The hottest weekend to ever hit Southern California occurred during Anime Expo where the heat swelled due to the sheer number of sweaty con-goers in attendance. Despite the convention’s attempts to remind attendees to stay hydrated, those without press, industry, premier fan, or ADA badge privileges still had to wait in line outside before going in for panels and premieres.

I describe every AX as chaotic, and while no one could control the weather, there were some improvements this year. The event organizers, Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA), amped up security by requiring a bag check before entry as well as badge detectors to prevent counterfeits. This also allowed SPJA to mail out badges unlike last year’s disaster. Press, industry, and exhibitors still had to pick them up on-site, though.

A goal that I set for myself was to attend as many panels and premieres as possible while still visiting the Exhibit Hall, Entertainment Hall, and Artist Alley. Some premieres, like the My Hero Academia: Two Heroes movie, were shown on the days that I couldn’t go. Yet missing out on these premieres didn’t put a damper on my overall experience mainly because of the number of panels I managed to visit compared to last year.

I relived my childhood at the official Sailor Moon panel where the current English-dub voice actors answered questions about their time with the classic anime franchise. Hosted by Charlene Ingram (former senior manager of animation at Viz Media and currently the branding director at Capcom), the panel began with a sing along of “Moonlight Densetsu” before hopping to trivia questions with magical prizes for the audience given by Sailor Moon cosplayers, introducing a special guest appearance by Fumio Osano (editor and manager of the Sailor Moon manga), and ending with an exclusive first look at a Sailor Moon SuperS, English-dubbed episode.

After saying farewell to Sailor Moon and the Guardians, I spent my free time before the next panel by scoping out the Exhibit Hall and picking up Cardcaptor Sakura enamel pins at the Kodansha booth. As always, lines filled up almost every booth and attendees shuffled and dodged each other through the aisles. I refrained from buying anything else since I saved my splurging for the last day when deals sprung up. When I left the Exhibit Hall, I took a couple of photos of cosplayers and scanned the Artist Alley for my favorite artists.

My excitement rose during the Voltron: Legendary Defender panel where fans met the creative team. The panelists included Eugene Lee (storyboard artist and director), Chris Palmer (director), and Rie Koga (director), all of whom performed live drawings, answered audience questions, discussed the differences between western and Japanese style animation, and held a few giveaways for drawings, a tablet, and a printer. Each attendee also received an official Voltron x My Hero Academia crossover poster when they entered through the doors. The panel didn’t really focus on the show itself – details about the new season would take place at San Diego Comic-Con – but rather on the creative side and how each panelist arrived to their current positions.

Starting from second to left: Eugene Lee, Rie Koga, and Chris Palmer.

Once the panel ended, the next one took place in the same room. Titled “International Women of Manga,” Tokyopop’s editorial associate Janae Young and marketing associate Kae Winters introduced several manga that were written and drawn by women from various parts of the world – Goldfisch by Nana Yaa (Germany), Undead Messiah by Gin Zarbo (Germany), Kamo: Pact with the Spirit World by Ban Zarbo (Germany), Ocean of Secrets by Sophie-chan (born in Iraq, currently living in Canada), and Sword Princess Amaltea by Natalia Batista (Sweden) who appeared as a panelist. The manga initiative celebrates diversity, and the takeaway quote was “A woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do.”

From left to right: Kae Winters, Janae Young, and Natalia Batista.

I tend to leave AX when the Exhibit Hall and Artist Alley close, but I hung around because of the “XOGENASYS: the anime” panel, which was hosted by Noir Caesar, a creative agency formed by NBA player Johnny O’Bryant. The company strives to become the first “to intertwine Japanese anime culture with African-American streetwear and hip-hop culture.” The panelists, including O’Bryant, are all African-American and work on the creative aspects of Noir Caesar’s comics and very first anime pilot, XOGENASYS.

After the introductions and a short trailer, the anime premiered and, while rough around the edges, stirred the audience into cheers and a round of applause. A Q&A session, along with prize giveaways, not only gave more insight about African-American creators in comics and anime but also voiced appreciation from audience members who’ve been wanting to see themselves represented accurately in those creative outlets.

Noir Caesar.

I found my highlight of AX on the last day: Kase-san and Morning Glories premiere, an hour-long OVA that depicts a wholesome romantic relationship between two high school girls. The anime started as a passion project based on a manga series by Hiromi Takashima. A music video released prior to the OVA as an experiment and showed how the characters met before dating. Director Takuya Sato and producer Yusuke Terada were in attendance to gauge the U.S. reception and answer questions from the audience. Throughout the premiere, I shared similar reactions with everyone else and we all felt warm and fuzzy after it ended.

For the last panel of AX, I attended “LGBTQ Representation in Canon and Fanon,” which was moderated by Bree Robles, Raj, and Bailey Beasley. Raj focused her discussion on the importance of LGBTQ representation in children’s media and how children aren’t born prejudice but easily influenced by their surroundings and the media that they consume. She approached the topic from a personal standpoint, sharing that she’d grown up in India – a country that “was relatively homophobic” – and did not learn nor consume media that portrayed same-sex relationships. It wasn’t until she consulted fanfiction in her 20s that she realized she was gay. Raj was quick to add that that doesn’t mean children should go to fanfiction as a source for learning about LGBTQ, but that creators should do better when including representation in media.

From left to right: Bree Robles, Raj, and Bailey Beasley.

Robles presented her research on how fanworks serve as a healing process or form of self-discovery and inspiration as well as the fact that popular mainstream media does not have much representation. Her project is a “zine” that shares people’s stories and experiences in fandom and the LGBTQ community – stories that aren’t just limited to fanfiction but also art, poetry, essays, interviews, and song lyrics. The proceeds will go to LGBTQ charities.

After listening to some audience members’ personal experiences in fandom and how they went through self-discovery, the panel ended and so did AX 2018. I didn’t feel sad nor relieved that the convention was over, but rather content that I’d accomplished a lot more this time around. Coupled with the fact that I was in good company, I would say this year became the best year that I’ve experienced so far. I’m looking forward to what and who next year’s AX will bring!