Anime Expo 2017 Report

Anime Expo 2017 was this past weekend, making it their 26th yearly event, and it definitely was the place to be!

This year it took place June 30th to July 4th, not only at the Los Angeles Convention Center, but also expanding even more of their programming into the JW Marriott located in the LA Live area right next to the LACC. You did not read wrong, Anime Expo was FIVE days long this year because this was the first year that they introduced a pre-show night! With the introduction of the pre-show night, it increased their overall turnstile attendance to over 350,000 this year. A whopping 17% increase from last year!

With over 450 booths in the exhibit hall, Anime Expo also saw a 14% increase in vendors from 2016. Autographs, tabletop gaming and Artist Alley were again held in Kentia Hall. This year Arcade Games were moved to the JW Marriott while Industry exhibits, like a booth from PC gaming monster Blizzard, were held at the West Exhibit Hall.

What’s amazing about Anime Expo every year is their constant guest interaction. Since their introduction in 2013, AX continues to bring back their insanely popular photography sets. In addition to their popular sets: Sakura, Classroom, Japanese Garden, and more, they also decided to introduce some new sets as well, such as Arabian and Apocalyptic. With a huge selection of themes, there was a photo set that was ideal for any type of cosplay. All of these sets were also located in the West Exhibit Hall. Every day lines of cosplayers could be seen waiting for their turn to shoot at these sets with this author being no exception.

Another great way that AX interacts with their attendees is the amount of guests and programming that one is able to meet and attend respectively. Some of the 150 guests, ranging from performers, voice actors and creators, that came over are: Yamada Ryosuke, Fumihiko Sori, Yuto Tsukuda, Miyo Irino, Daisuke Hirakawa, Yui Horie, Yui Ishikawa, Tomokazu Seki and more! With the arrival with so many amazing actors and directors we were able to see so many amazing exclusive sneak peaks and premieres! Attendees were able to watch Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Prologue and the Tokyo Ghoul live action movie premieres for the first time! There are far too many guests to name here, but rest assured that if you were an attendee, you never had a second of down time!

On the third night of Anime Expo had their inaugural EDM concert, Neon District, an event that this author was happily able to attend. An amazing set of talented DJs, such as TeddyLoid, played throughout the night. Guests were also given a complimentary LED ring when they entered the concert area and a beer garden ensured that the party lasted far into the small hours of the morning. 

Unfortunately, as with any event as big as Anime Expo, there were some parts that could be improved as well. If you were able to get your badges pre-show night, then you were in luck because it took less than five minutes. However, if you tried the first day then you were a victim of a special kind of hell. The unfortunately named “Line Con”, which always exists at conventions to some degree, but seemed worst on Day One of AX 2017. Some attendees had to wait over six hours just for their badges and another 30 minutes just to enter the building due to more rigorous and thorough bag checks implemented this year. Anime Expo was able to rectify this by offering free badges or refunds to those who could not attend the con that day due to the lines, so all was not lost. Although the newly instated strict bag checks were strenuous, due to the recent incident at Phoenix Comic Con, it was a necessary evil for the safety of everyone in attendance.
 
Anime Expo introduced many “firsts” this year to change it up. It feels as if they have a great foundation to expand on and improve possibly eventually breaking into taking over the entire LA Live area. With what they already had to offer and their history of expansion, we are definitely going to see steady growth in the years to come. Even with the minor setbacks, AX was a lot of fun that allowed opportunities to indulge as well as hang with friends. We can’t wait to see what other surprises they hold for us in 2018!

-Eunice

For More Information on Anime Expo:
http://www.anime-expo.org/

​Keep an eye out for more AX 2017 coverage from Anime Expo 2017!