This is an overdue post about the time I went to Anime NYC, back in November. I had a great time and I met friendly people. Since I find crowds overwhelming, I only went on Friday.

I was dressed as Ms. Joke from My Hero Academia (photos on Instagram). I don’t use Instagram much, but it was an easy way to keep up with new people I met, and get updates on the event itself. A UA student I ran into found Aizawa and we took a quick photo. I was glad they were both so friendly! I wore a shirt from Red Bubble by cloudcxndy.

If you get a chance to check out Anime NYC in the future, plan ahead because a lot of the hotels were already booked that were within walking distance. And if you buy your Anime NYC pass early it’ll be a better price, than waiting until the event.

The Javits Center is beautiful, it has tons of natural light, it’s very open (which helps a crowd not feel as overwhelming), and it is gigantic. There’s ample seating and good spots for photographs. If you felt overwhelmed it was easy to find a quiet corner, at least on Friday when I attended.

The Exhibit Hall and Artist Alley opened at 1pm on Friday. There was a crowd waiting and you could feel how excited they were to explore all of the anime related vendors. The line was well organized and it never felt chaotic, despite it being crowded. Having been to several conventions, this was the first one that I noticed there were a lot of attendees with varying abilities. Hopefully that means Anime NYC, and the Javits Center, were proactive in making it accessible to everyone.

Surprisingly not a lot of the vendors sold dvds, I counted three or four. Some vendors sold a few, but there was a small number of vendors that primarily sold anime dvds. But tons of vendors had figures if you collect those. (Side note, Right Stuf Anime, and Sentai had amazing Black Friday sales, like $4.99 for the entire season of Tamako Market on dvd, so I will try to hold out for those deals going forward). There were several food vendors and the Javits Center also had a Starbucks and food court area. There are also some healthier options if you’re looking for lighter fare.

There were anime fans that were younger than me but lots around my age, and older. I enjoyed seeing fans of all ages because it speaks to the diversity and reach that anime has, and the impact it has across generations. The families with their cosplays were fun to see too! It was apparent the kids (and parents) had a blast dressing up.

I wanted to see the special showing of In/Spectre , but I had to catch my ride home so unfortunately I missed it. But I look forward to watching that on VRV! I also wanted to watch Weathering with You, which had a premiere at Anime NYC, but I will watch it when it comes to theaters later this month (I already got my ticket!).