24th Annual Anime Expo Kicks Off at L.A. Convention Center

People dressed in costumes that ranged from superheroes to internationally famous manga characters and the simply indescribable. The costumes added to the festive and somewhat chaotic atmosphere, which included dozens of food trucks parked both on the Convention Center grounds and across Downtown L.A.’s Figueroa Street. Lines at the opening of the show ran about 45 minutes to get into the Convention Center’s South and West Halls.

Inside the South Hall, the mood was convivial as attendees milled around merchandise booths, and outrageously-dressed people snapped photos of even more outrageously dressed people. Despite having attended about 300 anime shows, 23-year-old Devin Adkins was impressed by the sheer scale of his first AX. "It's definitely overwhelming, and I definitely plan to come back next year," said Adkins, who was dressed as Yato from Noragami. "I'm going to have to take tons of photos."

"You could fit all of the Texas cons (anime conferences) into this one," added 21-year-old Houston native Sophie "Tofu" H., who was dressed as the character Shampoo from Ranma 1/2. "There's lots of pretty stuff."

Read More →