Top 5 Moments of Anime Expo 2016

Anime Expo is one of, if not, the largest anime convention in America and they went for their 25th anniversary. Unfortunately, I was only able to attend Saturday (the busiest day of the four) and it was not enough to get the full experience. So, my list is limited to what I experienced and will be different from others. Feel free to comment your favorite moments below!

1. Going all out
   Past Anime Expo attendees will understand better than anyone else how much The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) went all out to give an amazing expo experience for 2016. The expo even went as far to include Little Tokyo for several of the events, such as the Zero Escape Puzzle Hunt. There were plenty of panels, night events, exhibitors, vendors, guests, and celebrities to attract every type of anime fan. Personally, the One Punch Man Matsuri was a must.
2. Food Trucks
   I’ll be honest, I don’t like the food inside the Los Angeles Convention Center. The food isn’t bad, but it’s not worth the price. Which is why I was extremely happy to see all the food trucks in front of the convention center and across the street. This was hands down the most food trucks I have seen for a convention in Los Angeles and it made my stomach very happy.
3. Cosplays
   Anime Expo always has amazing cosplay and I give credit to the cosplayers that wear the bulkier outfits in the LA heat. Personally, I saw a spot-on Yajirobe (a cosplay you don’t see too often) and a giant Pikachu suit I thought I would have to go to Japan to see in person. Not every cosplay was amazing, but it’s always great to see people with similar interests come together and talk about their hobbies with so much passion.
4. Fan Service
   I’ll admit, part of what drew me into anime and manga was the fan service. The people behind anime and manga know it draws attention. So, it is common to see a beautiful woman cosplaying for a booth to attract attendees, but there was so much more this year compared to previous years. Almost every other booth had a cosplayer to draw in the crowds and  unfortunately, I bumped into people a couple times because I wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking. No, I’m not a hentai…Okay, maybe.
5. Merchandise
   Any type of product you can think of, there is probably an anime-themed version of it. You can find a knife based off the swords from Bleach, a chuunin jacket from Naruto, a Pokemon plush, the list goes on. With so many products possible, it’s sometimes difficult to find quality and unique products. The two biggest eye catchers for me this year were a Naruto board game by Japanime Games (check out Kevin Fenix’s article to find out more about it) and the prototype of Figma Saitama by Good Smile Company.

Did any of your favorite moments make the list?