Another year, another Anime Expo.
I’m not entirely sure if it’s because I’m getting older,
or if it’s San Diego Comic-Con casting its shadow over all other conventions,
but year after year Anime Expo seems a bit smaller. Don’t get me wrong – it’s
always a good time. The Artist Alley is still its strongest asset, and people
watching at AX is pretty much second to none, but it still just felt small.
Pop culture conventions have their work cut out for them.
SDCC has made nearly all of them obsolete – but that doesn’t mean they don’t
serve a purpose. The Wizard World Tour conventions (now known as Anaheim Comic
Con, Chicago Comic Con, etc) have always been the convention that held me over
until the real deal: SDCC. It’s always been a great convention, but it’s
essentially an appetizer so you aren’t starving once the end of July comes
around.
I think Anime Expo can learn from this trend. If AX moved
to April or October, the experience would be compounded. If it occurs too close
to SDCC, I can’t help but wish I was down in San Diego. I could be alone in
this thought, considering the crowds filling the Los Angeles Convention Center looked
like they didn’t want to be anywhere else – especially the cosplayers. These people
are among the most devout fans in all of pop culture anything. If they’re dressed like Naruto, they generally believe
they are Naruto. I saw a Sora from Kingdom
Hearts fighting a Heartless, and they moved like the characters. Sora was
standing in his crouched down default stance, and the Heartless was bouncing
around like the wiggly idiots they are. It was ridiculous looking – so ridiculous – but I couldn’t help feeling respect toward the Hero of the Keyblade and his
enemy.
Like I said earlier, the Artist Alley is the real draw
of Anime Expo. Some of these amateur
artists seem to capture the characters better than the original artists
themselves. I think a lot of it has to do with the personal connection fans
have with these characters. Also, unlike the booths at AX, the alley features
art that isn’t just limited to anime. I actually picked up a really great
Doctor Who print featuring the Doctor and a young Amelia Pond shortly after the
TARDIS crashed at the beginning of last season. It’s incredibly well done – and
it was $2. Two bucks. It was less
than a Filet-o-Fish, and you can’t find this stuff anywhere else. Where else
can you find Ichigo Kurosaki making out with Naruto? (Yes, apparently the
majority of men in anime go both ways.)
I enjoyed my time at Anime Expo this year, though I do
think it would strike a few more chords at a different time of the year. Is
SDCC better? Undoubtedly. Will I go back to AX next year? Might as well –
especially if it’s still in Los Angeles. Besides, these cosplayers are too outrageous to miss. For example, here's Yoshi checking out Peach's goods:
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