January has passed, and as usual that means the yearly trip to the anime convention Anime Los Angeles! Taking place on January 9-12, this is a fast growing convention in Socal, and continues to give us things to cover. So let’s get to it!
Like always, I arrived and checked into the Marriott Renaissance hotel. Unlike like last year, construction was now done, and there happen to be a little store to buy food and goods now. Everything was really overpriced, but it was helpful if you need one quick item at the last minute (although there is a 7-11 two blocks over).
Now for the convention itself, one noticeable thing is the growing number of Japanese guests of honor over the years. Notably the designer/directors brought on (particularly Shinichiro Watanabe). The one that stood out to me was musician/vocalist Shihori. She not only had a concert, but also did performances while at her booth (entertaining both her fans and those
waiting in line for Kaho Shibuya).
Panels had a varied assortment . I even attended a panel telling us why Godzilla would count as a yokai. There were panels that had two nights in a row ( such as the 18+ panels of JAV History and Shibari demonstrations). In the case of the Cosplay Wrestling Federation, each night was different performances with different characters.
Now for the dealers hall, it was the same as last year with some slight variations. There was tech wear jackets available this time around and crane game from the Gamer Supps booth. The Itasha cars at the end of the dealers are always rotating in different cars to view each year, and always have something interesting to see.
Now for cosplay gatherings, this is where Anime Los Angeles continues to be lackluster. while there always good group cosplays to see, the convention continues to green light gatherings that have very little to no effort from the people requesting them. There were yet again gatherings that didn’t happen because simply no one showed up (including the host). This has been going on for so many years, and is something that really needs to be addressed.
And that was Anime Los Angeles 2025. Definitely a little more to offer than the year before. Gradually getting bigger as the years progress. I await what further installments have in store for us.
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
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