AnimeJapan is an event that caters to anime and explores the many wonders of Japan’s pop culture. Whether you enjoy the latest upcoming shows or you fancy the nostalgic works, AnimeJapan has just about everything to keep you entertained. Since 2014, AnimeJapan has been the go-to event for fans across the world, since it allows people of all ages to come together and take part in all of the festivities that they’re all so passionate about. There are a plethora of special stage events to tune into, along with surprise announcements which make AnimeJapan such a blast to enjoy.
AnimeJapan is one of Japan’s largest events pertaining to Japanese pop culture, and every major company is there in attendance to announce new upcoming shows along with other big surprises. This year’s event was jam packed with new booths from several different companies, along with universities promoting their seminars in order to gather more students interested in animation. When you walk into the event there’s just so much to see and do whether you’re in the first hall or the sixth hall. There were massive stages set up in different areas of the venue which had exclusive events pertaining to anime and game announcements from heavy hitters such as Square Enix.
Essentially AnimeJapan 2017 is an event that’s all about the otaku lifestyle and being able to spread that culture to a wide audience. Every booth had something interesting to show off along with a plethora of merchandise for you to buy. This is an event unlike any other in Japan since it caters to just about everyone and doesn’t focus on a particular category for example Comiket, which generally focuses more on doujin related products, or Wonder Festival which is catered to fans of the garage kit culture. So if you’re coming to Japan in hopes to understand more about the beauty and diversity of Japanese pop culture, AnimeJapan is the one you should book in advance.
What to Bring in Order to Enjoy the Event
For the most part, you’ll more than likely want to bring your wallet since of course the entry fee must be paid first, otherwise no entry. Aside from the entry itself bringing your wallet is always imperative since there’s always something out there that might pique your interest, and having the extra cash lying around will surely come in handy. Whether you’re into cosplay, surprise live performances or just wandering around and soaking everything in, having a camera is truly essential since you’ll be able to capture all the action and take it back home with you. What’s an event without some friends also? Call up some of your friends and bring them along with you because it’ll only make the experience that much greater, and you’ll have a lot more to talk about when it’s all finished.
What to do while there, what to see and what to do:
Otaku Kingdom
As you know by now, Japan is the epicentre of all things pertaining to anime, gaming, and pop culture. AnimeJapan takes all of those and throws them into one big venue for every otaku on the planet to enjoy. There’s simply so much to explore when walking around that you often times may get a massive information overload, and need to take a breather. When we were walking around we could see people scattering around like ants trying to find their favorite booths, but perhaps that’s the real thrill of attending AnimeJapan because you’re never too sure what to expect once you turn the corner.
Otaku Kingdom is certainly a very fitting term for this event because there are a lot of passionate fans out there who really support their favorite anime. One example is the Fate series which saw enormous numbers when the special stage event was announced. We went in as press but boy was it an experience because, we had the opportunity to see the seiyuu who act out these characters on screen in person. Seeing them interact with the crowd and share juicy details was really thrilling and that’s something you really can’t find anywhere else. That’s another thing to touch on and that’s the special stage events, since throughout AnimeJapan 2017 there were a lot of them. We managed score exclusive entry to all the stage events and we have to say, out of the entire weekend event the Attack on Titan season 2 stage was perhaps the most prolific.
While everyone had their eyes peeled for new information pertaining to Fate/Grand Order and other various titles like Alternative Girls, the fans in attendance simply couldn’t wait to know more about Attack on Titan season 2. Eyes were glued directly on the seiyuu to see just what they’d announce and without throwing any spoilers out there, we’ll say that you’ll have a lot to look forward to once the new season begins.
The Plethora of Booths...and Babes!
You simply can’t go to any large event without there being booths to check out, and AnimeJapan 2017 had a lot of them. The Fate/Grand Order booth was enormous and came equipped with this large cross statue that stood triumphantly for everyone to see, and also there were VR setups so that people could try out the new title. Unfortunately the lineups were gigantic and there was no way we’d stand around for an hour to try it out, so we managed to score some photos instead. We can imagine it being a very immersive title so we’ll wait until its full release to get our hands on experience. Not too many people in the west are familiar with the Garo series, but it’s certainly worth the watch if you really want to learn about Japanese mythology and history. Garo’s famous golden suit was on display along with his godly horse which also stood triumphantly for all to gaze upon.
Another interesting booth was the Paddington Bear booth, which was there to promote the upcoming movie starring everyone’s favorite British bear Paddington. Growing up watching this show was fantastic so seeing our childhood hero in attendance brought out the nostalgia. There were some incredibly detailed illustrations as well such as Ashita no Joe along with other anime titles. A plethora of figures and plastic models were also on display showing off characters from Overwatch, Guilty Gear and of course everyone’s favorite, Super Sonico. No matter what event you attend, Super Sonico will most likely be there somewhere. Perhaps the most intriguing part of our journey at AnimeJapan 2017 is of course the beautiful booth babes that are scattered all around the event, promoting companies and of course themselves. We’ll most definitely share our favorite booth babe photos because we truly feel they put on a show themselves and really worked hard to maintain their gorgeous smiles. There were also some cosplay in attendance which should come as no surprise, but unfortunately due to high traffic we simply couldn’t get an opportunity to get the pro shots. We’ll certainly be ready come AnimeJapan 2018 though!
Honeys Anime Final Thought
AnimeJapan 2017 has come and gone, but the memories that it left behind are truly unforgettable. So many people attended the event that we imagine everyone (including us) felt so pooped after walking around all day. It was certainly worth it though because Honey’s Anime had a wonderful opportunity to meet with great people, take photographs of our favorite shows along with the babes of course, and just simply be a part of an evolving culture that always seems to amaze us every time. We really hope that you make your way over to Japan for the next one, because AnimeJapan is full of excitement and passion that you can feel it permeating through your body as you walk around. Whether it’s girls collecting pins from their favorite anime, watching life performances from idol groups, or simply just having a laugh with friends about all the great memories you experienced, AnimeJapan is the one show not to sleep on!
As always, for everything sweet be sure to keep it locked here on Honey's Anime!
Editor/Writer
Author: Rob "NualphaJPN" B.
A passionate fan of gaming, writing, journalism, anime, and philosophy. I've lived in Japan for many years and consider this place to be my permanent home. I love to travel around Japan and learn about the history and culture! Leave a comment if you enjoy my articles and watch me play on twitch.tv/honeysgaming ! Take care!
