A spin-off convention has been announced by Anime Expo (AX) to follow the celebration of the 31st Annual event. The much-loved anime convention is held every year but now fans will be able to attend a smaller-scale version. This allows fans to continue enjoying the conversions without waiting an entire year for the next event. This micro anime expo will be hosted at the Ontario Convention Center in November, rather than having fans waiting until 2023 for the next big event.
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AX has brought together fans and industry from Japan, the US, and all over the world for the largest celebration of Japanese pop culture in North America. Taking place every year since 1992, Anime Expo features the best in Japanese animation, popular art, entertainment, music, fashion, and video games. The event has included the announcements of many new shows and content for anime favorites over the years, including recent announcements for That Time I was Reincarnated as A Slime, Trigun, Mob Psycho, and My Hero Academia.
The New Anime Expo Spin-off Revealed
Anime Expo celebrated its 31st annual convention by returning to the Los Angeles Convention Center live and in person, bringing together fans and industry professionals for the largest celebration of Japanese pop culture in North America. Hosted by The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA), the sold-out four-day convention saw attendees from over 70 countries descend upon the city of Los Angeles to generate an estimated positive economic impact of over $100 Million for local hotels and businesses. Anime Expo fans who’re unable to attend Anime Expo 2022 also had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of AX virtually through Anime Expo Lite on Twitch and YouTube.
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During the holiday weekend full of blockbuster announcements, SPJA concluded Anime Expo 2022 with one of their own: the introduction of “anime expo,” a smaller-scale spinoff convention that will allow fans an additional opportunity to celebrate Japanese pop culture this November in Ontario, California. The event, which will be focused primarily on the exhibit hall and artist alley experience, will take place November 12-13, 2022 at the Ontario Convention Center; ticket sales will be announced in the upcoming months.
“Seeing our Anime Expo family once per year simply isn’t enough, which is why we’re incredibly excited to bring the brand-new ‘anime expo’ event to Ontario, California. Anime Expo 2022 was a success, and we look forward to carrying that positive momentum into this smaller-scale show that provides a unique, more intimate opportunity for fans of Japanese pop culture to come together a second time this year.”
Ray Chiang, CEO of SPJA
Meanwhile, the first in-person Anime Expo since 2019 welcomed fans back to the Los Angeles Convention Center with over 1,000 hours of programming, including Japanese musical guests SG5 and Travis Japan, renowned DJs Steve Aoki and TeddyLoid, and Guests of Honor including Studio MAPPA CEO Manabu Otsuka and JUJUTSU KAISEN Script Writer Hiroshi Seko, as well as Ranking of Kings Director Yosuke Hatta and Animation Producer Maiko Okada of WIT Studio; Mika Akitaka, the creator of Anime Expo’s iconic mascot, MAX, also joined in the festivities in honor of the event’s 31st year.
Further, Anime Expo 2022 boasted 30+ exclusive world and North American premieres, 250+ star-studded industry panels, celebrations, special performances, and concerts from both world-renowned and up-and-coming musicians, and much more. Overall, Anime Expo’s 300,000+ sq. ft. of exhibit space hosted 400+ exhibitors, 300+ industry appearances, and 400+ artists across four days.
“After three long years away from the Los Angeles Convention Centre, it was incredibly important to all of us at SPJA that our community be welcomed home with a truly unforgettable convention experience. And, thanks to all the participants–including exhibitors (small and big alike), artists, industry and sponsors–and the incredibly hard work and dedication shown by each and every volunteer and staff member, we’re proud to say that this year’s show not only met, but exceeded our expectations. We can’t wait to show you what we have in store for next year!”
Ray Chiang, CEO of SPJA – Continued
Anime Expo will once again return in-person to the Los Angeles Convention Center next year from July 1-4. Ticket sales for Anime Expo 2023 will be announced in fall 2022.
The spin-off convention will be held on November 12-13, 2022, at the Ontario Convention Center. For more information regarding events from Anime Expo, use the following link.
This event will be a prime time for fans to enjoy more experiences that only Anime Expo can give, without having to wait another 12 months. This smaller-scale event will also give opportunities to creators of content to showcase and announce shows and projects at the end of the year, which will help create greater hype for later releases in the year. This event will also be a fantastic stage for outlets such as Crunchyroll to provide even more for the fans of anime, which will continue to add to the growth of the platform. More information about the features and stars of the event will soon be announced when closer to the date.
About SPJA
SPJA is a non-profit organization dedicated to popularizing and educating the public about Japanese entertainment and pop culture, as well as providing a forum to facilitate learning between professionals and fans. For more information, please visit www.spja.org.
What do you think of the Anime Expo spin-off convention? Will you be attending the event in November this year? What anime content do you think will be shown at the end of the year? Let us know on social media, or in the comments below, and keep following The Illuminerdi for more anime news.
Source: Anime Expo
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