By Jesse Besowshek
Anime fans from all over flocked to the Hyatt Regency at O'Hare to attend Anime Central 2002.
Anime is the Japanese term for animation and has become quite popular in the United States as of late.
Voice actress Melissa Williamson, who attended Anime Central as a guest, said she enjoys the business.
"I get a thrill out of being recognized for my portrayals," said the actress best known as Julia in the show "Cowboy Bepop" and Nuriko from "Fushigi Yugi," which means "The Mysterious Play."
Companies, which have been formed to license the various shows from Japan and put video copies on the shelves of the local video store, had displays at Anime Central. An example of one such company is A.D. Vision, which is celebrating ten years in the business.
Anime Central hosted a number of events everyone could attend, the biggest of which was the masquerade. A number of people dressed as their favorite characters and performed a short skit on stage.
Their costumes and skits were judged based on ingenuity and how well the costumes were designed. The winners took home a new DVD player and a horde of other prizes.