A little while ago, FanimeCon finally came back after it’s absence during the pandemic. It wasn’t an easy return since there were many obstacles leading to this (particularly being under-staffed and having only half of the Signia Hilton hotel available). I went in as previous years as press and here is how Fanime 2022 fared in their adapting to a new situation.
First and foremost was entering the convention. Everyone had to be vaccinated (with both booster shots) and had to wear masks inside. You first entered through a line to get a wristband that confirmed your vaccinated status (paper cards or the vaccine app Clear was accepted), and then to regular registration. They started out with a digital wait list, but that was quickly scrapped after around two hours due to being faulty. Lines throughout the conventions days weren’t too bad. With the longer ones mostly being on day zero and the early half of day one.
Now for the programming of the convention, some changes had to be made. There were no video rooms this time around. Which meant no anime and live action films, but also no hentai nights (a popular event). No Japanese guests were flown in but they did do virtual appearances via pre-recorded videos (them being Aoi Yuki and Keisuke Ueda) And a big absence was the masquerade not happening. So the remaining programming had to really buckle down and shine extra bright.
Most notably was the fan centric element. Such as the fan panels. These always deliver in being interesting, and they stepped up to the plate even more during these. You got a variety of fan panels such as the comedic “Ash Is A Bad Pokemon Trainer”, informative ones such as Vtuber tech and racial diversity in the anime fandom. There was a lot to pique the interest. And of course I have to mention the panels I myself was involved with during Fanime. I not only hosted An Uncensored Hentai Review this year, but we finally got the room to full capacity . My panel and others of the same nature were the only hentai programming at Fanime, so we fought forward (especially since my panel was the first hentai event to happen at Fanime this year). Then there was the Cosplay Wrestling Federation. Which was possibly the highest event at Fanime. Skeletor(oops, I mean Skelegod) defended his title, and every single person performing delivered an amazing segment. A lot of new fans were made that day.
Then there were the cosplays and cosplay gatherings. The absence of Fanime didn’t slow down the return of cosplays one bit. Not only were there cosplayers galore, but the newest series of Spy X Family was in full representation. And the cosplay gatherings get more numerous as each new Fanime year happens. Older series such as Panty and stocking had their gathering, and the previously mentioned and new anime Spy X Family had theirs too. So there was a large variety of gatherings for a lot of crowds and tastes.
Then there was the non-convention related happenings. The hotdog vendors were out in force again, but you also had people selling pies and bootleg merchandise. The front of the convention center looked like a flea market. And over at Cesar Chavez park across the Signia hotel there was the fan held party known as Parkcon. DJ set up as people gathered around in the park. There was even a pinata bearing the image of Mami from Rent-A-Girlfriend (to the delight of many there). Friday,Saturday and Sunday nights were quite festive in that area.
So overall, the best way to sum up this Fanime is adaptable and fan centric. Despite many changes and some set backs, Fanime staff was able to make quick changes as the event went on, and fans really delivered when it came for their time to shine. The convention really had one great comeback, and I can’t wait to see how much better they do with these bumps on the road are behind them.
In the meantime, enjoy more cosplay pics and this montage video of the convention.
About the author: Glitch is
a digital demon from planet Fanboy, and is here to teach us humans a
thing or two. You can find more of his reviews(and nonsense) over at
www.youtube.com/glitchthedigitaldemon
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