“Hey ,have you heard, there’s an anime festival in town!!”
I look up from my chemistry notes. Miranda, Viola and I were in my room “studying.”
Miranda was really just messing around on her laptop and Viola was lying on the floor with her math book over her face moaning.
“Sounds fun, we should go.” I say even though I don’t fully understand what an “anime festival” is.
“Anything would be better than math,” Viola groans from the floor. “How are we supposed to under stand ANY of this mess!!”
Miranda looks down at what Viola was talking about.
“That’s only dividing fractions! It actually quite simple-“
“DON’T,” Viola says. “It is my firm belief that after a certain point math gets soooo hard that people go insane trying to wrap their heads around it and that’s why they can understand it and not the rest of us!”
I laugh, that’s Viola for you! Miranda shakes her head and opens her mouth to retort.
“Hey, why don’t we go to that anime festival tomorrow afternoon?” I say, trying to avoid a argument about math!
Miranda looks at me, “yes! I’ll bring the cosplays!” Miranda says, pumping a fist into the air.
“Then its settled,” Viola says, sitting up and grabbing her math book. “We’ll meet right after school.”
I smile, it would be nice to get a break from saving the world.
The next day…
I spot Miranda and Viola right outside out school. I wave them over.
“You guy’s ready?” I say. They both nod. I notice Miranda has a big bag over on shoulder, she sees me looking.
“Just wait til you see what costumes I got us!” She says with a mischievous smile.
“Then come on lets get changed!” Viola says as she grabs us both and pulls us to my apartment.
I smiled.
As we walk through the anime festival, I fan myself as I wish that Miranda had got us lighter costumes.
We are dressed up as the MCs of Protectors of the Forest (an anime about magical girls who protect endangered animals), I am Kinkajou, Miranda is Siberian Tiger, and Viola is Polar Bear.
I have to admit the festival is pretty cool, their carnival game are themed to include anime characters and references. There are treat stand featuring all sorts of treats from every anime I have ever heard about.
We stopped and got bingshas from a cart as we made our way to the center of the festival.
Miranda really wants to compete in THE ULTIMATE SUPREME ANIME QUIZ OF ALL TIME EVER.
“There it is!” Miranda squeals as we see the platform, Miranda goes to sign up an Viola and I go and find seats in the crowd.
The competition is so thrilling and Miranda cruises through it easy-peasy. You have to admire how she can remember all the members of Club 31 and their numbers!
It’s the final round and Miranda is up against a girl dressed up as Deforestation (the villain from Protectors of the Forest)
The final question is “in what episode does it first mention that Siberian Tiger’s favorite food is fried chicken?”
There’s a mad dash for the buzzer, Deforestation gets it first . “Episode twenty three!” she calls out.
Everyone in the audience holds their breath…
“That is… wrong! Miranda now gets the chance to steal!!!”
She hits her buzzer. “Trick question – Siberian tigers favorite food is omurice, and she’s a vegetarian, hah!”
“Correct!! Miranda wins!!”
We cheer as Miranda gets handed the collectors edition copy of Werewolf Shape Shifting Girl
She’s smiles at me and I smile back.
___________________________________________________________________
We walk around enjoying the rest of the Festival, Viola insist on trying to win one of those scam basketball games called “So They Do It In Animes.”
“You do realize those are made to make you fail,” Miranda says.
“Oh come on I’ve been playing basket ball since I was three!” Viola says as she steps up to play. She sinks it easily.
“Yes!” She does a victory dance as the administrator gives her a plushie of a boy from a mega basketball anime.
We walk through the rest of the festival laughing and talking.
The sun is setting so we grab some caramel popcorn (how caramel popcorn applies to animes baffles me) and we walk back to my apartment. We’re having a sleepover after the festival.
As the others get changed, I look out my window, reliving the last few hours I had spent with my friends, the lights of the festival with the sun setting behind it is so beautiful.
I smile.
