I have his gnawing fear that few people attending today’s anime conventions watch, or even know, very little about anime. Classic, modern, even dubbed on Cartoon Network.

I’ve spoken to furries, gamers, raver girls, self-proclaimed karaoke stars, and kids just happy to lie their way into having a panel. I always ask the simple question, “Why are you here?” Very rarely do they talk about the shows. And I’m not surprised anymore. Most of my con-going friends and I rarely speak of shows beyond “Remember Trigun?” “Yeah.” “Awesome.” For me, I’m just happy to see them for the four weekends out of the year they delegate to work a show.

I spoke to a friend who couldn’t identify Inuyasha from a line-up. A relative of hers had criticized her for not watching enough anime but having a staff badge. Does my friend have any less right to walk around a hotel for a weekend in a bikini and belly dancing outfit? I’ll say it myself: I have nothing to do with anime. None. I don’t write it, barely review it anymore, but that doesn’t change how much 15-year old me loved it and how much 25-year old me respected and encouraged others to watch it. Why should I, or anybody else who just tells jokes about video games, even show up at an anime convention? Because the fans want it.

American anime conventions are very rarely about the shows, the content, the fictional characters that inspire the tea-kettling. They are about the fans, the real Americans, and the community they formed. Conventions offer a space and a chance to just act out on those instincts you have to bottle up just to trudge through school. They give you that outlet, that chance to prove you can go Super-Saiyan (that’s how I spell it, live with it). They give you a chance.

Sometimes that’s enough. There are no anime about ravers. There are even fewer about Halo tournaments. But cons are the weekend long parties that you just need in the middle of a semester, or between summer camps or 8-day-long work marathons. How many anime do you have to watch to be a fan? One? One-hundred? I always ask people “Why are you here?” Not because I want to hear them talk about Bleach or Naruto, but because I want to know what the living, awkward, passionate person in front of me wants to get out of their weekend.

Honestly, I’m just a fan of fans.