I walked into an alternate universe today.
Anime Evolution celebrates Japanese animation and Asian popular culture - and is a huge costume roleplay or "cos-play" PARTY. It's a three-day event going on now at the new Convention Centre - featuring panels of celebrity anime voice actors, singing, dancing and costume competitions, workshops like, "Habits of Successful Ninjas - a breakdown on how to be an effective ninja in the modern world", and Beginners Wig Styling. There's also one of those Maid Cafes, cos-play speed dating and a big dance. The costumes were thoughtfully exact, the wigs were curled and pinned just so - and when I asked if I could take their pictures, they were all very gracious and would strike a pose. 
