Saturday, July 20th I was able to attend the free manga & anime convention Anitomo Con at the Japan Village in Brooklyn, NY. In this blog I'll be sharing how I felt about the event and what I enjoyed throughout the one day convention. To begin this was my first year attending and I went in not knowing much about the con. Aside from it being their second consecutive year and an event aimed more towards a younger high-school to young adult crowd, this would be a completely new experience for me.
The convention hours were 11am - 9pm, I'm personally not an early bird and arrived at about 3pm myself. Even with the later start I don't feel like I missed much aside from a panel/presentation or two. The event was in full effect and the first thing I saw when entering the Japan Village was a sumo wrestling presentation on the main stage. Both interesting and entertaining, many attendees were able to view the stage while relaxing and eating at small tables around the outdoor area. I found this to be a great use of this location with lots of space and room take a breather. Having the main stage in the center always guaranteed a crowd would be watching.
I slowly made my way into the older warehouse building transformed into a market space but had no idea where I was going. The signage wasn't the most clear but after asking a Maid Cafe member where the show floor / artist alley would be I was directed upstairs (glad to say there were also elevators for those who may need it). The show floor / artist alley was in the center of this large market space, a unique layout that I personally didn't mind. The booths and artist were vast and different in style variety, which I enjoyed. You got the feeling anyone could find something they would like. With the multiple art styles and crafts, toys and collectibles, clothing and books. The convention seemed to add as many vendors as possible to the spaces, without making it feel crowded or cramped. Creating a easy layout to walk throughout. I don't imagine it's the easiest thing to do while having existing stores and shops along the sides of the large room, but I think the space was used effectively. ( See more of the booth and layout in my vlog )
Past the show floor / artist alley area was also the Daiso store, it seemed everyone was checking it out so I stopped in. Was a cute store, but multiple people pointed out how easily you could blow a ton of money on a bunch of small things you might not actually need at the moment. At an event like this especially, if I'm going to be financially irresponsible it will be with independent artists and on-of-a-kind hard work (lol). I took that as a warning and found a second exit on the stores opposite end, which led me to a fun karaoke group. This colorful corner with large windows of light and a dozen people watching, singing and cheering. The perfect space for me to take my first break.
After my break I was on the hunt to find the panel room, I do wish there was maybe a map? Or some type of signage with the layout to the event, my only complaint TBH. I did discover it, but not before seeing the workshop area. People where doing nails at that time and a large group was working on their icon dances and tiktoks, fun vibes. Next room was the lounge, a larger space with voice actors, clothing brands, craft demos and lots of comfortable seating. The seating was especially needed since the New York Public Library was there with books and manga's you could borrow and read whilst at the event. Tokyo Bronx had a cool interview area with couch's and a large blank wall where attendees could draw cute and fun manga characters of their choice.
And than finally, all the way in the back end of the convention was the panel room. I'm sure it was put back there to avoid the loud surrounding sounds (no door to keep it out). The room was spacious and you could mostly hear everything being said. My personal favorite panels ended up being Anime Soundscapes, where they explained how music impacts the scenes and how you are supposed to feel when watching the shows. And the fan girl career path which spoke at length about making your passion into your career, even the ups and downs that come with it. I found them to both be entertaining and informative to me.
Having finally found everything I was looking for, it was about time for the cosplay competition. So I headed back outside to the mainstage and as I waited for it to begin took the opportunity to photograph random cosplayers who were around waiting to watch as well. I'll be the first to admit I'm not the hugest anime person, I have shows I love but my knowledge isn't vast. With that said, I will always appreciate a great costume, group and fun energy. So even though I didn't know many of the characters, I enjoyed watching them walk across the stage with confidence and being able to photograph their moment.
( P.S. More of the event photographs I took can be viewed on my A4M_Productions Instagram page. )
By this time, the event was dying down. I walked around the entire con once more, picked up a snack in the market downstairs and sat with friends, chit chatting as the sunset. Overall I enjoyed myself at this space created with the younger anime fans in mind and inclusive to families. I look forward to next year and how it will grow, I highly recommend this event, especially if you are in the NYC area. Even if your only a casual anime/manga fan like me.
All the photographs attached in this blog were photographed by me, and my vlog will be attached below so you can watch my POV of the event. Thank you for reading and till next time!
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