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Otakon Comes To Baltimore One Last Time This Weekend

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- If you see a lot of people in downtown Baltimore walking around in costume this weekend, there's a good reason.

Thousands of East Asian pop culture and anime fans are converging on the Convention Center for Otakon.

Folks come from all over the world to make new friends, and express themselves.

"Many will come dressed up as their favorite characters," says Jonathan Koifman, vice chair of this year's event.

"I grew up with this as a kid," said Rob Houghton of Long Island, whose car is painted with his favorite anime characters.

"I grew up watching a lot of the anime classics. A lot of people think anime is childish but there are a lot of messages to be learned. A lot of themes they present. a Lot of those get to me and I can relate to it a lot."

It's the first year for Nick Dennis of Elkridge.

"This is my first time coming to Otakon but I know a lot about it. I've been waiting for this day. It gives me a chance to explore anime with people who also like it."

It's expected to be the biggest event ever held in the building, drawing about 30,000 people this year. In fact, the convention has outgrown Baltimore, so next year it will head south to D.C.

That's sad news, since it is estimated that the gathering had an $11 million direct economic impact on the city.

"Baltimore has been our home, we could not have grown without Baltimore," Koifman said. "It's really close to our hearts, it's hard to leave. But it's a matter of space. Every year more and more people are coming to Otakon and in order to give them the best experience, we do need that bigger space."

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