Anime NYC is one of the biggest anime conventions around, showcasing the best in Japanese media & pop culture with incredible exhibitors, talented artists, and special guests… all under one roof at the Javits Center in New York City! This year’s convention was from November 17-19, featuring over 700 exhibitors & artists and 90 special guests, including guests of honor IDOLiSH7’s KENN & Atsushi Abe, Studio TRIGGER, and Ash Ketchum voice actor Sarah Natochenny.
Even aside from meeting your favorite creators & voice actors, there’s always so much happening at Anime NYC. We’re talking about world premiere screenings, Q&As, behind-the-scenes panels, live DJs, concerts, and tons of cosplay meetups all weekend long! And, of course, VTuber appearances courtesy of Hololive Production:
But the Expo Hall is where you’ll want to be if you’re looking to buy merchandise at Anime NYC. Whether it’s licensed products or amazing fan art, all your favorite anime & manga is repped in some shape or form: statues, model kits, enamel pins, apparel, trading cards, Funko Pops… you name it! And with a large presence from companies like V1 Tech, Bandai, Aniplex, and Viz Media, you can count on walking away with some fun freebies too! But you definitely don’t want to miss out on Artist Alley (below), where nearly 400 artists are set up to showcase their wide range of skills. Feel free to pick up original art, postcards, acrylic standees, buttons, stickers, metal & foil prints, posters, and so much more:
And for the first time, Crunchyroll took over the Level 4 River Pavilion (below), offering fans some exciting attractions like a Jujutsu Kaisen experience, digital photo booths, Spy x Family giveaways, and a claw machine game exclusive to Crunchyroll Premium members! It was like a mini con within a con!
Not to mention the return of the gaming section (below), which is always a popular area at Anime NYC. There were dozens of free-play arcades & cabs including rhythm, fighting, and racing games… and even a VR Zone by Baz LLC! Many fans gather to play but the wait is never too long:
And we can’t forget about the legendary Japanese Food Hall! All along the walls of Anime NYC are fantastic food options so that you never have to step foot outside the Javits Center! Bento boxes, takoyaki, onigiri, dumplings, okonomiyaki, mochi donuts, bubble tea (just to name a few)… which definitely beats the typical convention food you might find elsewhere.
All the while, imagine being surrounded by some of the most passionate anime cosplayers you’ve ever seen! It’s an all-out anime experience at Anime NYC and it’s only going to get bigger & better from here because it’s already announced that next year’s Anime NYC will not only be moving to Summer 2024 (August 23-25) for the first time, but will also be taking over the full main building of the Javits Center! So get ready because badges go on sale December 5, 2023!
LesDudis 