Anime NYC 2026 - Post-Show Field Report

The following quote was taken directly from Anime NYC’s website:

“Anime NYC is a creation of LeftField Media, an event company made of dedicated fans and convention organizers. Anime NYC is built with tremendous support from Crunchyroll and publishers across the Japanese pop culture industry.”

Anime NYC is always a place where we find ourselves digging deep into our wallets, crying as we scan our credit cards or pull out a few wads of cash but then smiling when we get to hold our well-earned merchandise.

We nabbed some merch from vendors like Shark Robot, Sakai Kousan (streetwear based on a light novel which can be read here), Obey Me!, AN-IPPON ANIMExKOGEI, AVIOT—which we helped man their anime-voiced earbuds booth once again—Vinoburrito, which had tons of art pieces from Kamen Rider to Pokémon, and more.

Artist Alley hit harder than ever before with a plethora of artists and vendors scattered across the back end of the exhibit hall. We swear that just walking around for 4 days wasn’t enough to see every artist and their impressive works as they constantly changed their goods and tried to ensure every fandom was appreciated in some way or form!

Even if you didn’t want just fan-made art, there were plenty of other ways to show your love for the animation world, and that was in large part due to groups like Heritage Auctions!

We got to see what they were doing to spread the love of animation from works like Dragon Ball Z, Charlie Brown, classic anime (Astro Boy), The Simpsons, and even games like Dragon’s Lair! Anyone could spend as much money as they wanted to so they could enter an auction to obtain a piece of art from these various works that are meant to help preserve the animation world.

With their group spreading to various countries across the world, Heritage Auctions is doing something admirable, making sure physical art stays alive in a world where digital is becoming more and more commonplace. We learned a lot about the current state of animation across the world, their mission in giving all fans a chance at becoming a part of animation history, and their success spreading out worldwide. We clap for these amazing folks and wish them well in their mission!

Aside from the lower-end vendors, Anime NYC 2026 did have some of the bigger titans waiting for people to peruse their shops. Crunchyroll, HIDIVE, Kodansha, Cyberpower PC, Kinokuniya, Bandai Hobby, Yen Press, Seven Seas, and the list goes on. These shops offered the usual goods, such as first nabs at new series and/or first looks at custom merchandise like some of the Towers at Cyberpower PC.

Anime NYC 2026 also had their own merch booth, which allowed guests to buy limited-edition shirts and other goodies, but they went fast… like, we noticed their products were almost sold out by the first day!

Another shop that surprised us was JUNES, in reference to the one in Persona 4. They offered drinks and other goodies for those who went, and we heard the Persona fandom was beyond ecstatic!

Needless to say, Anime NYC 2026 offered everything for every type of fan out there, and that is why this convention continues to be so successful!

Maybe you didn’t come to Anime NYC 2026 with much in the wallet after buying the tickets—which were quite expensive—that’s perfectly okay. Even if you could only wander around and window shop at the various booths, there’s always the usually free-of-charge panels to enjoy.

We were taken aback at how many panels were available this year at Anime NYC. It seemed whether you wanted to know more about the industry or wanted to maybe get a first look at some new anime, there was a panel for that.

We sat through one ourselves—the GKIDS Industry Panel—which gave us sneak peeks on various new anime/movies coming from the GKIDS team. We even got to see a preview of The Last Blossom, but we can’t share much more than that, unfortunately!

Anime NYC 2026 offered panels that even had screenings of movies like Detective Conan: The Million-dollar Pentagram in dub. Unfortunately, getting into a lot of these bigger panels required early reservations, which basically were booked from the first day they were announced.

There was a means of getting in without reservations, but these were based on a lottery of sorts, meaning even if you showed up early, you might not have a chance at getting in. I heard many rumblings from fans eager to see a screening of Kagurabachi but unable to make it in.

Sadly, this is a common convention experience, and it’s why we recommend downloading the app and ensuring you are following Anime NYC on various social media sites like X to ensure you keep in the know for when events are coming.

As anime fans here at Honey’s Anime, we love cosplay, obviously. There are plenty of big-name cosplayers who are famous online, and one search on Google or YouTube/TikTok will help you find them showing off cute poses and the latest dance crazes…or just silly antics for their fans.

Personally, we try to find the lesser-known cosplay from our time at the convention, and we found some which we will show off here. These cosplayers really did awesome with their various designs and outfits.

We felt bad a few times finding them either resting or buying from vendors themselves, but we knew we’d hate to miss out on snapping photos of them! Whether you love Umamusume or Final Fantasy, these cosplayers made sure to show their love and display it for all to witness.

We can honestly say Anime NYC 2026 learned quite a bit from its last few outings and tried to make the experience better than last year. This year, quite a bit more of the center was utilized.

There was a gaming-focused section on the lower floor—card games, Japanese arcade cabinets, and so on—while panels were held on the second floor or scattered across the convention.

We didn’t feel as cramped as Anime NYC 2025 but still think maybe the panels could be accessed even higher, as the Javits Center does have several more floors that conventions like Comic Con use when they are in the center.

Anime NYC 2026 also was a lot more organized in terms of main vendors and the exhibit hall in general. We still highly recommend using the app or downloading the map on the official website, as that helps navigate Anime NYC a bit easier, but even by just wandering around, there was enough postage and signs to find most of the bigger sections.

Without a doubt, Anime NYC 2026 was a massive success, and we do not wish to take that away from this amazing convention. However, there are still some minor issues that we think need to be addressed.

While we didn’t witness it personally, a lot of guests spoke out on social media sites like TikTok or X, discussing their issues with the staff when asking for directions or needing assistance. Many of the staff came across as rude or unhelpful, and again, we here at Honey’s Anime didn’t have this issue, thankfully, but it won’t take long to find many guest goers saying they had issues with the staff.

Another problem was the vendors that, per se, were at Anime NYC 2026 but weren’t affiliated with them. The gaming alley—which was downstairs—had vendors that sold art and other works. We talked off the record with a few of these vendors—not to put any of them under the spotlight—but they said they felt a bit saddened that it took other buyers and guests to push their products on social media because many didn’t even know the gaming areas had vendors unless they went there themselves. In our opinion, this is an easy issue to correct by maybe making note that there are vendors in the gaming hall in the next Anime NYC outing.

Lastly, and this one is a bit of a harder issue to solve but not impossible, overcrowding. Thursday—the first day—was pretty easy to navigate around Anime NYC 2026 without bumping into fifty people every step you took. The remaining three days, though, were jam-packed, and that is due to the space of Anime NYC. From experiencing Comic Con and other similar conventions that use the Javits Center space, overcrowding can be reduced a tad bit if more of the center is opened. Again, the more popular the event becomes, the more people will be there, obviously, but overcrowding was an issue at times, making even buying from vendors a chore.

Personally, we loved every second of Anime NYC 2026. Talking with guests, seeing how vendors were doing, and just getting lost in all of the anime greatness never got old.

Despite our poor, tired souls from walking for miles every day or standing assisting at our various booths, we stood strong and enjoyed the atmosphere of the convention! Sure, we can see why some people had complaints here and there—food lines were outrageously long, and merchandise was quite pricey—but despite those small concerns and issues, our time at Anime NYC 2026 was phenomenal!