AnimeNYC 2022 on the Javits Heart 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 the perfect and worst showings this yr.
WINNER: TurtleMe and Tapas
This yr has been an enormous win for Webtoons and vertical scrolling digital comics basically, 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 printed concurrently on-line), it got here to no shock that followers got here out in droves to satisfy and assist their fave after Tapas Media was capable of fly him in from the west coast. He had a healthily crammed panel room on Friday and autograph line on Sunday.
Obtained an autograph from TurtleMe! He was tremendous chill and I bought to speak a small bit about my expertise studying TBATE throughout pandemic. Try the sequence (comedian and novel) on @tapas_app pic.twitter.com/5lynr0zdd9
— marion psycho 100 (@microwaevy) November 20, 2022
“Obtained an autograph from TurtleMe! He was tremendous chill and I bought to speak a small bit about my expertise studying TBATE throughout pandemic. Try the sequence (comedian and novel) on @tapas_app”
LOSER: Different digital Korean comics publishers
Oddly sufficient, there was no presence from firms 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. They’d a giant presence at New York Comedian Con, on the KOCCA (Korean Artistic Content material Company) sales space sponsored by the Korean authorities, however it looks as if ANYC was not within the playing cards. I discovered this unusual because the intersection between manga and manhwa is immense, and if the exhibiting 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 bought to take pleasure in two huge Foremost Stage occasions with ticketed screenings that had been additionally streamed on-line internationally and to Japan. In addition 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 predominant occasion this yr was bringing out the creator of Assault on Titan, Hajime Isayama. After the unique panel reservation web site crashed on account of overloaded site visitors, the conference planners needed to go for a lottery system to present 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 employees had bother containing the fervor. Even media had points getting in on time, until they had been capable of get particular wristbands by immediately contacting Kodansha USA employees, who had been accountable 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 would have been streamed on-line or at the least 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, at the least, as somebody who might really make it into the panel, the vitality 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 technique to New York for followers to have fun all issues Gundam. Saturday additionally had Adam Savage from the YouTube channel Examined host a problem to the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title “Most Folks Assembling Plastic Robotic Fashions Concurrently (A number of Venues),” which was damaged! To high all of it off, the Exhibit Corridor had two GIANT Gundam statues of each the Wing Zero and Witch From Mercury’s Cell Fits.
LOSER: Anime on Dwelling Video
This yr noticed a pointy decline in third social gathering sellers who go to the con to promote dust low-cost residence video and bodily books. There have been nonetheless just a few scattered all through the exhibit ground, however it felt starkly sparse in comparison with earlier years. As a substitute, there have been extra merch sellers and business cubicles.
WINNER: Business Publishers Who Confirmed Up
Corporations like Yen Press, Denpa, J-Novel Membership, and VIZ Media, who publish loads of manga, had been capable of 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 carry an excellent bigger inventory after seeing the presence at NYCC, they nonetheless managed to outsell their projections by the tip of the con. It is likely to be because of the lowered third social gathering presence, however it’s clear that followers will put their pockets the place their mouths are relating to supporting the content material they love. On high of business gross sales, each Writer who had their very own business 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 also be nearer to the place all of the panels are. This made the foot site 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 technique to recover from there. I needed to do a variety of panels this yr, and my time was sucked out by way of all of the strolling. It felt unlucky as a result of I genuinely take pleasure in seeing what that aspect 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 completely 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 workforce, whereas making it obtainable with a pay-to-unlock pricing mannequin much like Tapas, Tappytoon, and Webtoon. At their business panels, they each introduced a number of completely different partnerships with worldwide firms that can assist them develop their libraries with various content material. As extra teams like pop up and discover success on this business, extra customers can be provided completely different sorts of tales at aggressive costs. It additionally helps that these smaller firms additionally construct relationships with a variety of indie artists and JP publishers as properly!
LOSER: Scalpers
It’s widespread to see scalpers exterior the venue, attempting to promote badges to individuals who may not have made it in time earlier than gross sales had been capped. This yr, I occurred to see means fewer than I did final yr, and even at this yr’s Comedian Con. I’m undecided what it was, however it seems to be like they’ll most likely 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 father or mother 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 ground! Beginning it off proper with Berserker Armor Guts! #AnimeNYC2022 pic.twitter.com/lTn6AHytRn
— marion psycho 100 (@microwaevy) November 19, 2022
LOSER: Newer Anime Followers
In the event you had been a extra informal or newer anime fan at this conference, you may not have actually recognized what to do or the place to go. There have been a variety of fan-driven occasions like mahjong tournaments, cosplay meetups, and visitor panels you might have gone to, however until you’re snug mingling with strangers, you may’ve had bother deciding what to do. This yr’s programming for ANYC positively felt prefer it was extra devoted for many who have caught round, particularly after final yr’s traces and mismanagement echoed points often lobbed in the direction of Anime Expo.
WINNER: TRIGUN FANS
The Trigun: Stampede premiere was wonderful. As an informal older fan who solely watched just a few episodes of the unique anime, I knew precisely how a lot love was going into this new challenge after seeing the producers discuss 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 look ahead to 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: Workers accountable for lottery panel check-ins
Whereas I sadly didn’t get accepted into any interviews, I lucked out and gained a variety of panel lotteries. It didn’t really feel like that basically mattered although, as a result of solely about 4 of them had been really 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 with no need to do the lottery course of. It felt just like the employees bought 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 avenue 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 Evening @ 8PM
I needed to bit the bullet and select between three occasions on Friday night time, and ended up going to Crunchyroll Presents: New Simulcast Premieres #1 as a way 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 Evening 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 because the TV anime sequence Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, and Kodansha’s launch of the manga that got here out afterwards. I’ve additionally heard loads about Katsura Sunshine by means of 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 look at to maintain up with weekly.
Total, this needed to be one of the crucial fulfilling con experiences I’ve ever had! In the event you’re however have but to make the leap, subsequent yr is wanting 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 be capable to deal with the rising attendance with out having to sacrifice badge gross sales. Hope to see you there.
Marion Peña is a Dominican author primarily based in NYC. They’ve been studying manga and comics since childhood, and writing/podcasting about them since 2015. In the event you’d wish to see extra of their work, all their initiatives are right here: https://microwavey.carrd.co/
