The first month of the new year arrived, and that means another year of the anime convention Anime Los Angeles. Once again taking place on January 4-7 in the Long Beach convention center. This is possibly the fastest growing convention in socal, and we’re gonna take a look at transpired during these four days of anime and otaku culture.
Upon arriving, the first thing I noticed is the heavy construction going in the hotel I was staying at (The Marriott Renaissance). There was a bit more walking from parking in order to get to the check in desk (which was on the third floor this time), but hotel staff made thing easy. So check in was easier than I would have thought.
Now for entering the con itself, security was very professional and not much of a hassle as compared to other years of anime LA or other conventions. Registration also moved pretty fast, especially with no line in getting my press badge. All of that was when I was entering later in the evening, but I did notice lines to get in also move fast in the morning when con was in full force. In this regard things went smooth.
Now for the big events, the first one I went to was the Anistage. Featuring performances by DJs and many booths to buy merch. The stage was hosted by guest of honor Kaho Shibuya (returning for the fourth time). This also included a dance performance by the Asayoru maids and their announcement of relocating their cafe to a new upgraded location. Overall a lively performance with a very lively crowd.
In addition to something of the same nature, I also went to the Cosplay Deviants dance. It also mostly DJs performing but didn’t have the same energetic vibe from the crowd.
And when it comes to the panels portion, there was the one I was involved with, the Cosplay Wrestling Federation. This trash talking event was made up of two shows, consisting of a Friday and a Saturday version. Not only was the room packed on both days, but it was also the ten year anniversary of the CWF. There are no signs of things slowing down as the event gets louder and bigger each year.
Now there were flaws with the way events at Anime LA were run. In the above mentioned event of CWF, the first event of it had to contend with starting ten minutes late because the previous panel ran over their alloted time. Over in the Cosplay Deviants cosplay competition, there were reports of performers only having 45 seconds to their striptease. Causing an awkward moment to those involved.
Another problem was the lack of signs for the cosplay gathering sites. There were plenty of arrows pointing attendees to multiple entry points into the convention center, but absolutely nothing leading to the hard find cosplay gathering sites. Even worse, there were no signs specifically on the sites themselves. You had to look at the map and hope you were at the right site.
On the positive side of things, line management was well done. Including a staffer holding a sign to signify the end of a line for events, as well as autograph lines not causing problems with foot traffic flow in the dealers hall.
Overall, the con had a lot of activities to offer and a vibrant atmosphere. Setting aside the negatives, it still manages to be a fun convention and keeps pushing forward in it’s growth. And of course the cosplayers never fail to impress. Here’s to more years of Anime LA.
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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