Anime Expo 2016 was a nice surprise. I started out the weekend as an attendee and ended as press. There was a miscommunication in regards to our press badges this year, but special shout out to Rachael for getting in contact with Lindsay to figure out our situation. While it was too late, I would have done more proper planning in covering Anime Expo for the team. However, it was interesting seeing the con from a regular attendee’s point of view. I did the Line Con for two days. I appreciated the fact that Anime Expo line staff gave out free bottles of water. I did like additional shade in the registration line and line for panels. I haven’t attended as a regular since 2005.

I also haven’t done much in regards to Anime Expo nightlife. As mentioned on the report, people generally leave the premises between 6PM to 7PM. South Hall shuts down and re-routes people to West Hall and the main concourse. While everyone hits the rave, there are several late night panels going down. I really liked how karaoke and anime music videos expanded their programming this year. I wished I could have seen more of karaoke and anime music videos, but I felt there was so much to do.

I really felt bummed that we couldn’t do Anisong World. I would have loved to have covered this for Scarlet Rhapsody – the lineup alone would have made for a solid guest of honor lineup for Anime Expo. Yoko Ishida, JAM Project, TM Revolution, FLOW, etc are A-list names in the anime industry. I would have loved to have seen them perform panels and do more things at the convention itself. I’m happy that the concert sold out, but would have loved to seen them had I known we were approved for press.

I did like that the dealer’s hall was much larger and you could navigate without feeling like you’re at San Diego Comic Con. There were some excellent displays this year which made the hall feel more like a trade show, but I did like seeing the industry presence. It reminds me of Anime Expo 2002 when they had the towering Hellsing castle, the Viz money booth, etc. This year, you could selfie with Tubs from Neko Atsume. They still had the small name vendors selling jewelry and accessories.  I have mixed feelings about the Artist Alley in Kentia Hall. Kentia is not that hard to find; there were clear signs to find Artist Alley. I do feel bad for the artists who did not have AC and felt uncomfortable and I’m hoping this gets resolved next year. As a consumer, Artist Alley needs to have their space apart from the dealers hall. The foot traffic in the alley was much improved and I didn’t feel sardined in. However, I’m hoping this is resolved for 2017.

I liked the academic panel line up this year. Room 411 is one of my favorite venues at the convention center. I do like listening to academic perspectives of anime whether if it’s analyzing anime genres as literature to utilizing anime in the classroom. I only had problem with one academic presenter. While I kindly disagree on his perspective, I did not appreciate his approach on harassing creators to mold into Western perspectives of equality without understanding the anime within the cultural context. I am all for Feminism and equality, but I’m not comfortable when a cis white male assumes they are the experts on a culture that is not their’s and feels entitled to force those perspectives on a creator.  

The overall vibe was a great change from last year. I felt that there was more negativity in the air. People were generally friendly and I really did enjoy meeting people at the Love Live cosplay meet up. I was involved in two private photoshoots for Love Live: White Day – one planned and another impromptu. The cosplay sets this year were fun; I’m glad Anime Expo had staff keeping track of time of how long people were using the diorama and being on standby in case if someone needed a photo taken of them. I feel that Cosplay Senpai has potential, but I would like to see more organizations like Chocolate Covered Cosplay and Queersplay which actually do have a message and have some sort of contribution back to the community. The presence of these types of cosplay groups are inspiring and gives attendees a true safe space to discuss issues of race and gender identity as well as how you could be a positive example by utilizing cosplay.

Overall, I was quite surprised that I enjoyed Anime Expo. Special shoutouts of Amy and Char who were understanding of our situation in regards to press. Additional shoutouts to Rachael and Lindsay for clarifying what had happened to our press badges. I have come to accept that Anime Expo is no longer what it used to be in Anaheim for better or for worse, but it is a con that I will still continue to support because it’s my first con, the dealer’s hall continues to impress me, the academic panels for us scholar nerds, etc. Anime Expo is not a perfect con, but I have accepted it as convention driven by industry and that there’s nothing wrong with that.

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