This is a fun manga that follows characters as they try to navigate a convention. It's full of hilarious things and is about A++ on the nose about a con. I enjoyed it a lot.

Very much a time capsule, but back when, I remember how cool it was to read a manga-styled American story about congoing and the friends you make there. The author has rightly moved on to more complex stories (and better publishers, that don't exploit newer creators -- which is why I'm not writing about this book on my site), but this is such nostalgic fun for me.

Dramacon by Svetlana Chmakova is a drama romance manga following Christie and her experiences during her first three years at the Yatta Anime Convention. She deals with her toxic relationship with her boyfriend as well as floundering during her first year at the convention with the only real lifeline was the snarky (would you count him as snarky?) Matt who she'd bumped into while there.
I'd first read this series around the time it first came out and had fallen in love with the story, the art and the characters. There were moments that were hilarious, moments that were heartbreaking, and moments that you wanted to rage.
In the first volume there is a content warning I want to mention: attempted rape.

I miss anime conventions so much here in the year 2020 and this manga is perfect healing for that.. It reminded me so much of what it felt like to be at a con and all of the wild and sometimes a little scary things you come across while there.. I will be adding this to my manga collection

'Dramacon: 15th Anniversary Omnibus Edition' by Svetlana Chmakova collects all three volumes of the Dramacon series in one huge manga edition.

The series takes place over 3 years at an anime convention. In the first volume, Christie is a writer who is new to conventions. Her manga is drawn by her boyfriend who is kind of a jerk. A mysterious stranger who always wears sunglasses. Over the course of three cons, they form a relationship that has it's ups and downs.

I just loved this story and these characters. There is drama and humor and really loveable characters. The art kept drawing me in, and I loved the con setting that felt pretty authentic to me. I gulped down all 600+ pages and loved every minute of it.

I received a review copy of this manga from Tokyopop, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.

I am probably not the best reader for this book as I am at the point in my life where a herd of drama llamas leaves me nothing but tired. This is a clearly early work by an author and artist who are both growing into their skills and technique; I'd love to find what they have done lately. And while this does capture the excitement of both finding a community and finding a new love, at 600-plus pages of moodiness and tears and sighs and.......drama, it really just left me tired.

5 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

I hadn’t heard of this manga whenever it came out but to be fair my library has always had a very limited selection. I loved this manga even though there were some characters that clearly are meant to be frustrating. The boyfriend manipulating her into thinking whatever he wanted and the roommates who seemed to be oblivious on how stressed she about her first con. She does find a great new group of friends through meeting a sarcastic yet mysterious guy (*cue anime cliche*). I am so happy I discovered this manga series and the author’s introduction was interesting to find out that she was one of the first non Japanese manga artist. It was great to the be able to read the series with the omnibus and I would highly recommend to any manga and anime fans. In particular those who have attended different kinds of con’s (Which I have not)

A reader copy of volume 1 was provided to me by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: Abusive partner, issues around disability (partial blindness and disfigurement), parental drama and near death experience, racism.

I really really loved this book! I would highly recommend it to people like me who go to conventions. It brought back lovely memories for me and made me really miss going to conventions. The last time that I went to one was over a year ago and this manga made me remember all the things I love about conventions.

The manga follows Christie who is an amateur writer who goes to her first con as an artist in the artist gallery to promote the manga that she wrote and her boyfriend drew. We follow her adventures at the convention as she finds herself, finds new love, and new friends.

I was really surprised about how quickly this manga gripped me. I was hooked as soon as we met Matt. I ended up finishing this book in two goes and the pages flew by. I am definitely going to be continuing on with the series because I need to know what happens next to the characters in the next convention. You grow to love the characters pretty much as soon as they are introduced which made me invested in the story and why I want to continue on with the series.

I highly recommend this manga if you have not yet read it. It is a bit more adult and it does have explicit scene, but if you are okay with reading those then do not miss out on reading this manga!

I first read this in high school, and have been trying to remember the title for years. I have to say my rating now comes more from nostalgia than from actual enjoyment of my read this time.

**Egalley provided by Netgalley in exchange for honest review**

After having to cancel my plans to attending Otakon this year, finding Dramacon felt like I at least was able to attend an anime convention between the pages. Dramacon followed Chriss, who is a vendor in Artist Alley with her independent manga over three years at the Yatta Anime Convention.

Chriss and her friends deal with toxic relationships, cheating, familial expectations, and following your dreams. This was an enjoyable read - and full of high school romance and drama.

I definitely loved Chriss and Matt’s dynamic. They definitely had some of the best lines. Like…
Chriss: “Ah, yes, tact. Tell me you’ve at least heard of it.”
Matt: “In passing. A most foreign concept if you ask me.”

This omnibus collection has been released to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the publication of Dramacon Vol. 1. Thank you to TokyoPop, author Svetlana Chmakova, and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This takes me back to my high school days and my first con. I loved the nostalgia and I love the main character, she's timid but finds her voice as time passes. Plus the love interest in on point. I really like Svetlana's work, they consistently do a good job. This gn is cute, sweet and fun, and i want to read more.

Full of teen drama and suggestive of cheating and toxic relationship, this was quite a fun read.

The artstyle is good and the art sequence well-maintained.

It doesn't follow the usual manga reading style and can be read as well as a graphic novel or a comic series.

The manga talks about a teen couple in which the girl isn't happy because of the way her boyfriend keeps flirting with every girl he comes across.

He's violent and tends to neglect her all the time and tends to remember her when he needs something from her.

Fed up of all the hurt and betrayal, the girl tries her best to befriend other people and gets to know a guy during the comicon.

Well, lots of fights and drama later the story ends well.

Love how it's such a wholesome story.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

SmutGeek’s Content Warning:
Abusive partner, issues around disability (partial blindness and disfigurement), parental drama and near death experience, racism

I first read Dramacon in High School. I think I won the set in a competition but I can’t remember the situation clearly (I’ve slept since then). I do, however, remember devouring each page and swooning. I felt SEEN in the character Christie! As an insecure, brunette writer who has a thing for the gruff and grumpy dudes – yea the comparisons were there.
I carried the book around, forcing my friends to read it even as I didn’t let it out of my sight.

Years later, after attending a few conventions, venturing into making a living as a writer, and worked with a few artists (which didn’t work out), I still feel the resonance with Christie. I’ve also developed a bit of Matt’s crankiness along the way, I’m sorry to say.

Dramacon is a great slice of life look at United States Anime Conventions. It calls out all the typical con stuff from the wild and cute cosplays, the way booths are or can be run, and the excitement of being with people that get you in a world that sees you as a geek.
Its also a fun new adult romance with twists and turns along the way and a Happily Ever After ending that gives all the warm and fuzzies.

I will admit, sometimes the drama gets a little too real. The abusive boyfriend in volume one hit home for me. Later the stresses of long distance relationships and then the harder hitting issues of racism in the anime/manga world that is only touched on…y’all when it says Drama this manga means it. This isn’t exactly the lightest, fluffiest read.

I love this manga and definitely recommend Dramacon by Svetlana Chmakova to other shoujo lovers or people that want to get into this genre. Grab a physical copy though – the epub edition I received for free was grainy and if I didn’t know what I was reading already I would have been a little lost. Be ready to binge!

I recommend this to anyone who likes comics and has ever been interested in a comic or anime convention! Also, to anyone that wants to see real characters struggle while still having fun.

This is so good, getting to read this comic all over again after so many years is giving me major feels! And I have to say, now that I'm older and I can fully understand everything that happens in the story, the dialogues and the characters are so realistic and accurate! Although I'd say they feel older than what they are, I'd say it would've made more sense if Chris and her friends were college freshmen and Matt was a college senior or already a graduate. I love it so much. I'm so glad I could get this copy to re-read the story again. Thank you <3

PS: Now I kind of regret having given my paper copies of the comic away to charity not so long ago... damn. This is the type of story that never grows old, and you could definitely re-read it several times!

I have this trilogy in its original 3-book manga set, and I can't even remember how I stumbled upon it several years ago, but I was so glad I did. Rereading it right now was just the thing too -- a perfect break from all the pandemic nonsense currently going on. As a geek, it's fun reading about other geeks, in our geeky element! I love the characters, I love the art and storytelling, and I have the hugest crush on Matt (just don't tell my husband).
As I read with my 2020 glasses on, the near-rape trope is not ideal, but anyone who reads manga with any regularity won't be surprised by it.

VOLUME 1
At first, I really wasn’t sure about this manga. When I looked at the cover, I thought the style didn’t really matched mine. What a waste it would have been. I absolutely loved it. This kind of manga gives me so much energy, I love it. It was so funny and cute. I was right about the style; I didn’t love it but I enjoyed it. It’s just that the characters’ body is not proportionate in the usual cute way, the faces for example are longer and the eyes are a bit too spaced. This didn’t prevent me from enjoying the story though. It conveys the message that even though you think you love someone, you shouldn’t let them get away with everything, especially if that hurts you. It may be difficult to let it go but it is always worth it and you will find something better in the future. I recommend this manga and will now read the second volume.
4/5

VOLUME 2
This second volume was almost better than the first one. It was a bit les cute in that there was less romance in this volume than in the first one but the main character got more developed I think. The story had a bit more depth too, talking about the career of mangaka, manga and the struggle with making it. I enjoyed Bethany a lot, she was so mature and passionate, and this manga is still full of humour. I don’t have much to say about that one, except that you should read it.
5/5

VOLUME 3
This was a very nice last manga. I am glad we got to see Matt a lot more than in the last volume. The romance was just so cute, I finished this one really quickly, maybe to quickly. I also enjoyed Bethany’s story a lot, when she is finally ready to reveal her love for art to her mother. I am thankful for the ending, but still wish there was a fourth volume after. The short story at the end, from the point of view of Matt was so cute, a bit cheesy maybe but it made me smile so much.
5/5

Dramacon is, as the foreward says, a relic of the 00s convention culture, and as such, some of the details aged...well, not great. That said, it is still a humorous and romantic vision of anime conventions and con culture, a form of wish-fulfillment that is heartwarming and endearing to read. Chmakova's art is adorable and evocative, perfectly reminiscent of the shoujo manga that was super popular at the time and that clearly inspired her.

High-Schooler and budding graphic novel writer is on her way to her first anime con with her boyfriend, Derek. While she's traveling with two 21+ friends, she's getting thrown into the deep end with having a table in the Artists' Alley. The con is huge. Confusing. Worse, Derek and her friends seem to think the best way to experience a con is to be thrown in feet first -- sink or swim -- without checking to see if the person is able to handle something like that. And worst of all, her boyfriend, and also the artist/partner on her graphic novel/webcomic, is flirting with every cute cosplayer who stops by their table.

When Christie can't handle it any more, she takes off. Running through the crowded halls and directly into the chest of the too-cool-for-words Matt. The sparks fly. And when did Christie's life turn into a Shojo Manga?

--

Oh my stars, how Dramacon by Svetlana Chmakova takes me back. Initially published in 2005, the manga accurately depicts the convention scene from back then -- I should know I worked them (still do). Everything from the chaos (which still happens), To the labyrinth of the various convention centers (which is still the case), To the sleeping arrangements (Let me tell you of the time I slept in the bathtub of a hotel) rings true to reality. There’s lots of in-jokes and callbacks to the time. Like the lines. The Pocky. And the cosplayers.

The story is definitely in the vein of a Shojo manga. There’s a lot of the same tropes and beats -- the whole thing is very much an homage to both the convention world and Shojo. It reminds me in some ways of Skip Beat! and KareKano. The art style is lovely. Especially if you like the styles seen in things by Yuu Watase and Arina Tanemura -- especially Watase seriously some of the asides reminded me of how Watase did them.

I especially liked the characters -- particularly Bethany (who shows up in Volume Two) and Matt. Christie is a pretty typical teenager -- in fact she reminds me greatly of the kids I'd see at cons. Most of the cast could easily be a typical con-goer... you have the purists, the old-pros, the n00bs, the cosplayers, the fangirls, etc. There's even an older Mangaka, Lida, who is there as a Guest of Honor.

One of the things I liked most about this collection as a whole is that it features PoC and people with disabilities. That's something that is still rare in graphic novels/manga.

As a note, it is laid out/written Left-to-Right as opposed to Right-to-Left so don't do what I did and start reading from the wrong side. LOL

Frankly I really loved this trip down memory lane complete with nostalgia glasses.

Five stars

I received an ARC via NetGalley.

This was such an emotional ride for me. It was great but it does have quite a few downsides.

The mystery of the story was quite well done! I enjoyed the overall story pretty well. It's the reason why I continued reading it, along with two of the ships. Honestly, Criss and Matt have the best comebacks for each other. I was legitimately cackling as I was reading some of them. My favorite one was "When I get back I'm taking you out for some TACT. My treat," that Criss said.

The weirdest part about this was that it was in American reading style (R-L) instead of traditional Japanese manga (L-R). Another weird (but not as weird) was all the references. I am educated in anime/manga terms and titles but did you have to name drop all of them??? Some other fussy elements (i.e. Matt's abs) were included and I'm not even sure why.

I'm glad that Criss was supportive of her artist friend Bethany. I really liked that element. The romantic elements were done in a great way if we're talking about Bethany and Raj. I found myself really rooting for them. I didn't like some of the characters you were supposed to dislike but I also disliked some of the main cast's choices.

I'm not a huge fan of the art. The eyes are too far apart and just generally the lineart style is strange. Also some of the paneling was done incorrectly and so it got confusing. It was consistent throughout which is good. I've read a webcomic online that was horrible about keeping their art style looking remotely similar.

I'm not sure I'll read it again, but if I do, I'm going to reread it for Beth and Raj!!

How time flies!!!
Thank you to Tokyopop and Netgallery for the opportunity to read this manga, one of my favorites

It's been 15 years since Svetlana Chmakova published "Dramacon", a manga with a really great story, memorable characters and a nice drawing style. Almost 15 years ago I was luckly to find volume 1 in Spanish, and it's been with me since. Been in a con can be be really fun, can't wait for next year when everything is OK to be together at these kind of events, to do cosplay and talk about mangas and anime.
I wish there were more volumes, there could be more stories, or even to know what happened with Chris and Matt years after. When I read it the first time, I couldn't believe it was just one... it took me some years to find volumen 2 and 3. It's good that now the three are in one book, hardcover, though I hope one day to see all of it in Spanish and other languages.