Anime Expo 2023 - Tumblr Posts
Off to Anime Expo 2023!
My ITA backpack is ready!
And in case my favorite anime wasn't obvious enough already, I also put some pins on my badge lanyard!
So yeah, later today I'll be heading to Anime Expo (also known as AX), which is arguably the biggest anime convention in North America. Since I live near Los Angeles, I've been to the expo many times...this will be my thirteenth year attending! I've even saved all of my AX badges over the years ;)
(if you're wondering why I had to blur out parts of the badges, it's because they used to be personalized with every attendee's full name and city/state. They stopped doing that in 2015).
Even though I've been to AX many times, this will be my first convention since the pandemic, so I'm especially looking forward to it.
These are the events I'm planning to attend (emphasis on SxF related events of course):
Day 1, July 1st
-Spy x Family Panel featuring Takuya Eguchi
Start: 5:00PM End: 5:50PM
Day 2, July 2nd
-Production I.G x WIT
Start: 12:00PM End: 12:50PM
Day 3, July 3rd
-Bushiroad Panel
Start: 11:30AM End: 12:20PM
-Crunchyroll Industry Panel
Start: 3:30PM End: 4:50PM
Any time I have in between panels will be spent in the Exhibit Hall, where 100+ vendors will be selling all manner of anime goods, or Artist Alley, where 100+ artists will be selling their works. And when those places close in the evenings, I'll probably hang out in the Tabletop Gaming room playing Weiss Schwarz and Osica.
Obviously the SxF panel on Day 1 is my top priority. That would still be the case even if Eguchi wasn't part of it, but the fact that he will be there makes me even more excited! But anyone who's been to big fan conventions knows how crazy crowds can be, and unless an event has reservation tickets or something (which this one doesn't) it's all first come first serve. I know I'll have to get there at least a few hours early to ensure I can get a seat. This year AX will not be clearing rooms before or after most events, so that could help. Fingers crossed I can get in! The other events I want to attend will be crowded too, but not as bad as this one. I'm hopeful we'll get a sneak peek of SxF season 2...we've already gotten a movie trailer, and the movie comes out months after season 2, so maybe they're saving the season 2 teaser for AX!
Unfortunately I've been dealing with a health issue for the past month that has yet to be resolved. After weeks of pain in my gut and battling ongoing fatigue, I finally got a CT scan today and found out I have inflammation in my colon. I just started taking antibiotics that will hopefully get rid of it, but if not I'll have to get a colonscopy for further inspection. I wish I felt better so I could enjoy myself more, but I know I'll feel at least a little better once the adrenaline and excitement kicks in. Just keeping my fingers crossed that I don't get worse during the trip...I've been looking forward to this all year and would be devastated if it was ruined!
Anyway, I definitely plan to blog about my time at AX. Unfortunately most of the big events, especially ones with exclusive content, don't usually allow photos or video. But I'll do the best I can even if I can only recount my experiences in text! I'll try to make posts while I'm actually at the expo, but depending on how things go, I might not be able to do the bulk of my posting until after I return. However, I do plan to make more sporadic, real-time posts on my Twitter, so follow me there if you're interested!
So much SxF appreciation at this year's AX!
My favorite has got to be this lovely display at the Toho booth.
I love the selection of screenshots they chose to frame 😁
The booth also had the official subtitled version of the movie trailer!
Release date for the US is still "coming soon."
There's even a SxF banner right at the entrance!
Takuya Eguchi (voice of Loid) had a panel at Anime Expo!
I was able to attend and it was great fun! Unfortunately photos/videos weren't allowed during the bulk of the panel, but I did my best to document his hilarious responses to the Q&A!
His favorite character is Henderson.
When asked who he thought the scariest character was, he said Anya because he feels like he can forgive anything she does!
When asked if he'd rather go on a dangerous spy mission or eat Yor's cooking, he chose the spy mission!
When asked how he and the other three Forger voice actors record together, he said that they're all actually kind of shy and don't talk much while working.
At one point they did a rapid fire question session where they asked him an English word to describe each of the Forgers - for Yor he said "cool," Loid he also said "cool," Anya he said "very cool," Bond he said "miracle" 😂
He commented that it made him glad to see all the SxF cosplayers. He was like "Anya," "Anya," "oh...Kanroji!" (character from Demon Slayer who also has pink hair)
He had mentioned that he got drunk when he arrived in LA, and then proceeded to bring alcohol into many of his answers 😂
When asked about something he'd do that would get a tonitrus, he said "getting hung over every single day."
When asked about something he'd do that would get a stella, he said "craft a new kind of beer."
When asked the best way to eat peanuts, he said "with whiskey."
When asked which character he'd want as a friend, he said Frankie because it would be nice to drink together.
When asked what his spy codename would be, he said "Alcohol Sake" 😂
The funniest part of the panel was this totally cringe drawing he made!
It's a running joke that he's terrible at drawing 😅 He made sure to point out that Anya is holding a peanut and not...something else, lol.
They did a giveaway where one lucky person would win a shikishi with the drawing and his signature. It kinda sucked how they did the giveaway though. They put an envelope under a random chair in the room, and whoever was sitting there and got the envelope won. Not sure when they put it there though, so probably the longer you were waiting for the panel the less likely it would be under your chair...so someone like me who was there hours early had basically no chance. Oh well.
At the end of the panel we took a group photo and that was it. I was surprised that they didn't announce/show anything related to SxF season 2 (though they did show a cool montage video of season 1). Usually they bring exclusive guests like this to the expo to hype new releases. Guess it's still too soon. But overall, it was awesome seeing Eguchi in person!
SxF merch at AX part 1!
I may have stumbled upon the best Anya cosplayer at Anime Expo 🙃
SxF merch at AX part 2!
Here's my remaining SxF photos from Anime Expo! (I'm back home from the con now and will be sharing pics of my merch haul tomorrow!)
I had a wonderful time and it was great seeing so much SxF love while I was there! However, I have to admit that I'm a little surprised/disappointed that they didn't have any exclusive SxF announcements or sneak peeks at any of the panels (and no, I don't count the Street Fighter collab as that kind of noteworthy announcement, lol). They showed exclusive content and trailer reveals for lots of other anime, some that aren't even scheduled to be released until next year, but nothing for SxF that wasn't already revealed before. Considering how much attention SxF was getting throughout the con, it was weird that they didn't have something - if not a trailer/sneak peek of season 2, then at least an announcement that Crunchyroll has officially licensed it, or dates that they plan to screen the movie outside Japan. The fact that they brought Eguchi as a guest really gave the impression they would show off something exclusive or have some big announcement. Maybe they had planned to, but in the end, Crunchyroll or whoever wasn't able to get permission in time. But besides being a bit bummed about that, everything else was awesome, so I can't complain!
Also, for anyone wondering about my health condition that I mentioned in my first Anime Expo post, thankfully it didn't interfere much with my enjoyment of the con. As I thought, the adrenaline and stimulation kept me going, though I did have bad bouts of constipation (which isn't unusual for me when I'm off my usual eating/sleeping schedule). However, now that I'm no longer distracted by AX, the sickly fatigue I was feeling before is coming back. I'm still taking the antibiotics but I have a feeling they won't fix the issue. I'll very likely be getting a coloscopy soon, if not next week then by the end of the month.
To finish up my Anime Expo posts, here are photos of my SxF merch haul~!
There's no way I could resist this Yor & Anya keychain (there was also a Loid & Anya one...I kinda regret not grabbing that one too). I got the Forgers+penguins acrylic stands (each of which came with a matching button) at the Animate booth. And the stella pin was actually a freebie from Crunchyroll.
Adorable clear files, also from Animate.
A gorgeous playmat from Artist Alley, designed by CatCrossing.
A print by MakoHouse, also from Artist Alley.
Though not SxF specifically, I got this very nice ITA backpack from Aniji. I know smaller ITA bags/backpacks aren't hard to find, but the big, sturdy ones like these are much rarer. The one I had already was okay, but I never did like the flap design. I've been looking for one of this quality for a while! Not only does it have lots of pockets, but the panel part also comes off, so you can use it as a display as well as a backpack!
I wasted no time filling it up with my SxF pins and keychains!
While I didn't actually get this Anya & Bond figure at the expo, I had preordered it a few months back and it just arrived, so might as well share it here too. It's a very nice figure~ I like how you can change between Anya's happy and determined expressions!
