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NEWS: Anime Expo's SPJA to Rebrand With Continued Focus on Japanese Culture

I hope they don't forget the US fans, since Anime Conji in San Diego was canceled this year...

Hiroki not Takuya wrote:

I hope they don't forget the US fans, since Anime Conji in San Diego was canceled this year...

They already have. Actually, they haven't cared about the fans in well over a decade. They cater exclusively towards the industry or anyone who can pay industry level funds. The bulk of their guests are all brought over by various companies like Aniplex and are controlled by these companies in return for booth space and premium panel slots.

I figured it would only be a matter of time before Anime Expo not only tried to mimic Japan Expo, but also tried to become the anime version of Comic Con. I'm sad to see that Anime Expo has become so industry focused as to forget its roots. The entire convention is solely focused on fleecing attendees for as much money as possible, either because any event you want to attend costs extra or can only be accessed if you bought a premium badge.

As for their name change, I hope they change it to Aniplex Expo as that seems to be in tune with the direction the convention is going. Just like Aniplex, AX is charging you as much as they possibly can for content other conventions give you for much less.

All I want is a sequel to the 1996 megaposter.

They already have. Actually, they haven't cared about the fans in well over a decade. They cater exclusively towards the industry or anyone who can pay industry level funds. The bulk of their guests are all brought over by various companies like Aniplex and are controlled by these companies in return for booth space and premium panel slots.

Anime Expo is the only anime convention I've ever been to, and I've been going there for less than a decade. What makes other conventions different from it?

Anime Expo is the only anime convention I've ever been to, and I've been going there for less than a decade. What makes other conventions different from it?

Cutiebunny wrote:

They're fun...

I see. Many of the problems you list are due to the huge attendance numbers Anime Expo gets, however.

Me, I don't really see diminishing returns between years; the only year I really felt dissatisfied was when they had to share half of the convention center with the X-Games. I also live nearby, so the most I pay for is parking. ... I can definitely understand why those things make you upset, though with me, even small conventions around here are crowded and pricey.

...even small conventions around here are crowded and pricey.

I assume you are talking about ALA? I've thought about going, but since I live in S.D. I want a solid recommendation before I do it. My story is the same as yours with the same response, I've had plenty of fun, last year being no exception, and maybe I'm a freak because I find the expanding crowds exciting. I've never gotten a "Premium Member" admission nor have I found it had any significant differential benefit for what I do there over the "standard" 4-day pass, which is plenty expensive. In the past, the PM admission was a complete "rip-off" but since the "new regime" at AX, it seems they are trying to force it to have value if you go to (hugely attended) panels, etc. Still seems a "rip-off" and obviously designed to extract more money than anything else. While I understand comments like " they haven't cared about the fans in well over a decade", the fact that they brought the cosplay gatherings back and expanded the Artist's Alley at least tells me that someone in the org does (although someone could make the point that expanded AA is just a way to make more money off booth rental). However, if they go the way of Comic Con, I'll kill. The fact that in the last couple of years we've seen more Batman/Joker/Spiderman/etc. cosplayers at Anime Expo I think shows how far CC has fallen.

PMX is a good small con. I used to attend when they were right by LAX. PMX was nice because it was small and it did get good Japanese guests. They had Back-On perform back in 2014. Great show.

If you go to AX to cosplay, take pics of cosplayers and shop in the dealer hall or because it's close by, it's a fine convention. If you go because you want to meet the guests, watch the musical act perform or attend panels, it's not. The premium badge used to be a good tool because the autographs were held in the dealer hall. This meant that premium badge holders wouldn't have to line up at 4 am just to get an autograph. Now that the autographs have moved elsewhere and require you to line up at 4 am daily just for 1 autograph ticket, the premium badge is worthless.

Maybe it's just me getting old, but when a con requires that you get up at 4 am every day just to get an autograph ticket for the only thing you care about at a convention, it's time to look elsewhere.