Neo Anime Oasis: 02 has implemented one of the stricter dress codes fans are likely to see at an anime convention.The Boise, Idaho event updated its website in advance of the convention’s June 2023 opening with a message stating a hard-line policy on cosplays that do not draw directly from Japanese animation, manga and games. The convention emphasized that it is not a general pop culture event, and as such, it will be implementing a hallway dress code prohibiting costumes that don’t "fit the convention themes." It then went on to claim that this policy was designed to provide a more intimate experience, telling potential attendees that if they preferred something with broader content they should look to other events with a less limited scope.
Neo Anime Oasis received immediate backlash for its new policy from numerous anime fans, many of whom cited the tone of the website as a major problem. Anime News Network editor Mike Toole described it as reading like "the person writing it is in the midst of throwing a tantrum," while Anime Herald editor Samantha Ferreira wrote that the convention sounded "like an immensely joyless event." Neo Anime Oasis has since taken down much of the text from its homepage, abbreviating any mention of a dress code to the simple statement that the event is "for anime people who want to do anime things."
The Anime Community Reacts to Restrictions
This is not the first time an anime convention has received backlash from the fan community, but Neo Anime Oasis’s policy is certainly one of the most restrictive in recent memory. While some fans pride themselves on maintaining that sense of strict accuracy to the source material, cosplay is also an art form where participants can express themselves in creative, unconventional fashion. This aspect of the fan experience is less accessible with stringent "festival themes" like those at Neo Anime Oasis, which may explain some of the anger in the anime community's collective response.
Neo Anime Oasis: 02, the second annual iteration of the convention, will run from June 23-25 at the Grove Hotel and Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise.
Source: Neo Anime Oasis