Large Scale Anime Fan Convention Comes to NYC’s Jacob Javits Center Next Weekend

Attention otaku’s of New York City! If you happened to miss out on securing yourself New York Comic Con this year, do not fret. Because this November, you will have a chance to dress up as your favorite character from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure or My Hero Academia, as the first ever Anime NYC convention will take place inside the Jacob Javits Center from the 17th to the 19th.

A collaboration between events company, Leftfield Media, and “powered by” the most popular legal anime streaming site Crunchyroll, Anime NYC is the first large scale anime fan convention to take place in New York City since the New York Anime Festival merged with NYCC in 2012.

For three days, anime fans from around the city will get an opportunity to experience over 100 hours of anime related events, such as the U.S premiere of Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower, the sequel to the extremely popular and acclaimed anime ONA (original net animation) Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt; along with a live concert by the series composer Naruyoshi Kikuchi.

There will also be an Anime Diva Night, where you and your friends can sing along to some of your favorite and iconic anime theme songs, with three of the most popular anime songstress of the last few decades. For the gamers, there will be an entire area where you will get the opportunity to play 20 original arcade machines from Japan including DanceDance Revolution, Super Table Flip and of course, Street Fighter V.

An entire day will be dedicated to the iconic anime series, Sailor Moon, with Sailor Moon Day. Fans of the anime series will have the chance to meet and attend panels featuring the English voice cast of Sailor Moon Crystal, the latest Sailor Moon anime series, as well as attend screenings and autograph singings. There will also be events happening throughout the city in the week before and during Anime NYC.

Japanese animation, or “anime” as it is widely referred to as, is an animation medium that has been around since the early 1900s. Usually seen as a niche interest even compared to comics and other nerd fandoms, anime has continued to grow in popularity in the U.S. The rise in interest is attributed to the rise of legal anime streaming services like Crunchyroll and Funimation Now, which are becoming more competitive as Netflix and Amazon are focusing on obtaining anime series for their platforms; simulcasting, where anime episodes premiere here at the same time they premiere in Japan; Hollywood’s interest in making live-action versions of popular anime series or films (Ghost in the Shell, Death Note); and the rise of anime conventions such as Anime Expo and Crunchyroll Expo in California.

Peter Tatara, Vice President of Anime Events for LeftField Media says that the idea of having an anime convention in New York City now is to fill the demand fans have for a “focused event championing Japanese pop culture,” he said via email. Tatara believes that the convention will serve as “a celebration of this community of fans and a platform for publishers and studios from both sides of the Pacific to be in front of the eyes of attendees, trendsetters, and people who aren’t yet familiar with the worlds of anime and manga.”

VIP and weekend pass are sold out, but you can purchase single day passes for $35 for Friday and $40 for Sunday. Kids six and under can attend free so feel free to dress up the little ones.

So if you’re upset that you couldn’t wear your Yuri!!! on Ice costume you spent months working on because you missed out on NYCC this year, you have another opportunity to dress up, play games and just surround yourself with people like you.

Next, check out 15 Great Cosplay Moments at the 2017 New York Comic-Con.