AnimeNYC 2022 on the Javits Center November 18-20 was the present’s second post-pandemic occasion. It appears that the showrunners have discovered from final 12 months’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 most effective and worst showings this 12 months.
WINNER: TurtleMe and Tapas
This 12 months has been an enormous win for Webtoons and vertical scrolling digital comics usually, however this 12 months noticed the face reveal of some of the well-known creators of them to be shrouded in thriller, TurtleMe, who made The Beginning After The End. 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 meet and assist their fave after Tapas Media was ready to fly him in from Canada. He had a healthily stuffed panel room on Friday and autograph line on Sunday.
Got an autograph from TurtleMe! He was tremendous chill and I received to discuss a small bit about my expertise studying TBATE throughout pandemic. Check out the sequence (comedian and novel) on @tapas_app pic.twitter.com/5lynr0zdd9
— marion psycho 100 (@microwaevy) November 20, 2022
“Got an autograph from TurtleMe! He was super chill and I got to talk a small bit about my experience reading TBATE during pandemic. Check out the series (comic and novel) on @tapas_app”
LOSER: Other 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 various others that publish digital webtoons in Korea and license them out right here within the west. They had a giant presence at New York Comic Con, on the KOCCA (Korean Creative Content Agency) sales space sponsored by the Korean authorities, but it surely looks as if 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
Fans of Aniplex IPs like Fate/Grand Order and Kaguya-sama: Love Is War received to get pleasure from two huge Main Stage occasions with ticketed screenings that have been additionally streamed on-line internationally and to Japan. They additionally had a small stage within the Exhibit Hall that had followers take part in video games and streamed content material. This was all managed with minimal strains and delays.
LOSER: Waitlisted Fans for the Hajime Isayama Panel
ANYC’s important occasion this 12 months was bringing out the creator of Attack on Titan, Hajime Isayama. After the unique panel reservation web site crashed due to overloaded visitors, the conference planners had to go for a lottery system to give out reserved seats to con-goers. The day of, this got here to a head as folks swarmed to attempt and make it within the panel, however occasion workers had hassle containing the fervor. Even media had points getting in on time, except they have been ready to get particular wristbands by straight contacting Kodansha USA workers, who have been accountable for dealing with PR and logistics for his or her expertise. Overall, the miscommunication on all fronts made it in order that tons of individuals had to miss out on a spotlight that would have been streamed on-line or no less than to different screens in the identical conference heart.
Welcome to New York City, 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 really make it into the panel, the vitality inside was electrifying.)
WINNER: Gundam Fans
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 Tested host a problem to the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title “Most People Assembling Plastic Robot Models Simultaneously (Multiple Venues),” which was damaged! To prime all of it off, the Exhibit Hall had two GIANT Gundam statues of each the Wing Zero and Witch From Mercury’s Mobile Suits.
LOSER: Anime on Home Video
This 12 months noticed a pointy decline in third celebration sellers who go to the con to promote grime low cost house video and bodily books. There have been nonetheless a number of scattered all through the exhibit ground, but it surely felt starkly sparse in contrast to earlier years. Instead, there have been extra merch sellers and trade cubicles.
WINNER: Industry Publishers Who Showed Up
Companies like Yen Press, Denpa, J-Novel Club, and VIZ Media, who publish loads of manga, have been ready 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 convey a good bigger inventory after seeing the presence at NYCC, they nonetheless managed to outsell their projections by the top of the con. It may be due to the lowered third celebration presence, but it surely’s clear that followers will put their pockets the place their mouths are when it comes to supporting the content material they love. On prime of economic gross sales, each Publisher who had their very own trade panel additionally had main bulletins that proved their success in staying afloat this 12 months.
https://twitter.com/yenpress/status/1594824731013914635
LOSER: Artist Alley
Last 12 months 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 visitors transfer naturally from the doorway to the meals courts, panel rooms, and exhibit halls. This 12 months although, Artist Alley was just too far-off for me to naturally spend a while in and it felt like I had to exit of my method to recover from there. I had to do a number of panels this 12 months, 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 aspect of the con has to provide.
WINNER: Digital Comics Readers
This 12 months introduced again the presence of digital manga publishers like Azuki and Comikey, who each provide totally different sorts of experiences on each cell 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 manhua on-line, with their very own in-house group, whereas making it accessible with a pay-to-unlock pricing mannequin comparable to Tapas, Tappytoon, and Webtoon. At their trade panels, they each introduced a number of totally different partnerships with worldwide firms that may assist them broaden their libraries with assorted content material. As extra teams like pop up and discover success on this trade, extra shoppers will likely be supplied totally different sorts of tales at aggressive costs. It additionally helps that these smaller firms additionally construct relationships with a number of indie artists and JP publishers as properly!
LOSER: Scalpers
It’s frequent to see scalpers exterior the venue, attempting to promote badges to individuals who won’t have made it in time earlier than gross sales have been capped. This 12 months, I occurred to see method fewer than I did final 12 months, and even at this 12 months’s Comic Con. I’m undecided what it was, but it surely seems to be like they’ll in all probability be laying low till subsequent 12 months when the venue utilization expands once more.
WINNER: Cosplayers
This 12 months noticed by far the LARGEST selection in cosplay I’ve ever seen at this con. Last 12 months was infamously referred to as “MihoyoCon,” the place 85% of the cosplay was all Genshin Impact or its associated properties owned by dad or mum firm Mihoyo. This 12 months although, I noticed cosplay from anime that haven’t aired in years, like Kekkaishi or Yona of the Dawn. There have been additionally loads of Tokusatsu cosplayers within the likeness of Kamen Riders like Kuuga and Saber, and people cosplaying video video games like Guilty Gear and Persona additionally made the rounds!
I’ve a TINY little bit of downtime earlier than J-Novel Club’s panel, so right here’s a cosplay thread of cool people I discovered on the present ground! Starting it off proper with Berserker Armor Guts! #AnimeNYC2022 pic.twitter.com/lTn6AHytRn
— marion psycho 100 (@microwaevy) November 19, 2022
LOSER: Newer Anime Fans
If you have been a extra informal or newer anime fan at this conference, you won’t have actually recognized what to do or the place to go. There have been a number of fan-driven occasions like mahjong tournaments, cosplay meetups, and visitor panels you possibly can have gone to, however except you might be comfy mingling with strangers, you may’ve had hassle deciding what to do. This 12 months’s programming for ANYC undoubtedly felt prefer it was extra devoted for many who have caught round, particularly after final 12 months’s strains 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 a number of 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. This 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: Staff accountable for lottery panel check-ins
While I sadly didn’t get accepted into any interviews, I lucked out and received a number of panel lotteries. It didn’t really feel like that basically mattered although, as a result of solely about 4 of them have 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 12 months there’s extra clear communication on what panels will be entered for Press seating with no need 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. Thank you for surviving the pandemic, 2 Bros Pizza.
LOSER: Ichigo Kurosaki (BLEACH) Fans
Sadly, Johnny Yong Bosch had 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
Volume 1 popping out in print + digital in January by Yen Press, anime will likely be streamed on HIDIVE. By the writer of Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, and artist of Scum’s Wish. None of you might be prepared for some of the insane rides in comics historical past.
LOSER: Me on Friday Night @ 8PM
I had to bit the bullet and select between three occasions on Friday evening, and ended up going to Crunchyroll Presents: New Simulcast Premieres #1 so as to watch the primary episode of The Tale of Outcasts, a present tailored from a Weekly Shonen Sunday manga I’ve talked about on my podcast, Saturday Night Shoggy. I had to select between that, my beloved the AMV Contest, which I like to vote for yearly, and Katsura Sunshine, Rakugo Master Storyteller: An Authentic Rakugo Performance. I’ve been a fan of rakugo for the reason that TV anime sequence Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, and Kodansha’s launch of the manga that got here out afterwards. I’ve additionally heard so much about Katsura Sunshine via the grapevine, and knew he’s been to conventions earlier than. Hopefully I’ll have one other shot another 12 months. I don’t remorse going to that screening, although, the present was ok for me to watch to sustain with weekly.
Overall, this had to be some of the fulfilling con experiences I’ve ever had! If you’re however have but to make the leap, subsequent 12 months is wanting just like the 12 months to make the journey down to Anime NYC. With affirmation of their lease now increasing to the entire venue, they’ll lastly have the opportunity 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. If you’d like to see extra of their work, all their initiatives are right here: https://microwavey.carrd.co/
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