Anime Expo 2022 Impressions
As someone who doesn’t watch much anime, Anime Expo was quite an exciting experience. The expo took place in the famous Los Angeles Convention Center from July 1-4. There were a lot of professional cosplayers, lots and lots of people, and long lines.
Highlights
I really enjoyed all the friends I made at Anime Expo. My one friend I meet at the Xbox and Bethesda briefing told me to go. Going in, I didn’t know what to really expect, but going to Jujuistu Kaisen Panel and seeing how passionate people were about anime and new announcements really made me happy to be around that environment. I picked up a couple of Funko pops for a friend and got a lot of handouts from just walking past booths and vendors. On the last day, I checked my phone and it said I walked 30 miles. I also had the chance to check out the new One Piece Odyssey game. This was my first anime game I have ever played and I enjoyed my time with it. Check out the image gallery below for more pictures.
Issues
I didn’t have a lot of issues at the Anime Expo but the one thing was I didn’t like how the artist alley was hidden. I didn’t know there was a third hall (artist alley) until the last day of the convention. So I didn’t have that much time to explore this area of the convention. But I thought it was all set up very well.
Long Lines
I went in thinking it wouldn’t be crowded at all, but to my surprise, I saw crowds ten times longer than E3. Some took around 4 or 5 hours just to buy some merchandise at booths. The Genshin Impact booth was very unorganized when it came to their line. I also made friends of a lifetime there. Compared to VidCon 2022, there was a lot more to do at the Anime Expo. I was very dissatisfied with VidCon as there wasn’t a lot to do at that convention. Below you can see a picture of the crowds. At the end of the day besides the crowds, I enjoyed my time at Anime Expo just wish lines were managed better.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I hope to go back to the Anime Expo next year with all the friends I made this year, I really enjoyed myself. There definitely was a lot of passion for anime and I got to see it firsthand! Besides the long lines, I can highly recommend it to anyone interested in checking out the event.