For all of the bizarre accouterments that pass through their screening equipment, it's a safe bet that even the most veteran TSA agents have never seen the likes of what Jeff Williams examined in two days working the Weapons Check Point at Kawaii Kon 2009.

The decidedly quirky three-day anime festival, which ends its run at the Hawai'i Convention Center today, in its first two days has attracted thousands of fans of Japanese animation, manga and video games. Many of them arrived in anime- inspired costumes tastefully accessorized with all manner of swords, maces, clubs and fantastical firearms.

Though most of the costume weapons were made of plastic, foamcore or other benign materials, Williams and the rest of his security crew had to make sure each could be managed safely in the crowded exhibition rooms.

Thus, 6-foot serpent swords had to be sheathed and titanic tri-guns holstered to ensure the safety and comfort of the bunny-eared masses.

"We just want people to have a safe and fun time," Williams said. "This is a time to get together and let loose, because this is not accepted in society on a normal basis."

True enough. While Japanese animation and its related sub-industries have established strong footholds in the American mainstream over the past decade or so, events like Kawaii Kon are designed for the truly passionate.

Yesterday, hundreds of anime enthusiasts, from pimply fan-boys to graying graphic-novelistas, roamed the various gaming rooms and exhibitions snapping pictures of cos-play (costume play) standouts and exhausting their debit cards on anime-drawn accessories.

Inside the main exhibition room, vendors offered everything from plush soy beans ("Edamame gone wild!") to InuYasha luggage tags, anime caricatures to art assessments.

Andrea Neely flew in from Texas, where she studies nursing at Tarrant County College, to sell animal-ear headbands and other hand-sewn products and to take in the scene.

"This is my favorite (anime festival)," she said. "I'm not into anime shows, but I love the people. They're the nicest people. Everyone is really friendly and there are no cliques."

Linda Potter, 50, and her daughter, Winnie, both avid anime and video game fans, celebrated Winnie's 13th birthday by flying in from Hilo to attend the convention.

"We watch them all and we play all the games," said Potter, a tattoo artist. "It keeps kids into being creative instead of making trouble in the streets. Making costumes can take days or weeks. It's another form of art and expression."

Winnie came in a Zelda-inspired gown. Potter came in a purple wig and an original armor-like costume fashioned out of reflective car shades and a pair of strategically placed oil funnels.

The public library system took advantage of the convention to spread the word about its own expansive collections of anime and manga.

Marcia Ikuta, a librarian at the Salt Lake/Moanalua Public Library, offered giveaways to anyone who could produce a library card.

"We've always been ahead of the game because Hawai'i is situated where (anime and manga) ... has been acceptable," Ikuta said. "On the Mainland, it's not as acceptable because it's an Asian thing. It's quite commonplace in our libraries."

Kelsey Ito, 22, of Hilo was the subject of several impromptu photos thanks to a meticulously constructed version of Isaac Clarke's Engineering RIG suit from the video game Dead Space.

Ito said he spent several days constructing the elaborate suit from foamcore just for the event.

"It's fun being here," he said. "It's just good to see other people who are into the same thing."

It took 20-year-old Crystal Oneha of Kunia 2 1/2 weeks to sew her Cardcaptor Sakura costume, complete with large, cardboard-mounted wings.

Oneha said her mother initially encouraged her to watch anime, and she eventually channeled that passion into cos-play.

At yesterday's event, Oneha cast an admiring eye on the wide variety of homemade costumes, paying close attention to "craftsmanship, quality and what was used to make it."

"When you make your own costume," she said, "people give you props."