All of the Drama, All of the Con. And More.

Svetlana Chmakova's Dramacon was one of Tokyopop's most critically acclaimed OEL manga so it's no surprise that the series received a compilation in the form of the Ultimate Edition. This is the definitive version, and comes with extras that weren't present in the original releases.

Dramacon begins when naive high schooler and aspiring writer Christie Leroux goes to her first anime convention with her artist boyfriend Derek and two of their other friends. She is initially off-put by the experience, in no thanks to the lack of attention from Derek, but has a chance encounter with enigmatic cosplayer Matt Green. He is guarded and sarcastic but when he reveals the kinder and more noble side of his personality, she finds herself drawn to him. A chain of events follow that will pick up and end with the beginning and conclusion of each con year, putting Christie through an emotional roller coaster as she immerses further into her fandom and also tries to win Matt's heart.

Dramacon's most profound strength is that it feels authentic. The story in its entirety is like a combination of con experience snippets from 4chan's /cgl/ woven tightly together to form something believable and cohesive. Conventions are after all a place for people to connect and people... tend to have drama. The manga doesn't disappoint either in terms of its cast: from minor to important, even if they are a bit archetypical, the characters are either relatable and endearing or saddeningly real and multifaceted. When Christie's friend Bethany has to openly deal with her mother's disdain for her hobby in the third volume, I'm certain it hearkens back to many a young anime fan's own experiences. The story isn't all sap though, and the constant pepperings of comedy are well-timed and hilarious.

In terms of art, the manga is sharp, clean, and vividly carries the emotion of scenes and interactions. The sleek and slender character designs are markedly shoujo and rather fitting. There is a real sense of atmosphere from the convention center to the streets to the hotel rooms, and this only adds to the manga's tone of wonderment. Lastly, the exaggerated, super-deformed segments are incorporated in a way that keeps from being obnoxious or overbearing, but instead clever.

The Ultimate Edition, as I pointed out, is the definitive version of the manga. The story and original omakes are almost all intact, and extra materials plus a cute epilogue is added that expands upon the ending. There is little reason to get the individual volumes of the manga save for collection's sake.

While Dramacon has a reputation as a solid piece of work, it's often dismissed as a light read. But I feel the people who think this don't quite get its depth and subtlety. Svetlana Chmakova admitted to starting the first volume as a quick piece of fluff, but it grew to become something beyond that because of how much truth she put into it. She has stated she'd like to return to the same characters for a future manga, which is quite telling.