By: Peggy Sue Wood

July 2023 was a difficult time for me. Originally, this was supposed to go up soon after the AX convention, but I missed the opportunity to do so at the time. 

I was focused more on enjoying the convention itself since two of my friends joined me and I was dealing with personal things at home, but here is, essentially, my assessment of Anime Expo 2023:

TL/DR

This is a large-scale event with lots of people. You can spend days just going up and down the exhibit hall–moreover, there are a great number of panels to consider that often feature lines outside in the LA heat for a few hours before the event.

This convention is not good for first-time convention goers, particularly if you are not great with being in large crowds and struggle in long lines.

Size and Scale + Food Alley

Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA

Health and Safety Policy

Masks are optional. In terms of safety, I felt fine at the event and did enjoy walking around the convention center. However, I did not venture far into surrounding areas outside of going to the Crunchyroll lounge at a local hotel, and to get breakfast on Day 0. Overall, the city is pretty big and the immediate area was fine, but not a place I would consider safe to wander around at night by myself.

Vender Hall

Large as usual! I spent a lot of my time going to each stall and trying to get as many goodies as possible. It was super fun and with how much promotional stuff is going on, you can reasonably walk away with a backpack full of free posters and small goodies if you come in with a fully charged phone and an active Instagram.

I will note, however, that there were far fewer goody-give aways than years prior. I’ve been going since 2009 and this was probably the first time that the freebies did not make me have to take multiple trips to the car for drop-offs. Still, considering how much my friends and I spent walking around, it was a large space that definitely took us more than one day to fully explore and I love that!

Artist Alley

This took up its own space, as is typical for AX. We ended up dedicating an entire day to this, so all of Day 4 was spent exploring the Artist Alley and we STILL missed things. This area was much better planned than last year. The walkways were a few feet wider and, therefore, far less clogged/blocked traffic in the hallways which was very good for all us.

Cosplay Area / Night Market / Food “Court”

The cosplay area also had its own space, which we enjoyed taking photos near the end of the convention. It was often busy with cosplayers and seemed to have been close to the game space. We did not spend a lot of time there, so I was not able to judge this area well. It was, however, really fun and we took a lot of pictures in parts of the first row––like in the school-room scene and at the tea-serving table.

The Night Market was a fun stop off too. There were several food stalls there and one boba place that we got drinks from a few times. It was a nice place to chill at the end of the day, with a good amount of seating and atmospheric lighting that made it nice to sit comfortably at night.

Entertainment – Presenter Experience

Presenting was fantastic and I hope to do so again. I did make a mistake when picking up my badge and came early on Day 0. I am very apologetic to staff as I know that my situation caused confusion. I am, however, very appreciative of them all and how they got me and my friends free badges as a result of me presenting. As a note: My friends were also able to attend because I required an ADA sticker during this convention and they alternated helping me with the mobility issues I experienced. While many conventions do allow presenters a +1, often at a discounted or free rate, AX was extremely gracious in allowing me two +1s as a result of my condition at the time and I forever grateful.

In regards to the presentation, I presented Manga and Comics: A Different cultural base, which I believe you all have seen me post about before. Here is a link to the presentation for those interested in viewing it (my script is in the notes of each slide):

Manga & Comics: A Different Cultural Base https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1dSw09wnh1nQL80AVnQjbmPxwv8mCSYhZ/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=109028846234695529861&rtpof=true&sd=true 

Entertainment

I did not, unfortunately, attend too many panels. I did attend a few academic ones and went to the AX office hours, but was ultimately focused more on enjoying the convention itself since two of my friends joined me and I was, as mentioned, dealing with personal things at home.

Final Judgments

Venue: 4.5/5 – Large enough and now has cell service in some areas! WOOHOO!

Staff: 5/5 – Staff were wonderful

Organization, Layout & Management: 4.5/5 – The Exhibit hall could use a bit better organization, but was ultimately well managed.

Organization, Media Use: 4.5/5 – The app was regularly updated and accessible most of the time, advertising was frequently seen leading up to and around the event area, and I enjoyed looking at the posts made by the convention staff.

Attendance: 5/5 – They capped ticket sales and the convention benefited from this significantly.

Affordability: 5/5 – This is one of the more expensive conventions, but because of its size and scale it is worth the cost.

Overall: 4.75/5 – Worth the price. Please read the TL/DR at the top.