I initially planned to head to Tokyo Big Sight to line up by 6 AM (four hours from 10 AM opening). However, I ended up lining up at 9:30, which I am glad I did. Standing in line for an hour outside in a very hot day (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit) was enough to make me suffer. Also, I lost one of my towels before lining up. However, I had a pack of tissues to wipe up my sweat.
Here is what it looked like when I lined up for about an hour:
What it looked like inside Tokyo Big Sight’s east hall:
Things I bought at Comiket 84 on Day One (some are NOT SAFE FOR WORK):
Since today was mainly yaoi (gay male porn) day, I only acquired few interesting stuff. At first, I lined up for one of the circles where there were many girls in line, usually for yaoi books. When I confirmed that circle’s current work was yaoi, I immediately got out of the line and looked for something else. I eventually lined up for one of the popular circles (not yaoi) for hours to get a set. Also, I bought some more stuff from artists who didn’t have lines.
Around the early afternoon, I got fed up. I was already sweating as hell. Also, I drank at least two big bottles worth of tea that I felt like I needed to throw up. I initially wanted to check out stuff in the west hall, the cosplay section and the corporate booths, but I felt that I needed to get back to the hotel soon. So, I got into a big line for a train. I did hear that most attendees do not stay at Comiket all day long over the Internet. Fortunately, I already bought round-trip tickets in the morning.
Despite I already prepared myself for the event after I got tips over the Internet, I underestimated the brutality of standing in the middle of a very hot day. However, it was a worthy experience. I even learned a Japanese word for the “end of the line”, which was 最後尾 (saikoubi). Long lines are divided into separate, short lines. Unless there are extremely popular artist circles you should definitely line up for before their works sell out, DO NOT get in line before noon. It would be less crowded afternoon. I plan to get in line on the third day for Team Shanghai Alice, the one-man team of the Touhou Project game series. I’m going to have a long time to reconsider my future Comiket trips.
