Anime Expo, also known as AX, is an anime convention that usually takes place on the July 4th weekend for 4 days every year in Southern California. The convention is held from Thursday to Sunday in years that the 4th falls from Wednesday through Saturday, but in a year when July 4 falls on a Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, AX is held Friday to Monday. Anime Expo is hosted by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). SPJA has also held Anime Expos in New York and Tokyo, which took place in 2002 and 2004 respectively.

Many of the attendees cosplay while attending the convention, and popular events (in addition to guest and industry panels) include the Masquerade, Karaoke Contest, Anime Music Video Contest, and "AX Idol" Contest. AX is a 24-hour convention, offering late-night dances, all night video and gaming rooms, and open-mic Karaoke in the nighttime hours. AX has frequently collaborated with the anime industry, and as the convention has grown, so has the visibility of AX's industry sponsors as evidenced by their towering presence in the exhibition halls.

Anime Expo 2006 will be held in Anaheim from July 1-4, 2006. Anime Expo 2007 will return to Long Beach, the actual dates of which have yet to be announced.

History

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Anime Expo started as a convention in Northern California. Members of Cal Animage Alpha, the anime club at the University of California at Berkeley, were major contributors to its early history. In 1994, AX made a strategic relocation to Southern California and has stayed there since.

For many years much of AX's staff and management consisted of unpaid volunteers even as its attendance grew and along with it the requirements of its staff. At one time the prospect of paying management was proposed and even attempted, although it was met with controversy by management staff who felt putting on a good show was payment enough. However, realizing that the SPJA could no longer have AX management freely devote so much of their lives to putting on a convention of its staggering size, for the 2006 convention year it was agreed upon that division management would be granted part-time employee status.

An internal political schism within the organization occurred in April 2003 stemming from allegations of mishandling and conflicts of interest made public by organization founder and former CEO Mike Tatsugawa. The SPJA strongly denied and rebuked the allegations, and an audit investigating the matter turned up false. However, a small handful of disaffected members loyal to the AX founder remained unconvinced and left the organization to assist in Mike Tatsugawa's newest endeavor, the Pacific Media Expo.

The convention continues to thrive despite a downtrend in the anime industry and maintains a strong draw due to the many notable Japanese guests AX has been known for. It currently holds the title of America's Largest Anime Convention, a title which it has consistently held every year except 2003 in which its attendance was slightly edged out by a fellow Anime convention on the East Coast, Otakon. From the 1,750 attendees in 1992, AX's size has increased to 33,000 in 2005 making it one of the largest anime conventions in the world.

Other Anime Expos

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The SPJA has twice run conventions outside of California: Anime Expo New York in 2002, and Anime Expo Tokyo in 2004.

Anime Expo New York

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Anime Expo New York (AXNY) was held in 2002 in the Times Square district of New York City. The event was originally a joint effort with Central Park Media and its industry event, Big Apple Anime Fest (BAAF). Due to differences, the event ran as separate entities within the same time frame and venues, with BAAF hosting the theatrical film screenings, and AXNY hosting the convention. The events shared some resources, with notable guests listed in the program guides of both events.

The SPJA ran the event in order to demonstrate that they could run events outside of their home state of California. The event was a precursor to Anime Expo Tokyo which would run in 2004 in Tokyo, Japan. The SPJA has not run any events outside of California since 2004. BAAF would run once more in 2003, but would cancel its events in 2004 and 2005, with no further plans for future events. AnimeNEXT, which began running annually in 2001, would become the only anime convention in the New York City metropolitan area.

Anime Expo Tokyo

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Anime Expo Tokyo (AX Tokyo) was held in 2004 at the Sunshine City Convention Center in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. It is important to note that this event was not technically put on by the SPJA, but rather was put on by the Japanese Association for Science Fiction with assistance from the SPJA. In hosting AX Tokyo, JASFIC intended to accomplish two objectives. First, they wanted to establish in Japan a non-corporate sponsored convention dedicated to Anime, which in contrast to its manga counterpart was a rarity in Japan. Second, they wanted to prove to the coordinators of WorldCon that Japan could serve as a suitable venue for conventions that attract foreigners. They were ultimately successful and were named as the host for WorldCon 2007.

Anime Expo Tokyo had a staggering list of over 40 guests such as Ken Akamatsu, MiQ, Under17, Hiroshi Aro, and many others, although a small handful had to make last minute cancellations. AX Tokyo was also the very first AX that officially hosted guests from the US Anime industry such as Fred Gallagher and Crispin Freeman.

Of AX Tokyo's 4249 attendees, approximately 300 of that number were estimated to have traveled from abroad. In addition to the attendance numbers were 240 members of the press, 40 of which were from overseas. An additional 430 people were composed of dealers, guests, or staff.

As of current, no official plans for the next Anime Expo Tokyo have been announced, although there are persistant rumors that JASFIC intends to host another one, and considers the first AX Tokyo to have been a success.

Anime Expo dates and location by year

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Anime Expo 1992 — July 3-6, Red Lion Hotel, San Jose, California. Anime Expo 1993 — July 2-4, Parc Oakland Hotel and Oakland Convention Center, Oakland, California. Anime Expo 1994 — July 1-3, Marriott Hotel, Anaheim, California. Anime Expo 1995 — June 30-July 2, Airport Hilton, Los Angeles, California. Anime Expo 1996 — June 28-30, Marriott Hotel, Anaheim, California. Anime Expo 1997 — July 4-6, Airport Hilton, Los Angeles, California. Anime Expo 1998 — July 3-5, Hilton Hotel and Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California. Anime Expo 1999 — July 16-18, Hilton Hotel and Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California. Anime Expo 2000 — June 30-July 3, Disneyland Resort Hotel and Entertainment Convention Center, Anaheim, California. Anime Expo 2001 — July 5-8, Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California. Anime Expo 2002 — July 4-7, Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California. Anime Expo New York — August 31-September 2, Marriott Marquis, New York City, New York. Anime Expo 2003 — July 3-6, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California. Anime Expo Tokyo — January 16-18, Sunshine City Convention Center, Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan. Anime Expo 2004 — July 2-5, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California. Anime Expo 2005 — July 1-4, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California. Anime Expo 2006 — July 1-4, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California. Anime Expo 2007 — TBA, Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, California.

External links

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Anime Expo website Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation Anime-Cons.com - News about anime conventions, including AX LLNN - Reports on anime conventions, including AX A Fan's View - Reports on anime conventions, including AX Anime News Network - Reports on anime related matters, including AX