Dramacon is my absolute favorite OEL manga to date. (OEL=manga not written by a Japanese person). Actually, this was also one of the very first manga I ever read. At the time, most of the anime convention-related jokes flew over my head and a certain scene was rather disturbing to me (I was 13), but I still found the art cool and the story interesting and compelling. I laughed, I cried and years later I read it again and loved it ten times more. And, unlike many American "manga," the art actually LOOKS like a real manga, not just American comics with bigger eyes. I now recommend this manga to anyone interested in attending an anime convention--Svetlana Chmakova's fictional "YattaCon" perfectly captures the aesthetic and feel of the anime convention. I tell them, "If the con culture in Dramacon seems awesome to you, then I have no doubt you will enjoy actually going to one."

Character-wise, Dramacon also has the rare advantage of having a culturally diverse cast- being set in America, the cast includes redheads, African Americans, and Asian Americans. You really care about Chrissy and her gang of friends as they try to create their own manga and sell it on artist alley. The dynamic between her and Matt is fantastic, and late-arrival Bethany steals the show in the second and third books. The issues it deals with will ring true for many an anime fan (and non-anime fan), ranging from break-ups to irritating neighbors to racism to overbearing parents. I encourage all American manga fans to read this.

Violence/Gore
I had a difficult time deciding how to rate this series. On the one hand, there is little blood or gore, just a little is shown when a character is injured and sent to the hospital. Characters punch and hit each other, but no blood is shown. That being said, one particular scene is rather frightening. Near the end of volume 1 Spoiler: a drunken Derek angry pushes Chrissy down and tears open her shirt and attempts to rape her. He manages to roughly kiss her before Chrissy hits him on the head with an alarm clock and runs away. While not a long scene, it could be rather disturbing for younger teen readers.

Nudity/Sexual Content
Volume 1 is by far the most problematic in this regard. Derek and Chrissy arrive at the convention as boyfriend and girlfriend, and share a room together. They are later seen in bed together (obviously naked). Nothing is shown, but Derek is shown completely naked except for a conveniently placed shadow/arm. For more, see the spoiler section above. In other volumes, a couple kiss very passionately but are thankfully interrupted before they get all of their clothes off (they are just unbuttoned a little). A girl gets pregnant out of wedlock (it's not a main character).

Being set at an anime convention, random girls wear revealing cosplay outfits. Passing references are made to flashing, yaoi, tentacle porn, male crossdressing... y'know all those weird things you try to avoid while at the con.

Theological Themes
Not much in this regard. Chrissy has an angel and a devil on her shoulder giving her advice and making comments from time to time. In jest, Chrissy gives up on praying to God and ends up praying to Satan.

Problematic Themes
There is a moderate amount of mild swearing in this manga (d***, b*** especially). Lots of OMG. In the first volume one underage character ends up getting drunk after drinking an adult's case of beer.

Girls also lie to their parents (well...twist the truth at least). Bethany fights a lot with her mom.