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Celebrating its 20th anniversary,Anime Los Angelesonce again held its annual convention in Long Beach, California. This year, 37 industry professionals made their rounds, sharing their craft, expertise, and networking with fans alike. Thevoice talentsof Cassandra Lee Morris, Lizzie Freeman, and Suzie Yeung appeared as featured guests this time around.
Sarah Spaceman, Aicosu, and Athel Artistry also returned to the con as judges for the officialAnime LAmasquerade. Keiichiro Maeno, a toy and figure designer, mostly known for hisGundamdesigns, made his appearance for all 4 days of the convention as well. Though weather conditions were harsh due to theLos Angelesfires, the convention was able to go on. Moreover,ALA’s social media kindly kept everyone up to date on the situation and how to best proceed when attending.
A Look Inside Anime Los Angeles 2025
This year, two maid cafés held their own events, complete with performances and reservations.AsayoruandDreamland Maid Cafémade their appearances on Friday and Saturday of the convention, respectively. Patrons were required to make a reservation in advance forAsayoru, in which they chose from different combos, all of which offered a complimentary polaroid photo with one of the maids. Every hour, maids put on performances for the guests.Dreamland Maid Caféhad a similar feat, but all items on the menu were ordered upon seating and drinks, food, and polaroid photos came and were to be ordered separately. Limited time souvenir star cups were available for purchase along with a drink of your choice.
As both are heavily inspired by and incorporate real aspects ofJapanese maid cafés, visitors received a greeting, personal introduction, and interactive experiences in which the maids chanted a magical spell, “moe moe kyun!”, to make the meals even more delicious. Currently,Asayoruhas a physical location in Monterey Park, California andDreamlandis planning to open their first storefront location in Orange County, California in 2025.
Exhibiting Creativity
In the exhibit hall, various vendors and artists came by toshowcase their goods, such asLegumiandMelt & Fuze.Legumiis an artist for a living, starting off as a hobbyist. He was inspired by his friend who also showcased his work at a small gaming convention. Though he felt his skills were lacking in the beginning, his passion swayed his way to proficiency. For him, every new thing is always better than the last. He had his first big show in 2017. Ever since then, his motto has been, “I’m here, I’m doing it, it’s fun!”
Melt & Fuzesells massage candles with vegan ingredients, shea butter soap by hand, and decorates everything independently. During the COVID-19 pandemic, as everything was shut down, the owner ofMelt & Fuzewanted to get her grandmother something for Christmas but had no leads. She used that time to practice making her own soaps, andonce conventions started up again, she was inspired by anime and manga. To make her products unique, she opted to blend her craft and anime to make something unique. As a result, this became a passion and all her goods are her own interpretations of art.
Always Room for Improvement
Unfortunately, during the days of the convention, there was some miscommunication between the staff and the convention center itself.Photographerswere prohibited from bringing equipment into the con. While this would make sense for large lights and tripods, it also included camera lenses larger than 2 inches.
The weapon prop policy was vague as well, as some staff members refused entry toattendeeseven if the “weapon” was clearly fake. Thankfully,Anime Los Angeles’s social media did clear some of these issues up; but even so, many photographers and outlets felt out of luck, as this made it more difficult to get proper content for and of the convention.
Anime Los Angelesis a unique and beloved con, held close to the hearts of many. There is always room for improvement, but because of how personable the staff are, there’s no doubtnextALAwill be even better.
FollowAnime Los Angeles’s officialTwitterpage to keep up to date on registration and announcements.
