It’s been just over three days since the end of Anime Expo and I am still dead on my feet and wondering if all this really just happened. Because this year was a wild and crazy ride for a four day convention, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
Anime Expo was a lot bigger than it was last year, and I feel like they needed more space instead of just expanding the AX crossing and the food court area. They also need the space and set up to be more ADA friendly, as people were struggling to get through the crowds while in wheelchairs and such. I, myself, could barely take a few steps into artist alley and ended up missing that part of con because of the crowds down there and security telling everyone to get out of a majority of the aisles because of overcrowding. The convention also put a lot of vendors downstairs in front of the artist alley, which made the artist section a lot smaller. This is sad because this is the area that sees almost the most amount of foot traffic and is what people are really there to see (and to shop from). I was only able to make it to three booths in artist alley and it was a real struggle, very claustrophobic, and barely any room to breathe as people were mashed together and trying to shift and move around. I’m lucky that I snapped photos of the booth numbers so I could look them up in the app, that way I could find their Instagram or website and shop from them there.
It seemed I wasn’t the only person struggling with this issue, as it was pretty much everywhere you went throughout the con. I hope that the convention is able to figure this out so that crowds become more manageable.
There were some new booths this year that were big hits with the con-goers, such as Mercari Japan (which also just launched its mobile app in the US not too long ago). There was never a time I was at this booth that wasn’t packed, they were also doing a great job on prices for everything. They had a set up of two double sided bookcases (kind of) with multiple shelves with bins labeled for different fandoms/series. Of course the Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer areas were mobbed and the hardest to get to. But it was fun to explore and find some really cool things I would never think I could find (and for such a good price! Five items for $30.00, then ten items for $30 as they were trying to clear out their stock toward the end of the convention).
There were also the classic booths that always draw huge crowds, Crunchyroll, Hulu, and TOHO Animation. Of course there were many more booths that were very popular, but these three constantly had lines wrapping around them for people to get in and do the interactive activations. At Crunchyroll you could give voice acting a try with their booth set up for fans to try dubbing, TOHO had many photo opportunities for fans to try out from popular anime series (they also had great freebies – mini reusable totes with images from of their most popular series), and Hulu had photo sets for fans to step into their favorite anime series (the ones currently on Hulu) and they also had an activity for fans to try and solve before leaving (and giving everyone a stack of posters too).
AX crossing this year was huge, so many more stalls with lots of food and drink options. Sadly, everything was also very pricey this year (last year was too, but this year was way too much for barely anything). They closed off the street in front of the convention center for more lines to pick up badges, and to get people into the con (since you have to tap in and out with your badge, which slows down the line). The weather was also pretty great this past weekend as well, not as hot as it could be, and we got cloudy shadows in the morning to keep us cool (thank god there were some breezes throughout the day). With the sun out as it was, there were some really great spots to take some incredible photos and to just chill out. Once again, Thirsty Waters was set up in the beer garden and it was super fun. Their theme this year was the Persona 30th anniversary celebration, turning their booth into Junes Cafe. They had some very delicious drinks, ice cream, and exclusive merch for the series. Thirsty Waters is always one of my top spots to visit, because there will always be a great drink and good music playing in the beer garden as you get to sit and enjoy.
Honestly, I could keep going for many more pages about the different and cool things that I got to see and experience at Anime Expo. But, for now I’ll leave it at this as I have many more articles filled with fun insights and news from the convention to share with you all soon!
Were you at Anime Expo? What were your highlights? Feel free to leave a comment below or chat with us on Threads at @theconventioncollective, or Bluesky at @theconcollective.bsky.social
We’re always looking for new writers that are truly passionate about stuff – we give you the review materials, the platform and the support to say what you feel from the heart. If you’d like to write opinion pieces about pop culture topics or reviews, reach out to us using the contact us form.
