As 2023’s convention season draws to a close, I want to discuss my first-ever trip to Anime NYC. Created by Left Field Media the folks responsible for AwesomeCon, this one has been on my radar for many years since its inception in 2017 to be exact.

Held at the Jacob Javitz Convention, it’s one of the biggest cons in the Northeast and has capitalized heavily on anime’s acceptance into the cultural zeitgeist.

One of the first things I experienced was the show floor/dealer’s room; easily the biggest draw at any con. Vendors (and I say this literally) from all over the world had their brands on display; from G-fuel Energy to the U.S. Marines.

But there were also some fantastic panels, anime studios such as modern anime legends David Productions, the studio that brought us masterpieces like Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, showcased their latest work Undead UnLuck. A story of two people cursed with abilities that make it impossible for them to lead normal lives. Mangaka, Yoshifumi Tozuka, and Seiyuu, Moe Kahara took questions on their experiences working on this fun-filled series.

I also attended the Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead panel, where audience members got to meet members of the English-dubbed voice cast. In this story, a salaryman (ironically) gains a new lease on life due to a zombie apocalypse and begins his own bucket list of 100 things he wishes to accomplish before becoming the next item on the zombies’ menu. Voice actors, Zeno Robinson, Abby Trott, and Laura Post discussed the series and as well as the deeper meaning behind the story, followed by a screening of season one’s penultimate episode.

Lastly, I watched the dubbed premiere of the 2021 Detective Conan movie, The Scarlet Bullet. In Scarlet Bullet, Genius Detective, Conan Edogawa uncovers a revenge plot against a company debuting a brand-new bullet train. The screening debuted a brand-new dub cast, with the likes of Wendy Lee and Cristina Vee portraying the titular Detective and close friend Ran Mori respectively. Impressively cast and entertaining, but not exactly groundbreaking. 4 out of 5.

It was an amazing weekend, I got to meet talented voice actors like Robbie Daymond, and see some next-level work from companies like Espada and Anime Gear Guru.

Anime NYC is the first time in over a decade that I attended an anime convention in NYC proper, and it was something special, I can’t wait to go back next August!

DJ Ranma S

DJ Ranma S is cosplay veteran. He has won numerous performance awards with his friends over the years. He has staffed conventions in the past, ran panels, judged a couple of masquerades, a jack of all trades. He's worked dealer's room too! Running this site is his way of giving back to the cosplay community. He feels that it's his turn to give a future cosplayer their fifteen minutes of fame.

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