Well, as sure as the sun rises in the east, that time of year is once again upon us friends. Last year this writer covered some of the broader strokes of the cultural event and phenomenon known as Anime Expo. Labeled as the largest convention for Japanese animation (or anime) and Japanese pop culture in America, and boasting tens of thousands of attendees per year, Anime Expo, or AX, has garnered media attention and exponential clout as one of (if not THE) grandest events of its caste. Held annually in the days between late June and early July in Los Angeles, this year’s AX will be held from June 29th to July 2nd once again at the LA Convention Center.
As always, fans can expect to receive an eye full of feature premieres, contests, concerts, cat ears, cute girls, cute guys, cute girls dressed as guys, cute guys dressed as girls, live game shows, a slew of panels, workshops, and (of course) plenty of incredible cosplay. Special guests of honor will include young rising J-Pop sensation LiSa, 
legendary voice actor Steve Blum – famed for lending his voice to animated icons such as Spike Spiegel, Wolverine, and Toonami’s robot host TOM), ‘ufotable CINEMA’ founder and producer Hikaru Kondo, and the beyond sexy internet/Cosplay sensation Jessica Nigri – most recently labeled the official face of Grasshopper Studio’s Lollipop Chainsaw videogame – to name a few.
This year in particular marks a rather special occasion for AX attendees and staff, as the convention has reached its 21st consecutive year. Indeed, since its first meeting in 1992, AX has gone strong for over two decades, while only managing to grow larger in both popularity and scope along the way.
Upon AX’s turning 21, Lounge 21 will be opening at the venue for the con’s ‘numerically’ mature audience, with Tentacle Grape Soda acting as sponsor. This writer will of course be at ground zero covering the full spectacle when it hits us in a week’s time, and fervently hopes to see our Sonic Eclectic family and friends out there to show support and join in the festivities. Until then, we hold our collective breath with anticipatory glee as the days wind down to zero hour.
For more info:
- http://www.facebook.com/#!/animeexpo
