It really came full circle for me. Kagerou Days is the first song I heard Soraru sing, So hearing him sing it yesterday transported me to that moment 13 years ago.
In Japan the skill level has no bearing on if you'd be accepted or not. Also a lot of people do it because they want to share their passion or art. Not for money. It makes cons back home seem shallow in a way and also means that the variety is always limited to what is popular
One thing I always notice about JP comic cons compared to ones back home is that JP ones are all about love and passion. Ones back home are more about making money. I feel like it's nearly impossible to sell art of OCs at my local conventions, even if you were to be accepted.