Time to Get Animated!
Japanese anime is everywhere. It has become a big staple and a dominating influence in American morning cartoon shows, as well as everywhere else in the world. Recently here in the United States (Anaheim, California to be exact), Japanese anime (Japanese for “animation”) and manga (Japanese for “comic book”) fans from all over the U.S. and even from around the globe, gathered together to eat, breathe, and live anime for four days non-stop. The annual Anime Expo (otherwise known as AX), which is hosted by The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) and sponsored by leading Japanese animation and entertainment companies, has made its home at the Anaheim Convention Center once again and at the within-walking-distance Anaheim Hilton hotel to celebrate its 15th anniversary. AX is the world’s largest Japanese animation and manga convention with an increased number of attendees every year. This year there were over 41,000 loving fans. It was definitely evident that age didn’t matter at Anime Expo. There were individuals of all ages enjoying the convention: children with their anime-loving parents, teenagers, young adults, older adults, and even young and old couples were seen there.
Not only focuses on the anime craze, but it also promotes the beautiful Japanese culture.
At AX there are some major attractions and highlights that every attendee must see, especially new fans. Every year SPJA invites well-known Japanese anime and cultural industry members, holding individual discussion panels for each Guest of Honor (GOH). At these discussion panels, fans can come and participate in a Q&A session with the GOH. There were over a dozen GOHs, and they included anime illustrators, anime directors, anime character designers, video game artists, and American anime voice actors and actresses. There were even special musical performances by GOH, Yocuza. In addition, there is an exhibit hall, or the Dealer’s Hall, where attendees can buy anything and everything related to Japanese culture and anime. Throughout the day there are showings of various anime series and films, anime-related workshops, and panel discussions focusing on various aspects of the Japanese culture, a mini Japanese summer festival celebrating Japanese culture, and even Japanese music panels and concerts. That’s what makes AX so unique. It not only focuses on the anime craze, but it also promotes the beautiful and diverse dimensions of the traditional – ”and modern Japanese culture.
However, those are just the small events of Anime Expo. They don’t compare to the events that have become favorite pastimes of attendees. The infamous Animation Music Video (AMV) contest happens to be a signature event of AX. Competitors submit music videos containing anime video footage and creatively coordinate it with music they choose. Attendees get to watch the semi-finalist’s videos at the convention. SPJA members pick winning music videos, but attendees also get their say by giving their screaming approval after each video is shown. Other must-see events include the Masquerade, where anime-costumed attendees participate in performing their own skits. The AX Idol singing contest and the AX Dance are notable events as well.
People can also sing karaoke, play video games in the arcade room, and even play card games in rooms set aside for these particular activities.
There is always something for everyone, even aspiring anime artists. At the convention there is an area set aside for aspiring artists to showcase their talents. You can even request, for a minimal fee, to have the artists draw what you want, whether it be a picture of your favorite anime character or a picture of yourself. These artists truly have great skills and are happy to see people come by to observe them as they work on their drawings and sketches.
Everyday is buzzing with life, whether it’s at 7 A.M. or at 7 P.M.! I saw costumed and non-costumed fans invading the Anaheim Convention Center and the Anaheim Hilton from all directions, happy to see people they met from the previous years and friends from the local area. The key feature of AX is not only seeing so many anime fans gather to celebrate Japanese animation, but it’s also to see the enthusiasm shared and displayed among the attendees. Talking with many people at the convention, it seemed that there was a consensus about what truly makes Anime Expo enjoyable: the people. You will never be at a loss of friends when you are at AX because there is always someone willing to talk to you about anime.
Time spent at the Anime Expo, whether it be one day or all four days, can definitely be a memorable experience, and it is a great way to spend time with family, and friends, both new and old.
Next year, AX makes it home at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, CA from July 1-4.
Visit www.anime-expo.org for information.
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If you plan to go to AX, be prepared to…
- Stand in the registration line for some time if you don’t pay for your admission in advance. Trust me, it’s not fun and more than tiring.
- Stand in other long lines for major events for quite awhile. The major events require tickets and people come REAL early to stand in line to get tickets and also to enter the event. Bring something to do, bring lots of friends, talk to strangers, or maybe bring a pillow to nap on!
- Bring plenty of food and beverages. Buy your food from outside because food at the convention is horribly expensive – though nice, free, and refreshing water is located throughout the convention area. It will make a huge dent in your wallet if you do plan to eat there.
- Walk a lot! You will be constantly walking around the area going from event to event, if you aren’t waiting in lines. So, wear shoes you can walk in all day.
- Bring your camera! There are plenty of Kodak moments at AX and you don’t want to miss those!
- Have fun! Don’t only enjoy the scheduled events listed. Talk to complete strangers. Find out where random events created by the attendees are taking place. However, if you like being a conformist, at least try attending more of the smaller events throughout the day. An event I like a lot is “Whose Line is it Anime?”
To learn more about Tanya visit her MyAsiance page at http://my.asiancemagazine.com/tthamkru