I feel like a lot of veteran cosplayers in the Portland area go to Newcon over Kcon now. I've been going to Kcon for over ten years now and it's fun but it feels like one of those 'your first con' type conventions. You go to it when you're new to anime. It's fun, don't get me wrong, but I really only go because it's the only convention my friends go to and I never see them besides the con.
I went to Newcon last year and was really sad I was only able to be there one day. But had more fun in that one day than the entire weekend at Kcon but I think that's because the guests were people I actually knew and the panels were pretty different. This year is going to be my last year at Kcon since I finally converted my friends to Newcon. The negative with Newcon is that since it's new, there's are some technical issues to work out but they're pretty quick to get them. I was there the first day and for the first few hours it was very unorganized and hectic but they quickly worked it out and fixed their system so it won't happen again for this year.
I'd say check out Newcon for sure. It's still really cheap, it's down town Portland so if you live nearby it's easy to get to. If you don't live nearby it's still easy to get to because of the tram system and buses that literally stop right outside the con hotel. It's still small but it's growing and they have awesome guests. I go to Cons more for guests and having Crispin Freeman, Troy Baker and Steve Blum definitely weighs out the people at Kcon who I don't know. Though the plus with Kcon is that since they get smaller guests, the autographs are free. At Newcon it was free if you got an autograph on a blank piece of paper, your badge or the con booklet. If you wanted something signed, it cost money. Not sure if that was for all guests or just Dante Basco but that was still kind of a bummer. I got his autograph but I wish he could have signed my DVD.
I mean no offense to Kumoricon or the people who like it, but Kcon seems more of a new anime weeb con to me. You're learning about anime, you like the newer stuff, you want to go crazy meeting a bunch of new people who also like new anime, you wear cat ears and eat pocky for the entire four days, etc. Sometimes I feel like I'm babysitting rather than hanging out with people who want to have a serious conversation about X anime. No offense to some younger people but in the past that's how it's been like for me.
While Newcon is more a 'you grew up on Trigun and Cowboy Bee Bop and want to be with more mature anime lovers' kind of con. Last year I sat in the lounge and drank wine while discussing X anime to a group of cosplayers and it just felt like my type of con.
Of course I'm 25 now so that could also be a big factor. Kcon feels like it's ages 10-16 and Newcon feels more 18-30. So I personally enjoy the older crowd more. Not saying you can't find an older crowd to hang out with at Kcon or a younger group at Newcon but it feels the majority of the people at each con are in those age ranges.
That's how I look at it but that's just me. Sorry for the looooong response. I love both cons for very different reasons. Even though this year is my last official Kcon, I might still stop by and hang out in the park next year if my local friends want to just cosplay for a day or something.
If you're free the weekend of Newcon, live close by and have 30$ to buy a full weekend pass, I'd say do it.
