazing cosplayers and their love, dedication, and work on their cosplay. Sadly, I am not able to post it here on Animangemu due to space issue and embeds not working. However, you can see it here on this link from my Instagram highlights!

Overall, words can’t describe how happy I was knowing that I attended an awesome anime convention. Sarasota Anime Fest, for me, wasn’t just an event, it was a life changing experience that has awakened something inside of me that I’ve been dying to feel for a while… I’d say seven years since 2018 when I first started cosplaying as Tobi, and it’s taking cosplay to a whole new level, which was in the making for a while, but, with what I did at Sarasota Anime Fest, earlier at Ocala Comic Con and Samurai Hibachi & Ramen with Deku cosplay, and my Tobi cosplay skits, I feel like cosplay is finally enjoying it’s passionate run. Just like how my merchandise did, j-pop, and idols, and Japanese culture. Oh, and it’s not just cosplay, so are anime conventions. I’ve been dying to attend my first anime convention, and I was finally able too with Sarasota Anime Fest. Like cosplay, anime conventions are another passion of mine from the otaku culture section, that I feel like I’m finally having my moment of passion. I am now so hooked into anime conventions and cosplay, that I honestly can’t wait for the year 2026 to begin and start my epic otaku journey of attending anime conventions with my cosplay. I want to experience otaku life in Florida to the max, and Sarasota was just the start.

If you’re looking for a down to earth, humble, vendor and cosplay orinted anime convention, then Sarasota Anime Fest is the one for you. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think it’s hosted by the group OurCons? So far, they have done a great job! If you are looking for an awesome convention, then please attend this one, and the rest of the following upcoming anime conventions from the hosts. In fact, next year, I ironically return to Ocala to attend Ocala Anime Fest, and I have big plans that I would like to do at Ocala Anime Fest. Sarasota Anime fest, was friendly, filled with excellent passionate cosplayers, lots of awesome merchandise by vendors, and the panels were amazing. I seriously hope it happens again next year, because I would LOVE to be back! Thank you Sarasota Anime Fest, and as usual, long live our Sunshine State Otakus!

Overall: S-rank

“Florida’s #1 Akiba-Kei!”