
Anime Expo 2025
11 August 2025 Convention Review Featured
“Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.”
— Shakespeare, Henry IV
At this point, I’ve been attending Anime Expo for well over half my life. And as I’ve grown, so has the Southern California convention known as the largest gathering of anime fans outside of Japan. Now titanic in scale, AX 2025 broke records once again, with over 410,000 fans from more than 65 countries descending upon the Los Angeles Convention Center over Fourth of July weekend. Growing pains have long been part of AX’s legacy, and this year was no exception. But there’s a reason it continues to thrive: despite the chaos, there’s simply no place like it.
When I say “bigger than ever,” I don’t just mean attendance. This year, AX partnered with the city to shut down both Pico Boulevard and Chick Hearn Court, creating an expanded footprint to accommodate the ever-growing crowds. With additional venues like the Peacock Theater for main stage events and the Novo for concerts, the convention sprawled across downtown like never before. Moving the Beer Garden to this new footprint meant a huge quality-of-life upgrade with no more hour-long lines; just a badge scan and you’re in. Major props to AX staff for proactively adapting to its own growth.
Whenever I tell people I go to AX every year, the question always comes up: “Do you cosplay?” Though I’ve only dabbled casually, cosplay is undeniably a core part of the AX experience. This year, it felt more vibrant than ever—stunning craftsmanship, character diversity, and sheer volume. My friends and I usually try to guess the “most cosplayed” character each year, but this time we couldn’t settle. Was it Maomao from The Apothecary Diaries? Frieren from Frieren? Hard to say. Everyone showed up looking incredible, and it infused the con with contagious energy.
If there was anywhere that showcased AX’s scale, it was the Exhibit Hall. The death of many wallets, the Hall has evolved from a shopping center to a full-blown multimedia showcase. Netflix, Hulu, and Crunchyroll had towering installations. Interactive experiences let you fly with Saitama or step into Demon Slayer’s Infinity Castle. Yet the classic temptations remained: exclusive figures, anime fashion, streetwear booths, and more. So much drip, so little budget. From OMOCAT to Good Smile, merch was stacked.
I also had a chance to speak with Azusa Iwanaga, PR Team Manager for AmiAmi, who traveled from Japan to represent one of the biggest anime figure retailers in the world. He discussed the careful balance of curating items for an American audience, his personal favorite figures (shoutout Kotobukiya’s “Sadako), and proudly wore an AmiAmi charity T-shirt benefiting LA wildfire relief – a gesture that spoke volumes about the connection between Japanese and American communities. It’s no wonder why the AmiAmi booth stayed buzzing all weekend long.
The Entertainment Hall felt even more dynamic this year, especially with the former Main Events area absorbed into the layout. Massive booths for Silent Hill F, Beyblade, and HoYoverse attracted long lines for demos and photo ops. Despite my hopelessness at fighting games, I managed a miraculous win in a demo of Arc System Works new Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact. Good, painful times. Meanwhile, Artist Alley in Kentia Hall remained packed with prints, zines, pins, risographs, and high-end merch like desk mats and custom keycap charms. Even with the focus on taking your hard-earned cash, comforting and free staples like cosplay repair stations and photo backdrops endured.
Now for the hard part. The biggest disappointment for me personally was the Anime Music Video (AMV) contest. A cherished tradition since childhood, it was quietly relocated from the main stage to the much smaller Novo venue and made ticketed, without any notice in the app. We arrived early only to find the line capped and fans turned away, staff looking just as frustrated. Fortunately, the rerun and awards on Day 4 salvaged the experience, and I’m glad I caught it. A few videos genuinely moved me to tears. Reminders of why this medium still means so much to so many. AX, please do better by the AMV community in the future.
Another area in need of attention: the food. Options were plentiful, but quality was all over the place. Long waits, high prices, and underwhelming results (looking at you, $15 “matcha” latte that tasted like green milk). After a while, I opted for a sit-down restaurant nearby—AC, decent food, no line? Sold. That said, I have to highlight the kakigoori vendor for their yuzu berry shaved ice, which might be the best thing I’ve eaten at AX, ever. Refreshing, tart, and a perfect antidote to the July heat.
Panels are always the heart of the con for me, and this year was no different. From anime legends like Hiroyuki Imaishi and PEACH-PIT, to video game and music icons like Naoki Yoshida and Akira Yamaoka, the programming was stacked. Returning Press access to priority panel lines was a godsend; Yoshida’s panel, in particular, was a masterclass on design philosophy and fan engagement from an honest-to-goodness otaku. Likewise, the academic panels presented by the Journal of Anime and Manga Studies in Room 411 were consistently fascinating. Anthropology through One Piece, Ecological Criticism via Campfire Cooking in Another World, and an Introduction to Korean/Japanese Ties in Anime gave me a chance to think about and engage with series on a deeper level, even if the series in question is relatively “trashy.”
But not everything went smoothly. The premiere of Studio Trigger’s New Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt was plagued by logistical issues. Held in the Peacock Theater after the Honkai Star Rail panel, the staff asked fans to “hang around” nearby until a formal line could be created, then struggled to manage the crowd once everyone converged. It took over 40 minutes to sort things out, and some newer attendees were visibly shaken, asking, “Is this normal?” Thankfully it was outdoors, but the memory of 2023’s indoor crowd crush incident lingered. AX can’t afford a repeat.
The Silent Hill F panel faced a different, equally frustrating issue. Due to a non-clearing room policy at the JW Marriott, fans of Bleach had filled the room long before Silent Hill began. Even ADA attendees in wheelchairs who had traveled across the con to attend were turned away at the door. It’s an old con problem that persists, and one that desperately needs rethinking, especially for panels with wildly different audiences.
Despite these issues, AX remains the undisputed king of anime conventions. Not even Anime NYC can match its programming, premieres, or presence. Every year, it feels like being isekai’d into a world where anime and fandom are the norm. And every year, the cracks show. Why? Because that crown is heavy. But AX still wears it, proudly and defiantly. As the SPJA considers AX’s future in Los Angeles, one thing is clear: whatever comes next, Anime Expo continues to evolve, endure, and inspire.
– Chris Torrey / Marmar Tha Midboss of KUCI’s LAG Radio