Anime NYC round up

At the end of last year, there was an end-of-camp, bittersweet vibe on the last day of Anime NYC. That feeling was still there this year, but something was off. If I had to describe it, I’d say that the convention felt unfulfilled.

Anime NYC feels like it has a foot in both sides of the convention world. One is in the super-corporate, glitzy con, while the other is firmly planted in the tradition of local, fan-first shows that are looser and less polished, but also feel much more like a genuine celebration of anime fandom. Unfortunately, I don’t think Anime NYC is embracing either side nearly enough.

In almost every conversation I had with attendees, the issue of Thursday feeling empty came up, and on Reddit the prevailing sentiment was that the guest list and panel programming felt underwhelming. The balance was slightly off. There seemed to be fewer “fan panels” than last year, and they still need to add more programming to Thursday’s schedule.

I understand that industry panels tend to want to stay out of Netflix’s way, but that doesn’t mean you can’t schedule fan panels during the hours leading up to the showcase event, especially given that the artist alley was bigger than ever before and fans consistently mentioned it as one of the convention’s standout features. I’m left feeling that the programming would benefit from more fan panels, not less.

The early Thursday blocks of time could be reserved for first-time panelists, turning Thursday into a fan-panel indie day. That would give the first day a more fan-centric identity and let attendees enjoy the culture of panels made by otaku, for otaku, in a way that doesn’t always come across in industry panels.

I also want people to stop comparing Anime NYC to Anime Expo. I think it does a disservice to fans who don’t or can’t travel across the country for conventions. Of course Anime Expo is bigger. It’s been around since 1992, which makes it a much more established convention than Anime NYC. From what I can tell, though, both conventions have their own strengths and weaknesses, and Anime NYC shouldn’t need to become the East Coast version of AX to be successful.

That said, I do think some of what made Anime NYC feel special and made it feel like it could stand alongside AX in its own way has been drained from the dealer’s room. I remember a 20-foot-tall Luffy dominating the floor in 2024 and multiple elaborate photo opportunities in 2025, but there didn’t seem to be nearly as much of that this time around.

This is an opportunity to create a space that feels like a celebration of the nerdy thing we all love. The dealer’s room shouldn’t just feel like a place to buy things; it should be part of the spectacle of the convention itself. I know the organizers may not have much control over what vendors and publishers bring, but if I were exhibiting at Anime NYC, I’d want to show up and show off.

With next year being the tenth anniversary, I hope Anime NYC finds a way to give attendees an experience that celebrates the more fan-made backbone that clearly makes it unique. Anime used to feel like a niche hobby, much like comic books, and as Comic-Con has ballooned, so have many anime cons. But the opportunity for a huge con like Anime NYC to make something with both scale and soul is definitely there. Make it a little more Comiket and a little less Comic-Con.