I had hope that Reed Pop learned there lesson at last year’s New York Comicon 2018. They had a separate venue called Anime Fest @NYCC to contend with the rising popularity of Anime NYC. The main drawback was that it was far away from the main Jacob Javits Center. As well as that it felt separate in terms of attention and desperate to get more anime otakus to attend. Even to the point of charging it as a separate event. It had the potential to be an up and coming convention to coincide with Anime NYC.
This year they said that they heard the feedback and moved the venue to Pier 94 to the Hudson Mercantile, which is a block away from the Javits Center. Obviously, it won’t be as big as the Pier warehouse, but as long they have content to back it up, they could make it an improvement. I had some expectation that they listened and improved themselves.
I was greatly mistaken.
I did a recon of the venue to see how small the building is. As pictured as such, it is quite small. What I didn’t know is that only one floor/room would be where the event would be held.
There are some conveniences, such as that it is one block away from the center and clean bathrooms. Does help that they had free Japanese coffee given out as well. However, the benefits are little compared to the drawbacks. Do you see the 2nd shutter gate from the left? That is where you enter. There is one floor to represent Anime Fest if you can call it that.
The other is the Hudson Mercantile, which is on the 6th Floor of the building that holds the specific anime/guest panels. This, however, is a paid entry, meaning you need any NYCC day badge and an extra ticket to the panel held then. I was granted entry as press, but one staff lady questioned it. She said that if they were doing it again, Press will need to pay for a ticket in the future if they do this again. Umm… Then how is Press supposed to cover it then?! You expect Press to pay extra ranging from $30-$75 to cover a single panel and to pay more if covering extra panels?! No way lady.
So what did they offer this time? Somewhat little. There is a set up presenting the new Fire Force anime, which included an inflated version of the fire truck. They also had cut-outs of the cast and mascots to take photos with. Asides from the Tori gate that greets you at the entrance, there is a backdrop for other photos. There is a game corner with 2 TVs that has Smash Bros Ultimate, however its only two Joy-Con controllers per table. That to me is the first strike for this event.
Of course, you have at least Gamecube controllers set up at the minimum.
The middle of the floor is a display of the Kotobukiya’s Frame Arms Girls Series. While I’m an amateur in the world of Gunplay models, I was informed that this series is of high grade. While you can do the basics, if you want to put in the extra effort, it can be very beautiful. This is one highlight of the floor.
They also had the Old Bills Old Fashion Soda Pop company to serve good grade insulated mugs for soda they sell. If you buy a mug, you get free refills for the day. If you bring the mug the next day, you get refills at a discounted price for the day. I see this company also at conventions at the Brooklyn Expo Center. The soda and flavors they create are unique. Recommend giving a try if you see them in your convention.
In the back, there is an art wall for people to draw on as well a picture of the poster girl for Anime Fest @NYCC. On one corner, they had pictures of may famous figures and mangas in the Japanese industry. Masashi Kishimoto of Naruto, Oda-sensei of One Piece, Masako Nozawa who voices Goku of Dragon Ball Z and so forth. The Japanese ladies who ran the little corner were giving out newspapers that highlight these figures in the industry. I spoke to one lady to practice a bit of Japanese. Admittingly, I need more practice as I learned much from anime rather than formal education. Though she was quite nice and understood the basic meaning of what I was trying to say to her. This was a nice exhibit, though a part of me thought that this was slightly patronizing to those who already knew the industry and its figureheads. Though it could be for attendees who are new to Anime and Manga in general.
There was a nice attraction there that deserves attention, a calligrapher. This man would paint your name in Romanji. While simple, there is always something mystifying. Whether calligraphy or painting. To see something created before your eyes is always an experience. Follow him on Instagram on Taigan.nyc.
One more highlight that I feel carried much of Anime Fest @ NYCC is Rooster Teeth’s RWBY. Namely the cast of Lindsay Jones, Kara Eberle, Arryn Zech, Barbra Dunkleman, and Miles Luna’s autograph signing. They had sessions during the days of NYCC. Oddly enough, there was not a Rooster Teeth Booth this year at the Javits Center. They always had a booth for many years prior, so it is odd why this time they decided not to have a booth this year. This time there were paid autographs instead of free signing like prior years. They also had Bryce Papenbrook of Sword Art Online signing autographs as well. I felt that if not for these autograph sessions at the venue, then Anime Fest @ NYCC would’ve been severely lacking.
So that is it for the floor/room itself. You can easily cover it in about 10-15 minutes. Again, I know they had to downsize from a Pier warehouse, but this size is almost insulting. However, I do give it credit for the panels they held in the Hudson Mercantile.
Hudson Mercantile
This is where the exclusive panels would be held. However, this means you needed to pay an extra fee as mentioned earlier. I understand it if there was something along with the extra ticket like the Kotobukiya’s exclusive Frame Arms Girl Gouraikai, but to pay extra for any panels held outside the Javits Center when it supposed to be Anime Fest @ NYCC is repeating the same mistake last year. It is a part of New York Comicon.
It should already be part of the program if you have a badge that day. Its bad enough to downsize Anime Fest significantly to a small floor, but to nickel and dime for a specific panel seems very greedy. As I covered the event via a press pass, I could imagine the uproar if the media was subjected to the same treatment. Something of which I’m sure Anime Fest was keenly aware of.
That being said, was the exclusive panels worth the price of admission? That remained to be seen. I was able to cover three panels held at the Hudson Mercantile. The Rooster Teeth RWBY VOL 7 panel, Q&A session with Veronica Taylor, & Kotobukiya’s Spotlight of Frame Arms Girls Series and recap movie while there. Doing all of this as general admission, I would have paid well over $100, on top of a normal NYCC badge for these three panels. To this, I’d have to say to Reedpop to stop this nonsense. Unless the panel has something exclusive to give like a limited Gunpla kit or exclusive autograph sessions, DON’T charge for access to these panels. Anime Fest is a part of NYCC, and therefore should be added with the program with a normal NYCC badge. Allow general admissions to attend the panels, and only provide the extra benefits or goodies to those who paid extra. Don’t be greedy!
The RWBY Panel had a great turnout, with the cast discussing Vol. 7 of the series and giving a brief recap of the events prior, such as team RWBY making an appearance in SMITE. They also discussed the Companion book for RWBY alongside the manga published from Viz.
Veronica Taylor’s panel was a basic Q&A session with her daughter, with those who paid a premium to stay for a personal autograph session. She is just an absolute delight to hear her experience and wisdom of her time in the industry. I asked in regards to her role as Manuela in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and hearing her just enjoy the role is just a delight. She also expressed approval of those who managed to get an S-Rank as Manuela in the game. She also answered a number of questions, including “What Pokemon she would be”? To which she answered, Ditto, as she could be anything she wanted it to be.
The last panel I attended was the Kotobukiya showing of the Frame Arm Girls recap movie of the first season. Before the screening, they showed off the details and rundown of what is a Gunpla and what makes the Frame Arms Girl series special. If you love the hardcore mechs like Gundam with some moe girls, then this will satisfy your fancy. A free limited edition model kit was a nice finish to end my time here.
Final Thoughts
Overall, while some moments were worthy of the time, the significant downsize was a bit insulting, to say the least. Again, I understand there was no way to find a place equal to the pier warehouse. However, to downsize it to two floors was shocking. If possible, I would have preferred they attempted to rent one more building or more floors for the exhibit. Also if you are going to make a game corner, at least have four controllers ready at the helm for multiplayer. This feels tacked on and that there was not much to advertise for Anime and Manga.
Here’s to hoping that after going through and the pandemic of COVID-19 and hearing criticisms from the fans, that ReedPop will attempt to transform Anime Fest into something better. Especially since there is now place for anime and manga at New York Comicon. Whether you are invested and want to serve that fan base is up to you ReedPop. Right now Anime NYC has that base locked down. Show the otakus and fans respect, and they will do the same in return.
