They say there's a first time for everything, and North America's largest anime convention is no different. Having visited so many conventions over the year, it was actually kind of surprising that I hadn't personally attended Anime Expo. Just blame it on my usual work schedule, I guess. Luckily, I managed to attend Anime Expo 2024, and let me tell you it was a wild ride. I mean what's not to love about being in LA in July?
So, what was Anime Expo 2024 like, you ask? Well, let's just say hearing about it second-hand wasn't the same as attending. Day 0 started with us dropping by to pick up our Press Badges. Thanks again to Anime Expo and its staff for providing us with passes. Anime Expo took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which is situated next to Crypto.com Arena. It also happened during the 4th of July weekend and ran for a total of 4 days.
As with most large conventions, the first thing that was obvious before even entering was the long lines of people. Thankfully, it was a cooler year and people seemed well-prepared for the heat. Organization was also much better than expected, especially given what I'd heard about past years.
Though, the inside of the convention center was still packed with people. Photos alone really don't do it justice, but they at least give a fairly good idea of how busy it was inside. They let people inside the convention center earlier than the start time for all days, but they didn't open the exhibitor's hall, Artist Alley, and gaming room doors until near the start time. This did relieve some of the lines that formed outdoors and provided a comfortable area with A/C to wait instead of standing around in the heat outdoors, so I couldn't really complain.
The good news is that the venue itself was quite large, which provided more than enough room for all the attendees and the way the convention was sectioned helped reduce crowding in most areas. However, if there was one downside, it had to be Artist Alley, where it feels like they could either reallocate the space better or change the layout so that certain booths that were busier get better line control. I feel for all the artists who constantly have their booths busy in the middle of the roadway. Not much you can do about it and you really can't blame the artists for being popular.
Once you enter the exhibitor's hall, you're greeted with a very large showroom. If you've ever attended a tradeshow or an Asian convention like ACGHK, which we have previously visited, it gives a good idea of the vibe inside. The feeling is very commercial and you can tell they're focused on selling you a product. Nothing wrong with that, given how much of a professional convention Anime Expo is, of course.
For what it's worth, some first-time attendees may find this a little different or off-putting, even. However, as most conventions expand they start to reach the point where they have large companies in various aspects of Japanese anime, manga, culture, etc. industries that want to both sell their goods and also advertise their upcoming products and works. Nothing wrong with that, since people certainly enjoy the vibes and the products you can pick up. Not to mention, you're not forced to buy anything, and hell, you might even get some free swag along the way.
All the usual companies you would expect to be at Anime Expo were present. The goods for sale ranged from figures, plushies, anime, and manga to just about anything you can think about that would be related to Japanese anime and manga. One of the nicest things about the trade show vibe was being able to see upcoming products without being forced to buy them.
On top of all the things you could see and buy within the Dealers' Hall, you could also attend various events that were either directly or indirectly tied to Anime Expo. One such example was the LA Dodgers game that featured Hololive Night during the time Anime Expo was running. Speaking on that experience would take another full article. Let's just say the merch lineup might have been longer than the Anime Expo line. The good news is that the baseball was great to watch. Nothing like heading down to Dodger's Stadium to watch a game of Hololive Baseball. Did we also mention there were various concerts during the convention, too? Because, yeah, those were also a thing.
Beyond just what was popular at the time, the convention also featured a bunch of future anime and manga previews and screenings. One's such as Momentary Lily and a bunch of panels that showed the upcoming latest and greatest in anime, manga, books, and even video games. That way you could both look forward to upcoming works and reminisce about past works while attending. Bless modern consumerism. It certainly works. 😄
Music was also heavily featured as there were many previews and samples of songs from upcoming anime and even different groups and singers were being played throughout the entire event. Be it from different groups or even VTubers, you were sure to find something that would tickle your fancy. Who knows? One might even find a new group to get into.
Speaking of VTubers, they were heavily featured throughout the entire convention. I mean, we did mention Hololive Baseball, remember? That only really scratched the surface, though. In addition to that major event, there were livestreams at the convention and even concerts from some of the most popular VTubers.
The combination of various facets of Japanese culture really built a great vibe at the convention that was unlike any other. It's hard to believe how many people attend such an event. It feels like it wasn't even many years ago when the stigma of anime conventions was really in the dumps. Anime Expo is truly a great showing of how far we've come since those early days of small conventions where 'weird nerds' gathered.
So what were my takeaways from Anime Expo 2024? It was honestly an amazing experience and definitely worth trying. It felt like a small slice of Japan was flown straight to LA. Sure, there were a lot of people, and of course that meant very long lines. However, it really is hard to experience anything quite like Anime Expo anywhere else. In a way, it feels like a standard trade show intersecting with Japanese culture. That isn't necessarily a bad thing and the attendance is a real reflection of that. The vibes were certainly more corporate, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Find some friends and head over to Anime Expo if you're given the opportunity, you certainly won't regret it.
Would I visit again?
Certainly. It was an enjoyable experience and really showcased how great an anime convention could be.
Questions or comments? Tweet us at @fansubbing! You can also follow us for updates on the latest articles, too.