From the outset, once we arrived at the Mesa convention center, the first thing we did was compare Taiyou Con against some of the more established small cons from California such as Sac-anime and Japan Expo USA. Where as these cons have had several years to learn from their mistakes, including keeping their attendees notified of updates and of autograph times, Taiyou Con's lack of experience showed. Speaking to other fans, and from our own experience, there was some confusion between the fans and staff on where to line up, where to get autographs, etc.

Having worked our own share of conventions as staffers however, we know that it takes time for even large conventions like Anime Expo to work out these kinks, and given that this was Taiyou Con's first time having a significant attendance at a new location the problems were understandable. However, to keep comparing them with long-time running conventions is to do the hard-working staff a major disservice so let's shift focus to what made them very impressive for a relatively unknown convention.

First, the staff was quite receptive to responding towards both the needs of the convention goers and the media while at the convention. Although there were times when some of the staffers were confused as to handle the media, they were always willing to answer our questions and get back to us in a timely manner. After having worked with several conventions over the years, you tend to appreciate receiving answers quickly versus not getting any at all.

Second, while the Persona concert started an hour late, nothing was cut from it to make room for the masquerade in their main hall. Everyone, from the opening act, Mega Ran, to the Persona concert, featuring Lotus Juice, Shihoko Hirata and Yumi Kawamura had a chance to own the spotlight, much to the delight of the dedicated fans that were in attendance. No matter where you looked, all of the fans, including some who traveled from South America, were rocking down alongside the performers with their con-provided glowsticks as they were graced with songs including, "Mass Destruction" and "Reach out to the Truth."

Probably the only thing missing from the Persona concert was of course, Shoji Meguro and the rest of the Persona Live band. When we take into consideration that he and his musical team are probably hard at work on Persona 5, the absence is definitely understandable. Still, with the help of the karaoke tracks that Lotus Juice was able to provide via his laptop, you could say that the rest of the Persona Live band were there in spirit at Taiyou Con.

As with most performances, including Lotus Juice's solo one on Sunday, there were two different tiers of attendees: VIP and general. The VIP attendees paid $50.00, but received the nice perk of going in first to grab their standing room. The VIP session also came with a private meet-and-greet with the musical guests where attendees could interact and take photos with the guests in an extended session. The only problem? It wasn't particularly well advertised, so some of the attendees who purchased VIP tickets weren't able to take advantage of it. We ourselves only became aware of it after Jason had a nice bout of insomnia and was browsing the guidebook the night before at 3 am.

Though the con itself was modest in comparison to many of the larger cons, from the viewing rooms to the panels and even the dealers' hall, Taiyou Con attendees were in good spirits during all three days, including ourselves. Sometimes when attending larger cons, you tend to close yourself off from talking with others but there's something great about the intimacy of smaller cons where being able to converse freely with others is much easier. Oftentimes, attending smaller conventions are a good reminder of how bigger is not always better, particularly if you are attending your first convention or are easily overwhelmed by crowds.

When all was said and done though, we couldn't help but walk away from Taiyou Con with a smile and that we had just experienced something awesome as Persona fans. Even if another larger Persona event ever occurs in the States, we know that we had a chance to attend the very first one in the United States thanks to the staff at Taiyou Con.