AnimeNYC 2022 on the Javits Middle November 18-20 was the present’s second post-pandemic occasion. Evidently the showrunners have discovered from final yr’s errors, though that hasn’t stopped the conference’s rising pains from making themselves that rather more apparent. As a daily attendee since 2019, I’m right here to provide the scoop on who had one of the best and worst showings this yr.
WINNER: TurtleMe and Tapas
This yr has been an enormous win for Webtoons and vertical scrolling digital comics on the whole, however this yr noticed the face reveal of one of the crucial well-known creators of them to be shrouded in thriller, TurtleMe, who made The Starting After The Finish. With over 21.5 MILLION views and 1.4 MILLION subscribed readers on the webcomic alone (the webnovel additionally being revealed concurrently on-line), it got here to no shock that followers got here out in droves to fulfill and assist their fave after Tapas Media was in a position to fly him in from the west coast. He had a healthily crammed panel room on Friday and autograph line on Sunday.
Bought an autograph from TurtleMe! He was tremendous chill and I received to speak a small bit about my expertise studying TBATE throughout pandemic. Take a look at the collection (comedian and novel) on @tapas_app pic.twitter.com/5lynr0zdd9
— marion psycho 100 (@microwaevy) November 20, 2022
“Bought an autograph from TurtleMe! He was tremendous chill and I received to speak a small bit about my expertise studying TBATE throughout pandemic. Take a look at the collection (comedian and novel) on @tapas_app”
LOSER: Different digital Korean comics publishers
Oddly sufficient, there was no presence from corporations like Naver, C&R Revolution, D&C Webtoon, Touyou’s Dream, or the numerous others that publish digital webtoons in Korea and license them out right here within the west. That they had an enormous presence at New York Comedian Con, on the KOCCA (Korean Inventive Content material Company) sales space sponsored by the Korean authorities, but it surely looks like ANYC was not within the playing cards. I discovered this unusual for the reason that intersection between manga and manhwa is immense, and if the displaying on the TurtleMe & Tapas panel was something to go by, western followers are prepared for extra webtoons within the manga and anime sphere.
WINNER: Aniplex Enjoyers
Followers of Aniplex IPs like Destiny/Grand Order and Kaguya-sama: Love Is Warfare received to get pleasure from two huge Essential Stage occasions with ticketed screenings that have been additionally streamed on-line internationally and to Japan. Additionally they had a small stage within the Exhibit Corridor that had followers take part in video games and streamed content material. This was all managed with minimal traces and delays.
LOSER: Waitlisted Followers for the Hajime Isayama Panel
ANYC’s important occasion this yr was bringing out the creator of Assault on Titan, Hajime Isayama. After the unique panel reservation website crashed attributable to overloaded visitors, the conference planners needed to go for a lottery system to offer out reserved seats to con-goers. The day of, this got here to a head as individuals swarmed to try to make it within the panel, however occasion workers had bother containing the fervor. Even media had points getting in on time, until they have been in a position to get particular wristbands by immediately contacting Kodansha USA workers, who have been answerable for dealing with PR and logistics for his or her expertise. Total, the miscommunication on all fronts made it in order that tons of individuals needed to miss out on a spotlight that might have been streamed on-line or no less than to different screens in the identical conference middle.
Welcome to New York Metropolis, Hajime Isayama! #AnimeNYC2022 #AttackonTitan pic.twitter.com/pVy8MIcx9J
— marion psycho 100 (@microwaevy) November 19, 2022
(I’ll say, no less than, as somebody who might truly make it into the panel, the power inside was electrifying.)
WINNER: Gundam Followers
With Gundam: The Witch From Mercury airing this season, GUNDAM EXPO USA and different franchise names like Shuko Murase, director of Gundam Hathaway and BLADE RUNNER: BLACKOUT 2022, made method to New York for followers to have a good time all issues Gundam. Saturday additionally had Adam Savage from the YouTube channel Examined host a problem to the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title “Most Individuals Assembling Plastic Robotic Fashions Concurrently (A number of Venues),” which was damaged! To prime all of it off, the Exhibit Corridor had two GIANT Gundam statues of each the Wing Zero and Witch From Mercury’s Cellular Fits.
LOSER: Anime on Residence Video
This yr noticed a pointy decline in third get together sellers who go to the con to promote filth low cost residence video and bodily books. There have been nonetheless a number of scattered all through the exhibit flooring, but it surely felt starkly sparse in comparison with earlier years. As a substitute, there have been extra merch sellers and trade cubicles.
WINNER: Business Publishers Who Confirmed Up
Corporations like Yen Press, Denpa, J-Novel Membership, and VIZ Media, who publish loads of manga, have been in a position to promote out most of their wares by the ultimate day. I spoke with Mark from Yen Press and he knowledgeable me that even after he ready to deliver a good bigger inventory after seeing the presence at NYCC, they nonetheless managed to outsell their projections by the top of the con. It could be because of the lowered third get together presence, but it surely’s clear that followers will put their pockets the place their mouths are relating to supporting the content material they love. On prime of economic gross sales, each Writer who had their very own trade panel additionally had main bulletins that proved their success in staying afloat this yr.
https://twitter.com/yenpress/standing/1594824731013914635
LOSER: Artist Alley
Final yr Artist Alley was nearer to the northmost entrance of the exhibit corridor, which can be nearer to the place all of the panels are. This made the foot visitors transfer naturally from the doorway to the meals courts, panel rooms, and exhibit halls. This yr although, Artist Alley was just too far-off for me to naturally spend a while in and it felt like I needed to exit of my method to recover from there. I needed to do quite a lot of panels this yr, and my time was sucked out through all of the strolling. It felt unlucky as a result of I genuinely get pleasure from seeing what that facet of the con has to supply.
WINNER: Digital Comics Readers
This yr introduced again the presence of digital manga publishers like Azuki and Comikey, who each supply totally different sorts of experiences on each cellular and PC. Azuki is an a la carte subscription service, who licenses manga already translated, or interprets them with contractors. Comikey licenses, interprets, and publishes manga, Korean manhwa, and Chinese language manhua on-line, with their very own in-house staff, whereas making it accessible with a pay-to-unlock pricing mannequin just like Tapas, Tappytoon, and Webtoon. At their trade panels, they each introduced a number of totally different partnerships with worldwide corporations that may assist them increase their libraries with assorted content material. As extra teams like pop up and discover success on this trade, extra customers can be provided totally different sorts of tales at aggressive costs. It additionally helps that these smaller corporations additionally construct relationships with quite a lot of indie artists and JP publishers as effectively!
LOSER: Scalpers
It’s widespread to see scalpers outdoors the venue, making an attempt to promote badges to individuals who won’t have made it in time earlier than gross sales have been capped. This yr, I occurred to see method fewer than I did final yr, and even at this yr’s Comedian Con. I’m unsure what it was, but it surely seems like they’ll in all probability be laying low till subsequent yr when the venue utilization expands once more.
WINNER: Cosplayers
This yr noticed by far the LARGEST selection in cosplay I’ve ever seen at this con. Final yr was infamously known as “MihoyoCon,” the place 85% of the cosplay was all Genshin Affect or its associated properties owned by mother or father firm Mihoyo. This yr although, I noticed cosplay from anime that haven’t aired in years, like Kekkaishi or Yona of the Daybreak. There have been additionally loads of Tokusatsu cosplayers within the likeness of Kamen Riders like Kuuga and Saber, and folk cosplaying video video games like Responsible Gear and Persona additionally made the rounds!
I’ve a TINY little bit of downtime earlier than J-Novel Membership’s panel, so right here’s a cosplay thread of cool people I discovered on the present flooring! Beginning it off proper with Berserker Armor Guts! #AnimeNYC2022 pic.twitter.com/lTn6AHytRn
— marion psycho 100 (@microwaevy) November 19, 2022
LOSER: Newer Anime Followers
For those who have been a extra informal or newer anime fan at this conference, you won’t have actually identified what to do or the place to go. There have been quite a lot of fan-driven occasions like mahjong tournaments, cosplay meetups, and visitor panels you would have gone to, however until you’re comfy mingling with strangers, you would possibly’ve had bother deciding what to do. This yr’s programming for ANYC positively felt prefer it was extra devoted for individuals who have caught round, particularly after final yr’s traces and mismanagement echoed points normally lobbed in direction of Anime Expo.
WINNER: TRIGUN FANS
The Trigun: Stampede premiere was superb. As an informal older fan who solely watched a number of episodes of the unique anime, I knew precisely how a lot love was going into this new venture after seeing the producers speak about all of the analysis and planning that they did along with writer Yasuhiro Nightow.
TRIGUN STAMPEDE in New York
Thanks everybody who got here aboard. That is the place the journey of TRIGUN STAMPEDE begins, please proceed to stay up for it as we’re only a month away from its on air in January !#TRIGUN pic.twitter.com/4AtRk4UNH9
— 『TRIGUN STAMPEDE』アニメ公式 (@trigun_anime) November 19, 2022
(That’s me within the yellow hoodie on the decrease proper!)
LOSER: Employees answerable for lottery panel check-ins
Whereas I sadly didn’t get accepted into any interviews, I lucked out and gained quite a lot of panel lotteries. It didn’t really feel like that actually mattered although, as a result of solely about 4 of them have been truly scanning my QR code. For the others, as soon as they noticed I had a Press badge, they let me in and escorted me to reserved seating. I hope subsequent yr there’s extra clear communication on what panels could be entered for Press seating without having to do the lottery course of. It felt just like the workers received the quick finish of the stick by not being knowledgeable extra clearly about it.
WINNER: $1 Pizza
Being a 10-15 minute stroll away from $1 pizza spots on fortieth road and ninth ave was a lifesaver, as a result of I used to be not paying con venue costs for meals. Thanks for surviving the pandemic, 2 Bros Pizza.
LOSER: Ichigo Kurosaki (BLEACH) Followers
Sadly, Johnny Yong Bosch needed to cancel his look on Sunday’s reserved BLEACH panel with Michelle Ruff (voice of Rukia Kuchiki) and Derek Stephen Prince (voice of Uryu Ishida).
WINNER: Oshi no Ko
Quantity 1 popping out in print + digital in January by Yen Press, anime can be streamed on HIDIVE. By the writer of Kaguya-sama: Love Is Warfare, and artist of Scum’s Want. None of you’re prepared for one of the crucial insane rides in comics historical past.
LOSER: Me on Friday Night time @ 8PM
I needed to bit the bullet and select between three occasions on Friday evening, and ended up going to Crunchyroll Presents: New Simulcast Premieres #1 to be able to watch the primary episode of The Story of Outcasts, a present tailored from a Weekly Shonen Sunday manga I’ve talked about on my podcast, Saturday Night time Shoggy. I had to decide on between that, my beloved the AMV Contest, which I like to vote for yearly, and Katsura Sunshine, Rakugo Grasp Storyteller: An Genuine Rakugo Efficiency. I’ve been a fan of rakugo for the reason that TV anime collection Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, and Kodansha’s launch of the manga that got here out afterwards. I’ve additionally heard loads about Katsura Sunshine via the grapevine, and knew he’s been to conventions earlier than. Hopefully I’ll have one other shot another yr. I don’t remorse going to that screening, although, the present was ok for me to observe to maintain up with weekly.
Total, this needed to be one of the crucial fulfilling con experiences I’ve ever had! For those who’re however have but to make the leap, subsequent yr is trying just like the yr to make the journey all the way down to Anime NYC. With affirmation of their lease now increasing to the entire venue, they’ll lastly have the ability to tackle the rising attendance with out having to sacrifice badge gross sales. Hope to see you there.
Marion Peña is a Dominican author based mostly in NYC. They’ve been studying manga and comics since childhood, and writing/podcasting about them since 2015. For those who’d prefer to see extra of their work, all their tasks are right here: https://microwavey.carrd.co/
