Anime Expo welcomes its attendees. Image property and courtesy of Anime Expo 2008/SPJA

Amy stands outside West Hall A of the Los Angeles Convention Center, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open.   "This is incredible!" she exclaims, looking around.   "Did you see that costume?   It actually lit up!   And over there!   Did they actually make that entire huge sword from scratch?"   She tears her eyes away from the milling cosplayers for a moment to peruse her schedule.   "I don't know what to do first.   This is my first time at Anime Expo," she admits.   "It's a bit…overwhelming.   She's an old veteran though," she adds, indicating to her left.

Her friend, Janice, runs up beside her, a badge dangling from her hand.   She holds it up triumphantly.   "I'm just happy about this new registration system!   Goodbye, hours of waiting in line!   Okay, what first?   Ooh, voice acting workshop!"   Amy, unresisting, allows herself to be pulled away, and the two disappear into a throng of people dressed up as video game characters.

Anime Expo 2008 descended upon downtown Los Angeles with a vengeance.   Held from July 3 – 6 and hosted by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA), the biggest anime convention in North America proved that it was still going strong, with a final tally of 43,000 unique attendees.   Thousands of costumed convention-goers flooded the Los Angeles Convention Center and its nearby hotels for the Independence Day weekend in a celebration of Japanese culture and animation.

There was the usual impressive array of guests of honor, including voice actor David Hayter (best known as Solid Snake in the Metal Gear Solid games), animation director Hiromi Kato ( Beck), character designer Akemi Takada ( Mobile Police Patlabor), voice actor Toshihiko Seki ( Saiyuki), and Shoko Nakagawa (singer, blogger, voice actress, illustrator, and Japan's newest It Girl), just to name a few.   Industry guests included many more well-known voice actors, musicians, writers, and industry professionals.   Huge crowds spent hours lining up just for the chance to catch a glimpse of the famed Shokotan in concert.   "I really want to see her, just to say I did," one Japanese fan admitted, "but I don't think I have a chance in that crowd."   In terms of star power, Anime Expo definitely did not disappoint.

Shokotan entertains a maximum capacity crowd. Photo by Chie Kato, All Rights Reserved.

As with most conventions, a main focus was the panels.   In addition to the usual industry panels and specific title-themed panels, there were instructional panels on activities like voice acting, anime journalism, anime figure model building, and dancing.   Budding talent was also heavily encouraged with fanfiction writing panels, anime music video contests, the singing and voice acting competition of AX Idol, and the ever-popular Masquerade, as cosplayers paraded across the stage to show off their handiwork, each costume more elaborate than the last.   The huge exhibit hall was also the main draw for many.   It sprawled across the wide floor of one of the convention halls, boasting rows upon rows of booths.   Waves of shoppers flooded past, bags of anime figures in hand.   One girl excitedly waved a string of paper lantern lights, exclaiming over how she was going to decorate her dorm room with them.  

The sprawling exhibit hall. Image property and courtesy of Anime Expo 2008/SPJA

This is the fan culture sweeping the nation.   Thanks to the internet, the concept of "fandom" (a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest) has experienced a huge surge in popularity as fans connect.   As the culture has expanded and friends are made, the significance of a convention becomes all the more important, as it symbolizes the one time a year that friends made across the internet can actually come together.  A convention represents camaraderie and, to some, almost a mini-vacation.  And as conventions expand, so do the fan numbers.

Cosplayers pose for the camera. Photo by Yukio Togoda, All Rights Reserved.

For now, this is the future.  Conventions promise to take an increasingly prominent role in this culture, with their promises to provide a haven for friends in fandoms to meet.  Anime Expo continues to offer such a venue every summer.  All in all, it's pretty nice to be a fan in Southern Californian, with easy access to the nation's largest anime convention.

Janice and Amy return to the main lobby now, their hands full of bags.   Amy sets hers down for a moment and shakes out her arms.   "You will not believe how much stuff I bought," she groans, peering through an especially large box.   "How was my first experience?"   She reflects on this for a moment.   "I was expecting crazier stuff.   But maybe I don't realize just how popular anime's gotten.   All in all, I had an awesome time.   A lot of the panels were really neat, I met a whole bunch of new friends, and, well, you can see for yourself how much I bought."

Janice elbows her friend.   "She'll be here next year," she says with a wink.

"Oh, no doubt about that – I'll definitely be back," Amy replied.   "I can see why Janice keeps coming back every year!"

And, as a matter of fact, so can we.

For more information, visit:

http://www.anime-expo.org/

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