by Tora-Con, held at the Rochester Institute of Technology, has grown from a humble cosplay contest into a large convention with thousands of attendees. I attended the event with the Herkimer County Community College Esports team and Gaming Club, which included Daniel Thompsune, Dylan Mureness, Spencer Storm Robertson, William and Joseph Hazard, Sam Walz, Connor Flo, Frank Perez, and Arianna Kush.
The three-day trip, from March 21 to 23, took us from Herkimer to Rochester, a two-hour drive. We stopped for Sonic on the way and then had dinner at a buffet, which was a bit pricey. However, the fun of the convention made it all worthwhile. The events were exhilarating, including Vocaloid concerts, a cosplay contest, karaoke, a Genshin Impact OC contest, a “What the Hell is Going On?” panel, and voice actor booths.
I also gathered statements from the Esports team and Gaming Club. Dan Thompsune, the club’s advisor, said:
“I thought overall it was good. The voice actors and guests were great this year. The Vocaloid concert was good. As usual, it wasn’t super crowded, and you didn’t have to wait too long in lines, which is great. One complaint is that there weren’t many food options, and many of them closed during most of the convention hours.”
Sam Walz also shared his thoughts: “I liked the panels, but I disliked the long drive.” The drive was two hours from Herkimer.
The panels featured legendary talent such as ChibiTifa, Empathy Studios, Starfall Blade, Lutavia, EarlCrayTea, Chalk Twins, Anairis Quiñones, Matthew David Rudd, Allegra Clark, Zeno Robinson, AJ Beckles, Matt Shipman, and others.
Arianna Kush said: “I liked it! It was my first con! It was enjoyable for me even though I’m not into anime. The walking wasn’t fun, but I got to hang out with friends and meet new people. There were many different characters there, and it was fun to see all the costumes and furries, even though I’m scared of them.”
The convention showcased a wide range of outfits, from furries to video game characters, and even Santa Claus. My personal favorite was the Gyro Zeppeli cosplay.
Spencer Storm Robertson offered the most amusing statement: “I had fun going to the venues and seeing all the anime artwork, figures, and merchandise. The activities were wonderful, and I learned about new anime I’d never heard of before. I also went to an 18+ panel where we talked about who I would ‘smash’ in Yu-Gi-Oh. Very wonderful. 10/10, would go again. The only downside was the prices—some items were as much as $35 for a small plushie—but that’s the government’s fault anyway. That’s what I like about the con.”
In conclusion, everyone had a great time at Tora-Con, and we hope to attend again next year.
