AnimeNEXT has always held a special place in my heart. Being born and raised in New Jersey, I welcomed any and all chances to let my weeb-flag fly. So when I rolled into the AnimeNEXT parking lot for the first time (Back when they still took up shop in Somerset) it was like a whole new world. And even though that world has long since vanished, that small-town local convention managed to carry on and essentially rebirth itself into an entirely different entity.
Does that entity measure up to its former self, though? This is a question many have been asking ever since the relocation to Atlantic City three years ago. But the answer isn’t as simple as just a ‘yes’ or a ‘no.’ The comparison between both sides is riddled with so many pro’s and con’s that all of those inevitable comparisons turn into a sort of ‘apples and oranges’ situation. And even though the name has stayed the same after their relocation, AnimeNEXT is a different convention than it used to be. Though that pill may be hard to swallow for those of us who have been attending for years, it’s time for all of us to accept and appreciate the new take on things. After all, how can we expect new life to flourish if we do not do our part and nurture it?
That’s enough for the preface, though. It’s time to dive into both the content and con-staff and figure out whether this year’s AnimeNEXT measured up to the years before it.
I’ll start my round-up the same way I always do — at registration. My journey began bright and early in the Sheraton States Boardroom where all press members were invited to pick up their badges. The process was quick and smooth and the convention’s press liaison (Shout-out to Gregg) was absolutely the most professional representative I’ve dealt with at a convention. The whole process lasted about five minutes before I was off to the normal registration line to meet up with a friend. When we broke apart earlier, he was halfway down the hall in a line that seemed like it would take eons to work through. However, by the time I got back to him, he was already walking through the doors with his badge ready to go. So yeah, that’s a good way to start. Seeing lines that huge is always intimidating for con-goers, but having them move briskly along is a great way to quell those anxieties.
However, most of the other lines did not move as smoothly. Despite the well-managed registration line, nearly ever ‘high profile’ panel I attended had little to no line management whatsoever. For example, I attended three panels in room 303 and with each one, the line formed in a different location as the staff (Albeit entirely composed of volunteers) tried halfheartedly to get things organized. Thankfully, as soon as it was time to actually filter into the rooms, the line-caused confusion diminished and we all went back to normal. I can’t say for certain why the panel lines were as poorly managed as they were, but as a standard passerby, I’d imagine it could be chalked up to just poor instruction given to all of those volunteers. If this was the case, I’d suggest employing and instructing more standards in the following years to make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to management.
That’s enough about lines, though. I mean, when was the last time any of us attended a convention where every single line went smoothly? Never. It just doesn’t happen. But there is one other factor that typically applies to this. Conventions with high profile guests, more often than not, have a rough time dealing with heavy influxes of con-goers at once. This year, though, the guest list for AnimeNEXT just…didn’t really live up to any of the years prior. Now, that’s not to say there wasn’t anyone there at all. I’m just as excited as the next guy to see Max Mittelman being the jovial, energetic dude he always is. But the lack of other highly relevant industry names (Mainly Japanese ones) made the convention seem undesirable for many who would typically go. For example, every time I’ve gone to AnimeNEXT, I’ve been accompanied by roughly eight to ten other people. This time, that number was just one — one friend going for his first time. None of the ten people I’d gone to every other AnimeNEXT with wanted to come this year, and it wasn’t just to stick it to them for the venue change.
The panels they did have, though, were all pretty solid. I can also safely confirm that none of them were hijacked by Nazis (I’m looking at you Anime Matsuri) and that is a very good thing. The complete list of panels I was able to attend are as follows: (Note that this does not include main events — I’ll get to those in a second)
Writing, Directing, and Voicing in Anime with Josh Grelle: This industry vet put on a solid panel (Like always) and answered a plethora of questions about script writing and the dubbing process as a whole. I am also awarding him bonus points for gracefully navigating several “How do I become a voice actor?” questions that you hear at every single English VA panel ever. Just stop, guys.
A Day in the Life with Max Mittelman: Like I mentioned before, Max Mittelman is a delight to watch. His energy resonated throughout the room and turned several people who weren’t even familiar with his work into die-hard fans by the end. The sheer spontaneity of what went on in here was enough for me to call this a highlight of the convention.
Brand New Idol-Shenanigans: This fan-made panel about many of the lesser known idol groups in Japan was a load of fun. The fact that it opened with a Gang Parade video made it even better. As a long-time fan of idols, I always enjoy hearing from other passionate fans, and this panel was that and nothing else from start to finish.
Bad Anime, Bad!: A convention staple for many. Even with the distinct lack of Garzey’s Wing, this was still a relatively good time. And the only reason I use the word “relatively” is that viewer-interaction absolutely ruined about half of it. I’m a big fan of the panelist (Whose name escapes me right now) and I REALLY wish the audience would just leave the comedy to him. If I had a dollar for every time someone raised their hand just to say something like “I hate you” or spit out a joke that I’m sure sounded a lot better in their head, I would have enough money to start my own anime convention and bar those people from attending.
Why Visual Novels – Tales From a Beta Tester: As a die-hard VN fan, this panel was a must-see for me. And despite not being what I expected (It focused almost exclusively on the beta tester’s role in the medium), it was still good seeing someone else who has the same passion and understanding for visual novels. I just wish the panelist had more time to jump into actual content of games rather than just the concept of working on them. The panel’s description made it seem like this would be a beginner-friendly glimpse into visual novels, but it was more like an instructional presentation on how a game’s testing phase works.
Shingeki No Eva or How I Learned All Anime is the Same and There is no Such Thing as an Original Plot: I didn’t go to this panel but I want the host to know that he is an idiot.
That’s it for the panels. There were several others I dipped in and out of, but these were the ones I watched long enough to develop an actual opinion of. (Apart from that last one. That dude just sucks.) For main events, please see below: (Note that I was not able to attend the Cellchrome concert)
Cosplay Burlesque: As always, the Cosplay Burlesque show was a damn good time. The theme of this one was Kingdom Hearts and it came fully equipped with the adorable and bubbly Dio narrating each performer’s introduction as Sora. Also, I want to throw it out there that she is my new favorite member. The show itself was great and the performers were as passionate as always, but the actual layout of the room was pretty horrible, to be honest. Despite being in the first 33% of the line, we were still placed near the very back of the room and, due to the stage being level with the chairs, it was nearly impossible to see anything over a sea of obnoxiously tall hats and wigs. I also don’t understand what the point of a camera-to-screen broadcast is if you’re just going to stay on an extreme wide shot the entire time. If they correct the camera work and move back to a room with an actual stage, this will be a fantastic event.
AMV Contest: AnimeNEXT has always had the best AMV contest of any convention I’ve gone to. Thankfully, I was able to watch all 35 videos this year and was pleasantly surprised by almost all of them. Unfortunately, due to voting resting entirely in the hands of the audience, several videos came out as victorious due to the series within rather than the actual content of said video, leaving many of the more technical or intimate marvels in the dust. I’m all about democracy when it comes to actual politics, but employing it in situations like this one just turns everything into a popularity contest and it’s rather disheartening.
Masquerade: This was actually the first time I’ve seen the Masquerade for more than like 30 minutes total. To my surprise, it was actually a pretty great time. The quality of skits has improved immensely over the last several years and a few of them were actually rather fantastic. (I’m still kicking myself for missing the Doki Doki Literature Club one, though). My personal favorite of the ones I saw (Approximately the last half) is the final performance of Start;Dash from Love Live by three girls who came all the way from New York. They were great and definitely deserved to win whatever prize they were awarded. Thumbs up to those three.
Aimi Concert: Oh god I love her. Aimi (Who you may have heard as the vocalist from Stereo Pony) has been part of the anime scene for quite some time now. In fact, Stereo Pony even played at AnimeNEXT way back when it was still in Somerset. Suffice it to say, she was psyched to be here again and let that show in every ounce of her performance. Mixing music from both her solo career as well as Stereo Pony’s anime songs, the concert went on for around 90 minutes and was great from start to finish. It was an absolute privilege to see her play. Plus, I’m pretty sure we made eye contact once and I hope she thinks about me.
That sums it up for the panels and events, but what would a round-up be if we didn’t dive into where the vast majority of us spent most of our time? That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, I’m talking about the dealer’s room and the gaming room.
As is customary for anime conventions, the gaming room was packed with loads of imported rhythm games that you just can’t find in most of America. I came to fall in love with Beat Stream and spent at least an hour on it throughout the weekend. I mean, you can’t put Shirobako songs in a game and expect me to just leave it alone. Other than that, I had a great time trying out several other machines like Jubeat, Sound Voltex (Probably the hardest rhythm game I’ve ever played) and got to shred on an actual arcade cabinet for Hatsune Miku’s Project Diva for the first time. Of course, there were loads of current-gen and retro consoles you could spend time on and, only being good at one fighting game, I did enjoy getting to play Tekken for quite some time.
The dealer’s room and artist’s alley were the true centerpieces of the convention, as always. Situated in the very middle of the center’s second floor, this vast merchant congregation had something for almost everyone. From figures to prints, there were plenty of sinks to drop your money into. And if I had any room left in my bag before my flight back to Texas, it would have gone to Collectors Anime LLC at booth 228. With tons of imports featuring many lesser-known anime series, this booth had roughly six hundred things I would have forked over money for. Instead, I wound up walking away with a bite-sized print of my ultimate waifu, Rin Natsume of Little Busters, that they gave to me for no charge at all. I will cherish this for the rest of my life and it will go right next to my Masami Iwasawa banner. One thing I do wish, however, would be a shop set up by literally any of the English visual novel distributors. The distinct lack of representation for that medium was very upsetting, considering that’s where I normally spend the most. But hey, at least I saved some money.
At the end of the day, AnimeNEXT 2019 was a great time. And even though it’s lost that small town, local convention-feeling, its variety of activities and easily-navigated location make it an awesome way to spend a weekend. Despite a relatively underwhelming guest list, the convention held my attention for a full three days and kept me there until the very last minute. Sure, my legs feel like Jello, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I do hope that people will continue to support AnimeNEXT so that they may up their budget in years to come, but that won’t happen without your help. If you’re thinking of checking it out next year but aren’t quite sure yet, take it from me — you’ll have fun. Just make sure you don’t stay at the Rest Inn in Galloway. That place is a nightmare.
