The final day of a con is traditionally quieter than the previous ones, both in the number of events and the number of people.  The action on the Sunday at Minami Con wrapped up at around 6pm, so there wasn't a closing party or even screenings to occupy any late leavers.

Once again there was a 10am start with three screening rooms kicking things off, and there was also another cosplay photoshoot for those who wanted to keep their costumes under wraps before masquerade.  Anyone who missed breakfast could tuck in at the Japanese snacks and green tea tasting session, and those with an artistic bent could try their hand at some more papercraft.  The bring & buy and dealers room were again open for business, and a few of the dealers had even restocked from the day before.  Kudos for Neon Martian too, if a con-goer wanted to buy something they didn't have with them they actually went home overnight and brought it on the Sunday.  That is what you call customer service. 
 

 Despite it being a shortened day there was still plenty to do on the Sunday.  After lunch there was a consultation session with art collective Sweatdrop, where established artists like Sonia Leong would give advice and guidance to aspiring comics artists.  There was also a doll meet hosted by forum member Arwen and photoshoot, which gave collectors of Japanese ball-jointed, Dollfie and Blythe dolls the chance to meet up and have professional photos taken of their dolls against prepared backdrops.  A J-Pop quiz and some very random interactive games (turtle racing anyone?) rounded off the remaining activities on offer, but best of all was the Cosplay Café.

The cosplay café was staffed by volunteers in cosplay (naturally), who served tea, coffee and a selection of awesome cakes to weary con-goers.  The café was a great place to have a chat with fellow attendees whilst digging in to some black forest gateaux, and the room also contained a display of artwork entered into the con's art competition.  It was the best place to have a chill out and discuss the weekend, and with very few events left in the day it was generally pretty busy for the three hours it was open.  Once it closed there were only really screenings and a couple of panels left before the closing ceremony.  The first of these was the Minami Con feedback panel, which gave attendees the opportunity to talk to the committee and discuss what went well at the convention and what didn't.  It was quite a lively discussion as always, and it was good to see a lot of people attending.  It's the best way to have your voice heard and really get an insight into how the con is run, so it's always frustrating when people moan about things online when they have passed up an opportunity to engage the committee directly.
 

 The final major event prior to the closing ceremony was the second cosplay workshop, which seemed to focus on petticoats.  It did, however, incorporate an opportunity to decorate the Minami Con banner, which was then auctioned during the closing ceremony.  Unfortunately our train times meant that we had left by this point, our last activity was the Minami Con Panel and we never got to see what the closing ceremony had to offer.  Nonetheless, Minami Con had impressed us once again.  It holds a special place in the UK anime calendar for a reason, it doesn't feel like the other conventions and for sheer professionalism it can't be faulted.

Apart from a couple of delays everything ran incredibly smoothly and the activities on offer were fun, varied and a bit different too.  There was a marked focus on interactive workshops and games and the chance to have a go at Taiko drumming and Japanese cookery were excellent additions to the schedules.  We really liked the fact there were retro anime screenings, and the Cosplay Masquerade remains the best we have been to, despite the occasional technical difficulty and delay.  The food stall was a great addition, and the free food available at the opening party and free drink available at tastings on the Saturday and Sunday did help soften the blow of the typically expensive hotel bar.  Our only qualms were that it was a shame that the Auction and party weren't busier, but to be fair that's more down to the attendees than the con itself, and that there weren't more parties.  Logistically it wouldn't really be possible, but it would be nice.  All in all though we had a great weekend and found the entire committee and the gophers were approachable and helpful.  We're really impressed how well the committee use the facilities available to them, there is no waste at all on the weekend, every ounce of use is dragged out of everything.  It makes for the slickest event in the UK anime calendar, and sets the bar quality-wise that the others struggle to reach.  It may not be as big and party-orientated as Amecon, or as community-driven as Alcon, but Minami Con is still the daddy.

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