AnimeNext 2013 Review

It's been a week since our trip to AnimeNext convention in Somerset, New Jersey which was on June 7-9th. Now that I' am rested up from a busy week I can give you a proper review of the convention. Is this con worth checking out?

The first thing you will notice about AnimeNext is how greatly organized they are. There is a staff member in almost every area to assist you with a question or concern. The lines are also organized and the wait for panels wasn't too bad at all. The location of the con was split up into sections, which can be easily reached in a two to five minute walking distance. The main section which is at the Garden State Exhibit Center contain the artist alley, the main stage where you will see the huge big panels like the masquerade show and many more. Also held in the main section is the shopping section where you can by all your geeky and otaku goodness. The other area is located by a near hotel where panels and other places to buy goods are held.

Artist Alley: The artist alley was filled with amazing talented artist. I wish I had enough money to buy something from each of them. But I manage to get a nice caricature of myself in anime style which you can see below. The prices were pretty fair ranging from 10 to 20 dollars the most. The artist at AnimeNext were definitely worth every penny.

Anime Justin by May Shing http://mayshing.com/

Guests: The guest range from Japanese music artist, to voice actors in anime and other acts in otaku culture like Uncle Yo. Some of the guest were rock band Moon Stream, voice actor Greg Ayers, Chris Gason, Michelle Knots just to name a few. The guest were awesome had panels especially Greg Ayers he was all over the convention engaging fans, hosting panels and more. My only wish is that we would like to see more voice actors, directors or maybe producers of anime shows, or maybe some exclusives premieres of latest anime movies or shows. Otherwise the guest list was pretty solid.

Events: AnimeNext had a wide range of fun events that you will expect at an anime convention ranging from AMV contest, LARP (Live Action Role Play), Karaoke, Dating Games and many more. There was plently activity to do and I would say the AMV's shown was amazing. The winner of the horror category was truly a highlight. I also sat down to watch the karaoke event and I was impressed that some people actually sang Japanese songs.

Final Grade: B+/8.5: AnimeNext is a great con to visit for the east coast. It's not as big as Anime Expo or New York Comic Con, but it's good enough for the audience it's targeting. It could use some more improvements with the guest, premieres and more exclusives to really make the con stand out. Also the press are treated very well :). Overall this is a con we will be attending year after year and it seems that it's only getting better. 

Check out the Cosplayers Of AnimeNext 2013

Cosplayers Of AnimeNext Part 1
/www.otakusandgeeks.com/akusandgeeks.com/2013/06/the-cosplayers-of-animenext-2013-part-1.html

Cosplayers Of AnimeNext Part 2
/www.otakusandgeeks.com/akusandgeeks.com/2013/06/the-cosplayers-of-animenext-2013-part-2.html