UlasanAnime.com – The 2014 Anime Expo (AX) proved to be a highly divisive event for attendees, with many experiencing significant organizational issues despite record-breaking attendance. The convention, which saw over 80,000 attendees and even had to shut down registration on Saturday due to overwhelming crowds, faced a barrage of criticisms regarding its execution.
One of the most prominent issues was the registration system, which experienced lengthy downtimes on Thursday. Attendees reported waiting for 5-6 hours to collect pre-registered badges, while media and industry personnel had a slightly better, though still considerable, 2.5-hour wait. Premiere fans, whose badges were not pre-printed, managed to process through lines more efficiently due to manual name and number recording.
Panel scheduling also presented a major challenge. Almost every panel ran late, exacerbated by the K premiere event at LP1, the largest panel room. This event required an additional 30-40 minutes for setup and rehearsal, causing it to start about an hour behind schedule. This delay directly impacted FUNimation’s main panel, forcing them to shorten an Angela concert from three songs plus an encore to just two.
The author noted a particular disappointment regarding the Knights of Sidonia opening song, which they had enjoyed during their trip. Hearing it during the panel’s rehearsal only amplified the letdown when the performance was cut short.
The autograph area’s relocation to the game hall also created significant crowd control issues. Each day, a mass of attendees would rush to the back of the hall to secure autograph tickets. While measures were later implemented to mitigate stampedes, the daily wait for autograph tickets remained over an hour for most. Obtaining an autograph voucher from a panel became highly desirable, but even priority ticket holders faced challenges in securing a good spot in line. This was particularly evident during a joint autograph session for seiyuu Yuuznee and Amisuke, where a limited number of tickets had to accommodate a large panel audience, leading to rushed sessions.
The potential for stampedes and injuries was highlighted as a severe concern, especially at a convention of AX’s scale. While the author personally avoided the worst of it, the risk remained a significant downside.
From a press perspective, the experience was also unsatisfactory. Despite signing up for numerous interviews, none materialized. Two scheduled interviews were canceled or altered, with one turning into a press panel and another featuring an unexpected guest. A planned meeting with another editor was also canceled due to illness. Another press panel the author wished to attend was missed due to scheduling conflicts, and a different one was rescheduled on the same day, causing further disruption.
Personal scheduling also contributed to missed opportunities. Waiting for a PR representative in a hotel room on the first morning caused the author to miss the initial hours of the dealer’s room. This resulted in missing out on exclusive sales, autograph tickets, and limited edition merchandise like the Kill la Kill volume 1 and K premiere shirts. Saturday’s exhibit hall was also overwhelmingly crowded, making it difficult to browse effectively. Consequently, some vendors like Kyoto Animation were only visited on Sunday, while others, such as Vertical, were not visited at all.
It’s just like KyoAni Shop except you can’t buy anything pic.twitter.com/qsevDXb0Xu
— MVB (@astrange_e) July 6, 2014
The author admits to spending a considerable amount of time at the Sekai Project booth and socializing with friends. However, they did attend some events, including catching Aoi Eir at CR, greeting a Wake Up Girls fan, and visiting idol events hosted by CR and Daisuki. An idol meetup featuring a “Love Live vs. Idolmaster” theme was also mentioned.
https://twitter.com/cowboybibimbop/status/486065854128205825
WE LOVE LOVE LIVE http://t.co/PeAAcIPB27
— OR?NO (@cowboybibimbop) July 5, 2014
AX exclusive lovelives stickers pic.twitter.com/1cQNH3KSPH
— MVB (@astrange_e) July 4, 2014
Love Live was a significant presence at the con, with interactive demo stations for playing expert-level songs to earn stickers. The author was interested but unwilling to wait ten minutes for the reward.
Real life love liver pic.twitter.com/6Mm5jsdFXT
— MVB (@astrange_e) July 5, 2014
The author shared links to cosplay photos from the event, noting the presence of Nagiasu and Nanami cosplayers. The Gatchaman Crowds fluff ice promotion by Sentai was also praised.
You might also be interested in : Wota Life, North America 2014
http://instagram.com/p/p_-2bvRcsg/
Due to spending most of Thursday in line, the author missed out on obtaining free “fluff ice,” which came in character-themed flavors. They expressed envy over this missed opportunity.
Do not add water pic.twitter.com/6Z5JbFIaKa
— omo@KawaiiKon2024 (@omonomono) July 5, 2014
The Idolm@ster (IM@S) panel hosted by Chuck, now available on YouTube, was discussed. The panel, approximately 52 minutes long, included about 35 minutes of content focused on “calls” (fan chants), which are explained but require practice to fully grasp. The author suggested that experiencing raw calls once before a guided session would be beneficial for learning.
https://twitter.com/exciel_co_log/status/485248158100750336
Much of the author’s time was spent with the “P-crew” (Producers from IM@S), including dinners and humorous cosplay photos. A post-con karaoke session on day 4 was also described as epic, with an initial setup of two rooms for six people upgrading to two rooms for fifteen, allowing attendees to switch between rooms.
Ordinary MikiP and Miki #ax2014 pic.twitter.com/Q48yR5ELf0
— Chris (@Kurotsuki) July 5, 2014
The karaoke experience involved a mix of IM@S songs and other tracks, with attendees enjoying the dual-room setup for a more dynamic experience.
Massive group Karaoke. Producer in one room, Livers in the other. ww pic.twitter.com/eaMZ1DcaXN
— Chris (@Kurotsuki) July 6, 2014
Regarding food, the author mentioned having In’n’Out upon arrival and before departure, thanks to a rented car. They also patronized a food truck with a “weebest” menu that offered surprisingly good dishes, like a pesto-cheese-chicken over fries. A Banh Mi stand was described as decent, though overpriced. The author regretted missing out on a fried waffle cart, which was reportedly amazing.
holy shit RT @normalmar: These guys y’all pic.twitter.com/tPqymwO585
— Vylash (Young and Bitter) (@MiraVylash) July 5, 2014
Bottega Louie was also visited and found to be good, even without its veal dishes.
Returning to AX-specific events, the author noted Yamakan’s appearance, which heavily promoted Wake Up Girls. Hiro was present, and stickers were distributed. This marked Yamakan’s West Coast debut, albeit years late, and attracted dedicated fans.
Yamakan forgot Myu’s last name lol pic.twitter.com/gV5TPHXtJy
— omo@KawaiiKon2024 (@omonomono) July 4, 2014
The Kill la Kill event was described as epic. Attendees performed the “Sushio chant” throughout, and Amisuke and Yuzunee cosplayed their characters, with Amisuke’s visible belly button being a notable detail. The radio-controlled glowsticks used at the event functioned well, though they were considered a less impressive version of a first-generation KBs. Aoi Eir’s performance was also praised, with the author noting how easy it was to get caught up in her energetic songs.
An Eir fan from Japan, seated behind the author, also enthusiastically participated in the calls.
Thank you so so so much Anime Expo!
I hope I can come back soon!#AnimeExpo #AX pic.twitter.com/Tz5Q68UoOH— ?????(??????) (@eir_ruru) July 7, 2014
Sushio’s antics on Twitter and during his panel, including showing his belly, were also mentioned, drawing humorous reactions from Imaishi.
I just ate steak?now ?can speak ENGLISH in LOS ANGELES! ?????
— ??? (@sushio_) July 4, 2014
Nakashima was described as looking like a seasoned manga editor. The author also saw a tweet of EJ with Amisuke and Yuzu-nee the day after the KLK event, suggesting they were enjoying their time.
Eir was perceived as a cool individual, although the author did not interact with her extensively due to autograph session issues. A team photo from her panel was shared.
?????????????????????? pic.twitter.com/DgISx5xRNN
— ?????(??????) (@eir_ruru) July 4, 2014
Butch appeared well-traveled and was seen walking with the Nitroplus president. Inafune was recognized as a cool game developer with impressive Rockman drawing skills, though the author only saw him in the hallways.
Mikatan, now working for Native, attended a figure panel with the company’s head. Native, known for its “classy kin-18 sculpts” and striking packaging, gave away figures during the panel. The author was unaware of Native’s recent expansion beyond Japan-only releases.
Ran into her on the way back to the hotel. pic.twitter.com/S3sNyVwkMr
— This Is Menchi (@ThisIsMenchi) July 4, 2014
Luna Tsukigami, an artist, was described as a nice guy who clearly favored Miki
